Dolvett Quince is a New York Times bestselling author, keynote speaker, celebrity fitness trainer and personal development expert. He is best known for being a trainer on NBC’s hit show “The Biggest Loser.”
As a part of rolling out‘s HealthIQ initiative, we spoke with Quince about the importance of community and accountability to exercise and health.
How did you get your start in the wellness space?
I’ve been in the wellness space for 19 years. I started very early, and I built my career in Atlanta. It was there when I first got a job at the YMCA, working at the office. I got certified because a colleague said, “You’re good with people, you have a great physique. How about you go ahead and start training folks?”
[It was] one of the best things that have happened to me. I looked at it and asked myself: how can I be most effective to help these people? I saw moms, teenagers, children and older adults. I came up with different styles of workout and nutrition regimes that each group could follow. That led me to open up my private studio in Atlanta and then [to] opening up a second one.
What simple three-step program can people with diabetes follow to get started on their fitness journey?
First, you should consult your doctor to see what level of diabetes you have. Where’s your sugar level? Where does that live?
The second thing you should do is change the way you’re eating. How much salt do you have in your diet? How many rich foods are you eating? How many white flours are in your diet? What can you swap and change for those things I just mentioned? How often throughout the day, should you be grazing, not gorging? We’re talking quantity now.
And then lastly, exercise is the best medicine in the world.
What is one exercise goal that all of us in the African American community should set?
I would say at least 30 minutes [of exercise], five days a week. If you have time to sit down or you have time to cook what you want to cook, you have time to do 30 minutes. We’re here now in quarantine, and this is the best time to create new habits.
What is the importance of having accountability partners to help you achieve exercise goals?
We’re natural-born leaders, so we have to then tap into that leadership in our communities. If you’re that leader, and you look at yourself as someone who can get your friends to come out and go to an event or [a] get-together, innately, you’re that leader. Be the leader when it comes to movement as well within your group of friends. It only takes one person to say, “Hey, y’all, every single day, we’re going to get up [and exercise] for 30 minutes.”
By Cassidy Sparks | April 14, 2020