As the physical distancing days continue, and we have all but settled into our new normal, it may start to feel like that initial jolt of adrenaline-induced productivity and positivity is starting to wane. Remember when everyone was making homemade bread, and learning how to grow their own food? Plus, the countless DYI home projects that many of us embarked on? Well, those days are now behind us and some people are reporting a lack of productivity and feelings of complacency. Not to worry, we have a team of pros who are used to inspiring their clients to get back on track and tackle even the loftiest of goals. Sherry Perez, Manager of Program Development for the YMCA of Greater Toronto, has tips for staying motivated and beating boredom, stress, and fear. Here are her inspiring words of wisdom.

If you’ve taken a class with me on Facebook live lately, you know I’m a pretty positive, motivated person! It comes with the territory: a big part of my job as a group fitness instructor and personal trainer is to help people push themselves, achieve their goals, and set their sights even higher next time.

Or at least, that was a big part of my job before a pandemic shut the world down and turned our collective future into a big question mark.

*Gulp.*

We all know we’re in the midst of a crisis, and we’re all coping with it differently. I love seeing some of my friends and family thrive from the comfort of their home offices, overjoyed they’re now spending an extra hour or two a day playing with their kids instead of sitting in rush hour traffic.

But if you’re reading this, you’re probably not feeling ultra-productive and you need some inspiration. If you are feeling unmotivated (and maybe even a little guilty about it), the last thing you need right now is to read a long list of things you “should” be doing. So instead, I thought I’d share some of the things I’m doing right now to try to cope with my stress, boost my mood, and brighten my days a little. I hope some of these will work for you too!

1. Reimagining my personal goals so they’re super-small and easy.

The last thing we need right now is the disappointment of “failure.” Instead of pledging to run a marathon, my goals these days are more like, “I’m going to walk around the block today.” Setting these small goals I know I can tackle means I get to enjoy the positive feeling of achievement over and over. It also makes me hungry for more: it feels good to be able to say “I did it!” and that good feeling gets me excited to set another little goal for myself.

2. Sleeping. A lot.

No, you do not lack discipline if all of this ends and you haven’t learned a new skill, finished a novel, or done whatever else we may be told to accomplish in the middle of a pandemic. In my mind, I would count it as a resounding success if some of us caught up on even a little sleep while we’re spending so much time at home.

3. Moving every morning.

No, I will not be doing 6:00 am bootcamp daily! All I mean is that I’m going to do my best to be vertical for at least a few minutes at the start of every day. For me, moving clears my mind gives me a little energy boost, and helps me feel good about the day ahead. You can try one of The Bright Spot’s live group fitness classes, or watch a pre-recorded one on our Youtube channel.

4. Remembering to nourish my body.
There’s something calming and reassuring about planning what you’re going to eat, and when. Prepping at least some of my meals and snacks the night before makes my day feel so much less overwhelming; it’s one less thing I have to think about while I’m in the middle of trying to work and simultaneously supervise my kids’ online learning.

5. Seizing my good days to tackle new adventures.

Some days, you will feel motivated and productive! I’m planning to put them to good use by trying something new I’ve always been interested in but never had time to explore. Something fun I keep telling people to try right now is my Arriba class: this is your chance to really let loose and dance like no one’s watching…because they’re actually not 😉

6. Being extra kind and forgiving to myself.

Most importantly, not every day is going to be a good day. When you’re feeling off and nothing’s helping to shake that funk, you’ve got to dig down deep and find the strength to do the toughest thing on this list: be okay with it. Personally, I like to brew a cup of hot tea, grab a seat in the sun, and remind myself that it’s perfectly acceptable not to be motivated today — that I am allowed to feel down, or stressed, or scared, or just plain off when there is a literal crisis unfolding around me. Simply telling yourself that your feelings are normal, and acknowledging that you are doing your very best, can really help you feel a little more calm and in control.

