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Anthony Head leads by example. He has developed his own style of living that includes
grabbing life by the horns and is living it for all its worth. Anthony and his interest
in living fully came to the attention of MetroParks staff after he rode his bike
to the office of Five Rivers Outdoors to sign up for a class he heard about.
After that first Introduction to Rock Climbing class, Five Rivers Outdoors staff
started seeing a lot of Anthony.
“The class was great, great instructor, can’t wait to get addicted to rock climbing!”
says Head. And as far as future classes that Head says he’d like to participate
in, he is all over the board, or should we say the landscape, “…fishing, camping,
forest navigation, gardening, canoeing, Boy Scout type courses because I want to
be a well trained den leader one day!”
As staff started to see more of Anthony at these programs, they began to hear more
of his story and the conscious choices he and his wife Rashida have made to live
a healthier greener lifestyle, perhaps influenced by their living in California
for two years, before coming to back to Dayton last August.
She says it all started about two and a half years ago when the couple realized that they
were gaining weight. Together they made the decision to make important nutritional
changes and eat more organically. From there, they became more active and dropped the
extra pounds.
Rashida has also taken advantage of several MetroParks programs with Anthony,
including classes on Green Living at Cox Arboretum MetroPark, where she learned
about the 2nd Street Market.
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“We went to the farmers market in California all the time,” says Rashida, “Once
I learned we had a market here, we had to go. We’ve been going every week since.”
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The couple has also made some upgrades to their home to make it more energy efficient,
and they recycle everything they can. They even describe their seven-month old son as
an “all organic” baby. Anthony sold his car and started biking or bussing to his
destinations, and was quick to start using the compost bin that he received as part
of the Green Living series.
“I’m really proud of my compost pile. I can’t wait for spring!” says Head. “I’m
also going to sign up for the “Your Best Vegetable Garden” class so I can learn
how to grow vegetables for my family.”
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Anthony sees the programs offered by MetroParks as an incredible asset to residents
of the Miami Valley. He was surprised by the diversity of offerings and is amazed
at how many classes there are within reach. “These classes make the concept of adventure
sports like rock climbing or rappelling far less intimidating. I’m never the oldest
one there, youngest one there, biggest one there. I mean, who would of thought that
I would learn to rock climb in Dayton, Ohio? But the programs are there for the
choosing.”
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When asked what she thinks about Anthony’s passion for getting involved with all
of the adventure activities developed by MetroParks, Rashida is quick to respond.
“I think it’s great. He’s incorporating a lot of what he learns into his regular
fitness training. MetroParks have become an integral part of our lives since moving
here.”
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