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Posts tagged ‘healthy habits’

Mar 29

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Centering amid the chaos

Join me for daily In-the-Equation Check-Ins – FREE on Zoom

Hello! How are you doing?

Anyone feeling uncertain, unsettled, unfocused, or unproductive? How about disoriented, disconnected, anxious, worried, sad or tired?

Yep, me too! I’m feeling all of those things, plus gratitude, hope, kindness, love, laughter, courage, creativity, compassion, confidence, and determination.

I’m on a roller coaster of emotion and trying to find my way. My guess is, so are most of you.

I’ve spoken to about 30 people since the words — Coronavirus, COVID-19, global pandemic, social distancing, and flattening the curve — became part of our every day lives. Most, describe this experience as surreal and unsettling. For sure, it’s upending life as we knew it.

If you’re riding the roller coaster of emotion and craving connection, structure and support — I want you to know you’re not alone, and I’m offering a way to connect. Read more

Apr 22

Understanding inspiration & motivation

What’s the difference? Does it matter?

Okay, be honest, have you ever thought: “I wish I felt like working out today”? Or, “I wish I could eat healthier and cut out the sugar”?

I’m guessing that immediately following the thought, the list of “buts” started. But…

Perhaps you’ve attended a really great conference or listened to a podcast and felt inspired in that moment to do something big — to make a big change in your life…only to lose it later and not do the thing you were so inspired to do?

So was that a burst of inspiration? Where does motivation come in? What happens that either makes us do something…or not?

I’m back on the motivational speaking circuit and conducting wellness workshops this year, as well as restarting my In-the-Equation coaching practice. It’s exciting and I’m totally inspired to do it. At the same time, I’m more personally challenged than I have been in a long time to keep myself on a steady course of practicing consistently healthy habits that keep me happy, healthy and whole.

Yet, people are continually telling me that I’m inspiring and motivating them! This in turn motivates me to stay the course so it’s a win-win. But this got me thinking…

What inspires vs. motivates us to action? Can someone else really inspire and motivate us, or do we have to do the motivation part ourselves? Most importantly, how do we REALLY sustain that motivation over the long haul?

Have you ever really thought about where you get your inspiration and motivation to make big, bold changes in your life? Or, how you personally find the motivation to stay the course when the going gets tough?

Let’s explore together. Read more

Feb 18

Time to up the ante on food tracking

Awareness + Accountability + Focus on Long-Term Goals vs. Short-Term Wants

It’s a pretty undisputed fact: Research has shown that people who keep track of what they eat and weigh are more likely to succeed at losing weight and keeping it off than those who don’t.

A New York Times article I re-read recently quoted a research expert who summarized it this way: “Self-tracking teaches people how their environment and behaviors affect their health, said Carly Pacanowski, a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow who studies eating behavior. “It’s a preventive daily strategy that always stays with you,” she said. “Over time, it provides a lot of interesting information. It lets people be more in the driver’s seat with regard to their health.”

I agree. Though keeping a daily food log and tracking your activity takes focus and consistency, and it doesn’t work for everyone.

If you’re a regular follower of this blog, you know that I believe the process of losing weight and keeping it off is PERSONAL — meaning what works for one person is not necessarily the answer for everyone. My overall approach to weight loss, as with most things that fall into the personal development category, is to “know thyself.” Read more

Feb 4

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2019: The year of STRETCH!

She made a promise to herself: This year, she will be brave and bold about EVERYTHING!

I’m back! And it’s been quite a journey to get here.

In August of 2018, I embarked on an adventure to live “A Year by the Sea.” I packed up my belongings, rented my house in St. Paul, MN, and ventured off to Maine — my self-prescribed “Happy Place!”

As I drove off to make the trek across the country, friends and family wished me well and commended me for living brave and bold. Yet I know many of them secretly thought — “What the hell is she doing leaving everything behind and starting fresh in her 50’s…alone?!” Or perhaps they wondered, “Why can’t she just be happy with her nice life in MN?!”

Well, that’s easy. I knew deep in my gut that this was something I needed to do. This is for my soul. It’s aimed at busting myself open to discover what next. It’s meant to push me way outside my comfort zone and it absolutely includes doing hard things.

Once I decided that I needed a fresh new start, including time and space to crack open my heart and live into the answers, there really was no stopping me. To stay in my familiar life would have been the easy choice. But I don’t believe you get “really good” without doing hard. And we all know that I’m not interested in living safe and small anymore. I am on a mission to live up to my absolute greatest potential — and that changes and evolves as I change and grow. Therein lies the work of this journey! Read more

Aug 22

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WWLD? Staying “In The Equation” in a crisis

WWLD — What Would Lori Do? This is my new mantra for practicing self-care and keeping myself “In The Equation” when the going gets really, really, really tough. (Yes, three reallys!)

And right now things are tough. My Dad has spent the last 12 days in the hospital about 60 miles from where I live — a week in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit. My 13-year old nephew is still without full-time parental care and living in a temporary foster home. His mom, my 53-year-old sister, is in her third nursing home in 1.5 years working on recovering from a massive stroke. And the family dynamics amidst all of this are a challenge to say the least.

Thus, for the first time since May 2012, I find myself really struggling to stay “In the Equation.” I’ve fallen off my healthy eating plan and eaten more junk food in the last two weeks than in the last five years (yep, I’m not perfect). I haven’t practiced my regular high intensity workout routine for weeks. Sleep is a challenge. I haven’t written a blog in nearly a month. My home and yard need attention… And yet, despite all of that I have NOT thrown in the towel on my own self care. Why? Because this is my new “Healthy Lori” non-negotiable.

As I returned last night weary and sad from a long stretch at the hospital, I debated whether I could muster the strength to write a blog in an attempt to process some of the stress I’m feeling. What would I say to myself to get back on track that might also be useful to others who find themselves in a tumultuous sea of crisis — things totally outside of their control and struggling to stay afloat?

What popped into my head was not an answer, but a question: “What would Lori do?” I wondered. Read more

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

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