As the Manager of Program Development for the YMCA of Greater Toronto, Sherry builds and advances our group fitness programs and coaches our staff and volunteer instructors to deliver the very best classes they can. She also works with YMCAs across Canada to bring our latest and greatest group fitness classes to more people in more communities. Sherry has been a personal trainer and group fitness instructor for over 20 years, has a diploma in Fitness & Lifestyle Management from George Brown College and an honours degree in Business, and is a YMCA Canada Training Educator. She is the proud mother of two children who occasionally make guest appearances in the live classes she’s teaching for free right now on our Facebook channel!

 

This next story of recovery and healing shows just how important a healthy mind and an active body are for longevity and well-being. While we may not be able to see each other face to face right now, that shouldn’t stop each and every one of us from continuing to make positive choices. The Bright Spot is here to help you access the same supports and resources that Doug Fulford had in our YMCA Centres of Community from your home. Here is Doug’s story.

Doug Fulford’s rheumatoid arthritis symptoms came on suddenly, leaving him — in his words — weak, foggy-brained, and barely able to walk 600 steps a day. His doctors told him he needed to start a regular exercise routine. Eager to try anything that might help him feel better, Doug began searching for a place to start his recovery — and he found the Oshawa YMCA. Here are the three things that resonated with him and helped him start healing:

1. Accessible fitness options

Doug began his Y experience with one of our most fun group fitness classes: Arriba! This fusion of Latin, Bollywood, and belly dance moves is set to lively music that has the power to move just about everyone, and that’s exactly what happened to Doug. The instructor told him to join in where he could and not to feel discouraged if there were moves he couldn’t manage yet. That permission to move at his own pace was what hooked Doug on day one.

“I had so much fun in that class, and the instructor gave me lots of support,” Doug says. “That 45 minutes was such a riot!”

2. New friendships

Not only did he increase his mobility while decreasing inflammation and the amount of medication he’s taking; Doug says he also grew his support system. “I remember when I first walked into the Y and stopped at the front desk,” he recalls. “They gave me a tour and I thought to myself, ‘I can do this! This is where I need to be.’”

He quickly started connecting with Y staff and his fellow members.

“I didn’t believe that I had a lot of friends…now, I couldn’t count them all. The connection with other people can be very healing.”

Doug says it’s the support of his friends that keeps him coming back to classes time and time again.

3. Opportunities to give back
Today, Doug’s striving to help others access the same tools and supports that helped him along the road to recovery. Months ago, when our centres were still open, Doug volunteered as an instructor for his favourite class, AquaFit, and he even joined the Sweat For Good Challenge, our biggest fundraising event of the year. The money Doug raised helps others in the community access the same YMCA programs that supported him in his journey of healing. Funds go towards financially assisted memberships for people who otherwise couldn’t afford to join the Y. For someone going through life-altering changes like Doug was, getting access to these supports can mean a world of difference.

From barely being able to walk and needing two hands to pour his coffee, to leading group fitness classes every week and participating in a fitness fundraiser, Doug has come a long way in a short amount of time.

We’re inspired by him, and we hope you are, too. Join in on more activities and connect with others through The Bright Spot. We’re thrilled to be able to bring you fitness, mindfulness, and community right to your home.

 

 

Spice up your summer reading list with a brand-new month’s worth of Bright Spot book club fun, hosted by YMCA staff members and book lovers Beth Morgan and Andrea Muller.

We’ll be reading a piece of lit every two weeks, which will give us plenty of time to dig deep and get familiar with the themes, characters, and storyline. Then, we’ll share our impressions with each other over a virtual coffee or tea. As always, our intention is to build connections with all of you through our shared love of reading!

How do I join?

Sign up on this page of The Bright Spot. Once you RSVP, we’ll send a Zoom link to your e-mail. On Thursday, shortly before 1:00 pm, click on the link to connect to our virtual book club.

How will the book club be organized?

Each meeting will be moderated by Beth Morgan, General Manager of the Markham YMCA, and Andrea Muller, supervisor and individual conditioning coach at the Markham YMCA. We’ve asked people to pick a variety of books for us to read together (scroll down to see the reading schedule!). We’ll read a new book every two weeks, then get together virtually to discuss them.

What can I expect in a typical book club meeting?

