By Lisa “ConnectingYOUto” George
First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” Campaign seeks to raise a healthier generation of kids. Hill Harper eloquently authors the inter-relation of health, wealth, and the possibility of an unreasonably happy life. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a report in 2011 entitled “‘F’ as in Fat: HOW OBESITY THREATENS AMERICA’S FUTURE”. Heeders, what’s really going on? Unified in the human desire to have all the happiness and success that we can stand, what are we going to do, as a collective and as individuals about this U.S epidemic?
There is no need to highlight statistics as the evidence is right there – all one has to do is walk out the front door or, for some, to take an honest look in the mirror. Following are stories of individuals who have either journeyed to a healthier space or have always walked in healthy living. They share their paths with the hopes to inspire others.
Vanessa Fraction “I’m the funny chick from next door! I didn’t want any woulda, coulda, shoulda’s in my life – so I decided to do comedy”. This comedian has worked for and with the biggest industry names. Just a few of her credits include Barbershop 2, BET’s ComicView, Martin Lawrence Presents: 1st Amendment Stand Up, TVOne’s Who’s Got Jokes and The Funny Spot, and, most recently, as a writer on The Monique Show. Bringing laughter to international and U.S. stages includes a lot of travel — and possibly no time to stay fit. But such is not the case for Ms. Fraction. “Sometimes before a show, I’ll say I ain’t doing anything… drop and do ten”. At times, because of her lifestyle, she is driven all over the place. So when the time is right, she just does it — “I take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far away, play outside with my kids, walk my daughter to school”. Candidly, and with , she admits “…in high school, I was thick and didn’t like how I felt.” One day, her brother told her that he would not let her continue to do it. He got her going with sit-ups or push-ups and running in the grass — now, it is just part of her life. She loves running and will do 1,000 to 2,000 jump-ropes in one go. She admits that her “on-the-road” diet could be better, but she regularly incorporates water, fruits, nuts, veggies, fish, and chicken. No pork, no beef! “I don’t have a gym membership nor do I have a trainer. I am a single mom of two who is always on the road but I make the time”.
To her fans and Heeders, she says “Feel good… you want to feel good. Don’t live in the moment. It may taste good now, but years from now… how will you feel and look?” To her younger self, she would say “Do everything you’re doing now. Start now. I waited and I didn’t have to. Look at how beautiful you are.” Fraction wants her legacy to be joy and happiness. She says her mom was always happy and brought happiness to others. “She was a giver and lover – she made love decisions in life.” Check out her work at Fraction Comedy on Twitter and Facebook.
Darnerien McCants, a former Wide-Receiver for the Washington Redskins’ offense, has always lived a healthy and fit life. “Once upon a time, we were more physical,” he says. In the now, we have so many health problems and it has become generational. Partially blaming obesity on a lack of education, he reminds us that everything breaks down and dies – something that should be remembered with the type of food that we consume. He jokes, “That’s why the cows got mad – ‘we don’t eat meat’, says the cow”. He continues, explaining that humans have a natural craving for sugar and that it can be gotten in fruits and other “clean” (i.e., closest to its natural state) foods. Natural is always better. The math is simple — bad diet equals lower energy. Superfast food, which he says does not break down, tends to be cheaper and more available in mass-commercial, larger quantities. So we, as individuals, have to take control of what we visually and mentally accept as okay. He encourages everyone to “Stay fit! At the end of the day, you don’t need to be on dialysis, have diabetes, and insane medical bills”, adding that each of our choices “…play a role in whether you walk or need a wheelchair.” To women, he serves the reminder that bone density breaks down. “Hips need more muscle – build weight, get your nutrition.” And he asks parents to “…play with your kids…soccer, basketball, just play and move!” As a society, we have to get back to some of the “old school methods that we lost”. This thinker seeks to leave the following legacy – to be the best that he can be at everything he does. McCants has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Montreal Alouettes. When not working out with his fitness clients and motivating youth, he can be found working on his music and getting recognition in Japan.
Khaleeqa Rouse “The thing that separates the average from the excellent, the Haves from the Have-nots, and the weak from the strong, is that the lesser sit around and wait to be taught, but the Strong teach themselves.” This quote epitomizes who Khaleeqa is and the legacy that she will leave on the hands of time. She knows all about teaching oneself to be different and do different with regards to unhealthy habits. Before living her current life – which includes triathlons, hiking, running twice weekly, spin classes, a mostly vegan diet, and training for a half-Iron Man — she was overweight. Although she comes from a pretty healthy family that didn’t eat treats or red meat, in college she incorporated beef into her diet and had her first burger. “I ate too much and too late at night,” she reveals. In the mid-2000s, Rouse decided to make some changes, start living a healthier life and successfully lost weight. With twenty to thirty pounds left to go, she decided to go vegan and detox. From there, it was a wrap and she couldn’t go back. She loves eating healthy and is now living a life that includes maintaining her healthy weight. She allows herself to have “bad food” but is rejoicing in not being as sick as she used to be and loving the growth of her hair. Her thoughts on obesity in the U.S. – “I think people want to be healthy but don’t know how to be or start.” She does not think that it is a blatant disregard for health, and doesn’t remember it being this bad ten years ago. U.S residents “…live in a country on the go and depend on corporations to feed them”. Corporations, in turn, want to make you buy more and so in her opinion, “put things to make you buy more” which in turn, makes one bigger. To her younger self, she would say “stay encouraged as it will get better”. She feels as if she had to go through her “unhealthy” journey to help others. And to help others, she uses Paparoxi.com as a platform to encourage them to be their authentic selves. She firmly believes that in being one’s authentic self, you will make the life strides wanted and deserved. Naturally, she wants her legacy to be that she helped people live a better life… be it one person or a million. Her life is that testament.
