Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than a free exercise introduction at the YMCA!

Associate Director Liv Warren recently announced that the Y is continuing the 25th Anniversary celebration with another free Friday workout on March 16, from 5:30 p.m. till 7 p.m. Certified instructors will offer our third Friday Night Progressive Exercise Intro with 20 minute segments of a number of classes. We will do a little bit of each Y program area, featuring Zumba, yoga, kickboxing, muscle power, spinning, stretching and more.

Bring a friend, bring your spouse, bring whomever, you do not even have to be a member of the YMCA to participate in this Friday Fit Night class. We want you to try it; we know you will like it!

The health advantages of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. The benefits of exercise are yours for the taking, regardless of your age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing to exercise?

Regular exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn.

No matter where you currently tip the scales, being active boosts “good” cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. In fact, regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, and certain types of cancer, arthritis and falls.

Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Regular physical activity also can improve your muscle strength and boost endurance.

Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily chores. At night, you fall asleep faster and sleep better.

Exercise can be a fun way to spend some time with friends in a fun social setting. Numbers do not lie! We have a 12-week “Commit to Get Fit in 2012” program going on right now. We had 50 participants sign up and we are off to a great start. You may still join in the fun of a monitored weight loss program at the YMCA and win prizes as part of a weekly exercise schedule.

Join us at the YMCA and we will provide you with the incentive to living a longer life! Losing weight can be easier if you are doing it with a group and much more fun regardless of how old you are! We want you to get fit the Healthy way at the Y! You and your loved ones are rewarded when you exercise.

And in our Commit to Get Fit program you’ll be given a ticket each time you participate in a workout or lose one pound at your weekly weigh-in. Each ticket goes in for a drawing for prizes, and after six weeks, each participant receives a T-shirt. The more you work out the better your chances are for a great prize! You can win by losing at the YMCA!

Call Liv Warren or any member of the YMCA staff team for more information at (229) 243-0508 or check out our new website at www.BainbridgeYMCA.org. Also, check us out on Facebook! We no longer have joining fees, so don’t wait to become a part of the Y family.

Mike Haynes is the interim CEO of the Bainbridge-Decatur County YMCA. He can be reached at (229) 243-0508.