This weekend, if you are looking to check your carbon monoxide level, see if you are riding the right bike or learn from an Afro-Brazilian martial arts instructor, you're in luck.
The second-annual UW Wellness Fair will be held Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at the UW-Madison Natatorium. The event will feature a wide range of booths and activities designed to help students learn more about their health.
Organizers of the event have much to offer this year. The Campus Vegetarian Society, Tobacco Free Dane County Coalition, University Health Services and the Wisconsin Bicycle Federation will all be on hand to provide information and to direct health and wellness activities.
UW Recreational Sports Fitness Director Lori Devine said she hopes the fair will give students, staff and faculty a chance to become better aware of healthy lifestyle choices and opportunities in their community.
\I really want to encourage the campus community to come out,"" Devine said. ""This is their time to see what we have to offer.""
Among the activities planned is an introductory class in Capoiera, an Afro-Bralizian martial art, led by Joe Seitz, an instructor at The Monkey Bar Gym, 600 Williamson St. Seitz said music and movement are all part of Capoiera.
""We create music as part of the art form using an atabaque, a pandeiro and most important, a beating bow called a berimbau,"" Seitz said.
Attendees can participate in ""Introduction to Yoga and Pilates,"" a beginners' workshop taught by Jennifer Bernstrom, who teaches the Natatorium's popular ""Power-FLOW"" Yoga and Pilates class.
Wellness information will be a main focus of the fair. Ryan Sheahan, youth coordinator for the Tobacco Free Dane County Coalition, said the group will provide information about smoking cessation, weight loss, chewing tobacco and many other relevant health issues.
""We're going to have a carbon monoxide monitor at our booth,"" Sheahan said. ""People can see how much carbon monoxide they've got in their system due to smoking.""
At 2:30 p.m. UW-Madison's Tim Gattenby will give a presentation entitled ""Getting Into Fitness and Staying There,"" providing ideas to help people stay with their wellness routines. Devine said Gattenby will have some good tips and ideas those trying to keep fitness a part of their busy lives.
""Probably half of people who start an exercise program usually fall out of their program within the first few months,"" Devine said.
The American Red Cross will be also holding a blood drive from noon to 4 p.m. And of course, last year's popular body composition testing will be also available. Devine says the method is a preferable way of checking on that dreaded body fat.
""Some people are too worried about the scale,"" Devine said. ""[Body composition testing] might be a more accurate measurement.""
So head out to the Natatorium this Saturday afternoon, get measured, try out Capoiera, give some blood and learn more about your health at the Wellness Fair.
