Adventures in Clean Eating

Growing up, I was always incredibly involved and was definitely an over-achiever.  I started working as a professional actress at a young age, and fell in love with dance.  I loved my career and think it taught me some very valuable lessons, although it left me very busy.  My days were long, but they were filled with activities I loved so I didn’t mind it.

Even though I never ate well as a teenager, I was blessed with good genes.  Plus, I was incredibly active.  I danced for about two hours a day in class in addition to rehearsals and show choir.  I also had a busy part-time job that kept me moving around for hours at a time and I taught dance classes at my studio.  I worked out regularly and lifted weights to supplement my dance classes.

I was accepted at the University of Virginia where I double majored in English and Drama and minored in Dance.  Even though I still danced and worked out regularly, I wasn’t nearly as active as I had once been.  I also started drinking alcohol for the first time, and before I knew it, I started to gain weight.

I was having a great time at first, but as I gained weight my confidence started to deteriorate.  The summer after my third year of college, I did the South Beach Diet and lost ten pounds.  My clothes started fitting a lot better and I looked great!  However, trying to maintain a low-carb diet was difficult work.  I was still acting and dancing, and I found that I didn’t have enough energy to last through my classes and rehearsals.

I started researching and teaching myself about nutrition.  I eliminated a lot of processed foods from my diet.  I gave up all soda, artificial sweeteners, and fast foods, and limited my alcohol consumption.  I taught myself to cook and discovered a passion for it.  Learning to cook taught me how to make healthy foods just as appealing as their unhealthy counterparts.  I also kicked my exercise up a notch.  I started running and completed my first half marathon in August 2009, my first marathon in October 2010, and my first triathlon in September 2011.

I live in Washington, DC with my husband, Pete, who is very active as well and is very supportive in my efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle. 

I’m currently balancing working a full-time job and going to law school part-time at American University.  It’s a busy life, but I love it, and I’m trying to stay healthy while juggling it all.  I believe that exercise and proper nutrition need to be priorities, regardless of how busy I am.  I aim to eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats.  I love food and being healthy, but I don’t let it consume me.  Life’s too short for that.  I give myself regular cheat meals and make sure to enjoy my food and workouts!

If you ever have a question or just want to chat, shoot me an email at SuzEatsClean@gmail.com or follow me on twitter.  Thanks, and please let me know what you think!