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Posts tagged ‘inspiration’

Sep 20

Put Yourself In the Equation & Re-Ignite Your Life

Join me at St. Paul YWCA & Portland, Maine’s WMPG 90.9 Radio to learn how

One of my all-time favorite things to do is to connect with others who share a similar story of struggling with weight and self-esteem for most of their lives. Just as my inspiration and mentor O’Neal Hampton from NBC’s The Biggest Loser gave me the gift of HOPE, my goal is to pay it forward, spread hope and inspire other to change.

This month, you’ll have two opportunities to join me as I share my In-the-Equation transformation story and message of hope publicly. YES, this is your personal invitation to put yourself in the equation and re-ignite your life! I hope you’ll join me. The details are below.

Put Yourself in the Equation & Re-Ignite Your Life, YWCA St. Paul

Please join me in person at the Saint Paul YWCA in Minnesota this next Wednesday, Sept. 27 from Noon to 1:00 p.m. This YWCA sponsored Learn & Burn session is for both YWCA members and is open to the public, plus it’s FREE!

I’ll share my transformation story and principles for creating transformative change in your own life. And there will be time for Q&A. This event is FREE and open to the public, but it does require pre-registration by clicking here. Please join us as I celebrate five years of living in the equation sans -200 lbs and talk about not only how I lost the weight but how I’ve kept it off. I’m so excited for this talk and hope to see you at the YWCA. Read more

Sep 11

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Faith, courage & love

Requirements for braving the wilderness & living healthy, happy & whole

There is no other blog I could write today. I had the privilege of being in the audience last night at United Methodist Church in Minneapolis, MN, as the amazing Brene Brown kicked off her book tour for Braving the Wilderness, The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone.

Those of you who frequent this blog, know that I’ve not only been inspired by Brene Brown’s work around courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame and empathy, but her best-selling books have mirrored my growth AND my personal understanding about my transformation journey. In her message, I am blessed to learn, grow and evolve as a wholehearted human being, and now to share that experience and perhaps help others in doing so.

The values that Brene Brown speaks about — faith and courage — I share. I try to live daily by the core values of faith, courage and love — and it has perhaps never been more challenging than right now. Read more

Jul 31

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Launch into action – right now! Start. Restart. Go.

5-4-3-2-1-GO! Could it really be that simple?

I first learned about The Five Second Rule from my friend, Shirar, in Maine this Spring (not the one about dropping food on the floor, a new rule). We were talking about the Restart and how to get yourself back on track after messing up and Shirar mentioned this great technique that she heard about to  propel yourself into action by counting backwards from 5 — 5-4-3-2-1. It sounded simple and she said it was backed by science. I was intrigued so I made a mental note to check it out.

About a week ago, Shirar referenced the 5-4-3-2-1 in her own restart to get back on track with exercise. I saw the post on Facebook and made a second mental note to go online and check it out…when I had time.

Yesterday morning I implemented the #5secondrule for the first time in my own restart and it worked! It propelled me to action without thinking about it. Pretty cool.

This summer, I’ve started to slip outside of what I call my “Healthy & Happy Zone.” I’ve also recognized the old familiar Gremlin voice of self-doubt creeping into my psyche. So I stopped to take notice and decided to change it up. On Saturday as I was headed to the grocery store I gave myself a pep talk to RESTART and get back in the Zone. In short, the conversation went something like this. “You need to clean it up, Lor, no excuses!” I recognized the counter reply as my “old” and retired Gremlin Voice. It answered: “Next Tuesday is August 1st, start then. Aug. 1st is a way better day to start than today.”

I know that voice of self-sabotage well as I lived with it and allowed it to guide me for too much of my adult life. But I’m living with Lori-In-The-Equation now and I knew exactly what to do next. As I went to bed Saturday night, I thought of Shirar’s tip — 5-4-3-2-1. When the alarm went off on Sunday morning instead of staying in bed and blowing off my workout, justifying a day of “rest” — I launched myself out of bed saying out loud 5-4-3-2-1 … GO! Read more

May 12

Healthy, happy & whole sans -200 lbs. More than a weight loss story — it’s an inside job!

Celebrating 5 years of Lori in the equation!

Lori in the equation 5 years – May 2017

I woke up today on the official 5-year anniversary of living with “Lori-in-the-equation” and hopped on the scale. A cheer erupted when I weighed -202 lbs LESS than I did at my highest weight, confirming that I’ve successfully maintained my 200+ lb weight loss for 5 years. YES!

My pants are still 11 sizes smaller than when I started my journey in 2010 (though a few things have shifted!). I feel strong, healthy and fit! I’m climbing mountains for fun. I’m living a WHOLE life, not just busy one. And, putting myself in the equation and taking care of me now comes naturally. It’s non-negotiable.

As I mark this five-year milestone, I am beyond grateful and even humbled by these incredible gifts that have now become my norm.

Most people look at me as a weight-loss success story. But, my transformation journey isn’t about weight loss. It isn’t about diet and exercise. It’s not about counting calories or macros. Nor is it about deprivation…or even willpower. And, it’s not done.

The greatest gift I’ve given myself is not the hard numbers — though it feels incredible to be healthy and have reversed my health trajectory. Rather, the greatest gift is how I’ve changed on the inside. This is what makes it an inside job.

