This year is all about striving for me. Striving to better my health, fitness, knowledge and balance.

I'm setting myself a few goals, and partnering up with some amazing people and organisations to help achieve them.

I've started kicking off the health and fitness side with Fitness First.  This actually started for me last year, I began training about twice a week with PT Extroadinaire Mike Battaglia at my local Dee Why club.  My body has changed so much and even though I'm actually heavier than before, I'm much leaner and stronger.

This has brought better balance into my life, as it motivates me to be really on top of getting my diet the healthiest it can be, and also taking time out for myself.  I'm finally starting to get my sleeping patterns better, as they have always been a massive struggle for me.

Through Mike and my other contacts at Fitness First, I have been inspired to undertake my Certificate 3 & 4 Master Trainer courses at the Australian Insititute of Fitness to become a fully qualified Personal Trainer.

The AIF have been really supportive so far and we're already delving into anatomy which I find really fascinating.  I haven't formally studied in about a hundred years, so this was a big step for me to take, but I'm glad I took the plunge.

I also had a professional Life Coaching session with Fitness First's ambassador Shannah Kennedy - holy cow she was amazing.  I was a little unsure of how to refine my goals and what direction to take in order to get there, but even in one session, it's all a lot clearer to me, and I feel very inspired and motivated after speaking with her.  Highly recommend that one!!

On the usual side of my work, I have shot a couple of campaigns with Fitness First this year, which you will probably see popping up here and there.  The second one was turned into a huge digital billboard within minutes of shooting it, and will be shown mostly in Sydney and Melbourne for the next couple of weeks!

If you see me, take a snap and tag me in it!

Health and fitness has always been a natural part of my life.  My father was first contracted into the Army at a Personal Trainer, and we always had an active lifestyle so I guess it runs in the blood.  When I went through some really hard times, looking after my body was the thing I focussed on while I knew my head wasn't right, and the discipline, goal setting and sense of achievement really helped bring me back on track with my self confidence and productivity.

I want to be strong and healthy, even when I'm in my 60s, 70s, and 80s,  so that I can enjoy my life to the fullest with strong bones and little reliance on others.  So you need to start young.   Get into good habits while it's easy, learn to push boundaries and surprise yourself so that you have the confidence to tackle any challenge you put your mind to.

These are my goals, and they are a forever-adapting work in progress, but it's how I stay focussed and stimulated - how about you?

I'm hoping to get a few more projects in the works, so send me your feedback if you would like information or help with anything, and stay tuned for more updates soon!

Lauren xoxox