Adrian Richardson began his career by working in finance. But after doing some soul searching, he realized that he wanted to use his love for health and fitness to inspire others. Richardson, an Army veteran, currently serves as a senior content strategist for Google’s Fitbit Premium which offers more than 1000 workouts and hundreds of mindfulness and nutrition sessions.
Richardson recently spoke with ADW to shed light on his love for fitness and the benefits of Fitbit.
How does Fitbit help individuals get back get on track and maintain health?
At Fitbit, what we try to do is help encourage people to maintain that consistency. There’s been a lot of research lately that shows individuals who hit their step goal, typically 6000 or more, tend to live longer lives. So what we do at Fitbit, we have reminders that will let you know that you’ve been sitting for about an hour and it’s time for a little movement. It gives you reminders that ‘hey, you’re close to your step goal. You’re 2,500 steps away from hitting your goal.’ You can also create little friendly competitions with your friends and family to encourage each other to be more active. We’ve seen this really go a long way in helping people do the simple things that have a big impact.
There are health disparities that often impact the Black community. What are the best ways to break that cycle?
The best way that I found to get ahead of the health disparities is to start young. There’s a lot of research that shows if you start these healthy activities at a young age, they carry with you throughout life. Unfortunately, maybe our parents and grandparents didn’t have that opportunity for various reasons. But now we’re in a position where we can educate the next generation. We really need to get back to healthier habits and eating healthier.
We just wrapped Heart Health Month. What should individuals do to maintain a healthy heart?
Cardiovascular disease is a number one killer, so we need to put a focus on this. Let’s get people active and help them understand the things that can have a negative impact on their heart and things that can have a positive impact on their heart. Things that will have a positive impact on your heart are eating healthier foods, less fatty foods, less salt, and foods that have high cholesterol. It’s really about raising awareness, especially in the Black community. You can do small things like walk 5,000 steps, drink eight cups of water, and make sure that you get good sleep. Understand that the little things you do can go a very long way in making a big impact on your heart and your life.
About Post Author
