Ithaca YMCA offers free local access to fitness app

Earlier this month, the YMCA of Ithaca and Tompkins County announced that it is now offering Y members and non-members access to YMCA360, described as “an extensive collection of live streaming and on-demand fitness classes and instructional videos” in a recent press release.

YMCA360, which opened for local access Jan. 31, comes in both website (YMCA360.org) and mobile app form and offers users a wide variety of content focused on fitness, education and participation. While the content currently available comes mostly from Y’s throughout the country, the Ithaca YMCA plans to add its own content in the coming weeks and months.

From now through the end of the month, access to YMCA360 is free for all community members. After the month is up, a YMCA membership will be required for use. However, that requirement won’t be permanent, as the Ithaca YMCA plans to introduce a virtual membership option for non-Y members next month at a rate of $25 per month per adult member.

“We recognize that there are people who will be interested in it but who aren’t interested in a full membership,” said David Foote, marketing communications coordinator for the Ithaca YMCA. “They might not need the swimming pool or the child care or anything, but they would love to go do a group, basically a spin class or something. So, maybe all they need is the app. So, at the recommendation of the folks who created YMCA360, we’re also implementing a virtual membership.”

This virtual membership will include access to the full YMCA360 catalog as well as four in-person visits each month to the Ithaca Y’s facilities, located at 50 Graham Rd. W. in Ithaca.

According to the recent release, YMCA360 offers a range of content for all ages, including “fitness classes such as cardio, weight training and dance; nutrition and wellness information; Pilates, yoga and other mind-body exercises; swimming instructions and youth sports drills; and other skills building classes such as guitar lessons.”

“This will allow people to engage in regular fitness and health activities from home,” said Teresa Morehouse, interim CEO and executive director for the Ithaca YMCA, in the release. “We’re especially excited to offer this for those who have transportation or mobility challenges, who are still concerned about gathering indoors with other people due to COVID or those who need a more flexible schedule for their workouts.”

Foote explained that the local Y has long recognized a need for some kind of remote-access fitness content, especially in light of the pandemic.

“People still needed some way to keep active, to give their kids activities that would be physical, even though throughout the past few years, people mostly had to stay home,” Foote said. “Of course, that’s been easing over time. But the need hasn’t gone away. And we see from the popularity, even during good times, of people looking for ways to get in exercise, participate in fitness classes from home.”

Looking at these needs, the Ithaca YMCA started to provide some of its own virtual content on its website, but it was very limited, Foote said. Then, in 2021, Ithaca staff learned about YMCA360, a service that was originally started by a YMCA in Wichita, Kansas.

“They have really good facilities there for producing videos and really put their back into making a lot of content,” Foote said. “They’ve partnered with other YMCAs across the country, who are then able to access this content, give it to their members and add them. So, at this point, there are hundreds of videos on topics across the board, not just fitness classes, dance classes, but yoga, guitar lessons, sports drills for volleyball, swimming instruction. People can get almost anything that we would offer in our building.”

Because YMCA360 was already well established by the time Ithaca staff discovered it, making the Ithaca YMCA have its own page wasn’t too difficult, Foote said. And since the local page launched Jan. 31, Foote said that participation so far is meeting expectations and staff are looking forward to the opportunities it opens up.

“We are hearing from people at the desk, from people who are participating in classes, that they’re really enjoying it,” he said. “Our group fitness instructors have been actually pretty interested in getting on camera. So, we will be adding our own content, as well as, again, this network of YMCAs who are participating adding more and more. It seems like every week, there’s some new expanded section that they announce.”

YMCA360 not only offers more options for remote users but will also lead to more options for in-person Y members as well, Foote explained.

“This is sort of geared towards providing opportunities to engage with fitness from home, but there’s another element to it, which is we can stream the content into the YMCA and expand what we offer on site,” he said. “So, we’re mounting a large TV in the dance studio, and we’ll be able to start up one of the classes that’s on there. And people can access these things even though the teacher isn’t here in the building.”

Foote expects participation to continue to grow in the coming weeks, and he’s excited to see where it goes once the subscription service kicks in.

“I hope that it will just be a place that people find additional resources,” he said. “We want to offer as much as we can. And even as we have people hopefully returning to the building, getting back to what we would call regular, they’ll still find ways to access and use these materials. I think they could also be of use to people who can’t get here during our normal hours. … So, it’s a way of just continuing to provide more than time and location sometimes allows.”

The new service launch is indicative of the YMCA’s slow but steady recovery from the pandemic, as Foote explained.

“Participation has been growing in our group fitness classes, swimming lessons, child care, though a lot of protections are still in place,” he said. “We still ask that everyone wear a mask while they’re indoors unless they’re in the act of swimming. But we’re seeing a lot of demand. People keep asking us when we’re going to expand add hours. So, there’s real eagerness for it. But we’re still keeping cautious.”

Another recent change for the Ithaca Y came just last week, when its main website, ithacaymca.com, got a makeover of sorts. Foote said that Ithaca YMCA staff “engaged with a company who specifically helps to set up sites for YMCAs” and have been working diligently to refresh the website’s content. Now, the whole site has a brand-new look, he said.

To learn more about the Ithaca YMCA, visit ithacaymca.com or call (607) 257-0101. To access YMCA360, visit the previously listed website or download the app for free from Google Play or the App Store.

Jessica Wickham is the managing editor of Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to them at editorial@vizellamedia.com.