image source, Stephen Huntley/BBC
Dr. Shen Ok wants to “bring the fun back into fitness”
- author, Danny Fullbrook
- role, BBC News, Buckinghamshire
Organizers of a fitness event aimed at the Afro-Caribbean community say they want to remind people that exercise can be fun.
Dr Sean Oke, organizer of Milton Keynes’ biggest Afro-Caribbean Fun & Fitness Day, said the aim of the event was to “bring the fun back into fitness while supporting a good cause”.
She explained that she wanted to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support as she had lost her own father to cancer when she was young.
The event included group training with resistance bands, high-intensity training, and ended with a discussion about health and cancer awareness.
image source, Stephen Huntley/BBC
Fitness events aimed at the Afro-Caribbean community
A large portion of the event included an Afro-Caribbean dance workout using music genres such as reggaeton, dancehall, and bachata.
Dr Oke said: “Exercise has a negative connotation and we want to show people what the Afro-Caribbean community brings to fitness…”
“We are taking what we have in our community and bringing it to the larger community.
“You’re laughing, you’re smiling, you’re connecting with other people, and that’s what this is all about.”
Dr Oke explained that his mother also died from diabetes, and warned that obesity was a “huge problem” in the UK.
She said: “If we move more and look at what we eat, we can solve that problem one family at a time.
“I know what will happen if I don’t do the right thing now. I’m in my late 40s now and I want to help others.”
The event was aimed at families from the Afro-Caribbean community in Milton Keynes.
