Boot Camp Challenge

I had the most FUN sitting down and chatting with one of the Spice Girls!

No, I did not fly across the pond and interview Scary, Sporty, Baby, Ginger or Posh (although that would be SO fun!), her name is Carol, and she is the owner of the Olde Town Spice Shoppe in St. Charles, MO.

I totally went into this podcast to learn and share with you the healing principles of spices, and how they can help us on our wellness journey but what I learned was so.much.more!

Carol shares with us spices are so much more than an addition to our meals. They are so much more than healing properties. They are so much more than extra flavors in our drinks.

They are an important part of our family!

When we begin this podcast, you will hear my shock, our emotion (we both get a teary), then my paradigm shift as she explains the gift of spices. I know that sounds a bit dramatic, but take a listen and you will understand.

And then she answers my burning questions:

- What spices can help with diabetes and high cholesterol?

- Can spices really help in the healing process?

- Do spices go bad?

- What one spice can you use as a band aid?

I so hope you have an opportunity to take a listen to my latest podcast. Carol has such an amazing heart and passion for all of us and really wants to make our meal planning less stressful, our journey with food more joyful, and help us overcome fear of food.

Thank you, Carol, for caring so much for all of us. You are always invited to my dinner table!

Hi my friends,

I hope you are having a most awesome day!

I cannot WAIT for you to take a listen to my latest podcast! In it, I interview one of my campers (and brand new Air Force recruit!), Jillian Nurczyk, who shares her failures and successes in her journey to lose 30 pounds.

What I loved most about our interview was her honesty, her transparency, and her vulnerability.

And, when she tells her story, I realized it is all of OUR story. Everything she experienced is what we ALL experience when trying to make change. No one gets through change without it just sucking really hard!

And, I loved she shared all her tips that led her to success. Here is what we talk about:

- What she did to push past her plateau to hit her goal weight.

- How she avoided sabotaging herself after eating a bad meal or a skipping workout.

- The biggest help to go from drinking soda all day to drinking water (and my hubby did it also).

- How she cut fast food out of her diet.

If you have any time, I would love, love, love you to take a listen to Jillian's story. And, I hope some of the tips she shared can help you on your wellness journey.

And, lastly, Jillian, I'm so freakin excited for your next journey of serving our country. I am so proud of you!

Hoo Aah!

I have been struggling lately with what I see on social media regarding fitness and wellness.

And while I truly believe social media and fitness go together like peanut butter and jelly, I also feel there is so much YUCK out there, so many lies, so much pseudoscience!

And, it bothers me because even the most educated fall for it! And, you know why? Cuz it's sexy. Cuz we want it to be true. Cuz we want a quick fix.

And, I totally get it. This June I will have been doing this fitness gig for 35 years (yep, I literally just realized that during this podcast) and I still haven't found a quick, easy fix for ANYTHING!

So, today I dive into how to find the truth of fitness on social media. I have a few tips for you that will hopefully make your fitness and wellness journey successful. If you have time, take a listen to this weeks' podcast as I share the following:

- The first thing you need to do if you do not feel good about yourself.

- Why Kim K and JLo really bummed me out.

- What credentials to look for when looking for the truth about diets and workouts.

As always, thank for your questions, feedback and ideas. I so appreciate you.

Hi my friends, I hope you are having a most awesome day!

I just had the BEST chat with Abby Langer, a Toronto-based registered dietitian, and it was freakin awesome!

Firstly, Abby is so FUNNY! Several times during the podcast I belly laughed. And, she cusses, which that makes me laugh too!

Secondly, she calls out the bulls**t. Like straight up in her blogs, on her social media, in the national news organization and on our podcast. She has no problem calling out the charlatans and dares us to look at the truth. #truthteller

Thirdly, she is a mythbuster. She talks all the lasted crazes (yep, we talk about the celery juice craze), fad diets and bogus claims and not only tells us why they are wrong but shares the science to confirm it.

Here are a few of the myths we chat about:

- You must take multivitamins (nope, waste of money)

- Detoxing your liver is a must (again, nope, your liver detoxes itself)

- Why thin is NOT healthy (it is actually a big, fat lie)

We also talk about how doctors are not always the best resource for nutrition, how GMO's do NOT cause cancer and why I should move to Canada (forreals).

If you have any time, I would LOVE for you to listen to Abby. I am so excited to share her knowledge, education, and her sense of humor with you. She is amazeballs!

One more thing, please continue to send me your ideas, comments and suggestion (Abby Langer was one of them!). YOU are why I do what I do.

Love you,Lorsxoxo

PS If you want follow Abby on social:Instagram: @langernutritionTwitter @langernutritionFacebook – Abby Langer Nutrition

I want to introduce you to my friend, amazing momma, stylin designer and legit CEO BOSS WOMAN of JBloom Design, Jennifer Bonacorsi!

Jenn and I met over a year ago when she brought Boot Camp Challenge® to JBloom. I went to help launch the program and was in a bit of shock and awe when I saw her show up in a boot! Yep, she had just had surgery on her foot but was so excited to do the program, she decided to do it in her boot and take the options.

I immediately knew she was my kind of peoples.

What I didn't know at the time was how like-minded we were in other areas of our lives. For instance, we are both mamas; she to four beautiful girls and me, well, you know my fam. We both created companies and encountered so many obstacles we became warriors AND wonder women. We both work with AND like our husband (although we both demand "alone" time). And, we both rely on our faith during the trials of tribulations of not only the business life but also real life.

And, we both enjoy running although we are NOT runners.

As we sat down and began to share our stories, another thing struck me: Jenn's courage. A few years in of starting the company that would become known as JBloom, she had to pivot. In order to keep her vision alive, she had to change her entire company. And she had to do it in a day.

