1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?

Jean Vreeland, Owner/Marketing Director, Team PJW, Home of the 5-Minute Pajama Workout. The Workout for Real People

2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?

My parents were the inspiration for me to become proactive about taking care of my health. My parents were older and they had health problems. When I was 16, my father became disabled with emphysema. This was devastating to our family. He had to be on oxygen and was on a breathing machine. He would use the breathing machine twice each day and we would have to cup our hands and hit his back for a couple of minutes after each treatment. Dad would become winded by simply walking from one end of the room to the other. He smoked and his lungs were damaged. He was a wonderful father, a Marine in World War II and he took great care of himself. It was very sad for our family to see dad struggling with this terrible disease. My mother also had some health issues and seeing them suffer made me realize the importance of good health. I was determined to be a healthy parent and take care of myself, so my children would not have to endure that pain. I believe that we need to take responsibility for our health and be proactive and conscious about what we do, what we eat and drink, and our overall lifestyle choices.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

This is probably a little different because I was inspired by people that had problems. Seeing my parents suffer with health issues really motivated me to be healthy. I took them to the doctors, spent a lot of time with them and saw how dependent they were on the medical system for their health. Dad was on all kinds of medications in addition to oxygen and so was my mother. She suffered from depression, anxiety, and allergies. I am sure having to deal with my father’s illness was very hard on her. They had a great marriage and were great parents. We had a wonderful childhood and things were very good until my teenage years when Dad’s emphysema was diagnosed and he became disabled. I knew that I did not want to depend on doctors for my health and made it a point to take care of myself. I did gain weight over the years, but worked hard to stay in shape. This inspired me to create the Team PJW Program and the 5-Minute Pajama Workout.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this article shortly…..