Lonny Mitchell, former Minnesota Vikings Wide Receiver, knows he is fortunate to have always had a great family environment. He remembers his dad being very conscious of what he put in his body and thinks it unfortunate that children are not getting the information on healthier living at home. “Kids have a hard time associating healthy and non-healthy and associate things with taste” – separating purely into good tastes and bad. Knowing that his son battles with this, Lonny makes sure that he eats healthy and his son mimics that. For him it is a conscious decision, a learned behavior that he tries to impart to the youth athletes that he mentors at his founded company Combine5. When Mitchell was younger, “we were outside playing street football and went home when the street lights came on. Today, parents aren’t home and the kids are left to make their own choices and aren’t making the right ones. They aren’t going outside.” His fitness regimen includes working out with his mentees with a focus on athletic movements which include stamina and endurance. Through interval training, static training, speed-work, and stretch routines, he is getting kids familiar with how the body is supposed to move. His fitness advice – “Start simple. Eating habits and fitness habits are the same. Habit is a habit. Start with one thing…So don’t just cut out fast food… Start choosing healthier alternatives. Habits can be broken … slowly and surely. Find something that you like that is healthy…. slowly incorporate that and then hopefully the change will occur”. Mitchell wants his legacy to be that he was a very conscious in helping people become better people though healthy life…. and happiness.
Rochelle Parks-Yancy. Heeders, remember Rochelle from the summer issue? Well this determined woman says that “My food bills are MUCH cheaper eating mostly clean and healthy”. “You would be surprised at how much cheaper it is than eating out at all…” She goes on to say, “We are responsible for our body, we don’t get another one.” Rochelle eats lean protein every day with every meal and shops at the grocery stores. Her food bills are relatively lower because “I, one, buy all food, including meat, in bulk; two, I cook! On Sundays and Wednesdays, I spend about two and a half hours cooking almost all food for the week. Three: Water is free from the tap. Four: I buy veggies on sale and cook them. And, five: I use my grocery store discount cards.” Rochelle is adamant about making health a priority — “You have nothing else without your health…If it is important enough to you, you will do it!”
Stacey Chatman is a mom, business owner, volunteer at an abused women shelter, and holder of several degrees. She went extreme to lose weight. As a former Washington Redskins cheerleader, she had a problem with the industry’s focus on weight requirements — at any cost. “The image thing really got to me… You had to weigh in each Tuesday and were always under scrutiny – there was no science behind it and you were benched if you were not at goal weight. It was humiliating.” Stacey reflects on how abusive she was to herself to fit into the look and how it strained her psychologically. After she had her son, she gained weight that she could not seem to lose and could not understand why. She decided to re-educate herself about fitness and healthy food choices and went extreme. This included 4:30a.m work-outs and lead to her starting her own fitness company in 2007. She currently teaches 22 classes a week and is a constant infectious source of positive energy to any who encounters her. When asked who or what motivates her, Chatman answers, “This is going to shock people. My best friend is determination. I have had to be [determined], in many situations… Angels have definitely come along the path, but really God and the spirit of determination have been it.” As a visual person, she uses that to see where she wants to be — “I take big risks… doing things others don’t understand.” Now at 43, she tells others to take it one day at a time and allow wiggle-room for setbacks. Her company, Xtreme Fit Studio, embodies the essence of gradual moments. “Don’t whine or cry about it. Be extreme with it and be done with it…Wellness is triple-fold – mind, body and spirit. That’s what wellness really is. It all connects.”
Keith Green “Health care reform starts with the individuals.” It has been seventeen years since Green’s HIV diagnosis and to that, he says, “the way that I will avoid dying from AIDS is to take care of myself. Being healthy and fit is how I can do my part in regards to health care reform.” He feels that putting the focus on healthier living is the ultimate medicine, minimizing costs such as emergency care and hospital stays by living healthier lives. As an advocate for HIV prevention and a provider of care services for HIV positive individuals, Keith is very vocal about empowering others. Although he was not raised to eat healthy, he has come a long way, and thanks those that he works with for their daily motivation through their actions. Keith is challenging young people to think about where they want to be and weigh that picture against their lifestyle — “Five years from now will be here before you know it. It comes around to health.” The next stage of his ministry is to begin incorporating ways of being healthy in Prevention for Positives’ care programs. He says “It’s a huge problem that involves advocating for resources.” His message is “not just for [HIV] positive folks but also for negative folks also”. Overall health is what it is. It’s not just one aspect, like being HIV positive. To his younger self, he would say “Don’t allow the distractions to throw you off! Keep going and doing. The older you get, the harder it gets. Carve out your time and commit to it.”
