Fitness

There are some amazing fitness instructors in the Greater New Orleans area and I have said – “if you are looking for it; it’s probably available in New Orleans”…well, today I have quite the treat for everyone!

We interviewed one of the most fascinating fitness instructors in the city: Lorelei Ashe MacDonald. It’s not just her background as a retired trapeze artist after a career  as both a dancer and an aerialist that makes her unique…or that she performed with the Bay Area troupes Circus Finelli and Velocity Circus, and went on to teach at the San Francisco Circus Center, home to a professional aerial program and a clown conservatory. It’s a combination of all that and what she has brought to New Orleans – a one of kind way to get into shape: Gravity Defying Fitness

Interview with Lorelei Ashe MacDonald of Gravity Defying Fitness

Q: Where do I even begin? Can you tell us a little bit more about your background? How did you end up becoming a trapeze artist? I think as kids going to the circus – it’s something most of us only dreamt of becoming because our parents quickly shattered any hopes of that happening.

Lorelei:

I started as a dancer. I took my first creative movement class at about 4 years old and I haven’t stopped moving since.  I never took to gymnastics, but embraced dance and was performing professionally by the time I was 13 in New York City.  An injury side lined that career but I continued to explore movement possibilities. I did a bit of aerobic competition choreography, some modern dance choreography, and a bit of aerial dance.  Finally, I found circus – and I never looked back! I loved the height, and the combination of strength and grace that the static trapeze requires. And while I worked with rings and corde lisse and lyra, static trapeze was always closest to my heart. I have to admit that I had to let my mom know I was down safe at the end of each show, even into my 40s! Thank goodness for texting. And I think I gave my husband a few grey hairs as well.

Q: What inspired you to create the Gravity Defying Fitness program?

Lorelei:

Of course, I knew I couldn’t perform forever and when I started to think about a post-performance career I knew I wanted to share the excitement of trapeze.  But, I also wanted to make the trapeze accessible. My dilemma was that I don’t believe in teaching technique if you aren’t strong enough to execute it safely.  I realized that even the basic exercises are fun, and are the perfect way to get started!  After retiring at 42 I moved to NY to open a facility for Radu Physical Culture (of Cindy Crawford Workout fame) at the Plaza hotel.  Sadly, financing and construction issues scuttled that project, so I branched out on my own.   Aside from my background as a dancer and an aerialist, I was trained by Radu to teach his methods, am a certified NASM personal trainer, and have been trained to teach kettlebells by KettleBell Concepts. In fact, besides teaching GDF aerial conditioning classes at Next Evolution Gym here, I teach group kettlebell classes at Romney Pilates!

Q: Please tell us a little more. What can someone expect, look forward to…from taking the Gravity Defying Fitness Program?

Lorelei:

I tailor the sessions to each client’s fitness goals and experience, so the first session really varies based on what you are already doing. Everyone gets on the trapeze or the rope the first day, regardless of their fitness level. You learn how to hold your body to be able to move explosively in the air, you learn how to climb the rope, and in short order my clients are hanging upside down.  We do specific exercises that create the long straight leg lines required to look good in the air as well. I constantly hear from people that the workout is “so much harder than it looks” but also that it is crazy fun. My goal is that you should be a bit sore after each workout, but not so sore that you don’t want to do it again right away! That said, I suggest aerial training to be just a part of your program – two or three times a week.

You should also come in expecting to challenge your fears!

Q: What are the main benefits of aerial fitness compared to other fitness programs?

Lorelei:

I strongly believe that you should never restrict yourself to a single type of training. I myself swim, take bootcamp, bosu, dance, and yoga, as well as train in the air. The thing about aerial conditioning is that it is amazingly effective for your core – and while everyone focuses on the upper body strength it requires (and it certainly develops upper body strength) it works your whole body. It is functional training at its best.  We work strength, but also endurance, flexibility, balance and agility. Even better, it requires focus and you’re learning something new, so the time goes fast and you don’t even realize that you are training hard!  Looking good with sleek strong muscles – well that’s pretty great too.

However the biggest benefit is the feeling of accomplishment. I had a client in NY heading off to a meeting with a really well known and intimidating figure in her field. But, as she left she said that if she could learn how to climb the rope, the meeting would be a snap. Building self esteem and confidence is even better than good looking abs!

Q: This is an excellent program for us to have in New Orleans. What brought you to New Orleans?

