What message would you like to impart?

“I hope that each of you gets a feeling of accomplishment when you are physically active and when you make good decisions about healthy eating.  These feelings will make you a stronger person.  The activity and good eating will also make you a stronger person.  Remember, it took me seventeen years to make my dream come true.  You never know just where your dreams will take you and what you might experience along the way, but enjoy the journey.  You never know what will happen!”

–Aelin Peterson

“I believe the key to being successful at whatever it is you do means putting in a tremendous amount of hard work. For me hockey was a passion. The hard work that I put into hockey was never, in my mind, considered work. I enjoyed playing it.   Find something you love to do and work as hard as possible to excel at it. Make the appropriate sacrifices and stay focused. If you do this, you can’t lose!” 

- Dean Larson

“Nutrition and fitness are the keys to leading a longer, healthier, and more productive and enjoyable life.”

– Dick Mize

“As you grow, you must become the voice of authority for yourself.  It will soon be your job to take care of yourself, and I hope you will come to see caring for yourself as a responsibility.  How you feel at any given time is directly related to how you’ve treated yourself; if you’ve given yourself healthy food and built yourself up, you will feel good about yourself.”   

– Karen Patten

“All it takes are a few good choices everyday and you can be on your way to feeling good and living well.  Take the challenge and make smart decisions about how you care for your body.  If you treat your body well, you can achieve your wildest dreams!” 

- Kikkan Randall

“Being healthy means that I can do just about anything I want to do, like go for a long bike ride, climb a mountain, ski all day, play with my nieces and nephew or dance late into the night.  I also have the energy to work in my garden, concentrate on my job, and be there for my friends and family whenever they need me.  When my body feels good, I feel good!”   

- Kris Thorsness

“Alaskans have an advantage in that the wilderness is usually just out our back door, inviting us out. It is easy to stay healthy when hiking, fishing, berry picking and snow shoveling are a part of everyday life...As Alaskans, it is important to remember our past. Our hardiness is a proud part of our heritage, and is something we want to pass on.”  

– Libby Riddles

“Although I trained seriously for biathlon for over 13 years and competed in two Olympics, fitness and health have always my primary goal.” 

– Rachel Steer

“A healthy lifestyle is keeping physically, mentally and emotionally fit.” 

–Trajan Langdon

“It’s amazing to ‘win’ and be recognized, but my greatest moments involved with Alaska Native Games is when I sit back and think to myself how much I love this opportunity to grow with this community and reflect the valuable teachings, which represent ancestral wisdom.  These old values are reciprocated in the smiles and laughter of newcomers who begin their training, of how to respect themselves and each other – it is so rewarding.” 

– Phillip Blanchett

Back to Healthy Heroes Home Page