Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Hartung.
Laura, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve lived in 5 different states: Ohio, South Carolina, North Carolina, Massachusetts & Hawaii and spend part of my summers in Canada.
Food and fitness have always been a part of my life!
Growing up, we ate dinners together every night and shared the day’s events. My parents were teachers and they both liked to cook. My mom loved that my father was so into making meals. It gave her a break.
My parents were ahead of their time when it came to food. Oatmeal, veggies, and fresh mackerel were a part of my life, even while in my mom’s womb.
Sugar-sweetened cereals, processed foods or sodas weren’t part of our diet growing up, except on special occasions. Before our summer trip to Canada, we were allowed to get something from McDonald’s on the road. It was a treat my sister and I enjoyed.
We did a lot of fishing during our summers up in Canada. I can catch the bait, bait the hook and.…. catch, clean, and fillet the fish. Learned that from my dad. My mom taught me how to fry up the fillets in a simple batter, and believe me…it was delicious! We also ate a lot of homemade wild blueberry pancakes. My mom had the best recipe and picked the blueberries right outside our cabin door. One summer, as she was picking blueberries, she shook the pan and then a rattlesnake shook its tail rattle to warn he was right between her legs! My father quickly swept the snake up and took it to an unpopulated island – so no snakes, or humans, were hurt in the process!
We always had weird and delicious foods in our house and ate things like raw rutabaga, turnips and sardines. My father made concoctions of garlic, honey and apple cider vinegar about 35 years before it became popular! Both parents loved to make salmon patties, and although I didn’t always like them as a kid, I do as an adult.
My little mom (RIP), however, did have a sweet tooth! And we all enjoyed ice cream, on occasions. We all loved to eat! My father is known, even at almost 89 years old, to always ask, “What are we going to eat next?” He has a ferocious appetite, which is a sign of good health!
My parents led active lifestyles and always had my sister and I doing chores around the house. As a result, I can shingle a pole barn, lay a brick walkway, asphalt a driveway and pour a cement pad. Being physical was part of my upbringing! My dad coined the term “just do it!” long before Nike! Oh, and by the way, I’ve always been a little hyper, so the physical chores helped calm me. And, I was walking at 10 months of age and running by 12 months!
My love of food also grew as a result of being into sports and sports nutrition became important as I began my athletic career. I excelled in athletics and received a partial track scholarship to college, yet I didn’t know what I wanted to major in. It was originally business and physical education then learned about getting a degree in nutrition and dietetics. All the sciences scared me at first, but I went on to graduate with a bachelor of science in nutrition and get my Master’s in nutrition on a graduate scholarship. I loved grad school and still keep in touch with my professors! What an educational and wonderful experience. I graduated in 1992 and let my job opportunities take me to wherever the journey led.
Landed up as a clinical dietitian in Loris, SC after grad school, then envisioned working on a college campus. In 1994, I moved to Greenville, NC where I took the position as Nutrition Director of Campus Dining at East Carolina University! In 2000, I moved back up north to work in the corporate setting, educating AND entertaining the masses in Massachusetts! For the past 17 years, I’ve been an independent contractor. Worked at Gold’s Gym, Babson College and hundreds of companies along the way. I’ve met so many amazing people during my time in New England and have had SO MUCH FUN! Of course, there were some setbacks and disappointments along the road, but that’s what real living is all about!
I feel age is just a number. Healthy aging is taking the right steps in the present to keep your spiritual, mental and physical health in “future check”. Prevention goes a long way! As aging is part of life, we can slow the process down and have more fun by staying active, following a good skin care regimen, eating nutrient-dense and delicious dishes AND sharing with friends and family! The experiences I’ve had and people I’ve met in my life continue to surprise and amaze me! I am so happy in the present and look forward to what is yet to come. I feel very blessed to be so healthy and effective.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I came to Boston in 2001 and was fearless! I had no debt, no cell phone and no social media! I was working in a very giving and supportive community and living “The Secret” – everything I envisioned came to fruition. I was so happy! Then, boom…a rough patch 15 years later! My mortgage, menopause, death and debt were wearing me down!
