On Sunday June 5th, the United India Association of New England (UIANE) and Indian Medical Association of New England (IMANE) held their annual Health, Fitness and Wellness Fair at the Sheraton Needham Hotel. The Health Fair was attended by over 250 people and was Sold Out well in advance. The Health fair was free and provided attendees with invaluable health and wellness information, free screenings including blood pressure,blood sugars,vision and dental. Attendees were welcomed to the ballroom where over 20 vendors provided free giveaways, advice and consultations throughout the day. Attendees could also preregister for one of the many informative health talks that were offered throughout the day. The talks were given by esteemed practitioners in their respective fields and ranged from Diabetes, Womens Health, Ayurvedic medicine,Nutrition,Heart Health,Back Pain,Childhood Obesity and many, many more current health issues that impact our community. The health fair also featured exciting free exercise classes by certified instructors in BollyX, Bhangra, Bollywood Zumba,Yoga, Meditation and Bollywood cycling class on Bikebus. All of these sessions got attendees up out of their chairs and getting in shape with a fun on-sight work out. But the health fair didn’t just feature cardio vascular exercise, it also featured the importance of relaxation through a workshops on meditation, relaxation and a yoga class. The Health Fair was co-chaired by Dr. Neela Gandhi of UIANE and Dr. Sapna Agarwal of IMANE. Dr. Gandhi would like to thank all the volunteers and UIANE Committee members for making this event successful.

One unique and unmatched aspect of the Health Fair was a special section devoted to Children featuring children’s health, well-being and interests. In the children’s Special Section kids not only had a chance to learn and explore, but they also got to play… an essential part of children’s health! The most praise came for the huge bouncy house for children to jump around and get their heart rate up while being supervised by a staff member. The Children’s Section also featured free face painting and balloon animals to keep them entertained while parents attended sessions and visited vendors. The Children were greeted by a green mascot and could visit vendors that gave out free giveaways ranging from a soccer school to a trampoline park to a community farm and a running academy. The children also had the opportunity to participate in a “health scavenger hunt” to win prizes. The children -and their parents- thoroughly enjoyed the children’s section!

One of the hottest activities at the health fair was the Bike bus parked outside for attendees to take part in a fun biking experience with Bollywood dance music. The sample massages provided by another vendor were also very popular. All of the exercise classes were exciting for attendees both young and old. There was a strong emphasis on senior care, as many families in our community have brought their parents from India in recent years and hope to find the best care and advice for their parents.

All of the Attendees enjoyed a delicious lunch provided by Chinese Mirch which featured all organic ingredients and healthy Indian entrees and side dishes. Coffee was provided throughout the day by Starbucks and Whole foods, Costco and others provided free snacks.

The Health Fair was enjoyed by all of the attendees who went home with free giveaways, tons of information, a healthy lunch and even a new daily workout routine. The UIANE and IMANE are thankful to all the vendors and expert speakers that made the Fair such a huge success! They look forward to seeing even more community members attend next year for an even bigger and better Health Fair! Stay tuned for more details in the Spring of 2017.

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