Thursday, July 5, 2012

Morning Exercises

Joanna Perdomo 


Since the moment we met during SSP interviews, it was apparent that everyone on our team shared a passion for being active, be it by running, dancing, playing basketball, playing volleyball, swimming, or doing yoga. We therefore made it a priority to find a way to incorporate exercise into our schedule each day. Although the Gary Comer Youth Center is abuzz with summer camp programs, we managed to find a slot at 9:00am each morning when the basketball courts are free. Before we even start our daily reflections, we spend anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes running around the gym, shooting baskets, and challenging ourselves to break our growing record of how many times we can pass a volleyball without it falling on the floor (last I checked, we were up to 18!) 

I must admit that sports are not my forte, but I’ve been learning from my ever-so patient and extremely talented teammates how to spike, set, and serve the volleyball and how to properly shoot a basketball…apparently my granny shot wasn’t up to snuff. In return, I get to teach them body-bending yoga poses that stretch us out and center us for the day ahead.

Morning exercise has become one of my favorite parts of each day. It energizes me for a day of creating, learning, and acting on our ideas. It challenges me to hone new skills and leave my comfort zone to enter the sports arena. It binds us as teammates. Most importantly, it keeps us healthy, happy, and whole.

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