Six months ago five lifelong friends- Jerry Davis, Robert Davis (no relation to Jerry), Morris Jamison, Stacey Puckett, and Andre Southall came together to form Timeless Treasures, a fitness company designed to promote health awareness in the African American community. The facility, located on 821 Woodland Street, houses a number of blacks of all ages Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. The Walking Club is held at 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at the Fisk University track, and at 8 a.m. on Saturday at Centennial Park by the pond.
"We're just a bunch of young, African American people concerned about the welfare of the African American race," said 27-year-old Jerry Davis, one of the company's founders, who says it's mainly for African Americans, "but we don't want to exclude anyone, so we don't leave anyone out."
Activities at Timeless Treasures include aerobic and step classes, walking club, personal training group fitness, and the fast growing workout known as Tae-Bo. The Price is only $3 per visit, which equates to $24 a month, or a pass can be purchased for $20. Participation in the walking club is free.
Timeless Treasures is aimed at improving African American's health, which is steadily declining, studies show. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Examination Statistics, between the period of 1988-94, 53.3% of African American females (20 years and up) were reportedly overweight, as opposed to 32.5% of white females. The males of both races were virtually even, at about 34% overweight. These same studies showed that black males and females had 35% and 34.2% suffered from hypertension, respectively, as compared to white males and females 24.4% and 19.3%, respectively.
Morris Jamison, 26, another of the founders, describes his theory on African American's health. "I think it's generational. What one generation does, comes over to the next. If your mother and father ate bad[ly], then you will and your children will.."
Regardless of the reason(s), studies show that African American health is deteriorating. Between 1988-94, 12.5% of blacks ages 12-17 years of age were reported overweight, compared to 11.8% of their white counterparts. Alarmingly, 16% of black females ages 12-17 were reported overweight, while white females of the same age group averaged 9.3% overweight.
When asked why many African Americans don't exercise as much as they should, Jamison said that "everyone's looking for an excuse." Jamison now stresses that since this company is what he calls "affordable fitness", there aren't any more excuses. Childcare for parents who wish to workout is also available. Jerry Davis says that Timeless Treasures is unlike other fitness centers because it "sets us apart- we don't hook anyone into any kind of contract. We think $3 is very reasonable. So there's music and an hour free of child care."
For more information, call Timeless Treasures at (615) 329-9267, or call the facility at 226-4492.
