Rev. Run Weight Loss: Hip-Hop Legend Drops 22 Pounds In Effort To Lower Diabetes Risk
At 48, Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons is finally hitting
his stride with a healthy diet and exercise routine that he says is on par with
achieving the kind of physique he "ll need to keep up with his Run-D.M.C. group
mate Darryl "D.M.C" McDaniels.
"I just did a concert with D.M.C. after 13 years, and after losing some
pounds for that, I felt really good," Simmons told The Huffington Post.
"We got good reviews for having lots of energy on stage and I realized
that if I’m going to continue to do shows ... I gotta be in Mick Jagger-type
of condition."
But aesthetic goals (and criticism from the public) aside, Simmons says his
new healthy-living routine is rooted in something far more serious -- combating
his higher-than-average risk for Type 2 diabetes.
"I found out that [my father] had diabetes in his older age and as I was
moving along in my life ... I realized that I had to start losing weight,"
he said, explaining how he "s taken up walking and recently dusted off his treadmill
in an effort to stay the course during the chillier winter months. "[It
was] for many reasons, but the number one reason was for health."
And while family history factors in to why Simmons needs to get his health
in check, diabetes educator Jeannette Jordan said it "s a myth many people need
to dispel.
"One of the biggest [misconceptions] out there is people feel like diabetes
runs in [their] family, so it’s inevitable that they’re going to
get it," Jordan said, touting her employer Novo Nordisk "s "Ask. Screen.
Know." campaign, for which Simmons is now an ambassador. "The message
that we’re trying to get out is that it doesn’t have to happen to
you the same way. Yes, family history is a risk factor, but it doesn’t
mean that because this happened to your mom it has to happen to you.
A diabetes diagnosis also doesn "t mean life-altering changes, Jordan said.
"What we need to do is not that difficult ... moderation is actually the
key. We don’t take away everything that you love, it’s just how
much we eat," Jordan said, stressing the importance of knowing which foods
turn into sugar, forgoing sweetened soft drinks, and realizing that you can
limit yourself to just one cheddar biscuit from Red Lobster and still enjoy
your meal.
"The myth is that life is going to change so drastically, "[I "m] not going
to be happy with my dining anymore ", and that’s not true. You can live
well with diabetes if you have it. But the first thing is, you have to be screened,
you have to know if you have it. Ask yourself if you’re at risk and then
do something about that," Jordan said.
Simmons agrees that knowing is the key -- even if you are the picture of perfect
health. "My dad had diabetes, so it doesn’t mean just because Russell
stands on his head and does yoga, and Angela’s in perfect health that
they don’t have it," he said, referring to his yoga-promoting brother
Russell Simmons and his daughter Angela Simmons, who showed off a svelte new
figure earlier this year.
And just ahead of the holidays Simmons said he "s relying on them for support.
"They’re right there for me; they know what I’m doing to keep
my weight under control ... and [during the holiday season] I believe in being
proactive instead of reactive," Simmons said. "I have all types of
things set up so I know, this is what I’m going to eat when this sweet
tooth moment comes, this is what I’m going to eat when dinner comes around.
And no, I’m not going to wait until the big dinner. [For Thanksgiving],
I didn’t wait for the one big moment, I had already eaten twice, the right
way, before dinner, so when dinner came, I wasn’t starved
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