As part of my new web series, The Role Model In You, here is my most recent interview. The Role Model In You series discusses how individuals were influenced as a child to lead a healthy lifestyle. It covers who influenced these individuals, the changes they made in their life to be healthy, and the message they would like to convey to the youth of today. Our guests include doctors, soccer stars, Super Bowl champions, NBA players, Olympic gold medalist, entrepreneurs, celebrities, and just regular people looking to share their story. I hope you enjoy it!

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

Hoang Uyen Nguyen, Advertising Traffic, 32. I work in Advertising Traffic for Sports Television.

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

It was not just one person but many people: my parents, my physical education teacher, my aunt… If there was one person who had the most influence over me, that would be my sister, the oldest one.

3. What did they do to inspire you?

My sister was involved in sports, playing volleyball both in school and in a traveling league. She also played basketball in school as well. She biked over 500 miles from Minneapolis to Chicago in 6 days one summer. When I say biked, I don’t mean on a motorcycle but on a bicycle!

4. How did their lesson change your life?

Seeing my sister active and involved, I wanted to be as active. My sister and I, along with our other sister, would be active together. We played together, were in karate together, and grew up playing volleyball. When she biked from Minneapolis to Chicago, I was so proud of her. That was a big feat, both physically and mentally. It was very motivating!

5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?

I don’t have kids of my own or work with kids, but I do have nephews and try to be very active around them. I play with them and run around and just have fun doing physical activities. If I had kids of my own or worked with them, I would definitely pass along my sister’s inspiration from me to them. I’d want them to be active and be active with them. I’d encourage them to take on challenges that would motivate them physically and mentally.

6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?

Be active and stay active! Keep moving! Eat healthy! Be active with others and motivate each other to challenge yourself physically!

7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?

(I don’t have a web site)