YMCA Invites Cancer Survivors to LIVESTRONG

A new program being piloted by the Community YMCA through a partnership with the Lance Armstrong Foundation is aimed at providing health and wellness support to adult cancer survivors, the organization announced Wednesday.

Called LIVESTRONG at the YMCA, the program is being launched in and provides physical activity and exercises and well-being lessons designed to help survivors, according to a release, reclaim their total health.

Participants of the program will work with Y staff trained in supportive cancer care to safely achieve their goals, which likely include building muscle mass and strength, increasing flexibility and endurance, and improving confidence and self-esteem. The pilot program, being held this fall at the Family Health and Wellness Center, includes six participants currently – all of them women between the ages of 45 and 68.

To help support the program, the Community YMCA is hosting an indoor cycling event to raise money and honor the 15th anniversary of LIVESTRONG Day, Sunday, Oct. 2 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the on Maple Avenue in Red Bank.

Participants in the event will be guided through the Tour de France on a challenging two-hour rise through the flat roads of local villages and the mountainous climbs of the Pyrenees, according to a release. The event is limited to 24 participants, who are welcome to bring their own bike and bike trainer. There is a $50 donation fee with proceeds benefiting LIVESTRONG at the YMCA. To register for the event call (732) 741-2504 ext. 16 or email livestrong@cymca.org.