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Mayor Nutter turns to heart health after resolving city budget crisis Attendee trying out one of the Grand Prizes from Leisure Fitness for Heart Healthy Philadelphia's Fitness Campaign. Christina Pirello of Christina Cooks from PBS in the background doing a nutrition demonstration.

PHILADELPHIA – After working non-stop to marshall his city through the recent budget crisis and ultimately saving thousands of jobs, Mayor Michael Nutter told a lunch audience at The Palm in Center City that everyone can have an impact on controlling health care costs by making healthier eating choices and exercising regularly. Mayor Nutter is a Co-Chair of the Heart Healthy Philadelphia Campaign. Heart Healthy Philadelphia includes five components: community heart health screenings, corporate screenings, Nutrition week, a six-week fitness campaign and a city-wide health fair held on Thursday, October 8th on Dilworth Plaza at City Hall, where Thomas Jefferson Hospital personnel conducted free cardiovascular screenings.

A crowd estimated between five and seven thousand joined Mayor Nutter at the health fair at City Hall which included: fitness, beauty, weight loss and cooking demonstrations, free samples of heart health-related goods, sponsor booths and music. Check out www.hearthealthyphilly.org to see how Heart Healthy helped Philadelphians learn more about making healthier choices. Mayor Nutter joined with title sponsor Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals, Genesis Health Care, Keystone Mercy Health Plan, Astra Zeneca, NBC 10, The Inquirer/Daily News, BEN-FM, NOW-FM and others to make the Heart Healthy Philadelphia campaign the largest and most comprehensive health campaign in the area. Heart Healthy Philadelphia is designed to change behavior and get residents in the five-county area of Philadelphia to LIVE Heart Healthy. The goals of the campaign were to save lives, improve the quality of life and lower the costs of healthcare for families, and employers. To reach these goals Heart Healthy has created five component programs which included the Health Fair, Get Heart Healthy Exercise and Nutrition, community screenings and corporate screenings. One key aspect of the campaign is the six-week fitness component where thirteen Health clubs in the five-county area opened

Mayor Nutter is screened by Thomas Jefferson University & Hospitals 46 I PhillyFIT

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their doors from October 12th through November 22nd to encourage more frequent exercise. More than forty Acme grocery stores, twelve Fresh Grocers, two Best Buys stores (South Philadelphia and Springfield Delaware County), the participating health clubs along with Media partners: Inquirer/Daily News, NBC10, and radio stations Ben-FM and NOW-FM promoted participation in the Fitness Campaign. The campaign distributed 100,000 nutrition and fitness guides promoting healthier eating and more frequent exercise. The campaign also used significant prizes to incentivize greater participation in the fitness program. After registering on the Heart Healthy Philly website www.hearthealthyphilly.org , participants in the exercise program entered to win prizes, from sponsors. Each time someone workedout they completed an entry form that increased their chances of winning a prize. The grand prize for the Fitness Campaign is a deluxe in-home gym from Leisure Fitness. There are a variety of other prizes including access to services at participating health clubs. The Health Fair included free screening for cardiovascular disease risk factors including blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol and much more. It also gave out information on how to get healthy and stay healthy by having nutrition and fitness demonstrations and having fun and free samples. The grand prize for the Health Fair at City Hall was a big-screen TV from Best Buy. Every hour a different prize was awarded to participants who visited the more than forty booths and got screened. Mayor Nutter set the example by visiting the Thomas Jefferson screening tent to get his Heart Health Screening. The Heart Healthy Nutrition program was a very crucial part of the campaign. Chefs from five different restaurants prepared heart healthy entrees for Mayor Nutter at a luncheon at the Palm restaurant. “We can all make an impact by making healthier food choices and I’m happy to see that happening here today with Heart Healthy Philadelphia,” Mayor Nutter stated. The nutrition aspect was also highlighted at the health fair along with food demonstrations and 100,000 nutrition guides were provided. The last two of these five components were the community and corporate screenings. During the summer and early fall of 2009, Heart Healthy Philadelphians were able to participate in events in each of the ten City Council districts to provide free heart health screenings. On the corporate side, Heart Healthy got employers to encourage employees to participate in the Health Fair and also set up screenings for their employees. Vizion Group, Inc. is responsible for managing all aspects of the Heart Healthy Philadelphia campaign. Vizion Group has more than six years experience managing health campaigns in seven cities. Ed Fischer, Vice President of Development, has big plans for 2010. He envisions holding multiple health fairs in all five counties and wants to work with local health clubs to design a fitness campaign that will include both large and small fitness clubs. “It will be hard to match the fun and excitement of 2009 but we have a sound base to build from in 2010,” stated Mr. Fischer.

