Archive for February, 2010

Yesterday we attended the Lakeview Christian Center Wellness Fair 2010…and we were pleasantly surprised by how well organized the event was.  Parked outside of the Center was the Elmwood “On the Move – Driving to Fight Childhood Obesity” Bus.  This unique program is designed to give school children ages 9-13 an opportunity to learn about health and fitness in a non-competitive environment. Inside the bus is a fitness center designed for children – check the Elmwood Fitness Center Website for more information.

Inside the Lakeview Christian Center we were welcomed by a staff (church members) who were excited, and happy to see us and tell us all about what was available for us to see and take part in.  They had 36 vendors that made up the Wellness Fair to include a station to get your Blood Pressure taken for free and Cholesterol screening from The Blood Center: Blood Mobile & Free Cholesterol Screening. Also in attendance was Salire Fitness, BestRD Wellness (nutritionist), Advance Medical Care and Wellness, DHH/OAAS/Adult Protective Services, Elderly Protective Services, Louisiana Chiropractic Center, Alzheimers Association of GNO and the American Cancer Society to name a few.

From 10:00 am to 3pm they hosted some wonderful free seminars for attendees which included: Tulane hospital discussing Childhood Obesity & Type 2 Diabetes, Rose Dermatology discussed Skin Cancer, and LSU Radiolody has a seminar of Mammogram, When and & Why.

We spoke with Pete Schefferstein the Church Administrator and Wellness Fair Organizer to find out more about the Fair and why the Lakeview Christian Center decided to put on this event. As it turns out, Pete used to be quite an unhealthy fellow – as he puts it “a typical New Orleanian” and his wake-up call came when his doctor told him that he was close to being diabetic and unless he made some changes, he would have to take medicine for diabetics.

Speaking with Pete was an eye opener.  To hear him say that for him; not being able to bend down to pick something up, or not being able to walk up a flight of stair or walk around the block and that living with all the discomfort of bad health seemed perfectly normal was very surreal. It’s hard to comprehend that some people have never known or experienced living a normal “healthy” life.

However, when his doctor told him if he kept going the way he was he would be diabetic – Pete decided to change his lifestyle.  Since then, Pete has lost over 100 pounds.  He enlisted the help of his son who designed a program for him based on the Men’s Health TNT.  After losing 40lbs, Pete was finally able to use a treadmill.  Pete was exercising for the first time in his life.

Pete said to us “When you’re overweight, you don’t really realize how much everything is such a chore – like bending down to pick something up, traveling…how embarrassing it is to ask the stewardess on a plane for a buckle extension”

Since losing the weight and making life changes/establishing a new healthy lifestyle, Pete became more aware of the members in his church community who also needed help and assistance.  He commented on how difficult being overweight is on the families in the community; “People are losing jobs because the can’t perform their duties.” That’s when the Lakeview Christian Center became involved in helping their community become healthier.  Every six weeks they run a Biggest Loser Challenge to encourage members to get involve, participate in learning new things about nutrition and exercise and support each other in losing weight.

They bring in other members of the community who are nutritionists, trainers, nurses and doctors to speak on health issues.  It’s really fabulous what the Lakeview Christian Center have started and how they are supporting their community.

Kids ReThink New Orleans – in healthier and more efficient ways than the grown-ups did.

You may or may not have heard of a group of New Orleans school kids called “Kids ReThink New Orleans.” This diverse group of forward-thinking students has been ReThinking how to make New Orleans schools healthier since Hurricane Katrina.

“Give us fresh, tasty food,” explained ReThinker Daizha Sanders in a 2008 Press Conference.

“We want as little highly processed food as possible.  High processed food is bad for us and it makes us sick. Keep preservatives, chemicals and highly sweetened food to a minimum.”

Read the blog post: Thou Shalt Not Spork behind the video on Center For Ecoliteracy

And they’ve been nationally recognized by media outlets such as Nick News and Rachael Ray.

“We just got back from a speaking engagement at the Georgia Organics Conference – four Rethinkers gave presentations on their work making school food more healthy, local and delicious,” said Mallory Falk, who is part of the ReThink staff.

“On the mental health side, we’re exploring the concept of restorative justice.  We believe that holding circles where the community can come together and discuss a conflict is a much healthier, more healing process than many traditional forms of discipline,” she explained.

With a Nationwide Obesity Epidemic; we owe it to this amazing group of kids to help them out because they are doing something to not only help themselves but create positive chance in New Orleans.

