16th Annual NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo

I have only missed on expo since it started. If you want to attend an interesting community event, this one is packed full of information on exercise and nutrition.

As a health professional, my first degree being health promotion and assessment, I was super excited to check out the NBC4 health and fitness expo. The place was easy to find and once you walked in you were handed a program of events for the day and a list of all the vendors and stuff-​to-​do. We just walked around and strolled from vendor to vendor.
There were a lot of businesses, and a few places to get your blood pressure or glucose checked. You could even donate blood or sign up for a free PSA screening. There were workouts going on and a few cooking demonstrations. There were also a zip-​line and an army bootcamp but the lines were LONG and full of children. I was interested but not THAT interested.
It was good to go, but I can wait a few years before going to the next one. By the way, the food at the convention center was WAY over-​priced.

I attended the expo on Sunday, happy to see that it was a free event. Unfortunately, there were very few actual fitness oriented expositors, something that was in the realm of my personal interest. I was also shocked to see the number of over weight individuals working at various health oriented activities. This is not an issue of vanity, but rather a real health issue. Excess weight is scientifically connected to type two diabetes, and to see obese people doing glucose screening is not very encouraging. Nor is it inciting when offering diet meal plans.
If I had been more interested in the health aspect, I might have given more stars. But Fitness is a part of the expo, and it was much too small a part for me.

The 16^th Annual NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo was held this past weekend January 10 – 11 at the Washington DC Convention Center from 9am-​5pm. You might have seen ads about this on NBC and wondered to yourself, «Who goes to these type of things? What’s there to do?» Then you go to their website and they tell you «Largest free health event in the country! Free health screenings, fun fitness activities, giveaways and special guests!» Who are these special guests? Their website doesn’t have the full listing of activities, but once there, you’re handed a program with all the organizations that are present.
There are tons of vendors, fitness stages, gyms, ski resorts, and community groups. This year, CVS was giving health screenings for cholesterol and blood pressure. They also had goodie bags with clip magnets, $ 4 off $ 20 purchase coupons, pill boxes, etc. Red Cross is there so you can give blood but they didn’t seem to have many staff on hand. Come in workout clothes if you want to dance or workout with the instructors. Starbucks had a stand giving out free samples of a new chai drink and tea infusion.
My favorite part would have to be the Food Demonstration Stage. When I went on Sunday, they had the Cancer Project, Chef Spike of Good Stuff Eatery (recent Top Chef fame), Casa Oaxaca cooking healthy recipes. Salsa and chili were popular items but as Chef Jenny said, «It’ll keep you warm!» There were a couple of other chefs who seemed strangely defensive about using canned beans in their recipes when audience members asked if cooking with dried beans was healthier than canned beans.
The CPR classes seemed more informational and didn’t provide you with the certification card. At the end of the session, they’ll give you a certificate but it’s not the same. However, they do have a list classes and fees you can take at their location. I chose to skip their informational session in favor of checking out the rest of the fair.
There can be long lines for the health screenings so patience is key. There are a few elderly people who are more outspoken but the crowd is generally happy.