Fitness instructor aims to promote wellness in North Minneapolis

Valerie Fleurantin, Founder of VF Health Fitness Solutions, talks about mission to curb diseases like diabetes in black community.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Valerie Fleurantin has taken her passion for fitness and turned it into a mission to help others - particularly black women. 

"My goal is to make fitness fun and make fitness and wellness more than just something I have to do – but something that’s more culturally ingrained in us so that we’re making generational impact," Valerie says.

Valerie is the founder of VF Health Fitness Solutions. She teaches donation-based dance fitness classes in North Minneapolis and also offers lifestyle coaching aimed at helping the black community curb diseases like diabetes. 

"I’ve been teaching women how to prevent type two diabetes on the north side for about three years now," she says. 

Valerie says she's reached 200 to 300 women over the past three years. 

As expected, Valerie says it's a hard time right now in her community after the death of George Floyd. 

"I get discouraged because I can’t believe that we’re here in 2020," she says. "As a mother of a black boy the impact is really real."

"I feel this despair and discouragement and then I feel this hopefulness as well because we’re on the grounds and the neighborhoods are protecting themselves and the neighborhoods are rising up," Valerie says. "The love is really outshining the hate. The love is there."

All of the fitness classes that Valerie offers are donation-based. During COVID-19 Valerie has had to shift to offering virtual classes.

You can learn more about VF Health Fitness Solutions on their Facebook page.

Author: Bryan Piatt

Published: 8:20 AM CDT June 3, 2020

Updated: 8:20 AM CDT June 3, 2020