Rethink Benefit at Dante’s Kitchen

What: Benefit to support the great work that Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools

When: Tuesday, March 2^nd

Time: 6 pm to 8:30 pm

Where: Dante’s Kitchen 736 Dante Street, New Orleans, LA 70118

For details and to reserve a ticket, please visit http://www.therethinkers.com/food-benefit/ or contact Jane at jane@therethinkers.org.

Be Fit Nola will continue to follow and blog about the work of this remarkable group of kids.

You can read more about the ReThinkers projects, including their 12 Recommendations for Public School Cafeterias on their website

New Orleans is showing her prowess and ability to compete amongst any city in the world on all levels (yet, again) with tomorrow’s Rock N’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon.

As the Times-Picayune reported:

On Sunday morning, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon & Half-Marathon will draw more than 15,000 entrants from all 50 states and 18 countries…New Orleans-area athletes comprised about 16 percent of the field. Seventy-two percent, officials said, will arrive from outside Louisiana.

Live music will accompany the field. Twenty-four stages will be constructed that will host 35 bands playing throughout the event’s duration. A festival starting at 6 p.m. at City Park will mark the day’s close.

And here is something that no other ½ Marathons have been honored with from Running-Advice.com

New Orleans, LA -– This Sunday’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon & 1/2 Marathon will showcase perhaps the most dynamic half-marathon duel ever staged on American soil. 2008 Olympic Marathon gold medalist and half marathon world record holder Sammy Wanjiru will battle head-to-head against fellow Kenyan and three-time London Marathon champion Martin Lel.

New Orleans attracts world class athletes to compete in her streets and battle it out.   This is the kind of news and information to talk about when you talk about New Orleans to other people.  This is very positive PR for our city.

This evening from 7-10 pm in the Courtyard of the Maison Dupuy is the Grand Opening of the French Quarter Wine Festival. Over 50 wines from the many wineries featured in this year’s festival will be displayed and available to be sipped and well matched with some delicious appetizers from Chef Michael Farrell.

We figured that the Grand Opening on the French Quarter Wine Festival would an excellent time to discuss the pro and cons of wine and what people often refer to as the “Health Benefits” of drinking wine.

Nothing that follows is meant to obscure the fact that prolonged excessive alcohol consumption is detrimental to one’s health.

Many studies investigated the benefits of red wine suggested that moderate amount of red wine (one drink a day for women (5 oz) and two drinks ( 10 oz) a day for men) lowers the risk of heart attack for people in middle age by ~ 30 to 50 percent. It is also suggested that alcohol such as red wine may prevent additional heart attacks if you have already suffered from one.

Other studies also indicated that red wine can raise HDL cholesterol (the Good cholesterol) and prevent LDL cholesterol (the Bad cholesterol) from forming. Red wine may help prevent blood clots and reduce the blood vessel damage caused by fat deposits. Indeed, studies showed that people from the Mediterranean region who regularly drank red wine have lower risks of heart disease

What’s in Red Wine that is good for the heart?

Red wine is a particularly rich source of antioxidants flavonoid phenolics, so many studies to uncover a cause for red wine’s effects have focused on its phenolic constituents, particularly resveratrol and the flavonoids. Resveratrol, found in grape skins and seeds, increases HDL cholesterol and prevent blood clotting. Flavonoids, on the other hand, exhibit antioxidant properties helping prevent blood clots and plaques formation in arteries.

(Source: HealthCastle.com)

People with Diabetes or High Triglycerides: One downside to wine consumption is that it can elevate triglyceride levels, which is associated with health problems such as diabetes.  Those who already have high triglycerides should, therefore, avoid or dramatically limit their wine (and alcohol) consumption.

Women Be Extra Aware (CNN Health)

Attention red wine drinkers: Drinking moderate amounts of any kind of alcohol (including wine, beer, and liquor) is associated with a slightly increased breast cancer risk — and the rosy-hued beverage is no exception…

… researchers looked at 6,327 women with breast cancer and 7,558 women who did not have a cancer diagnosis. Risk rose with the amount of alcohol consumed, no matter whether it was wine, beer or liquor. The heaviest drinkers — women who reported having 14 or more drinks a week — were 24 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than nondrinkers… Lighter drinkers who consumed about a drink or two a day (7 to 13.9 drinks per week) were 11 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than women who didn’t drink at all.

Conclusion

Drinking in moderation is paramount.  While attending the French Quarter Wine Festival – be sure to take small sips of the wines you elect to taste…as a matter of fact it’s not unheard of to sniff, sip n’ spit at wine tastings.  “Wet your palettes” without swallowing.

