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Posts tagged ‘strong girl’

Dec 26

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The first Christmas without Dad

Honoring my Dad who gave me the gift of health & more!

Today would have been my Dad’s 77th birthday. He died on Dec. 3rd this year, just three weeks before Christmas and his birthday, and after a sudden bought with Meningitis followed by an official diagnosis of Lewy Body disease.

When I spent the day with my Dad on Aug. 5, he was seemingly strong and resilient, like always. Days later he was hospitalized in ICU with delirium and a dangerously high fever. He never really came back to us after that day and he never went back home. Dad spent the final months of his life in and out of the nursing home, hospital, memory care, and finally hospice. It was only four months from the time he got sick until we lost him.

As I turned on the computer this morning to write, I wasn’t sure what this blog had to do with health and well-being — or even if it would be published. But I knew I needed to write. I now realize the message is powerful — for me and perhaps for you — and it has almost everything to do with health and well-being. Read more

May 25

Five lessons of five years living in the equation (sans -200 lbs)

With gratitude from the mountaintop

Those of you who know me personally or have followed my blog, know that I’ve used a mountain climbing analogy to describe my personal transformation journey. I truly believe that as we conquer the mountains, we conquer ourselves.

One of the fundamental things that’s different about me as I celebrate five years of living in the equation sans -200 lbs is that I now actively seek those mountains. I say YES!, accept the challenge, and aim to live a WHOLE life, not just a busy one. I do this because I know that as I conquer the mountain (literally and figuratively) I will grow and bloom. In fact, this is where the growth and bloom occurs.

As a fit and active girl, I take it to the mountain when I’m searching for answers, needing a restart, wanting to feel strong and fit, when I want to challenge myself, and to celebrate every significant milestone in this journey. It’s my go-to place…my sanctuary…the place I feel closest to the Universe. And, it’s where I’m actively conquering me.

Last week, I took it to my all-time favorite mountain — Penobscot in Acadia National Park, Maine. I embarked on a solo climb to celebrate my 5-year milestone and ponder my biggest and next question: “What do I need to say YES! to right now?” As usual, the mountain did not disappoint. Read more

May 18

A girl and her mountain.

Lessons from the mountaintop — 200+ lbs lighter…
Celebrating 4 years of Lori-in-the-equation!

lori-oberg-anniversaryhike

2016 Anniversary Hike – Oberg Mountain

She climbed until she saw…Until she dropped the heavy weight she carried as a shield.

She climbed until she discovered she was enough, just exactly as she was.

She climbed and climbed and climbed until she found self-acceptance, self-love and compassion…until she mastered self-care as priority.

She climbed until she found a WHOLE life, not just a busy one. Until she learned to say no to things that no longer served her and YES! to the big wide-open world of possibilities.

She climbed, until she learned that indeed she could not only climb — she could FLY!

She climbed until she saw.

When I started my personal transformation journey, I also started this blog to document it. That was in Nov. 2010. At the time there was no question what the blog title would be — She Climbed Until She Saw.

Climbing mountains has been a metaphor for my transformation journey. Thus, at every milestone I find myself back on the mountaintop reflecting on the lessons and the gifts. 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

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.) šŸ˜‰ 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 officialĀ  Lori in the Equation Reboot! Read more

Jul 20

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I do hard things…

…and I’m better, stronger for it! #bravegirl

LoriandAnneonMountaintopMy friend Anne coined the phrase, ā€œHard is fun.ā€ In her awesome Ten Centuries blog (which you can read here), she explains that by stretching our limits, conquering fear, and setting big, difficult goals ā€“ we learn all kinds of interesting things about ourselves. And for many, like Anne, hard is fun.

I share Anneā€™s tenacity for life. The “new Lori” does hard things. I seek adventure. Look for opportunities to conquer my fear. Say yes more than no. And run head strong into difficult things instead of running away from them.

Finally, I have confidence in myself and my abilities to live life to the absolute fullest. Even, and especially, when that means doing hard things.

Read more

Jul 14

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In the spirit of being brave, authentic…

…and living from the center of your equation

bluehillbestHi Peeps! I’m not quite back in the saddle of resuming the blog, but this morning I read something on Simple Reminders.com that I wanted to share.

In the spirit of being brave, daring greatly, and being true to your authentic self, this is a good one. And it rings so true in my life. In fact, it is serendipitous in its timeliness.

This is a simple reminder of why we aim to live honorably and be kind in all situations, even the hardest ones. It’s a reminder of why I live and love with my whole heart, even when I get smooshed. Or, as author Brene Brown says, in Daring Greatly, when we come out of the arena marred by dust and sweat and blood because we strived valiantly. Read more

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