Today’s Guest – Heather Parisi
1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?
Heather Parisi, Founder, 43 I am the founder and creator of Flip2BFit – Fitness in a Box – Fitness Board Games and the founder of Fitness For Africa a Not For Profit where I implement Fitness Instruction using Flip2BFit Games in my school in Uganda and other schools to assure Healthy Lifestyles are implemented and taught at a young age.
2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?
Nicholas Parisi – My dad.
3. What did they do to inspire you?
My dad lived by setting an example for myself and my brother to follow. As a parent you are the most impressionable person in a child’s life. Every action you take – Every move you make – Every food you eat – Every word you say – Your kids will be listening, watching and copying you. My dad recognized that and set an example of someone that understood what he was eating, joined sports teams and got involved in the community. Growing up I always remember my dad telling me about preservatives and additives in foods. Things that most kids my age didn’t know anything about. My eyes were opened to living a healthy lifestyle that always included fitness, nutrition, education, family, friends and an overall well balanced existence. My dad was that perfect example. He was a teacher, coach, athlete and someone that ate healthy, took vitamins and shared a great deal of time with family and friends. I grew up around a lifestyle that was balanced and open to experience and fun.
4. How did their lesson change your life?
It was growing up within this environment that created habits that I live by today and that I have developed and created 2 companies from. It was these lessons that truly shaped the person that I am today and enabled me to have the core and base to create two different organizations both on the forefront of fighting Childhood Obesity in the US and bringing Healthy Lifestyles to communities in Uganda. Without this core belief system and incredible sense of habits that are now my lifestyle — these organizations would not have been created.
5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?
This message of a Healthy Lifestyle – Living a life through balance of Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Education, Friendship and Family is the core belief and sole of my organization in Uganda and the elementary base for my company here in the US. I work daily to bring this message to kids through projects that are now taking place in Schools, by selling my games to families to promote healthy lifestyles through fitness fun and through day to day work to spread health as a mission through Social Media. Today I am living every day of 2013 proving that you don’t need to go to a gym and you can maintain supreme health and fitness through simple basic aspects of living this lifestyle from within. Healthy lifestyle start from within your spirit and the home is my 2013 Motto and I have engaged people around me to join in challenges and clean eating for the entire year.
6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?
Live every day as if it is DAY 1. You are in control of your choices and have the ability to choose healthy options that will develop into healthy habits if you maintain consistency, commitment, determination and belief in yourself that this is YOUR LIFE and YOU DESERVE the very BEST! Healthy Lifestyles are within your reach! Just live, laugh, and be open to the experience.
7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?