A Health Fitness and Fashion Expo is being held at the Carolina Mall in Concord on Saturday and Sunday. The event is free to the public and is for the entire family.
The event will include health screenings, expert advice on living a healthy lifestyle and demonstrations of fitness classes including Zumba, yoga, step aerobics and martial arts.
Nick Blackburn, an eight year old who is the number three ranked weapons expert in Karate, will hold a demonstration Saturday at 3:15.
The expo targets the public from 14 to 64, but will mainly concentrate on women.
"Women undergo significant changes in not only their body, but their lives as a result of childbirth," CEO of Encouraging Word Ministries and spokesperson for the event, Nellie Wosu said.
"The percentages for heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer that cause death are higher in Cabarrus County. Additionally, these percentages are higher than any other county in the state."
Moses Carroll, MC Healthcare Inc. executive director, as a former employee of one of the local fitness clubs, witnessed that the majority of the people that needed and wanted help were not coming to the gym.
The goal of the expo is to better educate people about the benefits of working out and getting active to fight off chronic health issues like obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
"Those percentages are higher in North Carolina, and not just North Carolina, but also the entire southeast, Wosu said. "So we've decided to come out into the community to provide an opportunity to receive the basic information that people need to change their lifestyles for the better."
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