Debbie Savage is, to many YMCA members and fellow exercise instructors, a living legend. Though her own fitness journey began before teaching group fitness at the YMCA, Debbie joined the Beaumont YMCA when the location opened in 2000, and her cardio and strength classes have been a fixture on the group exercise schedule ever since.
“I started teaching fitness classes in my mid 20's. Now at the age of 66, I am still fit and strong, so I often say that the Y pays me to stay physically fit…it’s not a bad deal for me!” Debbie shared this candidly, which is indicative of the open spirit she regularly shares with her class participants. “I was the awkward kid in all the gym classes growing up, so it is especially important to me that every single person that walks into my classes feels welcome, included, and special. Teaching people that staying fit helps them to be physically and mentally stronger as they age is a passion of mine. I love seeing the smiles when they have taken on a physical challenge and conquered it.”
That connection to YMCA members and the community that is formed is the exact reason Debbie stays at the Y and why she keeps teaching. During her decades on staff, she has personally been through many life challenges, changes, and celebrations, and remembers fondly the way her YMCA community was present through all of those times. “They are my Y family and I care deeply for them just as I know they do me as well. I have many stories of being cared for by my participants and staff that still bring tears to my eyes when I remember.”
Even through the challenges of COVID-19 and the shutdown of 2020, Debbie saw the benefits and importance of the group fitness community. Having members of all ages and stages of fitness reach out for tips to stay active remotely and find creative solutions for classes while the gyms were not operating normally, helped Debbie realize she isn’t done – that she still has a passion for teaching and still can inspire, energize, and lead people to a healthier lifestyle.
A healthy life for herself is also what Debbie has been pursuing all these years as she has taught and stayed active. She shared, “when I saw a new primary care doctor for a yearly physical after my 65th birthday, he commented that not only was I his only patient at that age to not be on any medications, but that I had the physic, heart rate and blood pressure of a well-trained athlete...my response was ‘because I am, I take my physical fitness very seriously!’”
It is that commitment to wellness, and a love for her people, that makes Debbie such a special part of the YMCA. In addition to leading members in classes, she has had a hand in encouraging many other instructors on their path to teaching and in their YMCA community, and has always led by example. Debbie shares that one of her passions is “hands down, being a blessing to someone every single day of my life.” Through her teaching, encouraging, and leading others in fitness with kindness and enthusiasm, we know that indeed she has blessed countless YMCA members and staff.
When she’s not at the YMCA, Debbie enjoys a wonderfully full life cherishing time with her husband Allan on their farm; doting on her children and grandchildren any time she can; as a professional fashion photographer; and traveling for work and play.
