About Me

Hello and thanks for visiting my blog! My name is Lauren and I have a passion for food and all athletic activities. (...and my dog, Oscar, and cat, Lucy!)

This blog is a place where I can share my love of food (eating, cooking, trying new products, and going out to restaurants) and my love of all things "active"(running, lifting, tennis, mountain biking, racquetball, soccer, spin, rowing, etc!).

I strive to make consistent, healthy choices, but feel it is necessary to splurge every now and then for your favorites. Everything in moderation.



A Little Background

I have been involved in sports for as long as I remember. Growing up, I played softball, soccer, basketball, and tennis. My high school years focused around being a 3-sport athlete and playing basketball year-round. I was lucky enough to grow up with health-conscious parents who provided well-balanced meals and healthy packed lunches.

College is where my eating habits went downhill. Playing soccer in college helped to keep me in pretty good shape during the fall. Winter and spring were a different story. The college cafeteria didn't always have the healthiest options and since I had always been able to eat what I wanted, I slowly started packing on the pounds.

All the unhealthy eating and drinking, combined with not being involved in winter and spring sports caught up with me. The pizza dipped in blue cheese dressing at 1am and the numerous alcoholic beverages weren't helping my waistline. When I had to start buying bigger size clothes, I realized my body was changing, and not in a good way.

I graduated college and entered the working world where I was sitting at a desk for most of the day. The team sports I had become accustomed to were mostly over. I eventually was able to find a few soccer teams where I could get out there and get some exercise.

I remember a particular indoor game where a friend of mine mentioned training for a marathon together and having my dad train us. He was an accomplished marathoner and had been training newbies for awhile. Even though I wasn't keen on running, the challenge appealed to me. I also thought it could be a good way to shed the extra college pounds once and for all.

Slowly, over the course of 6 months, which involved a lot of training runs and races - the extra weight melted off. The frequency of "going out" nights decreased because of the long training runs on Saturday mornings. I never bought into any of the fad diets, but instead, tried to make healthier choices more frequently.

When all was said and done, I had to get most of my pants altered to fit my slimmer body and it felt incredible. I finished the marathon and had a new found a respect for the "challenge" of running.

I had also discovered a healthier version of me that I wanted to keep...

Hope you enjoy!