The individual who chose the book will bring three discussion questions to our meeting to get the ball rolling, and then our conversation will pick up from there.

What are some examples of discussion questions?

We’re going to be pretty open to whatever comes up, but some of the questions we are thinking of using to get us started are:

• What themes did you notice throughout the book?
• How did the characters change throughout the story? How did your opinion of them change?
• Which character did you relate to the most, and what was it about them that you connected with?
• Did the book change your opinion or perspective about anything? Do you feel different now than you did before you read it?

Where can I get copies of the books we’re reading?

There are a few different ways you can get books for free online.

1. Log on to your local library’s website. If you do not have a library card, your library card is expired, or you lost your library card, your library website will have directions on how to get a new card.

2. Use the Toronto Public Library Instant Digital Card.This gives non-Toronto Public Library cardholders in Toronto free, temporary access to the TPL’s large collection of e-books and audiobooks using the code TPL2020. You need a Toronto cell phone (area codes 416, 647, or 437) that can receive text messages.

3. Subscribe to Scribd or Kobo audiobook, which both offer a free 30-day trial.

4. If you prefer audiobooks, Audible has a free 30-day trial as well.

Which books are we reading?

We already have our selection for June but we want to hear your suggestions for the coming months, too. Head over to The Bright Spot and send us your ideas through the live chat.

In the meantime, here are the June titles we’ll be digging into.

Please note: all of the following synopses are quoted directly from goodreads.com.

June 11 meeting: Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Stories

“In the her tenth collection (the title story of which is the basis for the new film Hateship Loveship), Alice Munro achieves new heights, creating narratives that loop and swerve like memory, and conjuring up characters as thorny and contradictory as people we know ourselves.

A tough-minded housekeeper jettisons the habits of a lifetime because of a teenager’s practical joke. A college student visiting her brassy, unconventional aunt stumbles on an astonishing secret and its meaning in her own life. An incorrigible philanderer responds with unexpected grace to his wife’s nursing-home romance.

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage is Munro at her best, tirelessly observant, serenely free of illusion, deeply and gloriously humane.”

June 18 & 25 meetings: The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

“From the award-winning author of Station Eleven, a captivating novel of money, beauty, white-collar crime, ghosts, and moral compromise in which a woman disappears from a container ship off the coast of Mauritania and a massive Ponzi scheme implodes in New York, dragging countless fortunes with it.

Vincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star glass and cedar palace on an island in British Columbia. Jonathan Alkaitis works in finance and owns the hotel. When he passes Vincent his card with a tip, it’s the beginning of their life together. That same day, Vincent’s half-brother, Paul, scrawls a note on the windowed wall of the hotel: “Why don’t you swallow broken glass.” Leon Prevant, a shipping executive for a company called Neptune-Avramidis, sees the note from the hotel bar and is shaken to his core. Thirteen years later Vincent mysteriously disappears from the deck of a Neptune-Avramidis ship. Weaving together the lives of these characters, The Glass Hotel moves between the ship, the skyscrapers of Manhattan, and the wilderness of northern Vancouver Island, painting a breathtaking picture of greed and guilt, fantasy and delusion, art and the ghosts of our pasts.”

Happy reading! We can’t wait to hear what you think of these books in our coming meetings.

What if you could travel to far-off, exciting destinations without ever leaving your living room? That seems like the ideal scenario for many of us travel lovers right now. We have the perfect virtual activity to satisfy your wanderlust! Join us for Virtual Summer Vacations every Friday at 2:00 pm starting June, 12 2020.

How do I join?

Sign up on the activities page of The Bright Spot. Once you RSVP, we’ll send a Zoom link to your e-mail. On Friday, shortly before 2:00 pm, click on the link to connect to our Virtual Summer Vacations.

How will Virtual Summer Vacations be organized?

These online activities will be hosted by a number of Y staff members who share your love of travel. You can think of them as your virtual tour guides! They’ll share their adventures to some of their favourite places.

What can I expect in a Virtual Summer Vacation meeting?

