Participants of the Spring 2007 "eat well. live well. challenge" program celebrated their success with an outing to watch Rochester Red Wings baseball on July 27. The evening was sponsored by the Rochester Business Alliance, Greater Rochester Health Foundation, and Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. as a way to highlight participants commitment to the 8-week wellness program, developed by Wegmans.

More than 32,000 people from 87 local companies participated in the challenge, which stresses healthier eating by consuming five cups of fruits and vegetables each day and more activity, in the form of walking 10,000 steps a day. In total, participants logged 14 billion steps walked, and 5.5 million cups of fruits and vegetables.

At Frontier Field, the participants enjoyed a fun-filled, sold out game. To mark the "eat well. live well. challenge" evening with the Red Wings, the first pitch of the game was thrown out by participant Julie Pruss, who works at SUNY College at Brockport. Between innings, the theme continued, with health and nutrition facts displayed on the score board, such as:

• If you consume 100 fewer calories per day you could lose 10 pounds in a year.
• Eating a salad at the beginning of a meal can aid in weight management.
• Exercise is always beneficial, no matter the frequency and intensity.
• Losing or gaining weight depends on two factors: how many calories you eat and how many calories you burn.
• Add variety - and health - to your barbecuing this summer with grilled fruits and vegetables.

Because of the success and popularity of the spring challenge, the Rochester Business Alliance is rolling out another session in the fall. For information or to participate, e-mail Amy Moyer or call her at (585) 256-4627.