Wine is also full of empty calories…so for the sake of your waist line – do keep it within 10 oz for men and no more than 5 oz for women. Five ounces white or red wine = approximately 120 calories.  Drink a bottle of wine (4 glasses), and you’ll be consuming about 480 calories (that’s the equivalent of two 20-ounce Cokes!).

Great Informational Video with more information

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Almost 75% of our body is made up of water. However, this water is not in its pure form. It has salt dissolved in it that helps in a number of functions of the body. Salt present in the cells and tissues of our body helps in muscle contraction, proper conduction of nerve impulses and transport of nutrients into the cells.

So yes, we need salt but unfortunately we end up getting way above what our daily allowance should be.

Some Facts you Need to Know about Salt

– Sodium is a component of salt. One (1) teaspoon contains about 6 grams of salt. Six (6) grams of salt contains about 2400 mg of sodium

– The amount of sodium considered adequate to promote good health in adults is 1,500 mg per day – not to exceed 2,300 mg of sodium per day. No more than a teaspoon.

– Although salt is the major source of sodium in our food, sodium is also a component of other ingredients, such as sodium bicarbonate used in baking and monosodium glutamate used as a flavor enhancer.

– Too much sodium in the diet can lead to health problems. It is one of the risk factors that contribute towards high blood pressure (hypertension), which substantially increases the risk of developing which substantially increases the risk of developing heart disease or stroke.

– Sodium and chloride levels are comparatively low in all foods which have not been processed. However, salt has been used as a preservative and a flavoring agent for centuries.

– Widely cited figures from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) lay about 77% of the sodium blame on processed and restaurant foods, with only 5%, 6% and 12% coming from cooking, table use and natural sources, respectively. Salt, quite frankly, is everywhere.

– In an analysis of more than 550 commercially prepared foods in 2005, CSPI found that even one dish could bump you near or over your daily recommendation, including: Swanson’s Hungry Man XXL dinners, 3,180 mg to 5,410 mg; and Denny’s Lumberjack Slam breakfast: 4,460 mg.

Salt and your Kidneys

Your kidneys regulate the amount of sodium kept in your body. When sodium levels are low, your kidneys conserve sodium. When levels are high, they excrete the excess amount in urine.

If your kidneys can’t eliminate enough sodium, the sodium starts to accumulate in your blood. Because sodium attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases. Increased blood volume, in turn, makes your heart work harder to move more blood through your blood vessels, increasing pressure in your arteries. Certain diseases such as congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease can lead to an inability to regulate sodium.

Tips for Reducing Sodium in Your Diet (Source Your Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure)

• Buy Fresh, plain frozen or canned “with no salt added” vegetables
• Use fresh poultry, fish and lean meat, rather than canned processes types.
• Use herbs, spices and salt-free seasoning blends in cooking and at the table
• Cook rice, pasta and hot cereals without salt.  Cut back on instant and flavored rice, pasta, and cereal mixes, which usually have added salt.
• Choose “convenience” foods that are lower in sodium. Cut back on frozen dinners, pizza, packaged mixes, canned soups or broths, and salad dressings — these often have a lot of sodium
• Rinse canned foods, such as tuna, to remove some sodium
• When available, buy low- or reduced-sodium, or no-salt-added versions of foods.
• Next time you cook gumbo or jambalaya…skip adding any type of salt – there’s already plenty in it in the ingredients you are cooking with!!

Needing and wanting salt is an acquired taste.  If you salt your food, slowly start reducing how much salt you add when cooking or when food is served.  Eventually, you will not miss the taste of salt and you’ll be much better off for it.

Next time we discuss salt – we’ll have a look at what some say is healthier salt…Sea Salt.

Last night I attended an event for the LGBT Community Center 2010 Weight Loss Challenge at Oceana Grill.  (Oceana is a sponsor of the contest) Although you will not find any items on the Oceana menu that is under 700 calories, the Oceana Executive Chef – Chef Louis Brown prepared a special menu for the contestants.

The menu was as followed:

Appetizer:

The Famous Oceana Crab Cake Seared and served on top of Creole Mustard.

Entree:

Baked Ahi Tuna in fresh herbs layered over angel hair pasta tossed in a lemon garlic sauce, topped with fresh bell peppers.

Dessert:

Fruit medley

The seared crab cake was heavenly.  When Chef Louis presented his crab cake he explained how searing the crab cake in olive oil instead of putting them in a batter and frying them made a difference of 610 calories.  The seared crab cake only had 112 calories – as opposed to 722.

That was another great part of the meal, Chef Louis, as you can imagine, is a very busy man at Oceana but he took the time to explain each dish to the contestants, answer questions and share pointers.  He really drove home the importance and value of eating white meat and white fish (fish that turns white when cooked) such as what was part of our main course – Ahi Tuna.

