Hello! I’m Michelle. I’m an Architecture student and sorority girl at the University of Oregon.
A little bit about me.
I have always been an athlete. I love kicking a ball around and learning new sports. In high school I competed it diving and gymnastics, but pole vaulting was my favorite.
My family, friends, and sorority sisters are very close in my life. They are my support system.
My siblings and the dog
My sorority sisters
I currently live in my sorority which has presented me with many challenges to eating healthy.
So what’s my story? Why do I eat so healthy?
During Fall of 2009 I got very sick for a long time. In a 3-month period I had both the swine flu and the seasonal flu. I passed out. I had a sinus infection. I had a cold the entire time. I didn’t understand why this was happening.
Finally my mom, a nurse, told me that it was what I was eating. When I was living in the dorm and the apartment, I ate the typical college diet of pastaroni, PB&J’s, sugary cereal, white breads, top raamen and eating out quite a bit. I never said no to ice cream or a cookie that my roommates brought home. I was too sick to work out and I ended up feeling sluggish and slow due to losing muscle and gaining fat.
I decided this needed to change. I wanted to become healthier and stronger. I started reading some blogs which inspired me to change my eating habits. I gained new recipes, learned a bit about nutrition and started to really enjoy cooking. My mindset about food had completely changed from just looking at calories and fat to seeing food as nourishment. My first love in my new lifestyle was Almond Butter (yes it does deserve the capitals) and it has continued to hummus, spinach, Indian food and many more foods.
Currently I’m trying to maintain the weight that I am at and continuing to get stronger and healthier. I’m really enjoying the adventure of listening to my body and learning about what real food is. I love to inspire people to make a healthier change in their lifestyle and truly start to enjoy life again.
A deeper history into my relationship with food over the years can be found here:
If you have any questions feel free to ask.
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Wow, I really admire your lifestyle change! I’m trying to do the same thing at the moment, post-college. Greek yogurt has transformed my life:) Looking forward to following your blog and getting some foodie ideas!
Thank you so much! Greek yogurt is so good. I love coming up with things to mix in it
very nice lifestyle change! i wish I wouldve figured all that out in college..it took me until about 2 years after college to figure it all out!
my S.O. has a degree in arch! i loved seeing all his fun projoects in college!
Love your blog
Can’t wait to keep up with you!
Thanks!
Hey just found your blog, cant wait to read more!
Dana
http://happinessiswithin.wordpress.com/
What’s the West Coast like? Have you been to Vancouver? or BC somewheres?…I’m looking to move…wondering about all that rain though!!
The West Coast is so laid back its really nice. I have been to Vancouver a couple of times and it absolutely stole my heart. The things is though I have only been in the summer. The winters in the Pacific Northwest are cold, rainy and gray. So if you don’t like the rain (or the snow), probably not the place to move to.
Hi! I saw your blog over on HTP
I graduated with an architecture degree in 2007 and work for the federal gov’t now. Good luck with school!
wow! that’s so great that you work for the government. I’m super nervous for when I get out of school and try to find a job :/
Hey cool blog…looking forward to reading more!!!!
very cool story! looking forward to reading more! i’m adding you to my blogroll
Wow, your blog is really inspiring! I cannot wait to see more
Thank you
Hi there, I just found your blog and love it
I am actually just 45 min north of you at OSU haha, but i did go to UO for two years and LOVE Holy Cow cafe, their pad thai was sooo good!
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Hey girl! I just found your blog and I love it! I am so sorry you had the swine flu and got so sick but I am so glad that you have used that terrible experience to lead to postive changes!!
The same happened to me, except with acid reflux! I haven’t had a problem since switching to a healthier diet. Best of luck on healthy living girl!
I just found your blog and I am actually going to start college this fall. I love healthy eating, but I know it’s harder when you don’t have a kitchen to cook at (i’m at the dorms the first year). But I do have one question, PB&J’s aren’t that bad are they?
