20 Years Strong with YWCA Minneapolis

We recently celebrated Bob Schwob, who has been a health and wellness member of YWCA Minneapolis since 2002! Over the past 20 years, Bob’s been at the heart of the community at Carrie Carroll’s Uptown cycle class. Bob recently moved, so you won’t find him in class, but the strength and community connections remain throughout our group fitness classes. 

Strength in Cycling Together

I've been attending Cycle 45 at Uptown on Monday mornings for 20 years! l can even remember when we used to bike in the community room downstairs at the Uptown location. Before moving to Minnesota, I lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where an old fitness director instilled in me that exercise should be fun, not a drill. My wife and I joined YWCA Minneapolis, but she is not a biker and I’ve been biking for 50 years! Shortly after joining, I met group fitness instructor Carrie Carroll. [Carrie began her journey with YWCA as a member and was recruited by a group fitness instructor to start teaching classes nearly 21 years ago!] She's very clear about saying do what you can do. That has been the modus operandi of our instructors over the years. 

It's the members that drive me. Not only do I love the workout and doing it with others, but I also love getting to know the participants in my class. —Carrie

The Joy of Fitness

The Cycle class originally was a place to get to know people because the bikes were 6 inches apart. You get to know them quite well and sometimes we’d even go out for coffee!Some people come to class who have ridden outside but have never done stationary bike riding. You can see right away their bikes needed adjustments so I would step in and help them adjust their seat. Carrie is very good at welcoming people and has an eye for people needing assistance or encouragement. She is right there!

Fitness members Bob and Toni cycled together with instructor Carrie for 20 years

YWCA Minneapolis is unbelievably clean and the staff is out to connect with people. There isn’t a question about that. The front desk staff are so welcoming, along with the other workout facilities people. YWCA Minneapolis is a welcoming space! —Bob

Carrie & Bob cycling in Uptown Community Room nearly 20 years ago

Motivation and Accessibility

My advice to anyone working to stay active and fit is to keep moving! Exercise is very important to our family. Even when our kids were little they were out moving with us. As they grew, we began doing international hiking trips with them.Finding a facility that is easy to visit motivates you to keep your body moving when you’re not traveling and when it’s not miserable outside in Minnesota. That made a huge difference for us since this winter made it pretty easy to stay inside!It was a tough decision to move, especially since going to Cycle 45 was a such consistent part of my routine for over 20 years! But there comes a time in life when it’s obvious what the future brings, and you must go with the flow. Learn More about YWCA Fitness MembershipLearn more about Group Fitness Classes