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Posts tagged ‘healthy living’

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 7

Fa la la latte. Lots a sugar oh my!

cariboucoffee-falatoppedbyyouHappy Monday, peeps! I don’t know about you but on Monday’s I’m thrilled to indulge in a big ol’ cup of coffee before and after my morning walk and workout.

This morning I got up early to walk the lake with a friend and treated myself to a large skim milk latte at Caribou on the way home. Yum! It’s my treat to myself  to start the week.

I noticed when I stopped in at my neighborhood Caribou Coffee that the Fa la la for the holidays is in full swing. The gifted marketing team at Caribou is at it again. Check out the NEW awesomeness Caribou is throwing our way. Now, you can get the holiday Fa La Latte (or any holiday flavored latte) with your choice of whip and sprinkled with your choice of flavored chips or candy on top. It’s a Fa La Latte bar of sorts — topped by you.

A very cute gentleman in line before me this morning saw me taking photos of the leader board and said he always wanted to try one. He did. And his comment: “It’s like eating candy!” 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

May 10

Resilience. The key to happy, healthy & whole.

GOOD NEWS: If you don’t have resilience, you can develop it!

lori-speakingfitfest2016This week, I’m celebrating four years of living from the center of the equation of my own life as a fit, active, happy and healthy girl. Yes! A big deal.

I’m more proud of maintaining my -200 lb weight loss and Lori-in-the-equation life for four years than I was to lose the weight and get to my goal in the first place. And that’s saying a lot, because I was ecstatic to get to goal on May 12, 2012 and celebrate with my special peeps!

While losing and keeping the weight off is a huge accomplishment and changed my health trajectory, the greatest gift I gave myself was a WHOLE life. I got off the hamster wheel of a busy life, where I was drenched in self-doubt and worthiness issues, and learned to take care of my health and happiness first. I learned to live more from intention and less from habit. To honor and respect myself. To practice self-care consistently. And to stop doubting myself, beating myself up and being a victim of my circumstances.

WHOLE is not easy! And living a whole life manifests differently for everyone. I define it this way: WHOLE = happy + healthy + hard. I didn’t get here by taking the easy road. One of the most important skills that I developed along the way was resilience. I’m learning now — four years in — it makes all the difference. Read more

May 4

3 Comments

Weight maintenance is hard, rewarding & totally doable!

If…and when…you’re in your equation…
Do NOT be discouraged in weight loss by The Biggest Loser Study

ITE_Before-After_Insta

My before & after

On Monday, the New York Times published an article on the science of fat titled: After the Biggest Loser, Their Bodies Fought to Regain Weight.”

Google search #biggestloser and you can read a lot of hullabaloo over the study with everyone from past The Biggest Loser contestants to so called weight-loss experts weighing in. I was hesitant to comment because, well, I’m no expert. But, I am living with the joys and struggles of weight maintenance. For me, it’s real life. And in two weeks, I will be celebrating my 4-year anniversary of keeping off 200 pounds. ( I know, cool, right?!)

Since the obesity research was published in the NYT, I’ve had no less than 10 people send me the article and ask me to comment on how I am able to keep the weight off. Others have messaged privately and asked what I thought of the study.

For those who haven’t read it yet, the research showed a significant slowing of the metabolism for The Biggest Loser contestants that has persisted for years, causing their resting rate metabolism to plummet so they burn far fewer calories when their bodies are at rest as compared to someone their size who did not have dramatic weight loss. It’s more nuanced than that and you can read the full article here.

The questions I was asked:  What do you think? Are you experiencing the same thing? Read more

Mar 28

Living from intention, not “old” habits

ITE_Intention_QuoteHappy Monday Morning peeps! My wish for you — and for me — this week is to live life more from intention and less from habit. That’s how change starts. And then those intentions can become NEW healthy habits.

This is not just one of my favorite motivational quotes, but also the key to living a WHOLE life, not just a busy one. It’s the place where real change takes place.

When we focus on what we really, really, really want and establish that as a clear intention and non-negotiable, we give ourselves permission to go for it and a clear path to live more from intention and less from habit.

Along the way, we become more mindful, more aware of what we’re practicing that is working (or not) on the path to this intention, and we begin to open ourselves up to the possibilities and the opportunities presented to us. 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

Mar 14

Join us at FitFest 2016!

Lori Schaefer of In the Equation at MSP FitFest.2015

Lori Schaefer, In the Equation, at MSP FitFest 2015

Are you too busy to be healthy? Have you given up your biggest goals and dreams? Do you find yourself stressed about how to fit it all in?

What better way to put yourself in the equation and jumpstart a healthier YOU than by attending an all-day fitness and wellness extravaganza? Get inspired and motivated by the latest and greatest in fitness classes and cool seminars on weight loss, nutrition, healthy living and more — including mine!

Join us at MSP Magaizne’s FitFest 2016 on Saturday, April 23rd at the University of Minnesota’s state of the art Recreation & Wellness Center. I am delighted to be presenting a new workshop at 11 a.m. titled: Put Yourself in the Equation & Re-ignite Your Life. Read more

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