If any of you have had to make change in either your personal life or professional life, you know the challenge. And, she did it- with grace, gratitude and God.

So, I would LOVE for you to grab your beverage of choice, take a comfy seat (or grab your water jug and take a walk) and listen as Jenn shares the story of JBloom, how she incorporates wellness in her crazy busy personal and professional life, and how she relies on her faith to change women's lives across the country.

Oh, and we also talk about the following:

- How to balance family and a career

- The number one strategy to keep you on track with your fitness routine

- The challenges of incorporating your faith into your company.

- How having your utilities turned off can be a "life" lesson (btw, it happened to both of us!)

While Jen and I dive into some serious chat, we also enjoy a lot of laughs. And, for whatever reason, I said "a hundred percent" a HUNDRED times (sorry!).

As always, I so appreciate you. And, I love your suggestions. Please continue to reach out with your ideas and comments. It is why I do what I do.

Take care this week, make good choices and remember, women rock!

Much love,LorsXoxo

Hi friends, I hope you are having a most awesome day!

I want to introduce you to my friend, Kayla Burton, BCC trainer and licensed therapist. Kayla and I met over ten years ago when she started in my Boot Camp Challenge® as a camper.

During her first nine years, working out was not a problem for her. She loved it. She loved the workouts, the training, and even the running. But the nutrition was a different story. She struggled with understanding and accepting how her body responded to food, nutrition, and dieting. So, this year, Kalya decided to make a change. And, she realized, it was a mental change that had to happen.

What Kayla teaches others about mental health, she started applying to herself. She learned how to set boundaries. She learned being SELFISH is really SELF CARE. And she learned what she loves to do most, to move her body, is actually a great prescription when struggling with depression.

We started our chat with the physical health (and how she lost 43lbs!) and quickly moved into the mental. We chat for a LONG time (a great time for a glass of wine or a long run ) and here are some of the topics we cover:

• How to move through depression.
• Why being SELFISH is a positive thing.
• Why healthy people say NO.
• What to gut check the moment you feel guilt.
• The number ONE thing you need to know to love yourself.

I love how Kayla wrapped up our podcast. She if said if you are struggling with any mental challenges, reach out for help. Seek out a doctor, a licensed therapist, or a friend. You are NEVER alone.

As always, thank you so much for taking the time to listen to our podcast. If you would like to reach out to Kayla for additional information regarding mental health, please email me at [email protected] and I will connect you.

Love you lots, Lori xoxo

Happy Thanksgiving! I am so excited to enjoy my family, my food and my festivities this week. I LOVE this time of year.

And, during this holiday season, I always spend a bit more time reflecting on what I am most thankful for and for what I feel the most gratitude. And, when I think of these, my family always comes first.

So, guess what I did? I invited them on this week's podcast!

Tony (my hubs), Elijah, Ben (my sons) and I sat down and had some great kitchen table talk and they shared what it was like growing up in a home where fitness and wellness are a value.

And, moms, do I have a surprise for you. You know how you question EVERYTHING you do when raising your kids? Are we raising good human beings? Will our children understand why we do what we do? Do they even care? If I workout and eat right, will they?

Guess what?! They gave us the answers!

And, some of them made me laugh hard!

I found out they are still mad at me for not buying pop tarts on the regular. They traded their carrots from their lunch for fruit snacks and why they still eat eggs before eating cinnamon rolls. :)

And, you can also listen in as we talked about the following:

- Which child is my favorite.

- The number one reason they think children don't move anymore.

- How my son Ben lost 40lbs.

- The one thing our children do that makes me and Tony envious.

At the top of this email I said I am most thankful for my family. You know what else fills me with gratitude? YOU! Thank you for trusting me with your fitness and wellness education. Thank YOU for spending time with me. And, THANK YOU for being you. I hope you have an amazing holiday.

Love you lots!Smiles,Lorixoxo

Lately, you have been super psyched about NUTRITION, NUTRITION and NUTRITION. Which of course, I love!

And, you have been asking a TON of questions about Intermittent Fasting (IF) and the Keto Diet.

These two diets have been quite popular of late and you have requested some intel. As a matter of fact, I have received so many questions, I decided to make it our podcast topic, woot!

So, as per protocol, grab your coffee or your wine (unless you are driving!) and get ready for some school!

In the next thirty minutes, I dive into the history of these two diets, why they were created and how they work for you. I also drop the following truth bombs:

- What two diseases Intermittent Fasting COULD prevent or minimize (and it's freakin exciting!)

- What you CAN'T eat when you are doing Intermittent Fasting.

- Which diet can help you lose a TON of fat.

- The one missing food on the Keto diet that may make it UNHEALTHY for you.

- Why pooping is so important. Cuz you know you I like talking about poop!

And, I know I say it in every podcast, but I am so thankful for YOU. I so appreciate you taking time to listen to our podcasts and share your thoughts, ideas and comments. And, if you have any topics you would like us to discuss in future podcasts, please email me and let me know. The best ideas always come from you!

Much love, Lors

I am going to tackle a topic you have inquired about TONS. You send me questions on this topic daily. You talk about it on your social media often. You commiserate about it frequently.

It is your DIET.

And by diet, I am not referring to a quick program, a fad weight loss scheme or a starvation situation. I am referring to your daily intake of food. What you consume to keep yourself alive. That is how I define diet.

And here is an actual definition –

DIET (n) – the kinds of food a person, animal or community habitually eats.

And, what you fuss about on the daily is how to stay on track. How to pick fruits and veggies instead of mac and cheese. How to drink water instead of soda. How to choose nutrition dense foods instead of junk foods. