Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Beginnings: Making the Choice for Change

This week, I'm turning over a new leaf -- I'm taking responsibility for my own health. Sixty percent of Americans are overweight and, well, I'm one of them.

So as I work to get in shape and stay there, I'm going to take you with me. First stop: the L.A. Acura Bike Tour, which follows the course of the Los Angeles Marathon before the runners get started.

Thousands of people lined up at 5 a.m. this past weekend with their bikes -- some to test themselves, some to bond with loved ones. I was there to keep a promise to myself: In the next year, I will transform myself physically and mentally, and really take care of my body. And 22 miles later, at the end of the bike tour, I felt great to know I've taken that first step.

Over the course of the next few months, I am going to take you through my personal fitness journey as I try to change how I live. This is not about losing weight -- I’ve gained it, and lost it, and gained again. I’m trying to find a fundamental way to live where fitness and eating well are part of my life. This is just the beginning.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Farai Chideya
Farai Chideya is a multimedia journalist who has worked in print, television, online, and radio. Prior to joining NPR's News & Notes, Chideya hosted Your Call, a daily news and cultural call-in show on San Francisco's KALW 91.7 FM. Chideya has also been a correspondent for ABC News, anchored the prime time program Pure Oxygen on the Oxygen women's channel, and contributed commentaries to CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and BET. She got her start as a researcher and reporter at Newsweek magazine. In 1997 Newsweek named her to its "Century Club" of 100 people to watch.