Getting to Know Kareem
Meet the fitness instructor bringing movement and inspiration to Integrative Medicine at Home.
GETTING TO KNOW... Kareem Collins
Kareem Collins joined our service this summer as a fitness instructor with Integrative Medicine at Home. His chair-based class, Mobility Aerobics Strength Training, has already developed a devoted following. In this month's interview, Kareem shares some of his inspirations and motivations.
Tell us a bit about how you came to the Integrative Medicine Service.
My introduction to IMS came by way of Mary Fan, an IMS summer intern, who came across my LinkedIn profile. She sent me an email that I almost deleted. But my gut told me, "Kareem, read this email." At the time, it seemed too good to be true, and so many strange things were happening during the COVID era that I almost didn't believe the email was real. I almost missed my opportunity with MSK's IMS. So, trust your gut when it tells you to pay attention.
What inspires you most about your role here at IMS?
I've only been with IMS for a short time, and I have a lot to look forward to. What I can say is that I have the opportunity to treat fitness as an art form. I can use movement as a foundation to help others reload, remold, and rebuild a stronger base for a renewed life moving forward. I also enjoy seeing our participants become their strongest selves. I'm simply paying it forward. Thanks, Mom!
As a fitness instructor, what advice do you have for encouraging people to stay active?
I would say: get up, get out, and interact. By engaging with others, people will eventually find something that strikes a chord within them. It could be a healthy support group with meaningful conversations, exercising with friends or family, singing, dancing, or brisk walking on trails and hikes. Get out and interact with the world.
Have you come across any books, music, recipes, or movies that you recommend or would like to share?
I'll share this instead: words of encouragement from men and women whom I've never met but spend my mornings with. I feel like I'm a part of their lives, just as they are a part of mine.
- Never Give Up by Coach Pain & Motiversity
- Keep Showing Up
What is something that we would be surprised to learn about you?
Fun fact about Kareem: I performed a song alongside two of my high school friends at Carnegie Hall. We performed our rendition of Summer Madness. As I remember it, it was a very hot, crazy, and sad summer. We lost a couple of friends during that time, and the producer of the show also lost his mother to cancer that same week. So, we dedicated our performance to honoring both his mother and our friends.