A certain opportunity on a reality show fell through. I felt crushed and depressed. Overall, I was burnout!
I had to make major decisions so I sold my condo, went hiking in VT for 2 weeks, visited family in Ohio and Canada, then left for Hawaii.
I had to go to grow and to heal – getting closer to nature, to self-nurture. My place of comfort, my medicine, was the outdoors. The Big Island was raw with dangerous terrain and an active volcano. People were living sustainability off the grid. The beaches were rugged and rough, but also medicinal and healing. While there, I lived and worked at Kalani, a yoga and wellness retreat center in the jungle, ocean side. It was an amazing experience with beautiful people! Yoga, meditation, drum circles, swimming with wild dolphins and meeting people from all over the world helped me heal and come back to reality!
I then spent the past year with my dad in Ohio (while still going back to Boston for corporate wellness gigs every couple months) helping him out since my mother’s passing. He’s doing well now that the winter is over!
Fresh and free of stress, I’m back to Boston and creating new opportunities. I feel blessed my path lead me to Hawaii. Without the disappointments and hardships, I may have never found my paradise away from home! I’m planning to do a 2-week Jungle Boot Camp in the near future on Kalani’s campus! It will change your life…being there changed mine!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Laura Hartung RD – what should we know?
Laura has been a registered dietitian for over 25 years and in the Boston area since 2001. She loves spreading the good word of health to the Boston, Cape and Metro West areas! Out in the corporate world educating the masses, Laura conducts interactive cooking/exercise demos and presents the latest research on food for lifelong health and wellness! She’s counseled at Life is Good in Boston via Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, done cooking demos at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Sheply Bulfinch, Boston Financial Data Services, ENERNOC, OMAN, and headed employee exercise classes at Jordan’s Furniture sites in three states – just to name some of the companies!
Cooking and travel are two of Laura’s passions. She has visited both Greece and Italy, diving into their food culture while attending cooking workshops with other dietitians. She headed to Bali, Indonesia December 2015, for two weeks. Attending cooking classes and visiting organic farms were among the few of her scheduled activities! In 2016, Laura moved to Hawaii, where she worked and volunteered at Kalani, a yoga and wellness retreat center, in the jungle on the Big Island. She learned about sustainable living and worked in the kitchen helping the chef and kitchen team create delicious and nutritious meals for the campus.
Laura also brought Blue Zone workshop to campus and continues to educate the Boston area on the 9 Power Principles of the Blue Zones. The Blue Zones are 5 places in the world where people are living over the age of 100 and dying without disease. They included: Loma Linda, California; Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; and the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. Her passions are coming to reality, as she visited the only American Blue Zone – Loma Linda, California, this past March, where she spent the afternoon getting to know Benita (103) and Bill (101). She plans on heading to Okinawa, Japan this summer to see the centenarians on the island and get to experience their habits for a long and healthy life!
Having nutrition interns from Boston University, Simmons and other schools, has brought a lot of joy and much needed assistance to Laura for the past 14 years. She loves sharing and learning with the students!
Having a passion for physical fitness, Laura has been in the field almost 30 years! She ran track and threw the javelin in college. Today, she is an AFAA certified group fitness instructor, ACSM certified personal trainer and certified Les Mills Body Pump instructor and Spinning instructor. She also got certified to coach Stand Up Paddle board last summer.
Laura has been on both TV and radio sharing her passion of food and wellness. She’d love to visit your company to encourage and inspire healthy behaviors.
Or, come on a wellness adventure with her. Pack light and be ready to move and groove while meeting the most amazing people on the planet!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.laurahartungrd.com
- Email: laurahartungrd@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lah_fearless_unstop_able/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraHartungRD/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Laurahartungrd
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-hartung-ma-rd-ldn-26306b33/
Image Credit:
Dillard Morrison
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