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Posts from the ‘Exercise & Fitness’ Category

Nov 30

The In-the-Equation Healthy December Challenge

Join us…Get back on track & practice self-care through the holidays

snowmanimage-ITEDecemberChallengeHi Peeps. Anyone feeling a bit off track post Thanksgiving? Perhaps you’ve fallen completely off the healthy living bandwagon and are struggling to get your mojo back?

Whether it’s a missed workout, feeling sluggish at work, or you drank too much wine too many days in a row (I might have done that) — trust me, you’re not alone! Do NOT throw in the towel. We’ve totally got this!

If you can relate and you need a little help with the mojo, the In-the-Equation Healthy December Challenge is designed for you! This Challenge provides motivation, support, accountability and some good-old-fashioned incentive to get you back on track practicing self-care every day. And I’ll be right here with you.

I’m hearing from lots of peeps who are struggling with either some lost mojo for healthy living after Thanksgiving or are stressed by Santa’s looming deadline and all those December holiday parties. So let’s nip this worry and lackluster attitude in the bud!

The In-the-Equation Healthy December Challenge is easy, motivational, will help you focus, be accountable, and it’s fun. Most importantly, it can help you get back on track and practice self-care through one of the most stressful (albeit joyful) months of the year.

To participate, all you need to do is declare “I’M IN!” and DO ONE THING every day to practice self-care. The challenge runs Dec. 1-Dec. 24, 2016. So here we go. Here are the details. Read more

Nov 22

Managing holiday expectations. Do you have a plan?

A strategy for self-care and stress reduction around the holidays

pic-holiday-self-careI read no less than eight articles this morning in my news feed with advice about how to handle the upcoming holidays.

The titles ranged from: “5 Reasons to Eat Whatever You Want on Thanksgiving,” to “How to Plan a Weight Neutral Thanksgiving,” to “Six Holiday Foods with Health Benefits,” to “Smart Snacking Over the Holidays,” to a host of articles with various coping strategies for stress reduction.

I get overwhelmed just sorting through the advice — much of it contradictory. Needless to say, I was hesitant to share my own holiday coping strategy for fear of adding to the clutter. But when I mentioned it to a friend, she urged me to do so. I’ve been quite transparent over the years about the difficulty of maintaining a significant weight loss, and the holidays packed with emotion and stress present a particular set of extra challenges — at least for me. I’ve found that spending just a little proactive time thinking about where you are, what the holiday schedule and expectations look like for you, and then planning self care and coping strategies in advance is a helpful approach. Each of us is different, and often from year to year the challenges are different.

Have you thought about creating your own holiday action plan? Here’s what works for me. Read more

Nov 14

Balancing fun with the girls & staying on track

Girls Gone North 2016 - HikeI just got back from a much-needed girlfriends getaway. Girls Gone North to be exact.

My “besties” and I headed to the North Shore of Lake Superior this past weekend for our Annual Girls Gone North Weekend at the Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts. It’s become an annual tradition. We celebrate sisterhood, friendship and the fact that no boys are allowed! (Well, okay, this year the boys from North Shore Winery were allowed because they hosted our fun wine tasting event. But other than that, it’s sacred girl time.)

We hike. We laugh – a lot! Sometimes we “spa.” We catch up on all things “feminine.” And, we eat and drink — sometimes a lot. You get it! Girlfriend getaways are necessary and good for the soul.

But what do you do when you’re trying to eat healthy and stay on track? I get asked that question a lot. So, coming fresh off our November girls weekend seemed the perfect time to share some tips. I’m feeling especially proud of maintaining my weight loss while on vacation and coming home right on track.

This has not always been the case. Read more

Oct 10

Grateful girl on the mountaintop

Lori-Penobscot-Fall2016Good Monday morning, peeps. And cheers from the mountaintop!

Please forgive the tardiness of this blog. I started it last week, but didn’t get it posted as I was too busy climbing mountains, enjoying the fall leaves of Downeast Maine and Acadia National Park, and living in the moment with Lori in the center of the equation.

Every time I take a rigorous hike to a mountaintop or along a challenging trail, I am overcome with gratitude. I mean it. I carry with me overwhelming gratitude for the ability to walk and hike in places of sheer beauty; for a connection to the Universe and nature that is indescribable; and for my new healthy and fit body that can do so many things I never dreamed of when I was stuck in the office chair 12-18 hours a day making excuses for how I couldn’t grab hold and change my life.

Well, these past two weeks, I’ve been livin’ it. And I’ve vowed that living it, being present in the moment and grateful for every gift — even the hard stuff — will always come first, before writing about it. #gratefulgirl Read more

Sep 19

Self-Care Sunday. It works!

self-care-sunday-walkI don’t know who comes up with #hashtags for every day of the week (#motivationmonday, #tbt…) but a few weeks ago I discovered the idea of #selfcaresunday.

