Doctor-turned-Entrepreneur Jay Feldman Talks about His Stand against Food and Fitness Inequality

Staying healthy can be challenging, especially when lacking the money for hefty gym fees or regular buying of fruits and veggies. Dr. Jay Feldman calls these issues food and fitness inequality, and he has made it his mission to help combat these problems in our world today.

Dr. Feldman’s interest in fitness began in high school as a competitive athlete. As captain of his high school volleyball team and former top-ranked beach volleyball player, he took a special interest in physical optimization and personal health.

When he went to college, he was drawn to the field of osteopathic medicine. After graduating from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he was chapter president of the American Medical Association, he began on his mission to give back through his entrepreneurship.

One of Dr. Feldman’s main ventures is REX Fitness – a company focused on motivating people to stay healthy by building a community that they can access right from their homes. He and his team are developing a personal home gym that will be affordable and accessible to everyone. This home gym will go on sale in the summer of 2020 and will feature free live virtual classes by top trainers.

“Fitness inequality is a silent form of oppression where underserved communities can’t access the necessities to stay fit,” said Feldman. “I wanted to find a way to make exercise fun, easy, and inexpensive for every person.”

Currently, the poorest quartile of the population in the United States gets half as much exercise as the wealthiest quartile. But this doesn’t mean that poor people are lazy. In many areas, expensive gyms have taken the places of community centers offering free exercise classes. Plus, home gym equipment is costly and hard to use.

“REX Fitness allows people to access fitness trainers and exercise videos in their homes for free,” Feldman said. “They just have to make a small investment in the equipment, and they’re on their way to a healthier, happier lifestyle.”

Dr. Feldman also started Food Inequality Corp, a non-profit organization dedicated to decreasing food inequality. This issue is rooted in the high cost of healthy food items, as well as food deserts (areas that have less access to nutritious foods). “People who don’t have access to healthy food are more likely to be diagnosed with a chronic illness much earlier in life,” Jay said. “If we can bridge the gap and get good quality, nourishing food into the hands of people who need it, we can greatly improve the health of generations to come.” Dr. Feldman is working hard to make sure that every person has the opportunity to live a healthy life. Even though the journey might be difficult, the results will make it worth it.