I am proud to announce I’ve been selected to be a Black Fitness Today Ambassador! Among many other great things getting our story out there has done, this is probably one of the most important things for ME to be able to do. I want to share our story to show people you can lose (and keep off) weight by just changing your lifestyle. You don’t need a magic pill or diet to make the change, all you need to do is change your habits.
African Americans have the high rates of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and many more things so it is important to spread the word and help people get active to reduce these health problems. I was one of those people three years ago, but today I am a different person. Willie and I were on the path to death until the one day we decided to change. Thankfully we hadn’t had a diagnosis of anything serious but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t lurking in the background. I know I was floating on the edge of high blood pressure and I had started to lose my hearing and feeling in my hands at random times. I was scared that I was killing myself! You can change but you have to commit to the journey!
We committed to fitness by going to the gym everyday and just walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes. It was the appointment we made with ourselves and it was important for us to keep it. I love telling people that Willie literally walked about 150 pounds on the treadmill. All he did was walk on the treadmill at a nice pace, no incline and he walked off the pounds in combination of a healthy foods and lots of water. While Willie continued to walk, I moved on to other things like strength training, Zumba and spinning! A small step goes a big way and all you have to do it take it!
Here’s a little bit about Black Fitness Today:
Our Mission:
Close the gap in health and fitness disparities in the African American community by providing practical tools and resources to motivate, inspire and achieve optimal health for this generation and beyond.Our Values:
BUILDING the foundation for a healthier African American community
LEADERSHIP in providing health and fitness resources and tools
AWARENESS of health and fitness issues
CULTURE of change toward the outlook on health and fitness
KNOWLEDGE by increasing the depth of health and fitness informationWhy the name?
African-Americans suffer from heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, various forms of cancer, and more, at higher rates than any other ethnic group. To spread awareness and begin breaking the detrimental cycles for future generations, the name Black Fitness Today was chosen to serve as a niche website that provides not only information, but tools to empower the African-American community to achieve greater levels of health and fitness.
When I first learned about BFT, I found myself looking at the site for a long time, pouring through the information and I was really impressed. I found BFT because they shared our story to motivate and inspire others, otherwise I WOULD NOT have learned about it so quickly but I’m glad I did. I believe in what these two people are trying to do with help of people like me. BFT has a team of great ambassadors so please check them out to learn a little more.
Most importantly, BFT is trying to change lives for the better. Eating healthy foods and getting active will only HELP you, not hurt you, so why not give it a try? I have taken the pledge to to commit to fitness, will you do the same? Sign the pledge and start/continue on your journey to be the best version of yourself! Nothing can stop you. Please take the time to read and sign the pledge. FYI: You don’t have to be black to sign the pledge because committing the fitness is something we can all do!
