Source: Percell Dugger / Percell Dugger
How can you lower the rate of heart disease in Black and brown communities? Well, according to Percell Dugger, running is key.
Dugger is a running coach and certified trainer based in New York City. His goal—to singlehandedly lower the heart disease rate among Black and brown people. He tells Elev8 pursing that goal is a good benchmark to determine how successful his coaching career is.
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His parents inspired him to become a personal trainer. His dad is a social worker and his mom is a pastor. Dugger said they instilled in him the idea of community care, self care and supporting people in how they care for themselves and others. Known as the people’s coach, he prides himself on being accessible to everyone. He believes that resonates with people in his interactions with them.
Dugger’s fitness philosophy is rooted in fitness being an invitation to people. He said he supports people and their wellness goals by meeting them where they are at, so they can best support themselves. His training sessions always begin with a check-in and then they get straight to work.
Staying motivated isn’t in his repertoire. Dugger doesn’t believe in it. Instead, he focuses on accepting that having motivation isn’t easy and making room for daily improvement is the best alternative. This is why he believes it’s impactful to see the average joe workout.
“I don’t go to the gym with a smile on my face, ‘Like I can’t wait to workout today,” he said. “That’s just not real.”
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As for Dugger’s personal workout routine—he hits the gym 6 days a week, runs 4-5 days a week and lifts weighs 3-4 days a week. He’s currently training to complete a transcontinental race this year. The run spans from Los Angeles to New York City. It’s something late comedian and activist Dick Gregory did in 1976. He said it’s Gregory’s run that inspires him.
Dugger plans to run through Black and brown neighborhoods during the race. He finds that will inspire his mission of helping eradicate heart disease to further life expectancy among his people. Dugger hopes to leave a lasting mark on his community.
“I want to continue to be the catalyst for why people fall in love with the idea of self care through movement,” he said. “If I can do that, I think I did a good job.”
Take a look at his inspiring story above!
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