ALPINE — Alpine truly enjoys its Art of Living Healthy, as seen in last week’s Expo, held on Saturday, Jan. 26 at Alpine Elementary School. Our health conscious community members enjoyed a Fun Run, a Health Expo, an Art Display, and knowing Speakers, all presented by the Alpine Chamber of Commerce Health Care Committee, in conjunction with the Grossmont Healthcare District.
     Starting at 7:30 to 9 a.m. all were invited to run or walk the track at Alpine Elementary. As four laps around the track makes a mile, it was easy to track how far one traveled and then there was the labyrinth in the middle of the track. The labyrinth gave all the chance to challenge their ability to make it completely through the maze without stepping on any lines or going through an invisible wall.
     Once the Fun Run ended, and all were energized by the exhilarating exercise, the exhibitors offered an interesting array of products, activities and information.
     Available vendors included: insurance companies such as; Aflac Insurance, AIG American General Life and Accident Insurance, and Comfort Keepers presented by State Farm. The American Cancer Society, The American Medical Response, and The American Red Cross were also on-site.
     In addition to Insurance companies, and facilities, many local businesses presented their wares such as Massage Envy, Mountain Health and Community Services, Inc. and Curves of Alpine. Among all of these vendors as well as many more, Lions, Tigers and Bears, Kinder paws Professional Dog Training and Sky Hunters attended.
     In the Alpine Elementary library, informational speakers were scheduled for almost every hour of the expo. Speakers Tim Boice and Alex Fernandez shared their experiences as people living with life altering disabilities, demonstrating the consequences of making poor choices, in order to help people make safe choices.
     Shelly Atkinson spoke about the safety provided by car booster seats for children aged 4 to 8. The Heimlich maneuver was presented to anyone who wanted to know what to do for an obstructed airway, by Carlette Anderson who is a health and physical education teacher, who started Save-A-Heart, “The CPR Pros” in 1988.
     Other speakers included Dr. Darrel Crain who presented the benefits of a wellness lifestyle and how it can save families money. The Empowered Consumer presented by Andrea Holmberg a Sharp Grossmont Hospital employee for over 26 year, and the Importance of Eating Chemical-Free Foods by Dr. Trudi Pratt.
     In the auditorium, Health Care Issues 2008 Panels were held that included: It’s all about Women, a women’s health care panel, and then It’s All About Men was presented at 1 p.m. Also in the Auditorium was a local Art Show and Contest, featuring local student art.


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