Prior to becoming the Mayor of the nation’s fifth largest city, Michael Nutter served as a City Councilman for nearly fifteen years representing Philadelphia’s Fourth District encompassing the communities of Wynnefield, Overbrook, Roxborough, Manayunk, East Falls, Mt. Airy, and parts of North and West Philadelphia. Sworn in as Philadelphia’s 98th Mayor in 2008, Mayor Nutter has continued his hectic pace as the City’s chief administrator and passionate civil servant, all while somehow finding time to care for his own health and fitness. Mayor Nutter graciously took time from his busy schedule to share components of his wellness regimen with PhillyFIT Magazine. Mayor Nutter, PhillyFIT has a few burning questions for you! What is your exercise routine? I train indoor at a gym with a trainer several times a month or as much as my schedule allows. How does working out with a trainer help you? A trainer keeps me motivated and makes sure that I maximize the limited amount of time I have for exercise. What is your favorite body part to work out (in a gym), and why? Arms, because I enjoy feeling strong. Which body part do you dread working out, and why? Abs, because of the resulting soreness. What is your favorite health food (snack or meal, either or both)? Oatmeal Favorite junk food? Mallow Cups Favorite healthy place(s) in the city to eat a healthy meal? Coventry for healthy breakfast options and Reading Terminal for healthy lunches – both of which are near City Hall. Do you have a workout partner, or pet that joins you during either indoor or outdoor workouts? No, I workout with a trainer. What is your wish for the city of Philadelphia, in regards to continuing our mission to stay off the “fattest city” lists? That Philadelphians realize that exercise is both a way to stay healthy and a way to enjoy our great City by riding our many trails and enjoying our acres of park land. We hope PhillyFIT is one local tool that has helped to motivate and educate our City. We have so many wonderful fitness businesses just within the city alone. Have you noticed that there are more healthy additions to our city’s offerings? Like what? Fuji Bikes


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THE INSIDE SCOOP ON THE CITY’S TOP BANANA! PhillyFIT talks with Dan Parvu, Mayor Michael Nutter’s Personal Trainer at Center City’s 12TH STREET GYM.

PF: Dan, you’ve worked with thousands of people since you started training in 2003. How is it different to train a highprofile client like The Mayor of Philadelphia? DAN PARVU: There are a couple of logistical issues—like keeping some private space for Michael. Everybody wants to talk with the “top guy” and, when he’s at 12TH STREET, he wants to train and not much else. It is “private time” for him, but he’s also a very engaging guy who finds it hard to say no when someone says, “Hi.” So, I’ve learned to kind of guard his space. I guess his four bodyguards also help! PF: What’s he like as a client? DP: Kind of like he is as a Mayor—very focused! I mean he loves working out. He wants to be here. I can’t say that’s true for all my clients, but Michael really gets into it. He is very compliant. When I say, “Lift!” – he lifts! PF: Do you have any “special” training strategies for him? Mayor Nutter’s time is very limited, but he makes the most of it when we’re working together. Cardio exercise is crucial for a middle-age guy who has to watch his weight. So I make sure every workout is extra fast-paced. He rests maybe 35–45 seconds between sets, so as he strength trains, he definitely getting a cardio workout too! PF: What gets in his way as he pursues his fitness goals? DP: Food. Like so many folks he wants to get his body fat down and keep it there. Nutrition is his biggest challenge and he knows it. Mike is always eating on the run or at a public gathering – what people, call the “chicken dinner circuit” – a barbecue here, pasta there. It’s tough for him to stay on the nutritional “straight and narrow.” We talk about it a lot and he tries very hard to make healthy choices whenever he can. You know, I often watch him and think, “If this guy can be here—with his incredible schedule and the demands on his time, then surely most people can cut back on TV time and spend a few hours a week staying fit!” 48 I PhillyFIT
