WASHINGTON — As you swipe through Aaron Lindsay’s Instagram profile, it is apparent that he knows a lot about health and fitness.
However, what is perhaps more impressive and motivating than his workouts is the story behind how he got to where he is today.
“I think I was maybe at like 285 lbs, 290 lbs,” Lindsay recalled.
Lindsay told WUSA9 he battled with being overweight on and off since childhood.
“I started to feel the weight on my joints. I started to feel not going upstairs properly,” he said. “When I did go up steps – oh my goodness. I’m so tired.”
Lindsay attributed to stress, relationships, and life problems in making decisions he discovered were poor for his health.
“I wasn’t eating the right things because I wanted to have comfort food. Of course, my big things were honey buns. I love honey buns, butterfingers. Nobody can tell me to this day honey buns and butterfingers are not the best thing in the world,” Lindsay laughed.
Lindsay traded in the candy bars for barbells after coming to grips with reality about his health and the health disparities that affect black men.
A study from Georgetown University found black men are six times more likely to die from diabetes complications than white men and three times more likely to die from prostate cancer.
Hypertension and heart disease also affect black families at a higher rate than other groups.
“I didn’t want to become the statistic – that I could control things by getting the knowledge and just starting,” Lindsay told WUSA9.
Not only did Lindsay drop more than 100 pounds, but he became a trainer and currently works at Sweat DC in Petworth.
“I didn’t have the help,” Lindsay explained why he is dedicated to helping others on their wellness journeys. “I literally had to read and figure out what worked for me. I feel like the basis of it is to inspire somebody else.
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