Race Helps Revive Running In New Orleans

 Thousands of runners from all over the world came to New Orleans to take part in the second annual Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Marathon early Sunday.

The cool, sunny weather provided perfect conditions for the 17,000 people running in the marathon and half-marathon events.

"A lot of these people behind me are running for other people and other reasons. They train in groups for at least three months, then they come out and try to raise money for their own particular charities," said race founder and Olympic gold medalist Frank Shorter.

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New Orleans chosen as a 'Let's Move!' city

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced Friday that New Orleans has been selected as a"Let's Move!" city. The program, created by Michelle Obama and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, encourages communities to adopt a long-term, holistic approach to fighting childhood obesity.


"This initiative recognizes that every city is different, and certainly New Orleans is unique," Landrieu said in a prepared statement. "We will tap into our creative and rich culture to address this important public health issue, with the overall goal being to develop a healthier city for residents of all ages."

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New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu among runners lacing up for Rock 'n' Roll Marathon

Among the 10,500 runners expected to line up for Sunday's Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon is New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. 



After finishing his first-ever 13.1-mile effort last year just a week after winning the city's highest office, Landrieu is back and touting his participation as part of the "Let's Move!" campaign to fight childhood obesity championed by Michelle Obama.

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New Orleans Kids Race To Fight Obesity

It's a race weekend in New Orleans with a mandate from the White House.

The ING Kids Rock 'N' Roll Race is the first event as New Orleans officially joins the first lady's nationwide initiative to tackle childhood obesity.

It takes a strong mind and a healthy body to run a race, and the children in the event are getting ready.

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Free Training for the CCC

Have you ditched that New Year's resolution already? With the Crescent City Classic just around the corner, it's time to get back on track! Varsity Sports just announced that they will be offering free training for anyone wanting to participate in the race come April. Headed up by two highly qualified coaches, this program begins January 31st and includes workouts for all levels of runners. For more information about the training or the race, email jpeters@lsu.edu or andrew@varistyrunning.com and check out the links below:

Crescent City Classic 2011
Varsity Sports

VEG(ETARI)AN RED BEANS AND RICE

When asked to provide a healthy, vegetarian, or vegan recipe, nothing came to mind faster than a pot of red beans. While not a vegetarian myself, I do have a few vegetarian friends and even some who are aspiring vegans. So I've spent some time making meatless dishes. While I wouldn't say this version of red beans is better than the meat-lover's version with ham or sausage, it's certainly a decent substitution and a guilt-free meal.


VEG(ETARI)AN RED BEANS AND RICE
• 1/2 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted over
• 1 tablespoon oil or butter
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper
• 1 or 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 dash of hot sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 5 cups vegetable stock (homemade and unsalted, or if bought, reduced-sodium) or water
• 2 teaspoons liquid smoke (optional)
• 2 tablespoons butter (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or green onion (optional)
• cooked white (or brown) rice


Put the beans in bowl and cover with water by at least an inch. Soak six hours or overnight. Drain.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onions, celery, and bell peppers. Season them with a pinch of salt, a grind of black pepper, a pinch of Cayenne, and/or a shake or two of Tony Chachere’s. When the vegetables soften, add the bay leaves, parsley, thyme, and garlic. After a minute or two, add the beans, stock or water, and hot sauce. Stir and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat until the mixture simmers and cook, uncovered, for two hours. The beans should soften and the "soup" should thicken.

About half an hour before eating, use a sturdy spoon or masher and mash a third or a quarter of the beans in the pot. Add the liquid smoke if desired. Simmer until the beans soften and the mixture thickens. Remove the bay leaves before serving the beans and stir in the two tablespoons of butter to make the beans creamier if desired.

Serve over white rice, or if feeling particularly health-conscious, over brown rice. (Vegans can omit the butter entirely from the recipe.) Garnish with green onions or parsley if desired. Or if you're feeling lazy, just put the pot of beans and the pot of rice out and let your family/friends serve themselves. As always, have the bottle of hot sauce and the shaker of Tony’s handy.

