Lake Forest Hospital nurses and therapists met their “patients” on the hospital lawn last weekend, offering tests and tips on how to stay out of the hospital.
Billed as a Family Fitness Fiesta, various test stations checked blood pressure and flexibility, offered free healthy snacks, assessed posture, upped the heart rate in step aerobics and demonstrated a handful of how-to’s, including how to walk.
Aerobics instructor Marie Pearson, who teaches at the hospital’s recently opened Lake Forest Health & Fitness Institute, walked people over a path eight-tenths of a mile long.
“Heel toe, tighten the `glutes’ (gluteus maximus),” Pearson said.
Lin Stolzman of Lake Forest checked out each station. “I wanted to see the latest in health and fitness,” said Stolzman, stopping at a booth that ranked McDonald’s fast food by fat grams.
But even with the latest focus on fat content, most people underestimate the fat grams in the fish filet and the salads accompanied by packets of ranch dressing, according to cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation nurse Ellen Leach, who staffed the booth.
“They think fish and salad are okay. But the filet is fried and comes with mayonnaise, and the dressing is higher in fat than they realize,” Leach said.
Picking up fitness pointers gave Susan and David Freed of Crawfordsville, Ind., and their daughter Karly, 17, something to do while visiting friends.
“It’s interesting to test your body fat and flexibility. You might think you’re all right, but you may not be where you want to be,” Susan said.
And such realization is partially why the hospital decided to hold the fitness fiesta, according to special events coordinator Heather Brytan.
“We want to promote wellness,” she said.
But the hospital also had a face-painting table that attracted the youngsters, and it gave yo-yos to children who participated in Pearson’s walk.