Skip to content

Posts tagged ‘no excuses’

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

Apr 25

2 Comments

Some days you have to fight for it!

Nike-fitness-quote-just-do-it-wallpaperMake yourself proud. No excuses! Just do it… (I tell myself).

Nope. I don’t want to! I am not feelin it today…(self replied).

Sometimes you have to just get up off your butt and do it. There is no easy path. No magic bullet. No internal motivation that is going work, so you just do it. Plain and simple…

Ever have a conversation with yourself that goes something like this? The truth is, some days you have to fight for it. Today was one of those days for me.

On a damp, gloomy mid-April Monday — after a weekend filled to the brim with work, family gatherings and obligations — I just wasn’t feelin it. All I really, really, really wanted to do this morning was pull the covers over my head and stay in my PJ’s — all day. The last thing I wanted to do was go for a long walk, do my strength and stretch routine, and practice mindfulness. Nope, I was mindful that I wanted to sleep. Read more

Feb 4

Dancin in the kitchen! My favorite indoor workout

My No-Excuses Workout at home during a blizzard!
Part of our back-to-basics series – revisiting the nuts & bolts of getting healthy & fit

lori-workoutkitchenYesterday in the aftermath of a snowstorm, I decided to stay in to work out. Somehow bundling up, shoveling out, and trudging out in the snow didn’t appeal at 6 am. So instead I put on the all-time new favorite play list and for 30 min I rocked it in the kitchen. It was a fun and great workout.

Jumping jacks, high knees, high kicks, speed skaters, lunges, squats, boxing footwork & jabs, my own version of Dirty Dancing footwork, shaking my booty and stepin it out (and a whole lot more of lunging and squatting). It was a great work out and I incorporated total body because I worked on getting my heart rate up and used weights intermittently for strength.

Most importantly, it really was fun. I think I perfected a few dance moves that will serve me well in my future dates when I take it to the dance floor in public! (Lucky guys who get to dance with me.) 😉 Read more

Jan 11

Want to lose weight? Get smart first.

weight-scale-helpA fun quiz on weight loss dos & don’ts & a few tips from me

It’s the New Year, so lots of people have embarked on a goal to lose weight and eat healthier. I don’t know about you, but my email is inundated with diet gurus providing tips on how to lose weight and much of the information is confusing, conflicting, and/or soliciting me to sign up for their particular program.

After losing and keeping off 200+ lbs, people also ask me for weight loss tips: How did I lose my weight — what nutritional plan did I follow? Did I track my food, why is that important and what tracker did I use? Did I weigh every day, and do I believe in that? How often did I exercise and how much? And more.

So, I’ve decided to get back to basics and write a series of blogs on nutrition and where to start. I’ll be sharing some of my personal stories, tips, favorite recipes and answering some of your questions. I urge anyone who has a question or topic for me related to nutrition or diet tips, to reach out.

Please know that I am not a nutritionist or an expert. But I did have success at losing and keeping off a lot of weight and I know what worked for me. I believe that when it comes to nutrition for weight loss (and healthy eating in general), you have to get smart first. You have to stop making excuses, take charge of your health, and know the basics on nutrition. This will probably include educating yourself and learning what resources to trust. Hopefully, I can help.

Read more

Nov 19

Operation reboot!

7 Tips for a successful start, restart, or total reboot

lori-operationreboot-2015Nearly four weeks ago I boldly blogged about my epiphany on the mountain and #operationreboot. It’s time for a reality check.

The old me wishes I could report that I’ve been perfect — 100% on plan with no slip ups. The new me laughs at that notion and is happy to report that Ive had a good run, with ups and downs along the way. I’m not perfect. But I’m authentically me. I love and celebrate that.

Yep, I’d rather be perfectly imperfect, perfectly authentic and 100% all in! That’s my new definition of success. And it’s working. I’m kinder and gentler with myself without hiding behind the excuses. I am able to take stock of major progress despite a lot of stress, travel and unexpected emotional challenges. I feel great — strong, capable, and on fire. There’s no question, that I’ll reach my goals. Because I know I can! One day at a time.

So here’s the report from the trenches. Read more

Oct 21

4 Comments

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

Sep 11

A beautiful resilience

ITE_Resilence_QuoteMy blogs on the topic of “resilience” are getting a lot of attention lately. I love that when I peeled back the layers of self-protection and self-doubt, I found a beautiful resilience inside of me that I know means I will always be okay. I will always thrive.

Resilience is one of the key qualities/skills that will propel you to your goals. I am so grateful that I uncovered mine and wanted to share this quote with those of you thinking about this today. Read more

Dec 1

Climbing mountains…getting strong

She climbed until she saw…and saw…and saw…

Lorileif-oberg-bootcamp-bethprobstI love the quote, “She Climbed Until She Saw” by Compendium. And so it became the lori&leif-on-mountaintitle of this blog documenting my transformation journey over the last four years. A journey to health, happiness and personal growth.

It also became the metaphor for my transformation — for the internal work I needed to do to learn to love and accept myself  as enough. And for the physical mountains I would climb as part of my journey to weight loss.

It was in weight-loss boot camp that I climbed my very first mountain…and survived! I’ve now been climbing mountains for fitness and for pleasure every since. And I always look forward to both the physical challenge, and the mental one.

In November of 2010, as I readied for weight-loss boot camp, my dear friend Jean sent me this quote, which I’ve found myself reflecting on these past couple of days. I want to share it here again with you all because it is so representative of my journey and the struggles we all face going for our big, hairy, audacious goals — you know, the one(s) that have alluded you and that you say you’ll tackle someday. Here’s the poem — one of my favs.

« Older Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers: