Healthy Habits, Big Fun with the Greensboro Swarm

For Erica, summer at the Spears Family YMCA is familiar territory. When asked how long she has been a summer camper, Erica proudly shared:

“I’m pretty sure it’s been four to five years.”

And when asked if she likes camp, her answer was simple:

“Yes.”

This summer, Erica and her fellow campers got an extra-special opportunity to learn, move and play when the Greensboro Swarm visited the Spears YMCA for Time Out for Fitness.

The event turns the Y gym into a place where healthy living meets fun. Campers meet Swarmy, the Greensboro Swarm mascot, play basketball, learn simple exercises they can use every day and discover ways to make healthier eating choices.

For Erica, the day even came with a new health fact.

“I learned that when you’re in sunshine, that sunshine gives you vitamin D.”

Staying active is something Erica already knows a lot about. When asked how she stays healthy, she explained that the Y helps her stay on the move.

“Well, I do a lot of stuff.”

Then she shared one of the reasons she has so much energy:

“YMCA just keeps me energetic, but at the same time, I got it double because I do Taekwondo.”

When asked how long she has practiced Taekwondo, Erica gave the kind of answer only a kid could:

“I don’t really remember as much, but maybe two years.”

That enthusiasm for moving, playing and trying new things is exactly what Time Out for Fitness encourages.

Through the YMCA of Greensboro’s longstanding partnership with the Greensboro Swarm, this special experience comes to Y summer campers at the Spears Family YMCA, Ragsdale Family YMCA and Hayes-Taylor Memorial YMCA each summer. The partnership gives kids an engaging way to learn about healthy eating, physical activity and the importance of play as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Instead of simply telling kids to be healthy, Time Out for Fitness gives them a chance to experience it. They get up, move their bodies, shoot some hoops, learn exercises they can practice at home and talk about everyday choices that can help them feel their best.

For Erica, those lessons fit naturally into a summer already filled with activity, friendship and fun at the Y.

And that is part of what makes partnerships like the one between the YMCA of Greensboro and the Greensboro Swarm so meaningful. They create memorable experiences that help young people discover that healthy habits do not have to feel like work. Sometimes they look like basketballs bouncing across a Y gym, meeting Swarmy and a camper excitedly explaining how the Y “just keeps me energetic.”