Debra Team Rider
Riding The Tour in	Pennsylvania
Riding out of	Horsham, PA
Motivation for joining The Tour	To encourage and motivate as many people as I can to jump on the band wagon with me to a healthier lifestyle.
Reasons for adopting an active lifestyle	My father was recently diagnosed with cancer and it was a wake up call for me. I knew that it was time for me to change my lifestyle. I still have a long way to go. I get questions from my co–workers especially when they see me eating healthy, or walking on my break – lapping the office or the parking lot. I have co–worker's asking me if I eat salad every day, or if I am on a diet. I have to explain that I try to get my vegetables in any way that I can, and that I am not on a diet – that this is a way of life (lifestyle) with me.
Why a healthy lifestyle is important	I want to live. I want to enjoy life...and have a good quality of life.
One piece of advice to help others live a healthier life	Don't give up and don't stop! A Healthy lifestyle is a way of living – it is a process. Unfortunately, to many of us, myself include, have/had adopted a not so healthy lifestyle for a long period of time. And when the light bulb finally goes on, it can sometime become frustrating and difficult because we think that improvement should happen overnight. We don't realize that muscle weight weighs more than fat and so want to throw in the towel because we don't see the big results right away, but what some of us ignore (myself included ) are the little things, like the inches you are losing, or how you don't get tired anymore when you climb the stairs. As time goes by and you stick with it, it gets easier and soon you will be amazed at how you are trying to incorporate a healthy lifestyle into everything that you do and everyone that you meet. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day.