Though practicing self-care is a fundamental principle for my life now that I live each day with Lori-in-the-equation, I love the idea of a day devoted to rest and downtime. An opportunity to get focused and consciously in touch with what our mind, body and spirit need. It’s an awesome “time out”, if you will.

I’ve pretty much adopted the #selfcaresunday approach (unknowingly) since I began my transformation journey in Nov. 2010 and went from working 12-18 hours per day, 7 days a week, to a non-negotiable of taking at least ONE day for myself — usually Sunday.

Sunday’s have become the day to relax and recharge, to set myself up for success for the week, to enjoy fun time with family and friends, and to get grounded in what comes next. If I do need to work on those days, and often I do, I switch it up and practice #selfcaresaturday! Ha. Take that #hashtaggers. Read more

Sep 6

When in doubt, take it to the mountain

Finding my center on the mountaintop. Navigating a difficult year!

lori-oberghike-aug2016One of the most beautiful things about committing to a healthy lifestyle centered around putting yourself in the equation of your own life, is the self-awareness and self-discovery that comes with it. I view myself as constantly growing, learning and evolving. I’m in a constant growth state — this time it’s a personal growth mindset NOT pant size growth! 😉

Over the past five years, I’ve learned to recognize what I need, when I need it and honor it with self-care and self compassion. It’s not always easy, but it’s becoming easier and I have many great mentors who’ve helped me along the way.

These past few months, I’ve been increasingly stressed, sad at times, and I’ve noticed that I’ve started to work a bit too much. I’ve become too isolated in my day-to-day life for this God-given Extrovert, and I’m starting to worry about things over which I have little or no control. The old “victim” voice has started to creep back into my conscience.

There’s no question that it’s been a tough year and I’m navigating some tough personal stuff, but there also are no victims allowed in this new Lori-in-the-equation life! So when the voice of the Gremlins — self-doubt, worry and that good old Victim appear, I know exactly what to do.

I take it to the mountain! Read more

Jul 25

The emotional side of the journey can make or break you

I choose make! Tips from a (recovering) emotional eater.

eattofuelHappy Monday, peeps. Forgive me for not getting a blog out last week. The truth is, I had to double down to keep Lori-in-the-equation and stay on track amidst some unexpected emotional upset and stress.

This “emotional upset” triggered my long-lost (ex) friend — the Worthiness Gremlin. Yep, that’s my nickname for destructive “old” thought patterns and internal voices that make me doubt myself and my worth. The bottom line: I had to hunker down and go “all in” to stay healthy.

As if that weren’t enough to navigate, we’ve had a crazy heat wave in MN with temps in the high 90’s and heat indexes of 110-120 degrees. That meant my go-to-method of managing emotional stress — power walking my neighborhood lake — was not always available to me. So I had to find alternatives.

Despite those obstacles, I had a solid week on my Lori-in-the-equation healthy restart. Yes! Several wins here. I managed to stay the course on my nutritional plan in the face of emotional pain and upset that in the old days would have triggered emotional binge eating like a pro. I found a way to exercise every day, even when it was in the high 90’s with 78% humidity outside. I stayed off the alcohol, giving up several opportunities for a summer cocktail on the patio with friends. (Though I’ll admit that a week of wild emotions had me wanting to drink!) And, perhaps most importantly, I worked extra hard to hold my strong sense of self and stay positive among some serious emotional pain, upset, worry, and stress. I did this by focusing only on what I can control — ME.

Why am I sharing my personal struggle with the emotional side of the weight-loss and wellness equation? Because I think many of you share it. Read more

Jul 14

Confession of a healthy and fit girl

lori-readytoroll-firstbikeoutingI have a confession to make. I’m 53 years old, and this week I took my first bike ride in nearly 35 years! (Think bicycle not Harley.)

This is a milestone I have to document. And in doing so, I hope to provide hope and inspiration to others who have given up exercise or personal enjoyment because they are too out of shape or afraid of what others might think. I can’t believe it’s taken me 30 years, four years sans -200 lbs, to get on a bicycle again.

How many things do we give up when we become overweight, sedentary, too busy, too focused on others, too afraid? Or, because we don’t think we deserve them. The answer for me was — A LOT!

Over the years of my adulthood as I became heavier and heavier, I started hiding myself behind that weight and the fear of putting myself out there. Slowly but surely, I limited my life and it became small.

Some examples. I gave up dating and romantic relationships — taking myself “off the market” and “turning the porch light off” because I was deathly afraid of rejection. I never traveled oversees or to places like Hawaii or Alaska, because I didn’t want to be on an airplane so long that I might have to use the restroom — I didn’t fit and flying wasn’t a fun experience. It was uncomfortable and I lived in fear of the seat belt not buckling and the flight attendants discovering that and offering me an extension.

Eventually, I gave up a lot of the outdoor activities I used to enjoy — walks on the beach or in the woods, jogging up hills, playing softball, riding a bike. That last one was a killer because growing up in rural Minnesota, I LOVED to ride bike! Read more

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