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Posts tagged ‘active and healthy girl’

Apr 24

Time to up the ante on self-care & self-renewal

Spring: A time of new beginnings, fresh starts, and renewal. You in?

Ahhhhhhh Spring. It’s finally here! I don’t know about you, but I need a fresh start.

Many of us love Spring for what it represents in terms of new beginnings, rebirth and renewal. Spring brings longer days, warmer temperatures and sunshine; greening of the grass, trees and fields; fresh buds and blooms sprouting as if to say “hello” or “hey, pay attention to me;” animals awakening and birds and ‘peepers’ serenading us in song — in essence the earth seems to come to life again.

Spring is known as the season of new beginnings in part because of this rebirth and renewal, and in part because of the equinox. The Spring, or Vernal, Equinox occurs around March 20 in the Northern Hemisphere. (Though if you live in MN, Spring just arrived this past weekend.)

I love Spring for it’s reliability, if not predictability. But mostly, I love it for the symbolism of rebirth and renewal. A chance to start fresh, and with that comes hope, inspiration and anticipation — something I truly need this year.

Bye Bye Winter Blahs! Time to Refocus, Restart & Renew the Commitment Thy Self Read more

Mar 21

Spring has sprung! Take it outside.

spring-is-natures-way-of-saying-lets-party-quote-1The awesome benefits of outdoor exercise

Yesterday was the first official day of Spring 2016. It was a beautiful, sunny, low 40’s day in Mpls-St. Paul, MN. A great day for a walk…or two! I celebrated one of my favorite seasons with two walks around my beloved neighborhood & Como Lake.

Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal, fresh starts all around. Spring is especially awesome for those of us who live in cold states where people tend to hibernate in the winter. Here are a few of my favs: Sweatshirt weather, sprouting tulips and bulbs, the greening grass, countless robin sightings, gushing waterfalls and streams, and the smell of spring in the air.

For me, early spring also represents getting back outside on a daily basis for my cardio workouts. As an avid walker and hiker, I love outdoor cardio. I feel different when I’m out in nature. It’s feeds my body and soul.

Did you know that outdoor exercise has many health benefits? As the weather warms and our days get longer and brighter, here are some of the top reasons to take your workout outside. Read more

Oct 21

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An epiphany on my mountain

She climbed until she saw: No more victim-mentality. No more slippery slope. No more stinkin thinkin. Today we reboot. Yes!

Lori-oberg10-2015Today, I climbed Oberg Mountain on Minnesota’s North Shore for morning cardio. That, in and of itself is not significant as I’ve climbed that mountain no less than 50+ times in the last five years.

However, this climb was significant for many reasons: 1) This was my first on the mountain in several months due to a back injury and chronic case of sciatica; 2) I did so weighing more than I’ve weighed in almost 3.5 years — since I hit my goal in May 2012; and 3) I did so carrying a lot of emotional burdens and some stinkin thinkin.

I had an epiphany on my mountain today. One that jump started a major life “reboot.” Yep, on this day, October 21, 2015, the buck stops here and we restart. Today is the beginning of the official  Lori in the Equation Reboot! Read more

May 15

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3 lessons I learned on the mountaintop

NOTE: This week marks my 3-year anniversary living as a fit, active, healthy, happy girl from the center of her equation — maintaining a -200 lb weight loss. To celebrate, I’m working on a series of blogs sharing the lessons of the road of the past three years of healthy living. This is a continuing journey. It’s been the ride of a lifetime and I wouldn’t change a thing — even and especially the hard stuff.

Lori-ObergMountain-April2015

Hello mountain. Hello fresh spring air. Hello switchbacks and ascending trails….expansive and breathtaking views. Hello critters of the forest. It’s just us today. Just the way I like it. Good morning!

As I pass the entrance to Oberg Mountain and hit the ascending trail, this is my internal conversation — with myself and my mountain. It’s been months since we’ve met and it feels like coming home again.

Oberg — on the beautiful North Shore of Lake Superior — was the first mountain I ever climbed. And like a first love, it will always have a very special place in my heart.

That was not always the case. Read more

Sep 2

My first Color Me Rad 5K!

Lori-Christine-official-ColormeRad.jpgI just completed my first ever Color me Rad 5k in Madison, WI, over Labor Day Weekend with my college girlfriend, Christine. It was a blast!

In a spontaneous and last minute decision, I decided to head to Madison to raise a little hell with my awesome college friend, Christine. It was a weekend of firsts — my first ever Color Me Rad, actually my first 5K; my first BadgerFest (FUN!); and my first visit to Taste of Madison. It was an absolutely fun-filled girls weekend. And, no, not all the activities will make the blog! Some of what happened in Madison, stays in Madison! 😉 Read more

Jun 18

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Letting it all hang out

LoriSchaefer-After-BigPants

Photo by Hanna Voxland, Minneapolis

The power of sharing my story with the world

It’s no secret that I am extroverted and people driven. I love connecting with people in both my personal and professional life. It comes natural, and I tend to be more open than many.

That said, the decision to share intimate details of my lifelong battle with obesity and subsequent transformation did not come easy. In fact, there are still moments of uncomfortableness with being so public about something so very personal. But those moments are almost always short lived and overshadowed by the overwhelming positives of sharing my personal transformation story with the world. Read more

Jun 7

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Going 100% all in!

LoriSchaefer-After3Many of you who know my story or who have heard me speak, know that I live by the mantra – “I’m 100% all in!”

Going “all in” means going for it. Committing 100% with no holds barred, no excuses. Pushing past fear, emotional struggle and mindset blocks to give something everything you have because you know in your heart (and your gut) it is totally right! It means getting up when you fall, slip or fail and getting right back on the path. It’s knowing that if you keep walking, working and recommitting you will get there. And it is totally AWESOME!

Going “all in” is not easy. Nor is it for the faint of heart. Read more

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