Chef Louis opted to bake rather than sear the tuna, the spices he used and the parmesan cheese topping really did the trick.  Chef Louis chose to serve angel hair pasta since that is the lightest pasta option the restaurant carries.

For dessert the contestants and guests enjoyed a fruit medley.  Not one person sitting at the table got up feeling hungry and everyone was pleased and satisfied.  The point was well made that just because you are eating healthy and watching your calorie intake – that does not mean you have to be dissatisfied with what you are eating.

I wish Oceana Grill would choose to have these items on their regular menu…so others who live in New Orleans and come to visit could enjoy a healthy meal under 700 calories.

This was my first time meeting the contestants and hearing their story.  They are truly an inspirational group.  I plan on doing a Question and Answer session with each contestant so you can find out about them and learn from their story.  This contest has been a real commitment for all the contestants who have lost a combined weight of 50 pounds or 13% overall body weight.

The next event for the contestant that is open to the public is an upcoming panel discuss on March 9^th at the LGBT Community Center.  I will post more information about it in the next couple of days.

This past weekend I received my 2010 Womenthealth.gov calendar. It’s really packed with some great information…like this:

New information shows that smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body.  Smoking is linked to diseases such as: leukemia, cataracts, pneumonia, and cancers of the cervix, lung, kidney, pancreas, and stomach. Lunch cancer alone claims the lives of more women than any other cancer.  You must stop smoking to lower your chances of getting these diseases.

Here is what happens in the 15 years health recovery cycle once you quit smoking:

20 Minutes after Quitting

Your heart rate drops

12 Hours after Quitting

The carbon monoxide (a gas that can be toxic) in your blood drops to normal

2 Weeks to 3 Months after Quitting

Your heart attack risk begins to drop

Your lungs are working better

1 to 9 Months after Quitting

Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease

Your lungs start to function better, lowering your risk of lung infections

1 Year after Quitting

Your risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker’s

5 Years after Quitting

Your risk of having a stroke is the same as someone who doesn’t smoke

10 Years after Quitting

Your risk of dying of lung cancer is half that of a smoker’s

Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas also decreases

15 Years after Quitting

Your risk of heart disease is now the same as someone who doesn’t smoke

Get your Free 2010 Calendar at Womenshealth.gov – This is more information on How to Quit Smoking

It’s New Orleans…so to ask people to not drink beer – is well, unrealistic and stupid.  What we can expect is that people drink responsibly, in moderation and preferably beer that will have a smaller impact on their mid-section.

Quite honestly, I was pretty taken back last year watching the participants from The Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans kick back Abita beers after the race.  After seeing that last year – I’m not shocked to find out their will be alcohol consumption this weekend at the Rock N’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon (1/2) and at the Health and Fitness Expo (this is such an oxymoron).

I received a Press Release on MGD 64, the beer sponsor of the Rock N’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon (we get nothing for posting this information) and although I debated not posting it – like I stated above, to ask people to not drink beer at all is ludicrous, so I might as well give you information to convince you to choose a light beer.

Again, we do not encourage or promote beer consumption.  This is not the full release.

MGD 64 Lightens Things Up

Brand To Reward 64^th Place Racers with Exclusive Prize Packs at First-Ever

Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon & ½ Marathon

As the official beer sponsor of the 2010 Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon & ½ Marathon, MGD 64 is adding a little fun and excitement for runners by awarding an exclusive prize pack to the 64^th place marathon finishers.

Proving that everyone can appreciate the reward of an MGD 64, the brand will gift exclusive prize packs to the 64^th place finishers* in each of the thirteen age categories.  Winners will receive a gift pack with branded MGD 64 apparel, a pedometer, a subscription to Triathlete Magazine, Inside Triathlon or VeloNews, and other great items.

“MGD 64 compliments the lifestyle of today’s active consumers,” said Tristi Pfeiffer, MGD 64 marketing manager. “By recognizing the 64^th place finishers, we have the opportunity to show participants that no matter where they finish, the fresh, crisp taste of MGD 64 is always the perfect reward.”

Not limiting the excitement to race participants alone, MGD 64 will be hosting an area at the pre-race Health & Fitness Expo at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center where legal-drinking-age consumers can receive product information and samples of the 64-calorie beer.  MGD 64 also will offer a race-day cheering section located approximately 0.64 miles before the finish line, providing spectators the perfect spot to grab some giveaway items and give that final push of encouragement to runners.

