Petersburg native DB Donamatrix offers hometown healthy lifestyle tips

PETERSBURG — How did Petersburg native Don “DB Donamatrix” Brooks, a star health coach, react to his hometown being ranked the unhealthiest metropolis in Virginia as soon as once more?

Researchers on the College of Wisconsin-Madison launched the findings of the 2022 County Well being Rankings in April. Petersburg was ranked lifeless final for the fifth time in a row.

In 2018, DB Donamatrix was acknowledged for his contributions to the health and wellness industries. The Metropolis of Petersburg proclaimed April third as Don-A-Matrix Day to encourage all residents to advertise good well being actions and grow to be bodily energetic.

“Donamatrix Day is particular to me,” DB Donamatrix, a VSU alumni, stated. “My mission is to make a distinction that may have a long-lasting affect on the youngsters, households, faculties, authorities and everybody again residence.”

In March, DB Donamatrix overtly expressed the way it hurts to learn detrimental headlines about his hometown. The person with the plan who needs to alter the narrative of well being outcomes about Petersburg gives his tackle the 2022 report accomplished by researchers on the College of Wisconsin-Madison.

“I am impressed with Petersburg’s 90% fee for entry to train alternatives. That is big,” DB Donamatrix stated. “The 47% mammography screening is value highlighting too. The mayor, metropolis council and Petersburg are doing loads to assist enhance the Metropolis’s well being rankings.”

Petersburg’s baby poverty fee of 36%, single-parent family fee of 52% and lengthy commute-driving alone fee of 34% grabbed DB Donamatrix’s consideration and sparked a dialogue about train psychology.

“Don’s hottest slogan ‘Thoughts Proper, Physique Prepared’ was impressed by his ongoing examine of train psychology which focuses on the connection between the thoughts and physique and promotes involvement and delight by train,” Teri Benson, a key organizer of Donamatrix Day stated. “Theoretical and conceptual frameworks in train psychology are used to fastidiously plan and execute Donamatrix Day.”

“Sure, Petersburg has made train alternatives accessible to the individuals who reside there, however these similar individuals are single dad and mom working onerous to maintain their family financially… paying hire, mortgage, payments,” DB Donamatrix stated. “Till we’re capable of scale back the kid poverty fee and the general metropolis’s poverty fee, improve native job alternatives which is able to scale back the day by day driving commute, and encourage dual-income households, it can proceed to be onerous for households to buy higher meals decisions and make choices to attend free exercises held at area people facilities or church buildings a precedence.”

DB Donamatrix solutions:

• Incorporate gymnasium and coaching amenities in metropolis buildings and faculties.
• Set up train tools at out of doors parks.
• Substitute typical merchandising machine snacks and drinks with more healthy choices. 
• Begin or finish employees conferences, the varsity day, and courses with 5-10 minute workout routines, meditation or yoga to affect motion and optimistic psychological well being. 

“Options that Improve day by day/hourly motion with out disrupting household routines earlier than or after work or faculty are necessary,” DB Donamatrix stated. “It is usually key to give you methods to guide wholesome existence with out spending cash on further gasoline or transportation prices.”

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Donamatrix Day 

“One of many difficulties we now have confronted with executing Donamatrix Day is gaining sponsorship. Not many well being, health and wellness corporations consider in a metropolis that’s deemed the unhealthiest or in a metropolis that will not give them a lot buzz,” Benson stated. “Nevertheless, Don isn’t discouraged. He strikes ahead yearly funding many of the health pageant himself.”