Our guides will share imagery, stories, and music with the group, giving all of us a chance to immerse ourselves in the local culture of our “destination.” We’ll talk about history, food, music, art, architecture and so much more.

How can I find out each week’s destination?

Keep an eye on the Bright Ideas page. Every few weeks, we’ll post details about our next vacation destinations! You can also subscribe to our weekly email newsletter, where we announce new virtual activities and share updated information on existing ones.

On June 12, we’re heading to Rome, Italy!

Your tour guides are YMCA staff members Sarah Earl and Adela Colhon. Adela says, “Taking a virtual trip to Rome will be a great start to our summer vacation adventures! We chose Rome as our first destination because of its world-famous beauty, rich history, and culture. Are you ready? Pronti? Andiamo insieme a Roma!”

Sarah says she’s particularly excited for this trip because after visiting Rome eight years ago, she made travel plans to return again this July. Due to COVID-19, her in-person trip had to be postponed. “I’m excited to experience Rome with all of our community members, virtually. And because I am hoping to visit in person again in 2021, this will be a great pre-trip planning opportunity!”

On June 19, we’re visiting St. John’s, Newfoundland.

After Rome, our guides will take us a bit closer to home. Stay tuned for more details to come.

Everyone is welcome to join our travels. Whether you’re totally new to these locales, or you’ve been before and want to share your own stories with us, we are so excited to explore these beautiful corners of our big, vast world with you!

Calling all Art Lovers! We have a new activity on our schedule called Art Club. Think of it like our book club, but instead of reading and discussing a book every week, you’ll observe the works of a well-known artist and chat about your impressions and ideas.

The YMCA’s Art Club is moderated by Dana Pelham, art lover and staff member at the West End YMCA. We asked him what people can expect from this weekly event and here’s what he had to say.

How can people join Art Club?

We’ll be meeting once a week to discuss a well-known artist’s work. Our meeting time is every Monday at 3:00 pm, starting June 8 2020. All you have to do is sign up on The Bright Spot activities page. Then, on Monday shortly before 3:00 pm, you will receive an email with a link to the Zoom session.

What would you say to someone who feels intimidated by Art Club?

Taking in art is such a personal experience for everyone. The impressions we get from each work can vary greatly from person to person, and are often rooted in the experience we have in our own lives. It’s natural to worry how others will respond to our interpretations because we feel so vulnerable sharing them. That holds some people back from expressing their ideas, but it shouldn’t! We have such a great opportunity to connect in a meaningful way during our discussions. What I’d like to tell people is that in this format, they don’t need to worry.

The first thing you can do as a participant in Art Club is sit back, relax, and enjoy the feelings that the art inspires in you. Then, share those feelings with the group.

Facts and historical details about the piece and the artist will come up in our discussions, but it’s not the first thing you should concern yourself with. What we’re really here to do is connect over our shared love of art!

How can participants prepare for the discussions each week?

Start by looking over the artwork and asking yourself a couple of basic questions:

• Does the art set a certain mood?
• What stands out to you?
• Where do your eyes travel first, second, last?
• What is it that draws your attention and why?
• Why do you think the art makes you feel the way it does?

If you want to delve deeper into technique and style, consider these questions:

• How is the artist using colour, lighting, texture, shape, perspective, form, shading, and space?
• How has the artist used these elements to create emotions and a story?
• Has it been effective?

In the end, there is no one singular understanding of a piece of art (not even the artist’s intent!). Why, for instance, did I cry, feeling the horror of the act, while viewing The Death of Innocence at the Vatican, but not when reading the story of Herod’s horrid decree? Why do Monet’s Poppies fill me with warmth and a sense of well-being? Ask yourself what it is about yourself and your personal history that influences your response to each piece of art, and you’ll be right at home in Art Club.

Starting Monday, June 8, 2020, at 3:00 pm, we will be discussing the works of Thom Thompson. You’ll get a chance to enjoy a viewing of some of his most famous pieces of work, like The West Wind. We’re looking forward to seeing you and hearing your insights and impressions!

Light up your week with another exciting activity on The Bright Spot: our online book club! You’ll get to share your love of reading, have some good chats, and meet some new people.

