Health & Fitness in Baton Rouge

When students of optometry learn how to fit contact lenses, there’s a good chance they pick up The Fitting Guide for Contact Lenses, a textbook co-authored by Dr. Roger F. Shaw, III of Southern Eye Center. As an authority on lens fitting, Dr. Shaw carefully scrutinizes each eye and pinpoints factors that make it a candidate for specific lenses. In addition to continually exercising his skills at Southern Eye Center, he disseminates his knowledge as an adjunct professor with three colleges of optometry. Dr. Ann Hardin Shaw joins Dr. Roger Shaw at Southern Eye Center, contributing expertise in the areas of nutrition and vision care for children with special needs. The duo draws on a full repertoire of ocular measurement equipment to determine prescriptions, prep eyes for corrective LASIK surgery, or tailor comfortably curved pairs of contact lenses or eye umbrellas.:m]]

Instructors at American Fight Club Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teach judo and jiu jitsu fundamentals designed to win fights, not just look cool. Co-founders Cody Ingles and Joe Savoian bring more than 30 years' combined martial arts experience to the school, and one judo and one jiu jitsu black belt, respectively, so it's safe to say they take their work seriously. New students should expect to train hard in the 1.5-hour classes, whether they're there to join a competition team or just to have fun and get in shape. After the introductory class for beginners, classes are all-level, so that students can learn from their peers.

Wild Tiger's band of experienced yoga and fitness teachers leads a diverse collection of classes all week. The studio’s schedule of classes offers sessions suitable for most ability levels, including yin yoga, which utilizes longer-held stationary poses to target the body's connective tissues around the hips, the pelvis, and the lower spine, helping Elvis impersonators to increase range of gyration. The studio temperature dials up to a balmy 95–105 degrees during one-hour hot-yoga sweat sessions that help muscles to melt into deep, healing postures while ridding the body of harmful toxins. BodyTrim classes sculpt lean physiques with circuit-style training, focusing on a continuous rotation of exercises that build strong cores and improve cardiovascular and mental endurance, and dance-infused Zumba classes feature easy-to-follow steps set to energizing tunes to burn calories and tone lower bodies, providing a more effective and authentic Latin-flavored workout than reenacting scenes from Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.

Groupon buyers can also schedule an appointment to take advantage of a complimentary physical therapy assessment.

Licensed massage therapist David DeFoe anoints sore muscles with soothing strokes and smoothing oils, his practice nestled cozily within a homey studio. Each massage, like most successful séances, is performed by candlelight and accompanied by the dulcet tones of an in-house Dido impersonator. The Swedish massage uses light or medium pressure to loosen knots and alleviate stress. The smooth, gliding strokes ease muscle tension and promote relaxation, easing overworked muscles and melting tension into a conveniently positioned bucket. An effective treatment for stress reduction and the improvement of blood circulation, Swedish massage also relieves anxiety, depression, and trauma resulting from having a quarter extracted from your ear by a nearby uncle. Groupon buyers can choose either a 60- or 90-minute massage, and today's deal is valid with other offers.

Geaux CrossFit builds physical skills and delivers dramatic fitness results with CrossFit’s style of short, intense, and creative workouts. The CrossFit program whips fitness-forward men and women into optimal shape with a range of maximum-intensity, functional exercises, giving students the strength and confidence to stand up to the 5 year old who knocked over their sandcastle. Routines conjure sweat with pull-ups, crunches, and Terminator-esque powerlifting or build balance and coordination with basic gymnastics. Students will struggle up climbing ropes and demolish condemned buildings by swinging giant kettlebells into their crumbling foundations.