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Community Corner

Health & Fitness: Hooray for Volleyball

Hey, grownups! Don't just spike your drinks when your having a summer get-together—spike some balls!

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a bit of a social butterfly. I love going out to parties, hanging out with friends and making new ones. I love talking about life, my business, training and helping people with their body issues  I enjoy learning about what people do for a living, hearing about their kids and schools, what they like to do for fun, whatever floats their boat.

But, I probably need to admit something else here. I listen to this type of information, and dish out this type of knowledge about the body, roughly forty-some-odd hours a week.  So, as much as I enjoy it, I also like to have a break from it. Often, I find that a little "alone time" will do the trick. I'll drive around in my convertible aimlessly listening to some good tunes, try to decompress. Yet still, when the weekends roll around and I know I've got a barbeque to go to, I struggle sometimes. I know what I'll be talking about, and I just want a break from it. 

Well, I got a break from it this weekend, and it was an absolutely brilliant idea by our hosts. 

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The formula of the standard weekend gathering in the summer is pretty much the same for all of us. We get together, have some food, have some drinks, and feel content that the kids have something to do besides be entertained by us. That pretty much sums it up. We "hang out."

So when my trainer Raf mentioned his idea for this past weekend, I was immediately intrigued—we were going to play volleyball. He set up a court in his backyard, and we were all going to give it a go. I haven't played volleyball since my freshman year in college. That's was, well, a while back.

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The party begins, and all of the "grown-ups" do what we always do. We eat some great grilled food, we socialize.  I talk about work. I tell my kids they are limited to 1,000 grams of sugar for the night. I have a nice cold beer in my hand. Pretty standard.  Raf runs around and rallies the crowd to get up and get on the court. We drag ourselves out of our chairs and amble out to what we're sure is going to be one pathetic athletic display.  And you know what?  It was easily the most fun I've had at a party in some time.

Here's why it works:

For starters, it's a great ice breaker. It's kind of hard to take yourself too seriously when you're chasing a ball down the hill, or getting caught up in the net, or frankly just PLAYING. Everyone's inhibitions come down as the endorphins get flowing, and eventually nobody is worried about what they look like, how their hair is holding up, or really anything at all. I felt my worries and stress of the week melting away on that warm summer night, and isn't that exactly the purpose of these events, to get away from all the stress that we end up just talking about endlessly at these parties?

Next, people whom you might not have had much in common with and may not have had much to speak of earlier are suddenly your close companions, your teammates.  Your give each other "high fives" as you actually get the ball over the net in three hits. You're patting each other on the back after you flail awkwardly at a ball you might have gotten to eight years ago. You bond.

And for those of you readers with young kids, it's great for them to see you out there playing. I doesn't matter if you're good or not, they can see you trying and having fun, and isn't that the point of a lot in life? 

Now I'm sure a lot of you are thinking "Yeah, right.  So the trainer and all of his super-fit buddies played some volleyball  That applies to my life."  Well actually, why wouldn't it? Not everyone there playing with us was a P90X commercial, and it didn't matter one bit. We all had fun, and personal fitness had nothing to do with you played better or worse. For that one brilliant summer night, we were all on the same playing field.

So what sports or games should you play?

Well, I've been giving that some thought.  Volleyball was one outstanding choice because it's a game that everyone could play. Badminton might make equal sense, and probably takes even less skill. How about croquet? Lawn darts?  Then there's tetherball? Horseshoes? If you have the space, kickball might even be a lot of fun. 

The point is, you don't have to be an athlete to have fun and be active. I made some friends that night, and I cannot wait to go back.

Now that's a party!

Tim Reynolds is the owner/operator of THE GYM ON SPRINGFIELD, a personal training studio in its third year located on Springfield Ave. in Maplewood. He lives in Maplewood with his wife Suzanne, and their children August and Sinikka.

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