Sheila Goins excitedly talks about her journey towards fitness and on to the stage to compete. This is a “simple task to share”, she says, as people are always inquiring. While on Facebook, she started seeing lots of before-and-after pictures posted by people who lost weight. After a few inquiries, she found Arthur Gooden, and he gave her a meal plan and suggested fitness regimen. In one year, with hard work and clean eating, she lost 40lbs. Arthur told her ,“Work the plan and the plan will work”. She listened and that is exactly what happened. Goins says that “accountability is very key with your diet”. Previously, she had yo-yoed up and down with her weight, and often felt sluggish and insecure. She firmly believes that weight is connected to how you feel. As a First Lady (at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church) and having always been considered a fashionista, she knew deep down inside that she used her fashion to keep eyes off her “big” hips. Her three grown children are very encouraged and amazed with her transformation. She herself calls it a transformation, as she feels as though the butterfly has emerged. To the masses, she says “you have got to see the butterfly …caterpillars are good because you have to come from somewhere”. Sheila knows that as a First Lady, she is affecting people through her example. Reflectively, she says that if she could have understood the importance of health and fitness ten years ago, many things would be different. She encourages people to “take some time to understand that your health and diet is directly related to how you feel, how you perceive things…[People] have to get the totality of how you will benefit from this.” Sheila’s daily fitness regimen includes an hour of cardio in the morning, followed by a round of push-ups and burpees, followed by weight training. In the evening, she busts out more cardio on the treadmill or stair-master in the evening. Knowing that it is hard, she offers this advice — “Be encouraged. Make a decision that today is the day to take your life back and take your life back.” She also invites all to be in touch with the spiritual part of themselves, as it will help them with their journey. “You can do it. I didn’t think that I could.”
Arthur Gooden has always put people first. Years ago, he started creating diet plans for a few friends and realized that there were more people out there that he could help. As cutting hair gave him the financial freedom that he needed, he was able to focus on growing his fitness business. A competitor at heart, Gooden began enrolling in bodybuilding competitions to push himself to his peak. “In order to get to the top, you have to master dieting and the right combination of food to make it happen.” With a bachelor’s in Sociology, he never thought he would be find himself focusing on nutritional work. This goal achiever now has his “Team Elite”, whose diet and work-out regimen he monitors. Like a proud parent, he expresses pride in the many that he has helped over the years. People on his crafted meal plan have lost up to 110 pounds in ten months. He is adamant with his clients about the importance of drinking water, doing cardio, tracking individual weekly process, and documenting their weight loss journey. Arthur also feels that the journey to physical fitness and wellness begins at home, and proper education on healthier choices is an important first step. “A child can’t be obese without the parents. Put them in sports programs.” Gooden’s own children are definitely following in his footsteps — both are track stars who also choose wisely when it comes to nutrition. He wants his fans to know that he is not as mean as he comes off — “I have a military background… in basic training, they were in your face, telling you to do push-ups …”. And from that experience, Arthur likes to keep it real. “No one nicely asked you to do it. There was a purpose.” That’s what he wants people to remember; there is an ultimate reason for “planning your work and working your plan.” His legacy? “That I helped change the obesity rate. If I save one life…” He pauses. “Well, I know I have saved many, as I have been told so.” He is currently working on a diet self-help book and can be found on the Facebook group page – ART Diet and Fitness.
Herkules. It’s been 21 years since WPGC radio personality and host of the BET Black College Tours battled brain cancer, so this survivor takes healthy living very seriously. Diagnosed at thirteen, Aaron “Herkules” Graves got in the driver’s seat and researched all that he could about cancer. He now knows everything there is to know about cancer-causing agents, waste build-up, the related importance of eating in moderation, and staying fit. To people who think it is hard, he says “Look at me. I had to re-learn how to walk, and sometimes still have to take breaks.” “If I can make it past [what I went through and stay fit] anyone can do it. I make fitness a part of my lifestyle because I want to do it. It feels like something is missing when I don’t work out.” He keeps it going by playing basketball, and runs 2 sets of all weights daily, and tops it off with cardio. And, yes, he does all of that even when touring and hosting his various radio shows. As his hectic tour schedule can inhibit his ability to cook, he orders healthier options – grilled chicken, smoothies, and veggie sides. His advice to people – “Invest in a grill! Bake it. Grill it. Drink water. Exercise.” To his fans, he wants them to remember that it is never over. When not feeling up to it, he thinks of the young cancer patients that his foundation, Herkules World Charities, works to raise funds to help out. “They actually push me. They keep me motivated”. His legacy – “Knowing that I was a person of action … had so much determination in life, was a shoulder to lean on, and I never let anything stop me or get in my way”.
So there you have it, Heeders. How are you going to help reverse the obesity rates and be the health reform that you wish to see? What’s going to be your legacy?