Thousands Run Half Marathon For Children's Hospital

Matt Manning of Baton Rouge crossed the finish line first Saturday morning, running the Jazz Half Marathon in record time.

Thousands of runners hit the streets of New Orleans on Saturday morning to raise money for Children's Hospital in the second year for the half marathon. WDSU-TV broadcast the event live.

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Cirque Dreams: Illumination Performers Teach Free Yoga Session To Tone Muscles and Build Up Strength

Sign up through PlayNOLA and received discounted tickets to the show

WPlayNOLA and Cirque Dreams: Illumination performers

It’s FREE to sign up! New Orleans will have the unique opportunity to take a yoga class from expert contortionists from the cast of Cirque Dreams: Illumination, the first Broadway Across America show to come through New Orleans as part of the 2010–11 season. Prior to the September 30th performance, anyone who signs up for the session through PlayNOLA will learn strength training exercises and stretches to help tone their muscles and increase their flexibility. In addition to the free yoga session, members will receive discounted tickets to Thursday’s 8:00PM performance or Sunday’s 7:30PM performance.

Thursday, September 30, 2010
5:30PM – 6:30PM

Hilton New Orleans Riverside
the healthclub by Hilton
6th floor
2 Poydras Street
New Orleans, LA 70140

This special event celebrates the return of Broadway Across America to New Orleans and the first show of the 2010-11 season. New Orleans kicks off the first stop on the Cirque Dreams: Illumination national tour. Cirque Dreams: Illumination performers achieve the ultimate level of fitness as they perform urban acrobatics including balancing on wires, leaping tall buildings and redefining the risks of flight.

New Orleans Dream Center - Health Reach

New Orleans Dream Center - Health Reach
Church of the King - St. Charles Campus
1137 St. Charles Avenue
N.O., LA 70130 (Back Parking Lot)
Saturday, September 11, 2010
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
FREE ON-SITE SERVICES:
. Health Check/Exams
. H1N1 (Swine Flu) Shots
.Health Education
. Medications
. Dental Services
. Veterinarian (Dogs/Cats)
www.NewOrleansDreamCenter.org
(504) 621-5544

Tooth Bus rolls free dental care into New Orleans neighborhoods

It’s 7:45 a.m. on a Thursday, and theTooth Bus is bustling. Within the narrow confines of the cabin, the drone of the generator plays metronome to the industrious pace of early-morning preparations.


Patients will begin arriving in a few minutes, and men and women in scrubs huddle around three small dentist’s chairs, laying out an array of probes, pliers, and chisels onto plastic trays.

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FREE HEALTH CLINIC FOR THE UNINSURED

The National Association of Free Clinics (Advocacy and Support for America's free clinics)
Communities Are Responding Everyday (C.A.R.E. Clinic)
FREE HEALTH CLINIC FOR THE UNINSURED
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
900 Convention Center Blvd
N.O., LA 70130
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 - 11:00 am - 7:00 pm
Wednesday, September 1, 2010 - 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Call 877-236-7617 to register
YOU MUST REGISTER!!!!
Walk-ins will be seen only on a limited basis
PLEASE NOTE: BRING YOUR MEDICINE BOTTLES
FREE PARKING

HealthCampNola

Today, HealthCampNola took place at Walter L. Cohen Academy of Health Sciences. This un-conference brought together New Orleans professionals and students in health and fitness. This movement has encouraged many grassroots efforts to help improve health and wellness in communities around the world. With such passionate professionals in New Orleans, it was only so long until they did their part to help create positive change in our local culture towards health. Only in its first year, HealthCampNola tackled issues and shared information that concerned our citizens each day. The conference consisted of 4 sessions, including 15 minute presentations throughout the day. Some of the great topics selected were Worksite Wellness, Shaklee Vitamins: Dietary Supplements, The End of Life! How doctors, health professionals, and publics deal, HIV/AIDS in New Orleans and HIV awareness and testing education, Adolescent Reproductive Health and so much more.

This great open learning environment not only took place at Cohen High School, but included several students, whom were chosen as ambassadors to represent the school. Headed by Alex Hochron, Health Science Academy is not only a high school, but teaches students to understand that health is more than being sick or not. He encourages students to help in the efforts to build a Healthy School. After each student’s first year in the program they are to pick one of the five majors that include EMT, Nursing, Food & Nutrition, Pre-Medical and Sports Medicine. With over 250 students in the program, each student is given an opportunity to work toward Certification in Health Sciences. With this dynamic new program, Cohen attendance has risen 15%, violent behavior dropped 50%, and graduation up 94% from the 36% in 2007. Health Sciences has helped changed once a top American dangerous school to a school of success.

This conference was the first step to helping create conversation about the important health issues in New Orleans that get ignored each day. From this program and others like it, expect many new initiatives that help continue the new mission of New Orleans “One Team. One Fight. One Voice. One City.”

Taking Control of Your Diabetes Returns to New Orleans for Renowned Conference & Health Fair

Featuring Tony Award Winner Ben Vereen and racecar Driver Charlie Kimball, Both Living Well With Diabetes

NEW ORLEANS, LA (April 2, 2010)—Taking Control of Your Diabetes will hold its critically acclaimed conference for people living with diabetes on May 8^th from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Pontchartrain Center. The TCOYD conference, lunch and health fair brings national and local medical experts in diabetes care to people living with for a day of highly informative and motivational programs. 


According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Louisiana ranks among the 10 states with the highest prevalence of diabetes with approximately 10% of residents being diagnosed with diabetes by a physician. For 2007, the State estimates the dollar cost of diabetes to be $2.4 billion.


At the TCOYD conference, leading specialists such as Dr. Steven Edelman, internationally recognized leader in diabetes treatment and Founder and Director of TCOYD, Lawrence Blonde, MD, FACP, FACE of Ochsner Health, conference co-director Dr. Vivian Fonseca of Tulane University and other medical professionals from across the country will offer an event that provides practical advice to those living with the disease, discusses the latest developments in treatments, the complications of the disease, psychological barriers to controlling diabetes, nutritional issues and much more.

HealthCampNOLA coming to New Orleans soon! Don't miss out!

HealthCampNOLA – Four Tracks Toward Answers and Solutions For A Healthier America...A Healthier New Orleans.

HealthCamp NOLA is a one-day user organized "un-conference" designed to bring together health, fitness, and wellness professionals together along with entrepreneurs, developers/techies and policy makers to openly share ideas, knowledge, problems and solutions.

HealthCamp is an international movement that is a catalyst for engagement in vitality, wellness and health care. HealthCamp is not just a conversation. It is a call to action encouraging grass roots involvement to initiate and sustain positive change that improves health and wellness in our communities. Every attendee is directly involved in determining, presenting and participating in the sessions.

The 4 Tracks of focus are:

Technology

Sessions in the technology track will vary from discussing improving or extending the efficacy of health care by embracing social networks, open standards, and the latest web and mobile technologies to new breakthroughs and latest technology available or being developed that will change the way health services are provided.

Prevention/Wellness:

Sessions in the prevention and wellness track will focus on discussing and addressing what can be done in our community to educate, assist, motivate and encourage people to take preventive measures to prevent diseases and health problems. What can be done?  What are the biggest factors affecting the members of our community? How can health care and fitness professionals best support and help each other? Etc.

Policy

Sessions in the policy track will focus and vary from discussing federal, State and city policy that impact health and wellness providers.  This could include anything from funding issues and concerns, privatization of local hospitals, and the impact of the Health Care Reform Bills recently signed by President Obama.

Business

Session in the business track is to discuss the state of health and wellness businesses, opportunities and entrepreneurship in the health and wellness industry.  What opportunities exist in New Orleans? What type of businesses already exist – what makes them successful?

The one day event is being held at Walter L. Cohen Senior High School, in the heart of Uptown New Orleans on Saturday, June 5, 2010.

In the past 18 months over 1,000 people have attended HealthCamps in North America and Europe. Join in and experience probably one of the most rewarding and dynamic conference events you will attend this year.

Become a Presenter

Think you have a topic you want to discuss?

