At precisely 12:30 p.m., Acting President of the Day, Chris Gaynor, ushered members into the ‘Enlightened Room’ at the Luskin Center. Whooh, where’s the food, yelled a member who failed to read the e-mail announcing the meeting. (Due to a prior engagement, Anna needs to be first on the agenda.)
Chris then asked John O’Keefe to introduce the speaker of the day, Anna Dzwonerek. John briefly (for a change) introduced his personal trainer and physical trainer for some time now, Anna, who, slim and trim, obviously practices what she preaches. Anna is currently at UCLA seeking her PhD in Physical Sciences.
Anna asked everyone to remove their coats and follow her stretching exercises. Arms up, arms down, shoulders back, heads to the side, knees up, knees down, feet front, feet back, so on and so on, completing the warm up session.
Anna continued her explanation of why exercise is so important; but, most of all, just the necessity of ‘movement’. She emphasized that movement, in whatever form of activity you choose, is critical.
Watching members replicating Anna’s movements was beyond belief! From ‘old ancients’ to ‘undisciplined bodies’ was a sight to behold. But let us give credit to those who participated, which was everyone.
Upon completion, Anna took questions. “What time of day is the best to exercise?” Anytime that fits your schedule, Anna responded. “Weights versus cardio, which is best, for metabolism improvement?” Both, the point is to do it regularly, the expert responded.
Anna completed her remarks at 1 p.m. with a warm round of applause.
Chris led the members to the adjoining room where, once again, the members scooped up the various assortment of foods, deliciously presented.
With limited attendance and few announcements, President Chris thanked everyone for attending and brought the meeting to a close.
Commentary by Tom Barron
