Hello!

Hi all, my name is Nicole and this is the first time I have ever blogged (as my life is kind of boring).

Here is the low down: I grew up around the corner from Cammy, but unlike her I was never athletic. I am horrible at anything requiring coordination and had about as much endurance as my 80 year-old arthritic grandmother

After high school I went to Utah State and graduated with a BS in Sociology. After graduating I spent time traveling through Asia. I then returned to Utah State and obtained a MS in Sociology and Natural Resources. I started running before class (free cable at the gym) and was consistently running six miles a day. I landed my first job, as an epidemiologist for the Idaho Department of Health, shortly afterwards. In Idaho I worked in chronic disease and environmental health and my coworkers were insanely healthy: biking to work, running during lunch breaks, and abstaining from most junk food. Those healthy habits wore off on me and I began biking to work, walking during breaks, and really monitoring my food intake. I began to take longer bike rides and participated in some races. During this time I got engaged to an avid hiker and this in combination with my usual routine left me in the best shape I have ever been.

I recently moved back to Utah to work as a cancer epidemiologist. The four day work weeks didn’t leave much during the week to work out and I found myself eating more. Currently, I work as a clinical research coordinator at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and my schedule allows for more physical activity. Although I am still thin, I want to get back into the shape I was before. My husband and I have made a pack to improve our health, which is perfect timing for this blog. Outside of work you would find me reading, riding around town on my bike, traveling, listening to music, attending concerts, cooking, baking, gardening, but mostly repairing/decorating our newly acquired older home.

I am really excited to be participating in this with some old friends (hi Cammy and Leslie) and to meet some new ones.