In the unconference style, everyone is encouraged to participate - to signup to present, head back to thewebsite and fill the form on the Sign-up Page.

Become a Sponsor

Sponsorship

We would love for HealthCampNOLA to be free to attendees but in order for that to happen we need sponsors. Contact us at contact@healthcampnola.com

Sponsorship Levels

Innovator Level Sponsor $500

As an Innovator Level sponsor you have an opportunity to do a lightning 30-60 second introduction of your company at the morning introductory session, Logo placement and link on the HealthCampNOLA Main Event page(s), logo on the back of the HealthCampNOLA t-shirt and opportunity to display marketing collateral at the event.

Support Level Sponsor $250

As a Supporter Level Sponsor you receive a link to your URL on the HealthCampNOLA Sponsor pages, logo on the back of the HealthCampNOLA t-shirt and a Sponsor Thank you at the morning introductory session.

Friends of HealthCamp $50 – $100

As a Friends of HealthCamp you receive a link to your URL on the HealthCampNOLA Sponsor pages and a Sponsor Thank you at the morning introductory session

Sign up For This Event!

Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans competitors seek task above norm

Some onlookers outside the sport might consider her and other triathletes to be crazy, but Judy Collins finds joy in pushing physical limits.

She considers her body full of promise, ready to be realized through dedicated training. The hours upon hours she spends tuning her muscles on the road, in the water and atop a bicycle are worth the physical and mental fatigue for that moment during a triathlon when she becomes calm.

Then she knows she has tamed an extreme test.

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East Jefferson Wellness Center (EJWC) Hosts Yoga & Pilates in the Sculpture Garden

Yoga in the Garden:

-1st Saturday of every month

Instructor: Addy Meisenheimer

Time: 8:00am - 9:00am

Dates: May 1st, June 5th

Cost: $5.00/class for Non-Members // Free for NOMA & Wellness Center Members

-3rd Saturday of every month

Instructor: Sara Lyon

Time: 8:00am - 9:00am

Dates: April 17th, May 15th, and June 19th

Cost: $5.00/class for Non-Members // Free for NOMA & Wellness Center Members

 

Pilates in the Garden:

-4th Saturday of every month

Instructor: Beth Simons

Time: 8:00am-9:00am

Dates: April 24th, May 22nd, and June 26th

Cost: $5.00/class for Non-Members // Free for NOMA & Wellness Center Members

Tai Chi in the Art Galleries Every Wednesday

Tai Chi/Chi Kung in the Art Galleries:

-Every Wednesday 

Instructor: Terry Rappold

Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Dates: April 21st, April 28th, May 5th, May 12th, May 19th, May 26th, June 2nd, June 9th, June 16th, June 23rd, and June 30th.

Cost: $5.00/class for Non-Members // Free for NOMA & Wellness Center Members

 New Orleans Museum of Art

Wednesdays are now FREE to all NOMA visitors, so come enjoy some EXERCISE & ART!

 

To register for any of these classes please call:

Health Finder: 504-456-5000

"The Biggest Loser" casting call draws hundreds to New Orleans for audition

The "Biggest Loser" reality television show was in New Orleans Saturday for a casting call for the upcoming season of Biggest Loser.  Hundreds of people showed up with hopes of making the cut for the show.

New Orleans, LA was chosen as an audition spot because it is in a state with a high rate of obesity of its residents.  Obesity can cause numerous health problems and also lead to a shortened life span.

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Louisiana Health Finder Opened For Service

Be Fit NOLA is a resource to help you be and stay healthy – we are a preventive care resource…we promote living a healthy lifestyle through proper diet, exercise and stress management in order to prevent the development of illnesses and sickness.  If you do get sick, we are not a health care resource or provider but thankfully the State of Louisiana has you covered.

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Louisiana Wins Fight for Hospital

Ending one of the longest-running disputes left by Hurricane Katrina, a federal arbitration panel ruled Wednesday that Louisiana would receive $474.8 million — nearly all it had requested — to pay for the replacement of Charity Hospital in New Orleans, which has been closed since the storm.

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