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Moving -- and Dance Walking -- in Boca

November 1, 2012
 

You’ve heard of dancing. You’ve heard of walking. But have you heard of dance walking?

The fitness trend — basically, it involves a group of people dancing down the street together — was a highlight of “Let’s Move Boca,” an obesity awareness event held in Boca Raton, Fla., on Oct. 21. The family-friendly event raised nearly $10,000 for physical activity and nutrition programs and included group fitness classes, healthy cooking demonstrations, nutrition speakers, interactive games and prizes.

“I’m just impressed about the response we got, because it shows that it’s something that people actually care about,” says Judy Bremner, a PreventObesity.net Leader who helped organize the event. “You see so much bad publicity when you see obesity on the news. But rarely do you see a whole group of people coming out to fight obesity.”

Bremner is a middle school teacher and longtime fitness instructor who also is part of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program. She worked alongside food-themed events planner Denise Righetti to organize Let’s Move Boca, with the goal of helping teach families ways to live healthier lives.

Organizers invited First Lady Michelle Obama to the event on behalf of her Let’s Move! program, as Let’s Move Boca was held the day before the third presidential debate took place at nearby Lynn University. Obama sent her regrets, but hundreds of kids and their families showed up to take part in the “high energy” festivities, Bremner says.

Cooking sessions included presentations on healthy greens and grains, chicken skewers and farm to table recipes, while speakers offered lessons on topics such as family fitness, grocery shopping strategies and holistic living. Fitness classes included boot camp, yoga, Jazzercise, Zumba, kickboxing (which Bremner taught) and, of course, dance walking.

The money raised at the event (participants paid a $15 admission) will go to fund physical activity and nutrition programs put on by the nonprofit organization Florida Introduces Physical Activity and Nutrition to Youth (FLIPANY). Bremner says she and other organizers hope to make Lets Move Boca an annual event.

Click here to connect with Judy Bremner.

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