Having faith and being fit, go hand-in-hand in the eyes of Donna Richardson Joyner.
Joyner, a lifestyle and fitness expert, who was named one of the 25 most inspiring people by Essence magazine, has a passion to change the obesity epidemic in the U.S.
Joyner is serving her second term on the Presidential Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. She was first appointed under George W. Bush in 2006 and then again by President Barack Obama.
As part of the President’s Council on Fitness, Joyner has worked alongside Steward and Associates, an Indianapolis based organization that presents prominent African-Americans to the local community, and its Steward Speakers Series to kick off the Presidential Active Lifestyle Challenge.
On Tuesday, Joyner visited students at North Wayne Elementary School, 6950 W. 34th St., to award students with Presidential Active Lifestyle certificates, signed by President Obama, for completing the challenge.
“The lifestyle challenge is a way to encourage children and adults to commit to doing physical activity for a span of six weeks,” Joyner said.
For the challenge, children would do an activity five days a week for 60 minutes while adding a healthy nutritional habit every day, and adults would do an activity five days a week for 30 minutes.
Following the presentation of the certificates, Joyner said she gave the children “instant recess.”
The children did a 10-minute workout in the gym while Joyner incorporated what she called “famous dance moves,” such as the “Ray Lewis move” he does when he makes a touchdown and the “Usain Bolt lightning move.”
She said they played music that children could relate to such as Beyonce and Mary J. Blige.
“They were all into it. They were just singing and dancing and they didn’t want to stop,” said Joyner.
Joyner said teachers can use this instant recess tactic before, during and after school so children can be more alert, have more energy, and be healthier.
“When you’re not teaching that or instilling it when they’re young, you’re going to have them grow up to be unhealthy adults, which is going to cause this country so much more money,” she said.
Along with this lifestyle challenge, Joyner said she does speaking events with first lady Michelle Obama and plans activities with churches and Black organizations.
“We know that there is a strong need in the African-American community because we are very unhealthy and we really have to change our thinking,” said Joyner.
She added that Black women will invest more money into their hair than their health.
Joyner stressed that in order to change thinking patterns, people all need to have a plan and be on one accord with God.
“He should be the center of everything you do and if you tried diets, and you tried this program and you tried that gadget, I believe you failed because ‘he’ wasn’t there. You have to put ‘him’ first,” said Joyner.
