Encouraging Health and Wellness in the African American Community

Photo by Radhiya Alston/The Atlanta Voice The importance of physical, mental, and emotional wellness is something that should always be highlighted in the African American community. Sekou Walton, personal trainer and founder of Body Assassin is an advocate for educating our community about the importance of health and wellness. Walton who founded his personal training business Body Assassin in 2007 says “one thing that I’ve noticed is we lack the knowledge of fitness and wellness.” There are many factors that play a role in gaining beneficial knowledge. Walton explained that working out plays a role, but the focus must start with nutrition. The food that we eat and how it is prepared needs to be reevaluated. When it comes to the meals, we prepare Walton says, “it has to start with our elders, we have to encourage them to make better choices.” He also explained that the rate of hypertension is high in the African American community. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention African American adults are 30 percent more likely to have high blood pressure. Some easy tips and tricks that Walton has when it comes to nutrition is understanding how the body works and what...