We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Peranzo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
Don’t ever give up. In the space of fitness, I never want to see you quit on yourself. I want to see you constantly progressing, moving forward, and getting stronger. I know you can do it. I know you’re strong, I know you’re capable, and I know you’ve made it through every single bad day you’ve ever had in your life so there’s no reason why a workout should stand in your way. I also know that the only limitations we put on ourselves are ones we create in our own imagination. I have seen people astonish themselves with their own capabilities once they stopped listening to that little voice in their head telling them they couldn’t do it. At the end of the day, the only person who’s going to show up for you is YOU. No one else is going to do the work for you, no one else is going to accomplish all the goals you’ve set for yourself in your fitness game except YOU. If you’re ultimately responsible for your own health, well being, and quality of life, why would you ever give up on yourself? That doesn’t mean that you should be trying to emulate what the person next to you is doing or ignoring limitations caused from injury. Turn on the blinders when you train so you’re less likely to see what someone else is doing, compare yourself to them, and want to quit as a result. It does mean that you show up for yourself every single time you work out, that you give yourself your absolute best for that day, and celebrate that you got stronger and are moving that much closer to your fitness goals.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a Certified Fitness Instructor with an online platform called A Healthful Life that is designed to help the busy woman stay healthy and fit from the comfort of their living room. The past 10 years in the fitness industry have been an absolute blur, with everything I’ve done being a stepping stone to the next level of my dream. I’ve learned about the power of listening, I’ve embraced my willingness to ask for help from people who know more than me, and most importantly, I’ve learned how to be courageous in sharing my own story back to health. It hasn’t always been a pretty process, it definitely has had its own set of challenges, but throughout every obstacle that has come my way, my sentiment has stayed the same: I want to meet people where they’re at on their fitness journey and encourage them to step into their greatness from there. I don’t offer a cookie cutter solution to being fit or being healthy. I offer individualized plans for people based off of where they’re starting with healthy living and where they want to end up with healthy living. I meet people where they’re at and not where I think they should be. I empower my clients to make incremental changes that are reasonable and maintainable for their lives so when they are done working with me, they have every single tool they need to make healthy living a lifestyle and not a temporary solution.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I don’t think a week would be long enough to experience all the awesome things San Diego has to offer! Of course we would be doing workouts I provided, as well as some yoga and probably rock climbing at Vertical Hold. We would definitely have to explore some amazing local food. Las Cuatro Milpas, Supannee, Operacaffe, Fort Oak, Miss B’s Coconut Club, and Harney Sushi would be a few of the many food places to check out. I love baseball so a Padres game would definitely be on the agenda, but so would a Broadway musical or a symphony performance, and the Haunted San Diego Tour. Obviously the beach would be happening, but it would have to be Horseshoe Beach in La Jolla and kayaking around Mission Bay is a must. The farmers market in Little Italy and the meditation gardens are always on the list for great things to do, but so is hiking Torrey Pines. Really there’s too much to mention for what we would do, but we would both definitely need a vacation from the vacation!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shout out is to my family and my tribe. We all need cheerleaders, we all need people who love and support our outlandish ideas, encourage our pivots that seem crazy to the rest of the world, and are there for us no matter what. I am unbelievably blessed to be surrounded by my amazing family and wonderful community who don’t blink an eye when I tell them things like “Hey I’m going to leave corporate America and my super cushy job to pursue my passion of training people full time” or “I’m going to take that passion of training people full time and launch an online business so I can empower even more people”. I would never have had the courage to do those things, much less succeed in those things without the love and support of my family and my community. Pivoting into unknown areas is terrifying, but when you know you have people behind you who love and support you, making those changes that allow you to follow your dreams are way less scary.

Website: www.ahealthfullife.org
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lisaperanzo
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/lisaperanzo-ahealthfullife Website URL
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/lisamperanzo/
Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCe0LyJeUTVPt8K3s_5I8iCw
Other: Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ahealthfullife

Image Credits
Photographers: Daniel Sevilla and August Reinhardt