Fresh Fest in West Palm Beach

Bindu Yoga class held on the East Berm.

Fresh Fest drew a crowd of young athletes, active adults, people battling illnesses, yogis and others interested in living a healthy lifestyle.

Saturday's event at the Meyer Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach was expected to draw about 1,600 over the course of six hours, co-organizer Branndi Lewis said before noon.

Branndi Lewis

Lewis with her business partner Kierston Hodges began planning the event last year. They co-own Sevyn Productions, an event management firm in West Palm Beach. The city didn't have one festival that combined fitness, health, organic food, skincare and holistic classes, Lewis said. They set out to create one.

The festival started out as Fit Food Fest, Lewis said. But it was more than just about food. So she brain-stormed with a friend, and the name Fresh Fest was born. Sponsors were: the Downtown Development Authority in West Palm Beach, The Palm Beach Post newspaper in West Palm Beach and its new food and health blog called Palm Beach Sproutz, which is optimized for smartphones.

Special speaker

The special guest came from the nearby Hippocrates Health Institute. Brian Clement who has advanced degrees in nutrition has led the institute since 1975. In his talk at Fresh Fest, he touted the benefits of a plant-based diet and exercise. He also talked about the cleanses and seminars held at the institute in suburban West Palm Beach. In addition, he mentioned that the Hippocrates Institute was going to start a medical school in Lithuania, training doctors to use natural approaches to cure diseases.

Brian Clement addresses a small group on the mainstage during Fresh Fest.

Free samples

Some vendors gave out free samples of their wares:

At Christopher's Kitchen from Palm Beach Gardens, they
poured samples of juices.

Got Sprouts? from Riviera Beach gave out samples
 of three different kinds of sprouts.

Onli Beverages, of West Palm Beach, offered samples
 of its various flavors, then let participants pick
a bottle of the one they liked.

Yoga and Pilates

Lewis predicted that the yoga and Pilates classes would be the most popular classes they offered. I stayed around to take the Bindu Yoga class on the East Berm, which faced Flagler Drive and the waterfront.

After two days of rain, Saturday was postcard-perfect. I love practicing yoga under the gently swaying palm fronds on top of the berm. Instructor Sara Knapp guided us gently through the poses.

I left feeling refreshed and hoping that Fresh Fest becomes an annual event.

And now, for my numbers

I had my best walking day last week on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014, when I walked:

Steps: 10,027

Miles: 5.0