TWM's Panel on Health & Nutrition

As part of TWM's three-part Focus on Fitness & Health series for National Women's Health & Fitness Week, an eclectic group of health-conscious people met at Bonobo's Vegetarian Restaurant to discuss Health & Nutrition: Perspectives from Around the World.

The six panelists represented various disciplines of health and wellness from around the world. Tammy Lakatos Shames and Elysse Lakatos, or The Nutrition Twins as they're known, gave us practical advice for adopting healthier habits. They emphasized that we should look at our diets in terms of adding what's better for us rather than what we're taking out. Milvi Vehik, a holistic health counselor, offered insight based on her own diverse cultural experiences and how our culture affects our personal health. Dr. Priyatarssini Balamurugen, a practitioner of Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Yoga & Acupuncture, spoke extensively about the ayurveda cleansing practice that rids the body of toxins. Jared Koch, a wellness counselor and author, reminded us of the importance of eating foods in the purest form you can find -- organic, unprocessed, local, etc. Dr. Mei Li, who is trained in both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, informed us that where and when we're born affects our health and well-being for the rest of our lives. Jessica Grippo, a holistic health counselor specializing in women's health with Laughing Sage Wellness and combining Eastern and Western perspectives, shared her personal experience to stress why it's important to always stay connected to what's going on with our bodies and become friends with our liver.

Attendees were able to take home more than just a few wise words. A resource guide was distributed with an extensive list of where to go for more information and direct services including: for nutritional and wellness services,Isagenix Happy Wellness, Sustainable Stress Reduction, Team Northrup,Christine Possemato, BEIA Insurance and Juliana Neiman; for looking and feeling fit, New York Health & Racquet Club, and A Black Bike; for eating healthy, ZICO. Goodie bags were stocked with healthy snacks, passes to health and fitness classes, and vital information from the various sponsors. Even the program had a list of home remedies from around the world for all sorts of ailments.

Everyone left having learned at least one new thing, and with the night's theme echoing in their heads: everyone's personal health and wellness is just that, personal. We must all take the time to get to know and listen to our bodies, eat local and seasonal foods whenever possible, and be open to trying new things, whether it's new vegetables, organic food or acupuncture. Not every body is built the same, nor does it stay the same throughout our lives. What works for one person might not work for somebody else and what worked for you last year might not work three years from now. Staying in constant communication with our bodies is the best way to keep our health as a top priority.

We also want to be sure to thank those who attended the other two parts of the series: Fitness in the Park with RJ's Personal Fitness and ZUMBA! Class with Alicia Harris. These events gave everyone a chance to get the heart-rate up, have lots of fun and make some new friends in the process.

For those of you who attended any of these events, please let us know what you thought of the event and what you got out of it. If you weren't able to make it, is there anything in particular you want to know more about?