Lorelei:

This is a subject really dear to me! I have been visiting New Orleans for the last 10 years.  My husband and I moved to NY two years ago from San Francisco, as I mentioned. My business was going gangbusters but I never adjusted to life in NYC (even though I am from there originally). My life in NY really lacked balance – too much work, too little play, and don’t get me started about winter.  While in NYC we started coming to New Orleans every few months and every time we would get on the plane to go back, my heart would sink. I have been talking about New Orleans as a place to live for years, and on a trip back last spring, I turned to my husband and said “let’s go!”  I couldn’t be happier, and I feel like I have come home. And what an amazing time to have moved here!

Q: We are working hard to promote health and fitness in New Orleans – what are your general thoughts on the health and fitness community here in New Orleans?

Lorelei:

I think we have a great fitness community here – there are some amazing classes and trainers. And, while everyone thinks of New Orleans as a hard partying town, and of course it is, it is also a hard training town. People here are very much committed to their fitness programs.  Of course, having just moved here, I love just about everything with the fervor of a recent covert (except the bugs).

When I first moved in to our new uptown apartment as a married couple, I didn’t have a sofa. My husband was happy to bring his from his old place; I was equally happy to leave it on the curb. We were young and just starting out with a strict budget for decorating. After going to a few affordable furniture stores, we settled on a sofa that lasted all of 6 months. It settled right in the center leaving whoever sat on it looking like an airplane with his wings tipped up. It was cheap and soft and we should’ve bought the more expensive one we really wanted but didn’t want to spring for at the time.

I use this analogy often when I get the initial response to the Pilates certification cost and time commitment I’m currently encouraging people to consider. This week, I’ve had to use it a little more often because I have a 3-weekend intensive certification program coming up.

“How many weekends for this? How many student teaching hours? Why this cost?”

My explanation is simple: you get what you pay for. There are Pilates certifications available that can have you taught, tested and certified to teach mat in one day. They will cost you a couple of dollars and may fulfill the CECs for another one of your certifications. But you will only get about 8 hours worth of knowledge and no opportunity to practice under the guidance of a trained instructor.

My first Pilates certification was a day long workshops and I remember leaving thinking, “There is no way I can teach this stuff. I don’t know the ‘why’ of what I’m doing and I really don’t want to hurt anyone.”

It was from that experience that I found my mentor, Cecile Bankston, Assistant Director of Kathy Corey Pilates. Kathy Corey Pilates is one of the original founding companies of the Pilates Method. Devoted to quality education and the highest standards, Kathy Corey Pilates is recognized internationally as a leader in the Pilates community.

Okay, so I’m a dork about it.

I wave that Dork Flag high because I know I am a contemporary Pilates instructor who is confident in her knowledge. The three weekends of workshop – in Mat Work, CORE Band and Magic Circle, specifically – were opportunities to work with a Master Trainer and the required student teaching hours allowed me to practice and gain the confidence necessary to work with any client. I made up the cost within three months of working part-time. When I was ready to become equipment certified, I felt prepared to take on another challenge. While I was technically “certified” to teach Pilates after that initial training, I was floundering. However, the full certification training gave me the time to practice, to ask questions, to research and to study.

I encourage anyone who is looking to become Pilates certified to look at the certifying body. Find out the lineage of the trainer; ask about the length of time for certification and what are the student teaching hours required. Find a program that is dedicated to teaching Pilates, not just certifying people to teach Pilates.

Are you absolutely infatuated with Pilates? Are you wondering if you should take the plunge? Have you been wondering about the benefits of being a Pilates instructor? Are you hoping to take your passion for fitness to a new level? Stay tuned – I’ll share my thoughts on all of that in my next post.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

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.

Last month, before the big game….we covered How to maintain your practice during the Super Bowl – this month the question is for us, New Orleans yogis, how to maintain our practice during Mardi Gras?!?  Most of us would like to spend time on our mats and on St. Charles Avenue to watch the parades…so how do we manage to do both? Easy, just requires a little balance, exactly what we’ve been working on, right?

Whether you’re riding in, marching in or watching parades this year, you can always sneak in a little practice. Try tadasana (no one will even notice, especially if your friends are drunk). You can even try a little tree stand or

warrior 1

warrior 1. If anyone looks at you kind of strange, just wink, smile and practice a little non-attachment by handing over your best catch of the day. That solves that.

