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Self-care rocks!

A solid week of restart. YES, we can!

lori'sharleyYep, I’m living testament to the fact that when you take care of yourself and your health and well-being, everything else is better.  I’ve tested this theory from both sides, and I KNOW it works!

Over the July 4th holiday weekend, I took a much-needed vacation. I checked out of my day-to-day life and drove off to Madison, WI, to spend the long weekend with a dear friend celebrating her 50th. In four days, we “did” Milwaukee (think Summerfest outdoor concerts, Harley, and craft breweries), Madison’s outdoor concert scene (Steve Miller! and craft beer), and then we had an outdoor concert at Edgewater on the lake and a surprise 50th birthday party (think music and craft beer)!

Why am I telling you this?

Well, let’s just say, I got more than a little OFF my healthy eating at a time when I’ve been really struggling to keep it clean and healthy. So while I was already in a full-on restart after going up on the scale and in a clothing size, I STILL took a time out and partied with my friend to celebrate her 50th and live life. And I don’t regret it.

So now what?

Colorrun-readytorollThe restart to the restart!

When I returned after the July 4th holiday, I had some cleaning up to do — mentally and physically. I had to get right back on the healthy life wagon and not let it turn into a slippery slope. I had to counter the gremlin voices — the ones inside my head that said “Oh that was fun, let’s keep it going,” and “I deserve it,” ColorRun2016and “who cares anyway.” Yep, I had to stop those negative voices and simply restart. It was non-negotiable.

I countered my gremlin voices of self-doubt and sabotage with my own strong, Lori-in-the-equation voice — the one that lives from a place of self-love, self-care and self-respect and knows exactly how to restart for success. “Lori, you know the way, you’ve totally got this!” “That was totally fun and a break you deserved, but it can’t be the norm, it can’t become a slippery slope.” “We’ve got this,” “Healthy feels and looks good on you!” And, the best one: “I live healthy, happy & WHOLE!”

So, indeed, as hard as it was (and it was hard), I got back on the self-care wagon and Lori-in-the-equation lifestyle I’ve come accustomed to first thing on Tuesday. And, to keep myself accountable and truly be the authentic me you’ve been following, I need to lead not only with self-care, but I need to “go public” on my new non-negotiables and my commitment to myself. So here we go.

My restart non-negotiables are:

  1. Resume my “healthy eating for life” plan as the #1 priority. Time to clean it up, stop the sneaky occasional binge when experiencing emotional upset and get back on the plan. 100% all in! No excuses.
  2. No alcohol during the week for 30 days. My rule for myself is simple. I get the alcohol out and allow it only 1x per week, with someone, and as part of a 1x per week “cheat meal” — and then only if really desired or social setting warranted. Alcohol shuts down fat loss for a time anyway, not to mention extra calories. And, for me, it’s become a binge trigger of late. Alcohol of any kind or volume, makes me want to eat. So “out” it goes! (This was my program when I lost -200 lbs and I’m going back to basics!)
  3. Exercise plan resumed: Walking every day 1-2x and strength training 4-5x. Because I feel better, work better, live better inside and out when I’m moving my body and clearing my mind. (Tip: Check out this awesome article from MindbodyGreen titled: The Exercise Benefits We Don’t Talk About Enough.)
  4. Mindfulness Practice. Daily, even if only 10 min. I alternate between a daily gratitude practice, Tell me something good, and meditation. But my non-negotiable is — I do something for 10 minutes or more, every single day. (Tip: There’s a great free app called Insight Meditation Timer you can download on your phone or tablet that has thousands of meditations and helps you begin if you don’t know how or what to do. It’s awesome!)
  5. Do something fun every week as part of #operationrediscovermycity #operationlovemycity. If you missed that blog, you can read it here.
  6. When you slip and fall — restart! It’s okay, you know the way. (P.S. And when you really fall off the wagon and end up in a size bigger clothes, go public, be authentic and make it real. Oh, and tell yourself, “I’m not perfect, and it’s okay cause I’m pretty damn awesome and I’ve got this!”

So how did I do? This past week, pretty great. And it felt great! Did I drop some “beer/party weight?” YES! But way more importantly, it felt great to be living healthy and well. I know the difference and I choose healthy! I choose self-care. After 47 years or so of not choosing healthy and well, I finally got it. I’m living it and loving it! And you can, too. Trust me.

Here are a few of wins this week in words and photos, for me and for you. Let’s rock this restart together! Who’s with me?

Wins this week:

  • Went to my local Farmers Market and bought lots of seasonal, wholesome goodies to make fresh salads, including beet salad (yum). And bought myself the most beautiful flowers!
  • Was successful at my non-negotiables every day, despite a lot of internal gremlin voices trying to take me off track — my Lori in the equation voice is strong and resilient. Yes!
  • Participated in a fun and colorful 5K yesterday with great friends and introduced them to the art of the color run!
  • Signed up for another 5K in August and looking for the late September race – 5K or 10K.

Now, you ask, did I have struggles and tough times, oh yeah?! I still have to work hard at it every day, and of late, it’s harder than it has been in years. I’m in a life cycle where life has lots of ups and downs and with it my emotions feel like a roller coaster. I’m still happy and healthy from 30,000 feet, but the overall mojo is weak at best. It takes some heavy lifting right now to get my head right and keep it there. I am a work in progress, and I’m still awesome and living healthy, happy and WHOLE!

The truth is though, it’s far easier to live healthy and WHOLE when things are awesome and you’re feeling a “10” on the happiness meter. It’s way harder when life is in a rut, you’re in the not-so-good or down cycle (and we all have them.) So for those who think it’s easy for me or I don’t have to work at it — not!

The difference is this: I’ve now proven to myself that I have within me what it takes, and I know that sometimes it’s harder than other times. And that’s okay. It sure beats the alternative of living lonely, small and hiding behind your fears…hiding behind the weight and worry.

I choose healthy, happy and WHOLE! (P.S. That is my daily mantra right now — try it, it works for me!)

Cheers. May you have an awesome, in-your-equation week.

XXXXOOOOO

Lori

Read more about the restart and how it changes everything here:

Here’s my slideshow from my week in review, Lori in the equation living healthy, happy & WHOLE!

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