Meet Bonnie new

Who knew exercise
could be so fun?

In the beginning, the Y was a place for Bonnie New to supplement her morning walk with strength training and cardio.

"I met a really nice trainer who was encouraging," she says. "He got me hooked on the machines and set me up with a good routine. I found it pretty easy to make myself do it," she remembers, adding that she battled through being "bored out of my mind" on the recumbent bike by doing Sudoku and listening to music.

When she retired, Bonnie had flexibility with her schedule branched out to group exercise classes. "I started yoga, which I hate," she admits, "but my body loves it!" And when a friend suggested pickleball, Bonnie was game to try.

"The first time, it was just two other ladies and myself hitting it back and forth, but I thought, 'Wow, this has potential.' Pickleball is now my exercise of choice. Running, jumping, sweating and laughing — you hardly even know you’re exercising because it’s so much fun."

Bonnie is part of an avid contingent of pickleballers who play twice weekly and are looking for a third time slot. "Everyone is there to have fun," she explains. "They want to improve, but it’s not important that they win. It’s a pool of people I wouldn’t have met. We are starting to know each other better and are even doing a few things together away from the Y."

Bonnie admits her notion of the Y used to be that it was for young people — kids especially. "I discovered there is a whole world at the Y for every age."

— April 2017