If you happen to find that you’ve overindulged, or, far more likely, that you just so happen to be dehydrated, then a restorative practice might be just the thing for you. A restorative practice could include Legs up the Wall, gentle hip openers,

child

child’s pose and savasana. Follow up with a hot bath with sea salt and eucalyptus essential oil and you’ll be good as gold, black and gold, that is.

Enjoy the next few days having the best of both worlds the Yogi World and Mardi Gras World!!

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Heather Ryan is a strength trainer and certified yoga instructor in New Orleans. She trains clients at Ultimate Fitness and teaches at NOLA House of Yoga. You can also find Heather cooking on The Herbivore Next Door show.

It seems as though most people have heard of P90X and seen the infomercials and ads. If you haven’t given it a go yet you might be wondering what the fuss is about.

After having two children and moving to a situation that had none of the sports that I had always done, like surfing and windsurfing, I knew I needed to do something intense to get in shape. I had never heard of Tony Horton or Beachbody because I had never had an interest in video workouts, especially being from Maui where you spend so much time outdoors.  I needed something more athletic and challenging. Then I saw one of those P90X commercials.

What’s P90X all about? Muscle Confusion. By providing tons of different moves  and exercises, your body is continually challenged. The more you confuse the muscle, the harder your body has to work to keep up; the more variety you put into your workout, the better and faster your results will be.

Here’s Beachbody’s description of each workout on each disc:

•01 Chest & Back. Targeted strength and definition workout emphasizes two classic upper-body exercises.

•02 Plyometrics. Explosive jumping cardio routine, proven to dramatically improve athletic performance.

•03  Shoulders & Arms. A potent combination of pressing, curling, and fly movements that will leave you stronger and more defined.

•04 Yoga X. Combines strength, balance, flexibility, and breath work to enhance your physique and calm your mind.

•05  Legs & Back. Squat, lunge, and pull in a total-body workout like no other.

•06  Kenpo X. Intense cardiovascular workout includes punching and kicking for endurance, balance, and coordination.

•07  X Stretch. Achieve a higher level of athleticism, prevent injuries, and avoid plateaus.

•08 Core Synergistics. Build and support the core while conditioning your body.

•09  Chest, Shoulders & Triceps. Targeted strength and definition workout emphasizing two classic upper-body exercises.

•10 Back & Biceps. Flex your powerful biceps, and focus on toning and tightening those showcase upper-body muscles.

•11 Cardio X. Low-impact, fat-burning cardio routine.

•12 Ab Ripper X. Sculpt an incredible six-pack and improve your physical performance.

In the almost two years that I’ve been doing P90X, I have never felt that I had reached a point where the workouts were no longer a challenge. I’ve gotten better at the exercises, and increased the number of repetitions or weight, but as far I can see it would be almost impossible to reach a plateau because of the variety.

They were thinking ahead when they created the videos and knew over time a person can only listen to the same audio for so long. You have a choice to be able to pick silent mode, only music, and music and cues. At first you can’t get enough of all the tips and instructions Tony gives, but there are days I like to use my own music and that helps to keep it fresh for me.

I also take them on my travels. You can use bands if you choose instead of weights, which they demonstrate on the video. You really can use them anywhere. I love having them available at all times to be able to throw in a workout rain or shine.

I have permanently made P90X part of my lifestyle and now make hybrid workouts incorporating other forms of fitness when I don’t want to stick to the 90 day routine. The options with these DVD’s are endless.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Joyce Cherrier has been involved in health, fitness and sports for over 25 years. A former professional Windsurfer from Maui and sports and fitness  model, she went on to co-own a thriving health food store.  Now a  mother of two daughters, she is an online coach and spends her time helping others reach their fitness goals and spreading healthy info using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

What’s Happening This Week (Sports, Health, Fitness Events)

Monday January 25^th

No known events

Tuesday, January 26^th

Who: New Orleans Rugby Football Club

When: 7 pm

What: Practice

Where: Lakeview Pitch on Harrison and Marconi

Gretna Pitch

Wednesday, January 27^th

Who: New Orleans Badminton Club

When: 5pm – 8pm

What: Practice and play

Where: Loyola University Recreational Sports Complex (RecPlex), Fifth Floor

Thursday, January 28^th

Who: PlayNOLA

When: 6:30pm

What: Co-ed Dodgeball

Where: UNO Human Performance Center

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Who: New Orleans Rugby Football Club

