21 Days to Fit Campaign Begins

When Spelman College recently decided to opt out of participating in NCAA sports at all and focus on a campus-wide health initiative, it wasn't without reason. Women of color are more likely to suffer from things like stroke, diabetes, breast cancer, hypertension and heart disease.

Spelman alumna AJ Johnson has teamed up with her alma mater to develop a 21 Days to Fit campaign that kicks off today. It's a national healthy lifestyle challenge involving more than just exercise.

“I want to make sure that everyone understands that this is 21 days to better. It is going to cover nutrition, fitness and our mental and spiritual health because all of that, as far as I’m concerned, plays a part in your overall better," Johnson explained at a Los Angeles press event earlier this month.

The school has been undertaking wellness initiatives since they partnered with CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta in 2004, and Johnson first came on board in 2008, but when school president Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum met with Johnson and told her she wanted to do something bigger by diverting athletic funds for wellness programs, Johnson got so excited she said she was hyperventilating.

Spelman students can follow the challenge on the school's website, though everyone can do it via Johnson's personal website. The focus of the first day is on what might need improvement.