Here are just a few things that are different on the inside. I’ve learned to push past fear and stop being paralyzed by perfection. I no longer self sabotage and beat myself up for being imperfect. I know that I’m enough, exactly as I am. I’ve proven to myself that I can do anything I make up my mind to do. I’ve learned to love and accept myself, imperfections and all. I’ve discovered that self-care is a non-negotiable, and acquired new skills like the “restart” to keep me on track. And I’ve learned to change beliefs and life-long thought patterns that were keeping me stuck and stalled.

Read more

Jan 27

7 tips for keeping your motivation mojo

New Year. New In-the-Equation You! How are you doing at keeping your motivation mojo?

For so many years, I’d start the new year by setting lofty goals or New Year’s resolutions — usually aimed at losing weight, exercising more and getting “healthy” — only to fall off the wagon by mid-to-late January. Join the club, right?!

I would inevitably feel bad about losing my motivation and start beating myself up. I used my failure at achieving my goals as evidence that I couldn’t succeed. That I wasn’t good enough. My negative self-talk countered any positive progress, and I often ended up feeling worse. Ironically, this became a self-fulfilling prophecy. I stayed overweight, unhealthy, and totally out of the equation of my life. I continued to feel unworthy. And I continued to set resolutions and start anew at the beginning of a new year.

Luckily, that’s NOT how my story ends!

Like many of you reading this, for me, New Year’s resolutions are a thing of the past. So is the negative self-talk that accompanied them and kept me stuck. The NEW healthy and in-the-equation ME doesn’t wait for Jan. 1st to set personal goals or challenge myself to do the things I want to do. I say YES! to life now and embrace a personal growth mindset — all year long.

That said, I absolutely take advantage of the calendar year close as an opportunity to reflect on the lessons and experiences of my year (The Five Lessons of 2016). And, I get focused and intentional about what I desire most in the New Year by setting clear intentions. In fact, I get totally jazzed about this work. I just no longer force it or rush it to meet an arbitrary January 1st deadline. Read more

Jan 6

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This middle-aged fit girl has a new FAV workout

Cheers to a stronger, sexier, sassy & sculpted me. Take that, you stalled metabolism!

Happy New Year, peeps. I hope you’ve not only surviving, but thriving in the first week of 2017. Let’s get it!

Since losing weight and getting fit are the most common New Year’s resolutions…and because so many of us get off track over the holidays and restart January 1st…and because I just did my kick-ass workout and feel totally inspired…I want to share the secret of my AMAZING new favorite workout. And yes, I do it at home, in my kitchen/sunroom, with no equipment.

This (new-to-me) fitness routine has changed not only how and when I work out, but how I feel. It makes me feel stronger, sexier, and sassier. It has me excited to exercise. But most importantly, it has helped jumpstart a sluggish metabolism and get back on track with “burnin’ it.”

So, while I don’t endorse products or sell anything here, I want to share my story in case it’s a fit and works for you, too.

Read more

Dec 30

The five lessons of 2016

As the year comes to a close, it’s typical to find ourselves reflecting on its challenges and gifts, while beginning to envision our intentions for the coming year. For the past several years, I’ve shared my year-in-review insights in a blog. It helps me to put it out in the Universe, and I hope that others might find something enlightening, useful or relevant.

This year, it’s taken me the better part of a week to formulate the lessons of 2016. While it was a year with plenty of joy and success, the clouds and challenges were significant and proved difficult to navigate for this “in-her-equation” gal. The gift of it all, as I wrote in my blog last week, is the GROWTH and BLOOM that has occurred for me as a result of those challenges. (Here’s a link to that blog: Does every cloud have a silver lining?)

As I reflected on how to articulate the lessons of 2016, I went to Facebook to see what it had to say about my “Year in Review.” While I usually take these Facebook analyses with a grain of salt, this one really nailed it. It reads:

“2016 has had its ups and downs, Lori, but overall it’s been an important and positive one for you. You’ve learned a lot about yourself and will start 2017 more confident than ever before. Looking back you must be proud knowing that you successfully navigated this year and its turbulence. You have emerged stronger than ever and are ready to keep on smiling.”

And so there it is — the GROWTH and the BLOOM. Read more

Dec 13

Winter workout: Baby, it’s cold outside!

Time to change it up for the season. Here’s my winter workout strategy

Lori-6yearsonmountainWe had our first major snow dumping in Minnesota this past week (so pretty), and when I awoke this morning it was -4 degrees in St. Paul.

Brrrrrrrrrr! Winter has officially arrived. Dean Martin’s “Baby, It’s Cold Outside!” came to mind as my feet hit the hardwood floor early this morning.

Does anyone have trouble staying motivated to workout in the winter when the weather turns?

I do. And I decided a few years ago when we hit record low windchill I had to change up my workout routine for the winter. Although I absolutely love to be outside walking the lakes after a fresh snow, or hiking to the mountaintop in a magical winter white forest, that’s often not possible. MN winter is unpredictable. So, since a workout is better than no workout for this in the equation girl, I adapted and developed a new plan that works for me.

Here’s my winter workout strategy. Read more

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