Dr. Ian's 50 Million Pound Challenge Attracts Celebs
Filed under: 50 Million Pound Challenge, Dr. Ian Smith, licious, Patti LaBelle, The New Licious Author: Licious50 Million Pound Challenge Update
Initiative nears 100,000 pound mark
Initiative nears 100,000 pound mark
Health advocate Dr. Ian Smith's vision of inspiring African Americans to lose 50 million pounds over the next two years is off to a good start, as participants have reported losing 99,421 pounds just six weeks after the 50 Million Pound Challenge began.
"We're a little over a month out and have almost 100,000 pounds lost," says a spokesperson for the challenge. "Dr. Ian said he'd give it two years, but then he said, 'we may do it in one year,' " she adds. "I'm a believer now."
Smith launched the fitness challenge April 7 in Washington, DC. Sponsored by State Farm, the campaign aims to inspire African Americans to be proactive about their health by losing pounds and cutting their risk for such conditions as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
According to program organizers, weight is the number one health crisis for African Americans, as in the African American community nearly 80 percent of women and 67 percent of men are overweight.
"We're a little over a month out and have almost 100,000 pounds lost," says a spokesperson for the challenge. "Dr. Ian said he'd give it two years, but then he said, 'we may do it in one year,' " she adds. "I'm a believer now."
Smith launched the fitness challenge April 7 in Washington, DC. Sponsored by State Farm, the campaign aims to inspire African Americans to be proactive about their health by losing pounds and cutting their risk for such conditions as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
According to program organizers, weight is the number one health crisis for African Americans, as in the African American community nearly 80 percent of women and 67 percent of men are overweight.
Through the challenge, Smith hopes African Americans will not only lose weight, but join together as a community to become more knowledgeable and responsible about health.
Not only has the challenge attracted participants, but it has also attracted the attention of celebrities and community activists nationwide. After the initial event, which featured appearances by such celebrities as recording artists Patti LaBelle, Yolanda Adams, and radio personality Steve Harvey, 20,000 people signed up the first week of the campaign.
The second and third stops of the 14-city tour were Baltimore (April 21) and Miami (May 19), where thousands more participants signed up and celebrities such as recording stars Monica, Marques Houston, and Congressman Elijah Cummings joined the effort. While the celebrities involved are supporting the effort, there are no plans to track celebrities' weight loss progress separately from the rest of the participants.
Altogether, the campaign has signed up 64,235 participants thus far and the Web site www.50millionpounds.com has been visited 221,283 times. The tour will stop in 11 more cities including Memphis, Atlanta, and Chicago, before wrapping up in November in New Orleans.
"It started off as a seed and now we're just watching it grow," says a spokesperson for The Challenge. "Everyone is overwhelmed. So the groundswell is going to keep going on."
Not only has the challenge attracted participants, but it has also attracted the attention of celebrities and community activists nationwide. After the initial event, which featured appearances by such celebrities as recording artists Patti LaBelle, Yolanda Adams, and radio personality Steve Harvey, 20,000 people signed up the first week of the campaign.
The second and third stops of the 14-city tour were Baltimore (April 21) and Miami (May 19), where thousands more participants signed up and celebrities such as recording stars Monica, Marques Houston, and Congressman Elijah Cummings joined the effort. While the celebrities involved are supporting the effort, there are no plans to track celebrities' weight loss progress separately from the rest of the participants.
Altogether, the campaign has signed up 64,235 participants thus far and the Web site www.50millionpounds.com has been visited 221,283 times. The tour will stop in 11 more cities including Memphis, Atlanta, and Chicago, before wrapping up in November in New Orleans.
"It started off as a seed and now we're just watching it grow," says a spokesperson for The Challenge. "Everyone is overwhelmed. So the groundswell is going to keep going on."
CREDIT: Tamara E. Holmes & BlackEnterprise.com
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