When: 7 pm

What: Practice

Where: Gretna Pitch

Friday, January 29^th

No known events

Saturday, January 30^th

Who: Crescent City Cyclist

When: 10:30am – 1:30pm

What: After Breakfast Ride (20-30 miles)

Where: Meet at NOMA in City Park

Sunday, January 31^st

Who: NOTC

When: 8:00am

What: 31st Annual “The WALL” Louisiana State 30k Championship

Where: East Bank Bridge Park, Destrehan, LA

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Who: Crescent City Cyclist

When: 9am – 12:30pm

What: City Ride

Where: City Park NOMA

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Who: Runners Who Hate to Run

When: 1pm

What: Run 5.5. miles

Where: People’s bridge across from Cabrini High School (City Park)

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Who: New Orleans Badminton Club

When: 5pm – 8pm

What: Practice and play

Where: Loyola University Recreational Sports Complex (RecPlex), Fifth Floor

Contact us if you have a health and fitness event you would like us to post for next week.  We post health and fitness events that are open to the public in the Greater New Orleans area.

This blog post has been inspired by @Shercole – from our conversation this morning on Twitter.

My parents got divorced when I was 6 years old; shortly after the divorce I went to live with my dad and stepmother. My stepmother was a size 2. As for me, I was kinda of chunky kid and continued to be chunky as a young teenager.

I developed body image issues at a very early age.  I started running around the block when I was about 8 years old; I was running a few miles a day before I reached junior high.  One summer (I think I was 13), I not only ran but did all sorts of aerobic tapes; remember the Cindy Crawford workouts?? I also didn’t eat much at all that summer.  I would skip meals and drink fruity drinks for energy.  I lost a lot of weight that summer but I also put it back on in no time at all.  For the next three year, I yo-yo dieted.

I wasn’t happy with who I was. All I did was compare myself to others. My step mother would ground me for skipping meals because she knew I was developing an eating disorder…however, she never got me any help or education on how to be healthy.  This was in the mid-eighties, when although, eating disorders were acknowledged – they were not talked about the way they have in the last decade nor was information readily available to learn how to be healthy, lose weight and how to develop self-confidence and a good self-image.

The gym and weight room came to my rescue.  I enlisted in the Marine Corps my junior year in High School – I was 16.  I knew to be ready to ship out to Boot Camp I needed to be in excellent shape so I decided to join the local gym – I partnered up with two of the football players from my High School and began my journey in learning everything about lifting weights.  With learning how to lift weight came learning about proper nutrition on how to build lean muscle mass – I was an avid reader of Muscle and Fitness Magazine.

As I developed lean muscle mass – I lost inches and started to have a nice physique and very nice biceps.  I acknowledged that I would never be a size 2; however, I could be lean, strong and beautiful in my own way.  Instead of fitting a mold that others expected of me – I decided who I was and what made me happy.

Now, at 32, after many years spent in the gym…I’m looking for some new ways to get, be and stay lean. Thankfully, New Orleans has a lot to offer – I’ll talk about that in my next blog post: Exploring Beyond the Gym.

I ran into Megan Hargroder (@HeyItsMegan) on Twitter –  As many of you know I’m tracking your tweets for the ones that talk about fitness, working out, and health related matters to RT them with the hash tag #befitnola.  Megan tweeted a few times about Yoga and then came this tweet: Runners who hate to run: first weekly jog today at noon today @ people bridge#NYresolution #getfit from Megan.  That definitely caught my attention.  A second run is scheduled for this Sunday.  I contacted Megan to see if she would enlighten me on what this is all about!

Q. How did you come about creating this run group?

Megan: Actually the group was the brain child of Ryan Lane (@SquidDLane) who hates to run but really loves to stay fit. His idea behind this was to gather as many people as possible who also hate to run so that we could all share our hatred and be miserable together. When he first told me about Runners Who Hate To Run (RWHTR) I knew this was exactly what I needed to get started! I really hate to run but I still WANT to run – so the option of getting started doing this with others like me (instead of experienced runners) seemed like my last hope at making this happen!

Q. What do you hate about running?

Megan: I suck at it! I have absolutely no endurance and after about five minutes I have to stop and walk. It’s completely embarrassing because I actually look like I should be in decent shape. Every time I’ve tried to run in the past, it’s with someone who loves running so I basically get left in the dust and then get really discouraged.