I’m actually going to do a series about dorm room cooking (or lack thereof) with easy, healthy meals you can make in a dorm room around late July/early August so look for that!
I used to use highly processed PB and Jelly and I would make about 2 PB&J sandwiches a day. Now I use PB which the only ingredients are peanuts and maybe salt instead of peanut butter with lots of extra added stuff. I also use a fruit spread instead of a real jelly which is more natural and has a little less sugar.
I’m Michelle too!! And It’s great that you were able to pick up a healthy diet after you realized that the typical college diet isn’t the best way to live!
& I have so many friends that did the PV-Gymnastics-Diving combo!
Can’t wait to read more!
i think your blog is great! It is awesome you realized that you needed to change up your eats a bit to be healthy
now you seem to eat sooo nutritiously and everything looks yummy
i’m in a sorority too =]
xoxox
shelley
http://findinghappinessandhealth.wordpress.com
I love finding other healthy college bloggers! Cute site.
thank you, I really like your too!
Hey girly! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I’m so glad you did, because your blog is fabulous!!!! I’m adding it to my blogroll stat!!
Thank you for the comment on my blog. Your blog looks great!
Oh MY!! You also pole vault! Dang girl, you rock climb and pole vault? Hah, those were my 2 passions throughout high school. They were my LIFE.
Hi! Your blog looks amazing and fun to read! Glad I stumbled upon this
Btw, I know how much moving sucks. At the end of each year we have to move out of our dorm room and move back in again at the start of another school year. Eek!
Your blog is great! I’m a sorority girl (alumnae? weird.) myself – It took me to years into college to realize I needed to make positive changes, not only in my eating – but for my lifestyle. Great work
Let the blogging friendship begin!
- Em (emilyabbate.wordpress.com)
So glad i stumbled across your blog girl! love it!
I’m just found your blog…so, hi there!
Your story really hits home to me. I never before related illness and food, but after changing my lifestyle and eating habits, I haven’t had a cold in over two years. Not even the sniffles! Its an amazing thing and I appreciate you sharing it. Next time someone I know is sick, I’ll just tell them to get out the Almond Butter
Hey I just found your blog! Your so lucky to be in Oregon-It’s so beautiful (I drove through it once and the rolling mountains are heavenly)
Thank goodness you have found a way to be healthy (and therefore happy) in college! I always worry about those millions of kids going into college eating nothing but refined flours and sugars…eww!!
Keep on eatin’ healthy, girl!
This is crazy. We have the same story! Swine flu and seasonal flu got me down first semester last year and from then on I made a sustained effort to change my diet! I love your blog, so great to see another college student doing it right. Check out our blog: http://www.vaisforhealthnuts.blogspot.com, I’m sure we have a TON in common!
Architecture…very cool. My boyfriend graduated with an Architecture degree–thats tough long work! nice going—takes a lot of willpower and passion to get an arch degree!
I just found your blog today. I’m loving it so far:) I have never tried Almond Butter, but I think I should as it seems to be pretty popular among health-food bloggers! lol.
That’s cool that you did diving- I swim in high school but we don’t have a dive team. I always love to watch the divers at state. I used to do gymnastics too
Very inspirational. Looks like you’re finding a great balance these days. Can certainly be hard with school and the pressures of peers.
Haha I love your blog name AND your blog
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I also like almond butter. hehe.
just found your blog and can’t wait to read more
come and check out mine!
jenna
I just found your blog and I love it. It’s so interesting. Good luck with your studies and I cannot wait to read more!
Healthy in college? Great job! I wish I did that … Excited to have found your blog.
As a fellow sorority girl trying to live healthily, I can totally relate to your story. I’m really looking forward to reading more of your journey!
I’m so glad I made my way over to your blog – I love it! I think it’s fabulous that your focus is on maintaining your weight and just being healthy! Perfect!
Love this blog! All your posts are so engaging. Almond butter was definitely one of my favorites too!
Just found your blog – so happy to see another healthy living college student with a good attitude about food!!!