FIRE IS A FICKLE BEAST By: Lauren Anderson They say that cooking by a fire is a skill unique unto itself. Because not only do you have to manage the food you're attempting to cook, you have to cater to the fire's needs as well. Too low of flame and the food won't cook. And if it does, it will take FOREVER. Too hot and you can burn the...
THE GATEKEEPER AT THE FOOD TABLE By: Lauren Anderson I was fortunate enough to attend a lovely party last Sunday, put on by some wonderful people. The day was bright and brisk, the company was excellent, and the food table was LOADED. Everything you could possibly want for a brunch-esque style soiree. Multiple egg-bakes, fresh jam, croissants, a cheese tray “FOR THE GODS DAWLING”. Party-goers piled their plates,...
DON'T SH!T IN MY POOL By: Lauren Anderson I'm not really much of a journal-er... if you can believe that. I love to write, and I do it all the time. But writing a daily journal is something I've never been able to keep up with. Generally the only time I DO journal is when I'm really, REALLY sad. Like bitter-teenage-hopeless- angst-type sadness. If you go back and...
IT'S NOT YOU IT'S ME By: Lauren Anderson So, this weekend I thought I was losing my mind. Let me explain. We were doing the show, same as it ever was, and in the middle of the first act on Saturday, I could swear all the music got slower. Like, I could swear by it! We had a full house that was laughing and engaged. It was great! And...
HEALING WHILE DOING By: Lauren Anderson I remember when we were little kids, my mom broke her foot. Or maybe it was her leg? Honestly? I can't really remember. But I know it was bad, and it put my mom out for many weeks. It didn't take long for the infrastructure of the household to break down. I was really little and even then I thought, “Wow. Mom does...
INCOMPLETE WITHOUT MEAT? By: Lauren Anderson So... after all the heart scare talk from last week, I've been thinking a lot again about what I'm eating and why. Natch. (If you're just tuning in... Let me bring you up to speed. I thought I was having heart attacks for the last month or so. I was too scared to go to the doctor for a long time. But...
AN ELITE TEAM OF MAVERICKS By: Lauren Anderson I think it's hard to ask for help. Especially when it's something I don't want to do. And something I'm not good at. And ESPECIALLY when it's a weak spot in my personal bravery threshold. In fact, by a cruel twist of irony, I think the hardest time to ask for help just might be the time we need it...
WHEN WE METABOLIZE THE CRIES By: Lauren Anderson One thing that I don't think gets talked about enough is how emotional a workout can be. And I know what you might be thinking: But wait Lauren, isn't that like, the ONLY thing you talk about on this blog? And yes, you are correct about that. I talk about the emotional side of my fitness journey the most because I think...
THE DESTINY OF A JEDI By: Lauren Anderson So, I recently started recording this podcast called “Wrong About Everything” (Shameless plug! But you can find it on all major podcast outlets! Wink!) It's a political podcast featuring two republicans and two democrats talking about the week's news etc. Except it's “funny” and everyone on the podcast are actually friends. Despite our political differences. The very first show I recorded...
QUICK! CHANGE EVERYTHING! RIGHT NOW!!! By: Lauren Anderson It's no surprise that I got a beef with New Year's Resolutions. The advertising around this time of year is relentless. And rightly so, I suppose! You would be a fool not to use this time to get people into your doors, or into a new deal, and into the next great thing. For example, I am writing this blog for...
COME ON UP TO THE HOUSE By: Lauren Anderson I better come clean. This is hard for me, and honestly I would rather be writing about anything else today. I want to tell you all a triumphant tale of me overcoming something small but significant. I want to share a win. But I don't have that story today. I woke up this morning and it was as if I...
THE SNOW PANTS WON'T ZIP By: Lauren Anderson I have LOTS of rules on how clothes should fit my body... as we all do, I'm sure. There a few pieces of clothing that I don't want to “fit” though. I want them extra BIG and Baggy. I want to feel like I'm swimming in fabric, and get lost in the comfort of being lost in the clothes. Like when...
WHEN YOU CARRY IT WELL By: Lauren Anderson Before I left the restaurant, I needed to go to the bathroom. I was just gonna make a quick dash there. So I handed my sister my backpack that was casually slung over my shoulder, and she put out a hand out to grab it. Right before I released it to her care I said, “Careful, it's heavy.” And she grabbed it...
LET'S TALK TURKEY By: Lauren Anderson Look, let's be honest here. We all know that Thanksgiving is problematic. We don't fully know the story of what went down that “meal” between the settlers and the indigenous people, but I think we all can agree it's not the story they told us in school. It's no where close I'll bet. But the IDEA of this meal--separated from it's origins--I think...
THE PINK BOTTLE PHASE By: Lauren Anderson In a quest to bring more nutritionally dense foods into my life, I did some digging online about those superfood adds that you see on Instagram and Facebook and what not. Is anyone else intrigued by these things? Does anyone else even get them? Well, they must have my number... or maybe it's because I clicked on one post at one point...
BREATHE IN THE PAIN By: Lauren Anderson There was a significant period in my life when I couldn't love or be loved by anyone. It wasn't a particularly sad or lonely time, because I didn't even know I was in it. I couldn't feel anything. Not like that anyway. I had shut it down completely. So I just went about my life, dotting “i”s and crossing “t”s. And...
FINISHING STRONG By: Lauren Anderson So... I'm scrolling through Instagram the other day, and I stumble across a post from my friend Brittany. She is talking about the idea of “Finishing Strong”. She gives and example in terms of the holidays and what we eat, and how by the end of the year we are ready for some resolutions because we have basically eaten and drank ourselves into...
WHY AM I SORE? A HALLOWEEN MYSTERY By: Lauren Anderson I use my body for a living. Which of course, is a ridiculous thing to say. For many reasons, but the first is that DUH-- we all use our bodies for a living. We need our bodies to live... for now. MWAH AH AH AH AH AH. I guess until medical science catches up with science fiction and we're...
THE MOTH AND THE FLAME By: Lauren Anderson I love going grocery shopping at night. Wait, let me clarify that statement. I hate to grocery shop. But when the task is inevitable, I prefer to do it at night. I like to tack it onto the end of an evening when I'm already out and about. That way it tricks my brain into believing that I didn't have to...
STAY IN THE FOAM By: Lauren Anderson So... I don't know about all of you, but I have a tendency to “pile” on. I don't know if that's the right word for it exactly, but I can't think of another phrase that fits. You know, it's like, if I like something then I REALLY LIKE SOMETHING, and then I tend to read everything there is available about it, and...
CLEAR EYES, FULL HEARTS... By: Lauren Anderson So... in a couple of hours, I will be in eye surgery. I might even be done with it by the time you read this. Wait, “eye surgery” makes it sound more intense than it is. I'm getting Lasik. You know, like the eye thing that a jillion people get everyday to correct their vision? Yeah. That one. But still! I've had exactly...
IT'S PART OF THE JOURNEY, I GUESS By: Lauren Anderson So, yesterday was a bust. Like an epic, awful, what-else-could-go-wrong? BUST. Let me walk you through it. I'm about to make a GIANT purchase (aka elective eye surgery) and before I go through it, I wanted to shore up some lose ends to make sure I can even afford it. I want to talk financing with a bank expert...
“I GOT HERE AS FAST AS I COULD” By: Lauren Anderson Whelp... my butt still hurts. For those of you wondering why or what the hell is going on, the quick and dirty version is this: I fell down some steps 2 weeks ago and got a severe contusion on my Coccyx. AKA, I broke my butt. It's been weeks of tottering around and not being able to fully sit up...
I BROKE MY BUTT By: Lauren Anderson Okay, so did my title get your attention? I'm not being hyperbolic I swear... Last Wednesday was a rainy day, and it's also my day to go to therapy. So that morning in the storm, I dashed to my car with my keys, water bottle, book and bumbershoot in hand. (Bumbershoot is fun word I just discovered that means UMBRELLA. I know...
RED CARPET READY By: Lauren Anderson Full disclosure: My nails are wet as I type this. I have an event to go to tonight, where I have to dress up a little. And there will be a red carpet, and I will likely be photographed. It will be fun, for sure. And it's to celebrate a dear friend's CD that he released for charity... But like any event where...
“I CAN'T DO IT FOR YOU,” SHE SAID. By: Lauren Anderson My sister is a very busy lady. Sometimes I only get to see her outside of a family event when I pop over. Meaning, I'll be in the area of her house with time to kill, and I'll text and be like, “You home?” And then I swing by. Usually before waiting for the answer. She does it...
IN THE PRESENCE OF POWER By: Lauren Anderson One of my favorite things to do when I'm near an ocean, or a canyon, or pretty much any expansive natural phenomenon-- is spread my arms and legs out and take up as much space as I possibly can. Then I open my eyes and look out and realize: I am the biggest I can be... and still so small....
MASS APPEAL By: Lauren Anderson I'm kind of ashamed to admit this. But if I can't be honest with you dear reader, than what's the fricking point of this right? Okay, here goes. I used to play this game called “Mass Appeal”. There's a good chance I've even mentioned it before, so bear with me. I made it up with a buddy a while back when we worked a...
THE PRODIGAL ATHLETE By: Lauren Anderson I recently commented on a friend's YouTube channel referencing an inside joke we had about the “Prodigal Son”. Mere moments of the comment living online and whamo! I got internet trolled by some self-proclaimed biblical parable “expert” white guy, telling me that I should “look up that story, cause I was referencing it wrong.” Or something like that. I laughed it off and...
A HECKLER UPDATE By: Lauren Anderson For those of you reading this blog from the start, you may recall the post I wrote about being heckled onstage for being fat during a corporate improv show a few years ago. For those of you new to this: you can catch up here. https://solcanafitness.com/2016/08/week-39-heckled-and-doctor-jekylled/ I was only about 6 months into my time with Solcana, and everything was changing and I was...
