News & Photos
PHILLY FIT BASH AT SPRING MILL MANOR
By Jeff Shair
We live in a time when a majority of people are out of shape and overweight. Yet, by the huge throng who attended the Philly Fit Bash at Spring Mill Manor on a rainy afternoon in January, it is obvious that there are a lot of folks who are adventurous enough to explore new avenues to improve their body as well as their mind. Most likely, for the thousands of people who came to this event on such a dreary day, their new year’s resolutions to be fit was still fresh in their minds.
I was fortunate
to be connected to
this health fair
with my participation
in Golden Breath
American Tai-Chi.
Our Tai-Chi booth
was conveniently
located near the
stage, so that enabled
me to have a close-up
view of the demonstrations
put on by the various
health conscious
centers in the area.
Early in the program,
Golden Breath’s
Tai-Chi class demonstrated
effortless and graceful
moves of this unique
form of Tai-Chi.
However, what the
audience didn’t
see was the amazing
benefits that this
relatively simple
routine of breath
with movement can
give them. Only by
practicing the moves
and seeing the wondrous
results for yourself,
can you truly appreciate
the power of the
Golden Breath System.
Since Americans in
recent years have
developed a fascination
with ballroom dancing,
it wasn’t surprising
that this form of
dance created one
of the highlights
of the afternoon.
The couples engrossed
the crowd with their
energetic moves of
classic ballroom
dancing, swing, and
salsa. Another performance
that stirred interest
was by a professional
belly dancer who,
after entertaining
the attentive onlookers,
encouraged females
of all ages to join
her in an impromptu
lesson. I thought
one of the most interesting
performances of the
line-up was delivered
by speed cyclists
who drove themselves
with awe-inspiring
intensity to the
pulsating beat of
techno-music. The
six-piece ensemble
named the Sound Investment
Band provided the
musical back drop
for most of the convention.
The group showed
their versatility
and adeptness by
playing hit songs
from various decades.
While there were a lot of demonstrations by health businesses on the stage in the backroom of the Spring Mill Manor, that was hardly the extent of the heath fair. There were wall to wall people in several other rooms who were asking an estimated 150 health vendors about their businesses and products. There was a room that was designed for kids where they could participate in different challenges. Also on display were homeless dogs in need of being cared for by a loving family. In addition, there were several health foods available including, a honey ice tea which was pretty good, as well as a health drink that wasn’t too smooth going down, but is suppose to be helpful in combating obesity.
In the “de-stressing” room of the convention, I spotted a booth where I was able to take advantage of a free five-minute massage. Afterwards, my back felt considerably less taut and more flexible. Next to that exhibit was a booth for a pain management center that offered a free analysis of your total spinal alignment and posture. The doctor who took down my measurements from the apparatus concluded that I put considerably more weight on the left side of my body than the right. Although this diagnosis was somewhat disappointing to hear, it may motivate me to take advantage of the center’s free examination and consultation in the near future.
The sponsors of the Philly Fit Bash expected about 4,000 people for this event. So you could imagined how overjoyed they were to find out that the crowd exceeded there prediction by more than double, at around 10,000 attendees! Consequently, the next Philly Fit Bash is scheduled to be held outdoors. The date for this multi-media event is Sunday, May 21st. The location will be just off of 422 in Oaks, Pennsylvania, which is 10 minutes west of the King of Prussia Mall. I had a great time at the Philly Fit Bash. If you couldn’t be there this time, I hope to see you at the next bash in May.