Attorney invites community to healthy birthday party
On a muggy Saturday, a crowd of people gathered in a Shreveport gymnasium to celebrate the 40th birthday of Carlos Prudhomme – by working out.
“Downward Dog.” “Warrior Pose.” These were some of the yoga positions Heather Glover led Prudhomme and his birthday guests through inside the Shantel Hardison Sports Center. Some were beginners. Others were Yoga veterans.
While it may sound like a strange way to party, it’s exactly what Prudhomme wanted for his birthday: People getting healthy.
It’s the reason why he turned his birthday party into a community-wide health fair, one that highlights healthy choices as well as raises funds for local nonprofits.
This year’s celebration was April 25 – three days after Prudhomme’s actual birthday. And it marked his second health-focused birthday party.
This year, in addition to classes on healthy living, Prudhomme worked to shine the light on Project Celebrate, an organization that spans seven Louisiana parishes, including Caddo, and assists victims of domestic abuse. Partygoers were asked to donate $10 to the organization.
Prudhomme, a Shreveport-based criminal defense attorney, got the inspiration for the festive health fair after coming to terms with his own health.
“Looking in the mirror one day, I thought, ‘This is not how I want to look,’” he said.
So, he got to work. His wife, Geya Prudhomme, said he started with a Couch-To-5k running program, a popular workout plan that leads people from an inactive lifestyle to running a little more than three miles in seven to 10 weeks.
“He would wake up most mornings and say, ‘I hate running,’” Geya recalled about the early days of Carlos’ slimming down.
Her reply: “You can do it.” And eventually, she said, he became a little addicted to working out.
Carlos said he really “stepped up” his workouts after losing his first five pounds.
Then he dropped another 11 pounds. “I thought, ‘I can really do this thing,’” Carlos said.
To keep his workouts interesting, Carlos “kept it fresh.” This included changing his running paths from day-today as well as hiring a personal trainer.
Today and 65 pounds lighter, Carlos and his wife embrace a healthy way of life for themselves and their two children. “Having those two kids really brought it home for me,” Carlos said about one reason for shedding the pounds.
Another was freedom from medication. By dropping the weight, Carlos also dropped his blood pressure and diabetic medications. “Coming off the medications was one of the greatest things,” Carlos said about a personal goal that returned to him the energy needed to keep up with his young family.
Losing his unhealthy ways also helped Carlos gain a community-centered mindset. “I wanted to be involved. But I’m just a small voice,” Carlos said. “[The health fair] all came about through a conversation with my wife.”
Geya helped Carlos invent the birthdayhealth fair, the Prudhomme’s own way to spread the word about healthy choices and spotlight deserving nonprofits.
“It’s his present to the community. This is a big deal,” said Geya, who counts herself at Carlos’ No. 1 fan.
Last year’s inaugural event had a similar theme but a different nonprofit. Carlos chose an organization where he volunteers, Volunteers for Youth Justice, a nonprofit (formerly known as Shreveport Juvenile Justice Program) that mentors first-time youth offenders and works to keep them from returning to the justice system.
About his push to increase the volume of his voice, Carlos said, “If more people know about an organization, then it would direct those in need in the right path.”
As for his own personal success at weight loss, he said, “I wanted to show people it can be done. And if I can do it, anybody can do it.”
–RT Morgan
