Marsha Carrell joined the YMCA of Morgan County in January 2016 because she was ready to lose weight and her insurance would cover the Y membership through the Silver Sneakers program. Since joining the YMCA this former self-proclaimed “couch potato” has fallen in love with exercise and healthy living. She has lost 53 pounds, became stronger and feels much better. She and her husband participate in Senior Yoga on Tuesday and Thursday, and Cardio Flow on Wednesday. Marsha loves that the instructor modifies things as needed making it easier for everyone to participate. Joining the Y has even inspired Marsha to become involved with other fitness centers and activities in the community and she likes different things about each one.
Marsha is not only involved in exercise programs at the YMCA, she and her grandsons are participating in Strengthening Families, a joint program presented by the YMCA in conjunction with Morgan County Substance Abuse Council. This program is aimed at strengthening communication skills in families in order to help families communicate effectively and have more fun together. After just the fifth session of the fourteen session program, Marsha says she has already learned a lot. She and her teenage grandson are talking more and he is more open to sharing things with her. She has learned to be more direct with her questions and to narrow things down rather than just asking very broad open ended questions. “I am so glad that we are doing this program and it is helping me to communicate with my other grandchildren as well.” said Marsha.
Marsha hopes that this program will allow her grandchildren to continue to have open communication with her and her husband throughout the coming years. She wants them to know that they can come to them about anything and talk openly and honestly without any judgement. Marsha said she is already seeing positive changes in her oldest grandson and she would highly recommend this program to others to help strengthen their family’s communication and coping skills.
We are thrilled that Marsha and her family are a part of the YMCA and the Strengthening Families Program and we celebrate the success that they are experiencing. Strengthening Families and the YMCA are committed to whole person wellness, helping people to be well physically, mentally, and emotionally.