FUN FIT FABULOUS CELEBRITY PANEL—From left: Jennifer Antkowiak, Jeanette Jenkins, Holly Frazier, Nia Frazier and Miyoshi Anderson.
Massage Envy appointments, cream to remove stretch marks, zumba workouts, lunch, fun, fellowship, health screenings, vendors from all over the city, and large beautiful burlap bags filled with goodies, are just some of the things that the more than 1000 registered women received on Saturday, Aug. 17 at the annual Highmark Fun, Fit & Fabulous Women’s Health Conference.
Workshops included nutrition—“Nourishing the Whole Woman” presented by Mark Davis.
A registered dietitian and a licensed nutritionist, His passion is alternative heath, disease prevention and wellness promotion.
There was also a stress workshop—An Experiential Journey in Stress Management, conducted by Ruth Rittenhouse a 40 year practicing Yogi who has been teaching for 20 years.
How Inner and Outer Beauty can Help you Bounce Back from Life’s Setbacks, conducted by Pam Nichols the owner and operator of Destined for Greatness Enterprises, Inc. Through her organization and wellness programs, she coaches women to success as they get past roadblocks in their lives.
These were just a few of the workshops and health education forums held throughout the day.
Additionally, there was a celebrity panel moderated by Yvonne Cook, president of the Highmark Foundation. Panel members were Jennifer Antkowiak, Emmy award winning TV news anchor at Pittsburgh KDKA-TV; Jeanette Jenkins, founder and president of her own company “Hollywood Trainer,” Miyoshi Anderson, founder of Pittsburgh Style Week, and Holly Frazier and daughter Nia of Dance Mom’s fame. The panel discussion was how busy women balance the dynamics of their lives and manage to take care of themselves. Panel members agreed that with lives maxed out between careers, running businesses, caring for others, raising children, and so much more; it is easy to find ourselves in the background not the priority we need to be. And this often ends up creating serious stress and health problems.
Antkowiak had taken care of her mother, and was just about to move her ailing father in law into her home when she began experiencing chest pains. It was only after her husband insisted she be seen and ushered her out to the ER, that she understood how much she was in overload. While it turned out to not be heart related, she says “this was truly a wake up call for me; it was clear, if I was to help anyone else, I would need to start making caring for myself a priority.”
Frazier, wife of Highmark Sr. Vice President, Evan Frazier, shared that the rigors of her show, Dance Moms, where she is a starring cast member, has them traveling 32 weekends a year, among other things. I stay grounded and evened out by prayer.”
Miyoshi Anderson, the founder of Pittsburgh Fashion Week explained that the level of activities that she must engage to make something so large as Fashion Week happen, was overwhelming at best. She found in planning this year’s event that the key to staying grounded for her was to carve an hour to herself each day in which she spend working out.
LADIES ENJOYING FUN FIT FABULOUS LUNCHEON
The panel participants encouraged the audience to embrace the concept of “self-care” as a key in successfully caring for others and otherwise carrying out the duties of their lives. A fashion presentation “with a twist” followed and was moderated by Mattie Woods, executive director of the Center for Healthy Hearts and Souls. She was also part of the local planning committee. “This year, Fun, Fit & Fabulous has partnered with our community partner,” Woods said. “Dress for Success; in Pittsburgh this organization works with more than 150 referral agencies in the region that helps women, once they are employed, find proper business attire for the workplace.”
The fashion show was a result of this partnership. Each model has been through extreme challenges from which they had to evolve; weight loss, a severe health issue, breast cancer and more. They were members of Dress for Success professional women’s group, and were featured in the show to highlight the success they’ve had in overcoming their obstacles, their “look” represented the new better, healthier place they are in life.
“This segment was very significant because our stories of overcoming challenges, will ignite a flame of faith, hope and thanksgiving for one’s self and others,” Wood said.
Jeanette Jenkins, author of “The Hollywood Trainer Weight Loss Plan 21 Days to Make Healthy Living a Lifetime Habit” and a nine year Nike Training Club Ambassador, was the keynote speaker. Her highly charged, powerful presentation belied her small frame and keen features. Opening her talk with prayer in which she engaged the entire ballroom, she was momentarily overcome, sharing that her own mother was currently battling cancer. But at no point did her positive spirit diminish as she walked the audience through tools to create a healthier lifestyle. She stressed that it was no mystery, eating right, engaging some exercise every day, no smoking and drinking plenty of water.
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