The health disparities among African-American men are striking: they are 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease and 60 percent more likely to die from stroke than are non-Hispanic white men. Statistics tells us that black men live 7.1 years less than other racial groups and they have higher death rates than women for all leading causes of death.
Aaron Perry knows all the statistics related to black men and health because he was once moving rapidly toward being a statistic. Perry, the first African-American diabetic man to ever finish an Ironman, was once in terrible health but he completely turned it around. Now, he’s working to do that for other African-American men in a variety of ways.
Perry is organizing the 2nd Annual “We’re Off to a Good Start,” a yearly physical activity and nutrition kickoff program. The goal of the event is to empower black men ages 10-81 to get healthy and to keep their New Year’s resolutions by developing attainable goals they can stick with all year long. Held Saturday, Jan. 16, at UW Health at The American Center, the high-energy event emphasizes the importance of black men getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day to improve their general health. Admission is free.
“Registration is moving along for the event. We’re off to a good start. The goal of ‘We’re Off to a Good Start’ is to empower black men to keep their New Year’s resolutions by developing obtainable goals that they can stick with all year round even if a hiccup occurs occasionally,” Perry tells Madison365. “Nobody gets left behind. We accept all sizes and shapes and abilities. Everybody is welcome to come out.”
A dynamic group of presenters will be at the event to educate men on lowering weight and cholesterol, reducing depression, and preventing diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some forms of cancer.
One of the keynote speakers will be Brandon Williams. “He is a former NFL wide receiver. He is an author. He is a motivational speaker,” Perry says. “He is going to come in and get the group fired up.”
The other keynote for the event will be Darryl Davidson, City of Milwaukee men’s health manager. “He is returning for a second year with us and he will talk about the real statistics that are alarming and show that African-American men cannot wait to begin exercising or focusing on good nutrition,” Perry says.
There will be breakout sessions on diabetes education, stroke education, nutrition education and blood pressure education. BMO Harris will talk about financial health and there will be a Zumba class. “It’s a day of getting us all together and trying to get us all to be healthier,” Perry says. “It will be a fun day but a serious day.”
The event will be hosted by Rebalanced-life Wellness Association, which Perry founded in 2007 and has been working with businesses, corporations, community-based organizations, health educators and the faith community to create an awareness of the major health concerns affecting African-Americans and to actively promote a healthier lifestyle. “We do have some health problems in this community that need to be addressed. What I do know from my experiences is that there are a lot of people who are walking around this community that are diabetic and they don’t realize it,” Perry says.
One of those guys used to be Perry, the Ironman himself. “Someone just asked me two weeks ago, ‘Aaron, do you think people are intimidated by you?’ I was surprised to hear that,” Perry reflects. “Because when I first decided to train for Ironman, I was in bad shape. I had extremely poor control of my diabetes. I had to urinate frequently and had blurred vision. I was overweight. When I started training for Ironman, I had all of that. But the good news for me was that I took the training seriously and I started with eating well and exercising. All of sudden 6 months into my training, I dropped 40 pounds. I went from 36 percent body fat to 18 percent body fat. Six months after that, I ended up getting as low as 6 percent body fat.”
Getting in shape and living a healthier lifestyle is easier with a solid support system — one that Perry and his organization are eager to provide.
“That brotherhood is extremely important when you are trying to reach health goals because what we do know is that when people are struggling and they don’t have a place to turn, their desires diminish,” Perry says. “Even when I was training for the Ironman Triathlon, I could not find black men to train with and so I trained with whoever was out on the course. Wanting to talk about some of the issues that were important to African American men, I couldn’t have those conversations. They just couldn’t relate to some of the issues that I was struggling with. That’s where that brotherhood comes in to play.”
That brotherhood is already on display in the group Black Men Run, one of the programs that emerged from We’re Off To A Good Start. Black Men Run originated in Atlanta, Georgia, and has 50 chapters throughout the United States. They meet regularly in Madison to run around town. “It’s something that we put out there for individuals who liked to run and have that brotherhood,” Perry says. “Black Men Run is just one component of We’re off to a Good Start. Anybody can get involved in Black Men Run, just come and visit us on Facebook and request to join the group.”
They also host a monthly cooking class where they invite men to come in and meet nutritionists and top chefs. “So, not only are we looking at physical activity, we also want people to be nutritionally sound and to avoid making those stops at the fast food restaurants,” Perry says.
Don’t wait to get healthy, Perry says. Too many black men have to be diagnosed with an illness before they are forced to exercise. It’s so important to stay ahead of the game. “Get out in front of it,” Perry says. “When people get sick, the first thing they want to do is start an exercise program. That’s our problem in the African-American community. We need to get at it right away.”
Perry is excited for his “We’re off to a Good Start” event.
“It’s going to be fun. And we don’t want ‘We’re off to a Good Start’ to be a one and done event. This event will sustain itself for the entire year and that’s why we call it ‘We’re off to a Good Start.’ We’re going to try to keep the guys together the entire year,” Perry says. “We have numerous activities and numerous Black Men Run events. We will be doing things throughout the year and supporting each other to stay healthier. The goal is: Let’s get together and let’s get well together.”
