Updates from the Fitness Divas: A “Glimmer of Hope” for the South Bronx

Over the last year, we’ve written about the Fitness Divas in our blog, newsletter and social media.  These amazing women – Betty Robertson, Wendy Williams, and Darlisa Evans – are an amazing group of community residents from the South Bronx who are committed to physical fitness, improving their parks, and transforming their communities to centers of health and wellness.  The Fitness Divas had an extremely productive 2012 and have plans for an even busier 2013.  Instead of Bronx Health REACH writing updates about their work, we’ve decided that you should hear it first hand from the women themselves. Below are two reflections from Betty and Wendy – what they accomplished and enjoyed in 2012 and their plans for 2013. Please make sure to check back throughout the year to learn more about their exciting work.

Betty Robertson

This is the time of year, when one thinks about where one has come from and where one is going.  Last Spring I joined a neighborhood exercise program. I didn't know what to expect, but I enjoyed getting together with other people in my neighborhood who wanted to improve their health. Our regular workouts consisted of walking to and from various local parks and aerobics classes in the gym of one of the public schools. After the program ended in July, Wendy, Darlisa, and I, the Fitness Divas, decided to continue exercising as a group on our own.  A plan was formed, space was secured, and flyers were handed out.  Yoga was added and our program increased from four to five days a week.  Participants reported weight loss, lowered blood pressure, and improvement of other medical conditions. There were many conversations about things I can and cannot speak about here, but we had fun exercising, discovering, sharing and most importantly, laughing!  Last October, the Divas joined the Jesup Avenue Recreation Center and enrolled in the NYC Department of Parks "Shape Up NYC" program.  In addition to my personal weight loss (which allows me to wear some delectable things!), I loved hearing about other improvements in the areas of blood pressure, medication intake, and overall well being.  I look forward to sharing my interest in exercise and seeing the positive results in others over the next year.

Wendy Williams

Today, I am exercising regularly approximately 5-6 times a week helping myself and others.  My blood glucose levels are stabilizing, I feel stronger and healthier and I've lost 25 pounds.  My knees feel better and better each week and I'm not afraid to take the stairs.  I am a member of the local NYC Parks Department Recreational Center and I'm studying to be a fitness instructor.  I still have some bad days, but my goal is to be the inspiration that Susan and Suneet were for me. These ladies came into the community and gave me a glimmer of hope.  They provided free exercise classes and encouraged utilization of the parks.  Today, I stand victorious, because I will continue to walk, dance, teach and inspire others to stand strong against their obstacles, eliminating barriers to fitness, health, and wellness.  Currently, as part of the Parks Department certification process, I'm teaching low impact aerobics once a week at Westchester Square Partnership.

The Food Tank: The Food Think Tank – Unlocking the Solutions to Fix the Food System

On January 10^th, 2013, food system experts Danielle Nierenberg and Ellen Gustafson launched “The Food Tank: The Food Think Tank,” a new initiative geared towards bridging conversations about hunger, obesity, agriculture and sustainability - all issues related to the food system.  Through this initiative, Danielle and Ellen hope to share stories from across the world and bring forward solutions that contribute to “healthier people, communities, and the environment.” Their idea of a better food system includes “health-based agriculture, alleviating hunger and poverty, stemming the tide of obesity, and improving nutrition and environmental sustainability.”   Their second newsletter was dedicated to the dual problems of hunger and obesity:

Worldwide, at least 1 billion people are hungry, while another 1.5 billion people are considered overweight or obese. One of Food Tank’s goals is to bridge the major disconnect between organizations that are fighting hunger and organizations that are fighting obesity. The two groups have more in common than they think and the solutions to both problems aren’t that different…. In Food Tank co-Founder Ellen Gustafson's TEDx talk, she highlights the shift in our global food system over the past 30 years toward processed foods and how this transition has perpetuated both hunger and obesity.

As their first project, Danielle and Ellen will create an online clearinghouse of the best research from across the world on food and agriculture.  This project has great potential to increase awareness of the root causes of the broken food system and solutions needed to improve it.  Per an email update from Danielle:

The solutions, both big and small, are out there—in market garden projects in rural Niger, on rooftop gardens in Vietnam, at research institutes in Taiwan, in European healthy school lunch programs, in the explosion of farmers markets across the United States, in global food retailing initiatives that prevent food waste, and in individual homes, communities, regions, and countries all over the world. The science is out there, too, yet it is not getting the funding or research support needed to develop the new metrics we need to measure a nutrition-based model of agricultural success. This needs to change.

Food Tank: The Food Think Tank will push these solutions out in front of journalists, policy-makers, and the funding and donor communities. Through our on-the ground research, we have seen the impact that sustainable and diverse farming systems can have on health and nutrition, food security, and the livelihoods of farmers and entrepreneurs.

In the South Bronx, we see the dual issues of hunger and obesity every day.  It takes more money, time, or both, for individuals in low-income neighborhoods to shop for healthy, affordable food – resources that most residents just don’t have.  We need to highlight innovative ideas and solutions in order to improve access to healthy, affordable food for all – such as at the BLK Projek’s “Not Just Talk: Food in the South Bronx” event on February 16^th.

The Food Tank: The Food Think Tank is an exciting new initiative aimed at improving access to a healthy, sustainable food system that works for everyone.  We encourage you to check out the Food Tank website at www.foodtank.org.