Bed-Stuy YMCA: Ten Tips to Keep Your Family Healthy

Whether you’ve been thinking about joining the YMCA for a while, are a family on a budget considering a “staycation” in the city this summer, or are concerned about the kids being out of school and needing structured programs around health awareness and physical education, the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA provides an all-access pass to a summer of healthy fun.

The YMCA summer membership special makes staying healthy and fit more affordable than ever for New York City families.

From May 14th to June 27th, four-month YMCA summer memberships are available for $175 for individual adults or $250 for the whole family—that’s just 57 cents a day each for a family of four!
Make health a priority for your family this summer.

The Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA offers the following tips to help keep your family cool, happy, and active all summer long:

1. Net Rewards-- Play outdoor sports this summer, especially net sports like basketball, volleyballs, and tennis. YMCA branches across the city are introducing a new “10 and Under Tennis” program to get kids hooked on racket sports early!

2. Dive into Summer-- Help your child learn to swim or improve his or her swimming skills. And adults remember to be active by the poolside.

3. The Cool and the Sweet-- Try substituting traditional summer treats like ice cream and sugary flavored ices with frozen yogurt or homemade fruit juice pops! And explore seasonal summertime fruits—like kiwis, mangos, melons, and dragon fruit—by introducing to the family dinner table a “summertime fruit of the week.”

4. Prevent Summer Learning Loss-- Help your child prepare a summer reading list before school lets out; commit to keeping up with current events as a family every day.

5. Protect Your Skin-- Always use sunscreen, even on overcast days. Encourage your child to wear a hat or cap when playing outdoors. Schedule an appointment with a dermatologist to learn about ways to keep your skin healthy.

6. Avoid Screen Addiction-- Limit television and video game time during summer daylight hours. Encourage your kids to get up, get out, and stay active.

7. Explore Nature-- Spend time this summer introducing your child to the glories of nature, whether that takes the form of picnics in the park, hiking and camping trips, bird watching or stargazing. Make certain that children are provided with frequent opportunities for outside play and exercise in ways that are unstructured and exploratory.

8. The Big Payback-- Give back to the community by volunteering as a family, especially in programs and events that will get you all outside and moving such as park clean-ups or charity sponsored walks and races.

9. Keep Cool, Stay Green-- Be environmentally conscious by avoiding air conditioner use (especially during peak evening hours, which puts significant strain on the city’s electrical grid); instead, try opening windows for cross-ventilation and use electric and ceiling fans whenever possible.

10. Commit to Family Fitness-- Join the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA”: During a time when families struggle to eat right, stay physically active, and find enough time to be together as a family, the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA is here to help parents meet these challenges.

The Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA builds its commitment to fun, physical activities, and healthy eating choices into each of its programs to help kids develop good lifestyle habits early on and encourage families to reinforce those good habits at home. It’s not summer in New York without the Y—the city’s authority on helping families build healthy spirits, minds and bodies.