Keep Your New Year's Resolution at the YMCA of Greater Houston

HOUSTON, TX - The YMCA of Greater Houston is the go-to spot for families in the Greater Houston area seeking to focus on creating and maintaining healthy habits in 2017. The Y is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 2600 North Loop West Freeway #300.

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Group Exercise

• Indoor cycling is a high-energy, cardio workout using stationary bicycles, with Y instructors leading participants through mixed terrain—flats, hills and mountain peaks, to name a few. Cyclists are able to control their experience, from speed and resistance to level of intensity, making for classes that are suitable for new and expert participants alike. The Y offers four classes: Begin N Cycle, cycling, spinning and spin and strength.
• Pilates is a longstanding exercise trend—and with good reason; the practice helps to improve flexibility, muscle control, strength and coordination and is beneficial for post-injury rehabilitation. Classes include—but are not limited to—beginner mat pilates; Mat Science, a fusion of yoga and pilates as well as core and stabilizing techniques; BodyFlow, a pilates workout that incorporates yoga and tai chi practices; and pilates for active, older adults, which focuses on basic moves to enhance strength, balance and flexibility.
• Yoga, a practice thousands of years old, is a way to build strength and flexibility without placing undue stress on the body. Classes at the Y range from beginner to more advanced, including family yoga, power yoga, yoga sculpt and PiYo, which combines yoga and pilates into one experience in order to stretch and strengthen participants' core. A full list of group exercise classes is available on the Y website.

Youth Sports

• Baseball is open to girls and boys in prekindergarten through third grade and high school. Youth baseball at the Y encourages children to be goal-oriented while offering a weekly 60-minute practice. The Y's volunteer coaches focus on participation and fun by developing children's basic skills through sportsmanship and life values. Every game begins with a pledge and ends with a handshake. Registration is available through the Vic Coppinger Family YMCA, M.D. Anderson Family YMCA, Trotter Family YMCA and Wendel D. Ley YMCA.
• Basketball combines team play with individual skills. Youth basketball at the Y comprises zero tryouts, zero cuts from the team and zero bench-warmers with a weekly, 60-minute session. Offered in the spring, summer and fall, the program seeks to help children not only become better players, but also better people. Registration is available through the Vic Coppinger Family YMCA, Houston Texans YMCA, Brenda and John Duncan YMCA, Wendel D. Ley YMCA and Cossaboom Family YMCA. It is also available at the West Orem Family YMCA, M.D. Anderson Family YMCA and Trotter Family YMCA.
• Flag football offers a number of leagues for children of all age levels in order to encourage healthy children, families and communities by prioritizing family involvement, positive self-image and a sense of fair play. Registration is available through the Houston Texans YMCA.
• Soccer at the Y is open to children prekindergarten age to third grade as well as high school. A weekly, 60-minute practice affords participants with lessons on sportsmanship and the development of the basic skills of the game. Registration is offered at the Vic Coppinger Family YMCA, Houston Texans YMCA, Wendel D. Ley YMCA, Trotter Family YMCA and West Orem Family YMCA.

• Softball is offered in the spring, summer and fall seasons to ages ranging from prekindergarten through high school, with multiple age-specific levels available. A progressive program, every participant will have the opportunity to play. Volunteer coaches encourage fair play and positive competition.
• Volleyball is available to children in fourth grade through high school. The 60-minute session, held weekly, is intended to combine team play with participants' individual skill sets. Each child is guaranteed to play at least half of every game while learning new techniques. Registration is offered at the Vic Coppinger Family YMCA, Cossaboom Family YMCA, Harriet and Joe Foster Family Y and the Brenda and John Duncan YMCA.
• Miracle League is provides children and adults with physical limitations and other special needs the opportunity to play in a safe, fun atmosphere. The Y's Miracle League removes barriers that keep these individuals off the field or otherwise out of the game, allowing them the experience of participating as part of a team. The Miracle League plays on a custom-designed, rubberized turf field that accommodates wheelchairs and other devices.

Adult Sports

• League sports allow Y members to shoot hoops with friends in a semi-competitive environment. Whether it's basketball or volleyball, the latter a sport that the YMCA invented, is available for indoor and outdoor play at varying levels. Interested players have the option to register as an individual or as a team.
• Individual sports include pickleball, a racquet sport that combines badminton, tennis and table tennis with the same court dimensions as badminton doubles and a net mounted two inches lower, racquetball and tennis.
• Physical activities are abound at the YMCA of Greater Houston; the Y offers classes on karate, dance, taekwondo, triathlon training and self-defense, as well as a Master's Swim course, at a number of locations throughout the Greater Houston area. A full list of adult sports programs is available on the Y website.

Membership

What is the most advantageous part of the YMCA of Greater Houston? The affordable membership packages. Choose a membership that fits your lifestyle and your budget, and you and your family can enjoy all of the health and wellness benefits that the YMCA of Greater Houston has to offer.

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