Yvette moves for health
“My health is MY wealth.”
For Yvette Bowman, movement is fun, social, grounding, and essential to health. Pickleball, Tai Chi Chih, walking, and time with her grandsons all help her stay active with joy and purpose.
Keeping active has always been part of Yvette Bowman’s life.
“Keeping active has always been a significant aspect of my life as far back as I can remember,” she says. “It is fun, challenges my competitive spirit, is socially engaging, helps me manage stress and can provide a means of connecting with nature.”
It also keeps her grounded.
Over the years, Yvette has moved through tennis, racquetball, aerobic and strength classes, gym machines, hiking, and neighbourhood walks. But for the past seven years, pickleball has become her favourite activity.
“For the past seven years, pickleball has become my favorite activity,” she says.
Pickleball, along with Tai Chi Chih and walking, helps Yvette sustain a steady level of physical activity. She has attended skill development clinics, watched training videos, and participated in drills to improve her game.
During the COVID reality, when recreation centres and gyms were closed, Yvette adapted. Walking, YouTube, and Zoom exercise classes became the first options available. Once outdoor courts opened, pickleball returned. A small bubble group formed so they could keep playing safely.
They played three to five times a week and planned to continue until the weather became too difficult.
“My health is MY wealth,” Yvette says.
That motto remains her major inspiration. But the enjoyment, sense of well-being, and social interaction matter too. She is inspired by players well into their eighties who still enjoy a competitive game of pickleball.
Recently, movement has also become a way to bond with her grandsons.
“Recently, I have been teaching my grandsons the game,” she says, “and pickleball provides yet another opportunity for bonding with them and modeling the value of physical activity.”
Yvette knows that staying active helps her remain healthy without requiring medication. But her story is not only about prevention. It is about joy, competition, community, and the belief that health is something worth moving for.
Yvette moves for health.