BUFFALO — It takes a special kind of determination and focus to achieve any personal goal, no matter the subject matter.

For Lindsay Kasprzak, it was weight loss.

Growing up, Lindsay played sports year-round: basketball, softball, swimming.

“In high school, I would eat whatever I wanted,” Lindsay explained. “After being at school all day then a competitive game or practice, I was so active that the quality of what I was eating was just not something I thought too much about.”

But after graduation, many things about Lindsay’s lifestyle changed. She was a full-time college student working part-time in retail and living on her own. Similarly to her high school life, healthy eating habits were not a priority.

“When I was living at home, my parents always cooked quality meals, but when I moved out on my own, I was eating on the go, fitting in meals between class and work — and doing it in the cheapest way possible,” she said. “And with these full days, exercising wasn’t even on my radar. Sports always kept me active growing up, and that time was now filled with pursuing my career as a Radiologic Technologist.”

Around the age of 22, Lindsay had had enough and was ready for a lifestyle change.

“For me, it came down to self-confidence,” Lindsay explained. “There is nothing wrong with looking a certain way, as long as you are confident and happy. I wasn’t. And when you’re not confident and happy, you don’t give the world the best version of yourself, and I knew I needed to make a change.”

It started small. A gym membership, more water, elimination of soda and fewer trips to the drive-thru.

“I actually lost 25 pounds just doing that,” she said. “And I started feeling better. My knees were hurting less, and I just felt better because I was caring about myself more.”

The next inspiration came along with her “other half”. Lindsay got engaged to her now-husband, Matt, and she set her wedding as a motivation to take it to the next level.

“Because I was always an athlete, it was easy for me to amp up my workouts,” she explained. “But, the dieting was still something I had a lot to learn about. So I really just kind of maintained where I was at, instead of continuing to lose more than that first 25 pounds.”

Still unhappy, Lindsay tried the one thing she had been looking to somewhat avoid.

“I loved the physical and mental feelings I got from working out, but I knew if there was any chance of meeting my goals, I needed to be more educated about my diet,” Lindsay said. “I tried Weight Watchers, and that was honestly the best move I ever made. They taught me so much about how to eat, when to eat, what to eat while also addressing the psychological reasons people end up overeating.”

And from there, applicable life lessons arose. To always challenge yourself and set lofty goals to continue improving — in everything you do.

From her weight loss journey, Lindsay has taken up competitive running, training for and finishing the Buffalo Half Marathon as well as multiple races with her dog.

Not just benefitting her physical and mental health, running has also aided her career in real estate as well.

“You get out what you put in,” she explained. “The more focus and discipline you dedicate to fitness, the more positive results you’ll see. The same goes for real estate; the harder your work, the more your business will grow.”

That’s not the only career benefit Lindsay has seen from running.

“When I run, I run through neighborhoods,” Linsday laughed. “So, I see so many different homes for sale that I can see them for myself and help speak about them to my buyers.”

As much as she learned about the science behind diet and exercise, Lindsay learned just as much about self-love and fighting for yourself.

“Everything in life fights you on your ability to take care of yourself, but you have to fight back. If you don’t take care of yourself, who’s going to?”