How do I join?

Sign up on this page of The Bright Spot. Once you RSVP, we’ll send a Zoom link to your e-mail. On Thursday, shortly before 1:00 pm, click on the link to connect to our virtual book club.

How will the book club be organized?

Each meeting will be moderated by Andrea Muller, supervisor and individual conditioning coach at the Markham YMCA. We’ve asked people to pick a variety of books for us to read together until mid-June (scroll down to see the reading schedule!). We’ll read a new book every week, then get together virtually to discuss the themes, your insights, and our impressions.

What can I expect in a typical book club meeting?

The individual who chose the book will bring three discussion questions to our meeting to get the ball rolling, and then our conversation will pick up from there.

What are some examples of discussion questions?

We’re going to be pretty open to whatever comes up in our discussion, but some of the questions we are thinking of using to get us started are:

• What themes did you notice throughout the book?
• How did the characters change throughout the story? How did your opinion of them change?
• Which character did you relate to the most, and what was it about them that you connected with?
• Did the book change your opinion or perspective about anything? Do you feel different now than you did before you read it?

Where can I get copies of the books we’re reading?

There are a few different ways you can get books for free online.

1. Log on to your local library’s website. If you do not have a library card, your library card is expired, or you lost your library card, your library website will have directions on how to get a new card.

2. Use the Toronto Public Library Instant Digital Card. This gives non-Toronto Public Library cardholders in Toronto free, temporary access to the TPL’s large collection of e-books and audiobooks using the code TPL2020. You need a Toronto cell phone (area codes 416, 647, or 437) that can receive text messages.

3. Subscribe to Scribd or Kobo audiobook, which both offer a free 30-day trial.

4. If you prefer audiobooks, Audible has a free 30-day trial as well.

Which books are we reading?

We’ve got our first four books selected, but we want to hear your suggestions, too. Head over to The Bright Spot and send us your ideas through the live chat.

In the meantime, here are the first four titles we’ll be digging into over the coming weeks.

May 21 meeting: All Things Consoled by Elizabeth Hay

Jean and Gordon Hay were a colourful, formidable pair. Jean, a late-blooming artist with a marvellous sense of humour, was exceptionally frugal; nothing went to waste, not even maggoty soup. Gordon was a proud and ambitious schoolteacher with a terrifying temper, a deep streak of melancholy, and a devotion to flowers, cars, words, and his wife. As they grow old, these once ferociously independent parents become increasingly dependent on Lizzie, the so-called difficult child. By looking after them, she hopes to prove that she can be a good daughter after all.

In this courageous memoir, Elizabeth Hay lays bare the exquisite agony of a family’s dynamics: entrenched favouritism, sibling rivalries, grievances that last for decades, genuine admiration, and enduring love. In the end, she reaches a more complete understanding of the most unforgettable characters she will ever know: her parents.

May 28 meeting: The Rooster Bar by John Grisham

Mark, Todd, and Zola came to law school to change the world — to make it a better place. But now, as third-year students, these close friends realize they have been duped. They all borrowed heavily to attend a third-tier, for-profit law school so mediocre that its graduates rarely pass the bar exam, let alone get good jobs. And when they learn that their school is one of a chain owned by a shady New York hedge-fund operator who also happens to own a bank specializing in student loans, the three know they have been caught up in The Great Law School Scam.

But maybe there’s a way out. Maybe there’s a way to escape their crushing debt, expose the bank and the scam, and make a few bucks in the process. To do so, they would first have to quit school. And leaving law school a few short months before graduation would be completely crazy, right? Well, yes and no…

Pull up a stool, grab a cold one, and get ready to spend some time at The Rooster Bar.

June 4 meeting: Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

Vivian Miller is a high-powered CIA analyst, happily married to a man she adores, and the mother of four beautiful children — until she makes a shocking discovery that makes her question everything she believes.

She thought she knew her husband inside and out. But now she wonders if it was all a lie. How far will she go to learn the truth? And does she really Need to Know?

Happy reading! We can’t wait to hear what you think of these books in our coming meetings.