Fatu Toa: Courageous of Heart

Video by Michael McCoy.

The owners and coaches of CrossFit Fatu Toa have made it their mission to improve health in Samoa, an island nation with an obesity rate north of 75 percent.

“Here in Samoa, there’s a very high rate of non-communicable diseases,” says coach Dean Sefo. “Diabetes, hypertension—the obesity rate is quite high here.”

Family is at the center of Samoan culture, and that might be the secret to turning things around.

“You’ll see that in the gym there’s lots of families that come together,” affiliate manager Lupe Sefo says. “I think that’s … one of the ways we can effect change—just through family.”

Fatu toa, meaning “courageous of heart,” can be used to describe every CrossFit athlete, Lupe says.

“Anyone who walks into the gym and does CrossFit (is) fatu toa,” she says. “They’re making a start in changing their life.”

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