The YMCA

Interestingly enough, the YMCA seems to be the culture that has been close to me over the past few months since I have began working out their. It is odd to think of the YMCA as being a cultural, and even more off to think of it as a culture that I am involved in. One thing I would like to point out is that I will only be reflecting on the YMCA in Donelson, TN.
I have noticed lately when I go there that there seem to be a lot of elderly people. They are almost always wearing the same color shirt leading me to believe that they participate in classes together. I looked around the YMCA to try and find some evidence of this and learned that the YMCA has a program called silver shoes which is specifically for senior citizens. I decided to watch about twenty minutes of one session to see if it would be something my grandmother my be interested in doing. I noticed that the class does not seem to be as strength based as it is neurologically based. The instructor leads the seniors in balance exercises as well as simple exercises like lifting two and three pound weights, lifting the weight of their legs, and even and simple as being able to to pinch the ends of a clothes pin together. All of the seniors had smiling faces. They were able to  laugh and enjoy one another's company while benefiting themselves with a small workout. I think it is really good for them to have this kind of activity at least two times a week to keep their brains and bodies mobile.
After the session many of the seniors go into the lobby, which is designed kind of like a coffee shop, to continue their talking and drink coffee or tea. I was able to go and talk with a few of the participants and each of them had very positive things to say about silver shoes. One lady told me that it just felt so good to get out of the house and be able to come and talk with others that are experiencing some of the same difficulties that she has. I never would have thought that I would be looking at the silver shoes club and the YMCA as a culture but it really is. They all where matching shirts, usually in an old pair of white tennis shoes, and they all have smiling faces. Its a healthy environment for an older bunch.