Healthy Faces: Meet Perris Oliverio Reed
By Julie Perine on January 16, 2021 from Healthy Faces via Connect-Bridgeport.com
"Healthy Bridgeport" is comprised of health-concious individuals; the same group that served as the steering committee for Team .JPG)
Bridgeport in The Health Games, sponsored by Healthy Harrison. After winning the competition between cities, Healthy Bridgeport is off and running with a number of initiatives, all intended to make residents healthier. To date, a free health app has been launched and The Biggest Loser and 10% Takedown weight loss competitions are underway. Bridgeport residents who have at least 10% of their body weight to lose are encouraged to enter the 10% Takedown. Those who have 20% or more to lose are encouraged to enter The Biggest Loser. Thousands of dollars in cash prizes are up for grabs. Deadline is Jan. 22-23. Learn more about Healthy Bridgeport and all of its programs HERE at the Healthy Bridgeport Web site.
Each Saturday, Healthy Bridgeport features a Healthy Face, someone who takes his or her health journey a priority. Today, meet Perris Oliverio Reed. 
1. What's your favorite motivational/self-help book?
I have so many books I've read, some of them multiple times, but the most recent book I've read that's the freshest in my mind is The Gift of Imperfection.
2. Favorite healthy meal?
This is a very tough one to answer because I really love to eat, and there are so many ways to eat well. I would have to say that my absolute favorite thing to eat is the cherry tomatoes that we grow in our garden - right off the vine, dirt and all! They never actually make it into the house because I plant them with the intention of snacking while we play outside. I absolutely love to cook. I love the entire process, but most of all I love when the table is full of people I love, and I know that I,ve not just filled them up, but i've nourished them!
3. Favorite workout?
Favorite workout.....hmmm? The kind that doesn't feel like work! I love to ride my bike! My kids love to be outside! We do alot of hiking, we ski in the winter and we swim. I do enjoy my time alone at the gym when I can get there and I love the occasional spin class. We typically don't stick to something that we don't enjoy, or even worse something that we dread. There are so many ways to move our bodies. Find what you enjoy and what makes you feel your best and have fun with it!
4. How do you fit health and wellness into your busy lifestyle?
It's funny because a year ago I would have answered this question so much differently. I would have answered most of these questions differently! I used to stick to a regimented schedule. I would make time for my hour of intense exercise at the gym any way I could! Keep in mind that i'm home all day with 2 small kids who never let me sit. I was making the choice EVERY SINGLE DAY to further exhaust an already overly exhausted body. It took the year 
of 2020 for me to realize that my routine was actually a behavioral disorder. And one that I thought I had already addressed. I truly thought I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, because let's be honest, there is a lot out there that leads us to believe that we just need to work harder and do more! And I fell victim to it. Again! Now I choose to make time for rest and self care. Back to the question that makes me want to ask a question....are we too busy or are we prioritizing things that aren't serving us well? I'm not by any means trying to downplay our busy lives but I am challenging people to spend a few days paying close attention to how we fill our time.
of 2020 for me to realize that my routine was actually a behavioral disorder. And one that I thought I had already addressed. I truly thought I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, because let's be honest, there is a lot out there that leads us to believe that we just need to work harder and do more! And I fell victim to it. Again! Now I choose to make time for rest and self care. Back to the question that makes me want to ask a question....are we too busy or are we prioritizing things that aren't serving us well? I'm not by any means trying to downplay our busy lives but I am challenging people to spend a few days paying close attention to how we fill our time.
5. What is your favorite motivational quote?
I have so many quotes that I could really get carried away with this one! At this moment in time, I have two quotes that pop into my mind a lot. One is Martin Luther King Jr. and the other, which might seem funny, is from Greys Anatomy.
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." MLK
"Experts say the more resilient we are, the better we can face life's challenges. And the single biggest factor for cultivating resilience? Positive relationships. So find your people and keep them close."
6. How did your health journey start?
I would say my health journey began when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter Kathryn who is now 5, and what a journey it has been! This past year has been very pivotal for me! Still the same journey, but a much different path!
7. What are some easy tiny habits that you recommend people start with on their journey?
Pay close attention to your thoughts and how you are speaking to yourself. If your thoughts are self sabotaging, work on that first. I spent a lot of years being unkind to 
myself and I wish I would have gotten off the treadmill and addressed that first.
myself and I wish I would have gotten off the treadmill and addressed that first.
I have been telling myself this every morning "prioritize what makes you feel your best, be intentional with your thoughts and actions and surrender the outcome."
