Eat well, stay active: Kent IGA hosts health and wellness fair

KENT — Dr. Dimples, giggle therapist, greeted visitors as they arrived at the K.E.N.T. (Keep Eating Nutritious Today) fair at the Davis IGA on Saturday, April 30. Marilyn Gansel, a holistic lifestyle coach and fitness professional, gathered everyone together with the vigor and enthusiasm one might expect from someone who is also a personal trainer.About 20 people joined the walk that kicked off the health and wellness fair that morning. Gansel led a tour of town, pointing out a new restaurant and her studio (Fitness Matters of Kent), and encouraged everyone that the parade passed to come back to the IGA for the fair.Outside the store was a tent set up with health and wellness professionals offering information and services. There was information about the newest food pyramid, free blood pressure and diabetes screening, massage and information about body work.At noon, children participated in a jump rope contest. There was also a raffle for a bike, sponsored by the IGA. Gansel raffled off an hour of personal training time.Inside the store, Marie Roze, one of the owners of Davis IGA, set up tasting stations. IGA employees manned most of the stations, offering some of the store’s health-oriented products. There were also representatives from Boar’s Head and Pirate’s Booty.Roze pointed out new tags on the shelves designed to draw the consumer’s attention to healthier choices.“We’re not a big box store,” she said. “We don’t have just one section. But we keep up with the times as best we can.”Roze said she had the idea for the fair while attending a trade conference. When she got home, she reached out to Gansel to create a fair that would address both diet and fitness.“I’ve always been health conscious, exercise conscious, and I try to eat well,” said Roze, who ran the New York City Marathon in 2000 in memory of her mother, who died of cancer. “I wanted to help Kent get healthy for spring. I’m a runner, and I’m excited about getting out there.”