Diamond Johnson is a professional basketball player. She is currently playing for Norfolk State University. Johnson previously played for Rutgers and NC State. Last month, she shared a new set of photos on Instagram. In it, she wore black sweats and sunglasses. Johnson captioned the post, “Eyes on the prize. Clearer than ever before, thanks to my new glasses.” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Diamond Johnson stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.
Johnson’s basketball playing is very beneficial for her health. Fitness Advisory states, “Basketball, in its purest form, is essentially another aerobic exercise that helps you burn a great deal of calories. For each hour of basketball, you can expect to burn somewhere between 600-900 calories, depending on your weight and the intensity of your pace.”
Johnson talked about her choice to attend Norfolk University, a HBCU, to HBCU Connect. “I grew up with family and siblings that brought me into that type of culture from music, to fashion, to cookouts, family reunions, block parties and more that are very similar to the HBCU culture, now I know it’s different from college, but I feel it will be a smooth transition into their culture and I’m super excited to be apart of it. Even when I attended some HBCU games last season, when both bands would be competing against each-other with the beat and rhythm, I loved it. So yeah I’m definitely excited to be a part of those things outside of basketball.”
Johnson tells HBCU Connect that she wants to use her new platform to inspire others. “I’m heavy into inspiring people in anything, even without basketball just helping others grow and see different things/perspectives so, my long term goals are to help grow Womens basketball in every aspect. To ensure other players that there are more schools out there than just power 5 that can provide the things that are important to you and well. To ensure coaches that there is a lot of talent within HBCU’s/Mid-major’s and that there should be an opportunity for them to showcase their talents on new levels, and to also call those top kids and having confidence within yourself/staff to recruit them and show them what you can offer and how you can help them. Even for myself I have heard a lot of coaches say ‘ohhhh we’re not going to get her or a top ranked kid, we shouldn’t waste our time’ you never know those schools might be another players dream. Those are the ways where I can impact both sides of the basketball community and continue to open doors and grow the game.”
Johnson tells HBCU Connect that she also wants to use her platform to support HBCU games. “With being considered a top player, I plan to use my social media platform in gathering people to come to the games and promoting more of what goes on inside and out of Norfolk State within the basketball program and even just things going on around campus. I think with me sharing this experience will have more players considering an HBCU.”
Dancing is great for your health, physical and mental. “The key findings from this review indicate that dance is a feasible alternative to traditional physical activity. The findings also indicate that dance provides physiological and psychological benefits to healthy and medically compromised populations. Implementation of dance programs in schools and society generally needs serious consideration by policy makers. We hope that the results of this review stimulate debate and provide the necessary evidence to profile dance as a viable alternative medium of physical activity,” says a NIH study.