Q. I know you love Yoga so if you really hate to run – Why do it?

Megan: I actually JUST started practicing yoga a week ago at Life Yoga on Magazine. It’s really my ideal workout because it involves stretching and building strength and endurance.  The type of yoga I’m doing isn’t cardio, though, and that’s necessary for a well-balanced workout routine. Plus, I’m hoping that by forcing myself to run (but not pushing myself too hard) I will eventually enjoy it. Additionally, running outside is free!

Q. How was the turnout at last week’s run?

Megan: It was the first RWHTR session, so there were actually only four of us – Ryan, myself, my girlfriend and our friend Tom who was in town and isn’t much into working out but was a great sport about the entire thing. After the run, we had a ton of messages from people who saw our posts too late but that were interested – so I think we will have a great turnout this Sunday!

Q. What do you think is going to motivate people to come run –  who really do hate it?

Megan: The main motivation for joining RWHTR is that you will be in the company of like-minded runners! There’s no commitment; you don’t have to come every time, and you can complain all you want and quit when you want. This is for people who HATE to run but want to run because of the health benefits and physical results.

Q. Is everyone free to go at his or her own pace or is it more of a group run?

Megan: Once more people start coming, it will definitely be a “go at your own pace” type of thing. Even now, we have a “no runner gets left behind” policy. I’m probably the slowest and least in-shape person and am always like “F this!” So if any runner gets tired, I will gladly stop and walk with them.

Q. Are people who love to run welcomed?

Megan: Of course! We need all the motivation we can get!

Q. What exactly are your New Year’s fitness goals?

Megan: My goals are to tone up, eat better and exercise regularly. So far so good! Here’s my planned routine for 2010:

MWF – 15 minute jog at 7a.m.

Sunday – 1 hour RWHTR at 1p.m.

Sunday – 1 hour yoga class at Life Yoga at 4p.m.

Wednesday – 1 hour yoga class at Life Yoga at 4:30 p.m.

The idea behind that schedule is that I wanted to make goals that I could really stick to. My morning runs are so short that I just roll out of bed, jog a couple of blocks and then go inside and make coffee. Short morning jogs really give you tons of energy throughout the day. Yoga is really therapeutic for me, so I don’t consider that a chore but more like a leisure (even though it is hard work), and the RWHTR jog on Sundays is basically my once a week “challenge” to myself.

Well, there you have it folks!  If you hate to run, RWHTR is the group for you to be surrounded with like-minded souls and get a fabulous cardio workout in.  Megan is setting the example and being part of leading the way in living a healthy lifestyle in New Orleans.  Also, stay tune as Megan will be blogging for Be Fit NOLA – she is going to share more about her adventures as a new Yoga enthusiast, she’ll share her story of how she quit smoking and tips to help others do the same and although she is not a health expert – she is someone new to embracing living a healthy lifestyle and is passionate about sharing what she’s learning.

It wouldn’t be the end of the year and the start of the New Year without the ingenious Top Ten lists. It’s happening all around us…people and organizations are putting together and revealing their Top Ten lists as the close of 2009 is fast approaching.  We’re not only closing the book on a year but on an entire decade and welcoming the start of a new decade.

We’ve searched the web and compiled a list of the best 5 health and fitness top ten lists.  For each list we picked one item – to read more about each list just click on the headline.

Time Magazine Top Ten 2009 Medical Breakthroughs

#2 – AIDS Vaccine In a field that has seen more failure than success, experts received the news of an effective new AIDS vaccine with a fair share of skepticism. In September, a $105 million trial of a novel combination of two older vaccines was the first to show protection against HIV infection. The results of the trial, which involved more than 16,000 volunteers, suggested that the vaccine was 31% effective at preventing infection among those who were inoculated.

The top health stories of 2009, from the Harvard Health Letter

#1 – H1N1 flu: Most of the news about this year’s H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic has been reassuring. While the H1N1 virus spreads easily and makes people sick, so far it’s rarely life-threatening. A major reason for the calm has been the measured public health response. Plenty of information has been made available, and health officials gave us simple, concrete things to do to protect ourselves. A vaccine was developed and put into production, although shortages are a serious concern. We have months of flu season ahead of us and much could go wrong, but early indications show that this pandemic will stay manageable.

