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A life-altering advocate

May 2, 2013

Dr. Antronette Yancey, 1957-2013.

No one who knew Dr. Antronette K. Yancey—public health expert, UCLA professor, athlete, author, poet and general force of nature—will be surprised to hear that the first time I met her, she interrupted a meeting so we could all exercise.

This was in 2011, and we were serving together on the First 5 LA Commission. She was already an appointee and I had just been named to the rotating post of chairman. I didn’t know at the time that she was a national leader in the anti-obesity movement, nor did I know we were about to become dear friends. I just knew that her voice was confident, her smile was charismatic and her opinions were as down-to-earth as they were incisive. Also, at 6-foot-2-inches tall, she was pretty imposing.

We were wrapping up a discussion on our search for a new executive director when Toni suggested that we all stop and do some shoulder circles.

“She can’t be serious,” I whispered to one of my colleagues.

“She’s very serious,” came the reply. “She does this at every meeting.” She even had a name for it: “Instant Recess.”

Toni asked if I would join the exercise break, and I demurred. “I took my regular 4 mile jog early this morning,” I said. “I’ve gotten my exercise for the day.”

She politely explained that my run was commendable, but it didn’t make up for the unhealthy impact of sitting in meetings all day. She also politely explained that a sedentary work environment increases the probability of cardiac and other diseases. Besides, she said, “a little exercise break will make you feel better.”

I told her I would pass.

Almost nobody else followed my lead.

They followed hers. Dozens of people—from audience members to county department heads—started swinging their arms, stretching and bending as I slipped into the adjacent room where they kept the snacks. Dr. Yancey just smiled at me as I made my exit. On her face was a look that said: “Just wait, mister—I’ll get you yet.”

This Friday, a memorial at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills will commemorate the remarkable life of Toni Yancey, who died last week at 55. A non-smoker, she had come down with a chronic dry cough that she had thought to be an allergy; it turned out to be lung cancer. In the days since her death, the many of us who knew, admired and loved her have struggled to make sense of the shocking loss of such an important voice and such a bright light.

Long before she was tapped for the nonprofit board advising First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, Dr. Yancey was making it her mission to help people counteract the risks of sedentary living. As the county’s first director of chronic disease prevention in the late 1990s, and then as a founding co-director of the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, she consistently stressed fitness. As a scholar, she published dozens of papers on chronic disease prevention, obesity and nutrition.

But her secret weapon was that she led by example. Knowing how hard it can be for most people to overcome inertia, she brought her signature exercise breaks to schoolyards, community centers, conferences and public meetings. She made videos featuring members of the Lakers, Sparks and Padres. She did public radio commentaries on the importance of healthy living.

Even after her cancer diagnosis, her work continued. With me, she talked community and basketball—she’d played for Northwestern University’s Division 1 women’s team in college. With others, she found different points of connection: as a mother and a grandmother, as a devoted mate to her partner Darlene Edgley, as an ex-model, a musician or as a published poet.

I will remember her as an inspiration. After that first humbling encounter, I never again skipped an exercise break at the First 5 Commission. Frankly, it made me feel better. I became such a believer that I often get up in long meetings and move around to get my blood circulating.

Last summer, she gave me a copy of her 2010 book, “Instant Recess: Building a Fit Nation 10 Minutes at a Time”. I treasure it. It is the product of years of research that led her to the conclusion that exercise breaks are important to our health and longevity.

Yes, in fact, she did get me. I only wish I had been given more time to work with and learn from her. I will miss her dearly.