Lauren’s fitness journey started before her professional foray into fitness coaching: with Sunday beach runs and monthly charity races alongside her family. Along the way, she lost touch with her love of running, but found it again through community. “It helps me clear my mind from all the noise,” she says. “I love sharing fitness with my friends and having them join me along my runs or workouts.”
All About Lauren
PT & Group Class Instructor
Go-to recovery method: Walking
Ultimate cure for a bad day: Nature
One-word fitness philosophy: Balance
Lauren also learned that starting over is not a failure, but an invitation to keep going. She doesn’t see fitness as a race towards an aesthetic ideal. It’s about longevity: building the mobility, strength, and endurance now that will keep her independent later in life. Fitness is also about balance, Lauren says: knowing when to push in the gym, when to rest, and yes, when a slice of carrot cake is exactly what’s needed. Her advice to every woman reading this? Movement is the answer, whatever you’re feeling. Happy, sad, angry? Move anyway. “Movement really is the key,” she says.
READ MORE: 6 Powerful But Simple Fitness Tips That *Actually* Work (Plus, What’s Holding You Back)
How do you make time – and the budget – to prioritise staying healthy?
I agree that in the world we live in at the moment, it is hard to juggle everything. The way I manage is, I try to prioritise the things I struggle with. For example, when I get home from work, I have very little energy to cook dinner, this is why I make sure I meal prep my food for the week.
How do you forge discipline and consistency when you feel discouraged?
Routine is the key to consistency. When my routine is off due to vacation or just life in general, it is so easy for me to miss a workout or an unbalanced meal.
What are your two principles for long-term wellness?
My core principles would be daily movement, whether it’s walking or a group class, and drinking loads of water – it’s the cure for the entire body.
This article first appeared in the Sep + Oct 2026 Issue of Women’s Health South Africa. Words by Michelle October.
