SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – The YMCA of Greater Michiana appears to have found a new home in the heart of downtown South Bend.

Pending approval this Thursday from the city’s redevelopment commission, the YMCA says it will begin leasing the third and fourth floors of the Memorial Leighton Healthplex (111 W. Jefferson Boulevard) from the city in June. The space is currently home to Beacon Health & Fitness South Bend.

“It’s a good win for the city,” said Caleb Bauer, executive director of community investment. “It keeps preservation of the downtown fitness location, but also really adding the second location for the Y in South Bend makes sense and seemed like a good fit, and we look forward to them opening here in the near future.”

If approved, the YMCA will sign an eight-year, rent-free lease with the city at the Leighton Healthplex. In exchange, the YMCA will donate its old building on Northside Boulevard to the city at no cost for future redevelopment.

“We believe there’s good redevelopment potential there,” Bauer said. “Its right by the farmers’ market, it’s an exciting site with good river frontage.”

“The city of South Bend is excited to continue a downtown fitness presence and grateful to the YMCA for its willingness to take over fitness operations downtown,” said South Bend Mayor James Mueller in a news release. “We are grateful for the YMCA’s continued commitment to expanding operations in South Bend. The city will move forward with redevelopment of the former YMCA on Northside Boulevard, which will benefit both the nearby neighborhoods as well as the entire South Bend community.”

Once up and running, the Downtown South Bend YMCA will offer a wide range of amenities, including cardiovascular and weight training equipment, personal training, a basketball court, a racquetball court, an indoor track, a lap pool, a therapy pool, a whirlpool, saunas, aquatic and fitness classes, locker rooms, and more. Beacon Health & Fitness is donating equipment and supplies to the new YMCA facility.

“Its an amenity that people are looking for when deciding where to live,” Bauer said. “If somebody is looking to rent an apartment near downtown, they might be looking for a gym facility. And now we got one that will continue.”

The YMCA says it will maintain operations at the O’Brien Center on the city’s south side under a new three-year agreement that is currently being finalized with South Bend Venues Parks & Arts.

Beacon Health & Fitness will remain open to members through May 31. The YMCA says members of Beacon Health & Fitness South Bend who wish to maintain access to a downtown fitness facility will receive an exclusive invitation to join the YMCA.

South Bend city employees will also be eligible for discounted memberships at the new facility.

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FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — A local organization is taking action to improve the well-being of Latinas in rural areas of Fresno County.

Cultiva La Salud is now offering fitness classes in Parlier.

Get ready to move and groove! You also don’t want to forget a towel because the class will have you sweating.

“These classes combine cardio and dance,” explained Evelyn Morales, project coordinator.

The non-profit is partnering with Parlier Unified to host the free classes to Latinas in the community.

“Community members living in the rural areas of Fresno County have high incidence rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, just to name a few,” Morales said. “This can be attributed to limited opportunity to engage in physical activity.”

Cultiva La Salud wants to offer a safe and fun way to promote healthy and active living.

According to Morales, taking part in physical activity regularly can help maintain good cardiovascular health.

The goal is to expand the fitness classes to other rural communities, such as Orange Cove.

“We really want to mobilize and encourage community members to participate in these classes because it is available to them at no cost,” she said.

The fitness dance classes happen every Monday from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at Parlier High School’s cafeteria.

Children 10 years or older can join, but no child care is available for younger kids.

Registration is required.

Information can be found on Cultiva La Salud’s Facebook.

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Last year, a study revealed that the best time of day to exercise depends on your goals, and new research published this month (April 10^th, to be precise) concurs.

The journal, Diabetes Care, took data from nearly 30,000 people with obesity, 10 per cent of whom who also had type 2 diabetes, and the authors found that participants who performed exercise at night had the lowest risk of heart disease and premature death than those who did not. Said participants performed aerobic exercise between 6pm and midnight.

It’s not clear why working out at night may be beneficial, but the research suggests that it could lead to lower glucose levels in the morning, thereby potentially providing metabolic benefits.