… With just 64 calories and 2.4 grams of carbohydrates, MGD 64 has steadily grown in popularity with calorie-conscious consumers since it launched nationally in the summer of 2008…

Admittedly, the MGD64 Website is kinda cool – they have a calorie counter that lets you see 64 Calories of your favorite drinks.

Pilates continues to be listed as one of the top fitness options in the world as evidenced, for example, in the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) survey of 2010 Fitness Trends.  With this continued interest in the Pilates Method, there is no better time for New Orleans’ area trainers to be certified to teach mat and equipment-based Pilates.  Qualified instructors can teach in health clubs, private studios, gyms, therapy environments or even in clients’ homes.  Additionally, physical therapists, nurses, rehabilitation therapists and others in the medical community may find opportunities to use Pilates techniques in their work.  If you’ve ever considered becoming Pilates certified, now is certainly the time.  To help you decide, here are 5 factors to consider if you’re thinking of becoming a Pilates instructor.

1.  You are ready to put in the time and energy.

Becoming certified to teach Pilates is a process.  While there are companies that are willing to give you a certification after a day’s worth of training or even after merely an online test, qualified schools will require a longer commitment.  Mat Pilates certification usually takes anywhere from 1 to 3 full weekends of study with student teaching hours and a practical exam.  Full apparatus certification can take a year or more, with a required 600 hours of training, apprentice hours and study.   Learning the Pilates Method is process.  By going through the process with a qualified instructor, you will be more credible in the Pilates community and with your clientele.  Additionally, as we talked about in my previous post, it’s also an expensive endeavor.  You’ll want to be ready for the commitment.

2.  You enjoy teaching people.

The bodies (people) that will be in front of you to teach come with personalities of all types.  You need to find joy in not only Pilates, but in teaching Pilates to your clients – there is a difference.  If you love to see the look in peoples’ eyes when they “get it” after you’ve explained something, then you probably like to teach.  If you merely like to practice Pilates and have a difficult time working with others, teaching may not be for you.

3.  You are willing to learn more than just the exercises.

Anyone can memorize exercises; it takes someone truly interested in Pilates to learn the required anatomy and physiology.  Excellent instructors know what muscles are working, which ones are stabilizing, which ones need to be worked and which muscles need to be released in a student’s body.  And every body is different.

4.   You are able to communicate in a variety of ways.

Every person learns differently.  As a Pilates instructor, you will need to be able to communicate to people who are visual learners and need to see something in order to understand it.  There are those who are auditory learners who will need you to explain things verbally and there are tactile people who need instructors to physically put their bodies in the places that they need to be in.  Pilates instructors should be excellent communicators in a variety of ways and should be able recognize what type of learner is in front of them – maybe not at first, but definitely within the first three sessions.

5.  You are uniquely you!

There is a misconception among the general public that Pilates is for, and taught by, women, dancers, the very thin, the incredibly flexible and people with dramatic names like Mari, Ana and Moira.  And there are people like that who take and teach the Method, however, the majority of instructors come in all different ages, shapes and sexes.  You don’t need to be a woman with the flexibility of a Russian gymnast to teach Pilates.  If you have the drive, the attitude and are self-motivated to continue your career, you will be able to teach Pilates.

Pilates instructors come from all different walks of life – personal trainers, physical therapists, dancers, even lawyers.  They all have a handful of things in common in addition to the 5 factors above: they all are dedicated to a healthy lifestyle and love to help others reach their goals.  If this positive attitude is yours, then you might be ready to teach Pilates!

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Kerrie Ann Frey is the founder and owner of Fit Mom USA, a former stroller exercise-based program that has evolved in to an online presence with fitness, wellness, and nutrition information for all men and women. Her passion for fitness began with credentials including A.C.E. PT and LWMC and grew to include her true love – Pilates. She is West Coast Pilates certified and trains clients in several studios in the New Orleans area.

As many of you know by now, Aaron is an aspiring bodybuilder.  He did his first competition last year and will be doing the Greater Gulf States Bodybuilding Championship this year. Health and Fitness are Aaron’s love and passions.

I’m very proud of him – being a bodybuilder takes a lot of time, discipline and hard work.  Aaron really was a very skinny kid (I’ve seen the pictures) so he’s had to dedicate himself to create the physique that he has and he has done so in the least favorable of conditions.

I’m truly happy that FLEX Magazine chose to feature Aaron in their My Story area of the magazine.  It’s great exposure for Aaron but also for New Orleans Bodybuilding scene. I hope you will pick up a copy and check-out Aaron’s story.  Also, do stay tune… as he will continue to write about his journey right here on the Be Fit NOLA blog. Click on the images to enlarge.