Want a head start to losing weight for the new year?
The Dow Bay Area Family Y opens Tuesday.
The nearly 100,000 square feet facility welcomes members at 5:30 a.m.
Officials there are hoping to provide an affordable, family-friendly venue for the Great Lakes Bay Region.
Next to the city hall, along the saginaw riverfront, sits a new jewel for MidMichigan families.
"We offer programs for two months up to senior citizens. There are a lot of fitness activities but also social spaces for people to build community and those relationships," says Katie VanDuinen, senior program director.
Upstairs, the fitness center features state of the art equipment including 45 cardio machines and 15 strength training machines.
There are also racquetball courts.
The Bay City Y has five locker rooms, separate ones for men, women, boys, girls, and family locker rooms so that parents and children don't have to be separated while they're getting ready.
The pool area has a water slide, lazy river, and hot tub.
For the sports enthusiast, there are two full-size basketball courts and three volleyball courts.
You can drop your children off at the kids' zone, get in a quick workout, then join them again for activities and dinner at the family room.
VanDuinen says, "It's not just about physical fitness. We're also recognizing the need to have that social interaction with people and really build community. So we really want to create a space that you can invest in you, invest in your health, and invest in your relationships."
Susan Walraven of Bay City was one of several people we found taking tours of the new facility. She says, "It was wonderful, outstanding, top of the line, excellent."
For individuals 17 years and under, the monthly fee is $18, and there's a $54 joining fee. Individuals 18 and older pay $44 dollars a month and pay $132 to join. Families pay $78 a month and pay a one-time $234 joining fee.
Dora Williams from member services says it's well worth the money, "You'll spend x amount of dollars a couple times a month and for the membership here, you're getting everything all at once and you can use it every day of the month."
The cafe at the Y will serve everything from sandwiches to smoothies.
Those who enroll their children in the full-time child care will also receive free swim lessons.
This Friday, December 30th is demo day. Visitors can check out everything for themselves.