CNN Top 10 health innovations of 2009

#7 – Antimicrobial Paint: Your wall paint could protect you from dangerous bacteria, according to scientists at the University of South Dakota.  They have invented a germ-killing molecule that can be added to pain and cloth to give in antimicrobial properties.  The bleach-like substance called N-halamine CI-TMPM would be able to fight hospitals’ “superbugs,” said to kill an estimated 88,000 people each year in the U.S. alone. The antimicrobial substance would last over one year, but would need to be cleaned every one to two weeks. The lead researcher, Dr. Yuyu San, is now in talks with commercial paint brands for partnerships.

ACSM Survey Predicts 2010 Fitness Trends

# 10 – Group personal training: Perhaps the most surprising top-10 trend of the survey, group personal training involves small groups, in lieu of one-on-one instruction. The trend may reflect economic difficulties and makes financial sense for both the client and the trainer.

ACE Top Ten Fitness Trends for 2010

#4 – Exergaming: Exergames will continue to climb in popularity and be taken to the next level: fitness clubs. By integrating fitness-based video games into their programming, clubs will offer unique exercise sessions for game-lovers and those looking for variety within their workouts.  Studies conducted by ACE on exergaming-type systems, including Nintendo’s Wii Sports and Wii Fit and the PC-based Dancetown, offer insight into the true fitness benefits associated with these alternative fitness options.

Related articles by Zemanta

• 2009 review: In sickness and in health (newscientist.com)

Whether it’s exercising, dieting, or simply enjoying living a healthy lifestyle – it’s much easier to do any and all of those with help, support and a community of like-minded individuals…that is why we started a Ning network for Be Fit NOLA.

We decided to start a Ning network because it offers more features than what we currently have on www.befitnola.com.  We want people who are health conscious to have the ability to connect with each other, share information, pointers and ideas.  Once you join the Be Fit NOLA Ning Network, you can create your own profile page, start/join a group to match your health and fitness interest(s) and participate in discussions and post/check-out upcoming events.

Join the network and find other people who share your passions and interests. Connect with people who are going to support your goals.

Although many of us are on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks – it’s still worth considering joining the Be Fit NOLA Ning Network because it can become a specific place where you can solely explore and express your health and fitness needs, knowledge, and questions.  The other advantages of the group, aside for being specifically for Health and Fitness – it’s also specifically for people of the Greater New Orleans area. It doesn’t matter if you are a hardcore bodybuilder, a Pilates fanatic, triathlete, runner or dedicated to yoga…join the network, participate, and share.  Lets build a strong community that is committed to living a healthy lifestyle in New Orleans.

New Orleans (NOLA) isn’t known to be one of the most fitness-oriented places in the United States.  In fact, New Orleans is one of the unhealthiest places.  NOLA is a spectacular destination spot because of its diverse culture, profound history and legendary foods.  Having said that, NOLA is also branded for being unhealthy and catering to alcoholics through publicizing Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras.  This selective branding, which neglects portraying the health & fitness community, often deters people from wanting to visit or move to the Big Easy.  If you dig a little bit, you’ll find there is a large health & fitness community and you’ll find virtually every sport in an organization of some sort.

The health & fitness aspect of New Orleans isn’t talked about or publicized because there’s a lack of education covering this topic.  Until now, there has been no “central place” for people to go to that will show them what sports organizations are available, where the healthy places to eat are, where the gyms & fitness centers are located, what hotels have fitness facilities, etc…  This has caused health and fitness to continue to hover under the radar; no one knows where to look and everyone prefers convenience.  Be Fit NOLA offers this convenience in what we’ll call a “central fitness bank” concept that is accessible 24/7 and will allow anyone at anytime the ability to research the latest and greatest on everything health & fitness related to the area.

NOLA can rebrand itself in a more positive light quite easily with the right tools and appropriate education.  In turn, this will attract a more diverse and energetic crowd to the area.  As a local or a tourist, you’ll find there are many restaurants that serve healthy meals, plenty of places to enjoy the outdoors and an abundance of tours where you can enjoy seeing New Orleans while burning calories at the same time.  Several gyms are located throughout the Greater New Orleans area; some are your typical gyms, some are geared for specific one-on-one personal training and some are unique in that they are original buildings that have been transformed into social health clubs.

The bottomline is, people can come to visit NOLA, or live here, while enjoying all the great things NOLA has to offer but can also to maintain a healthy lifestyle.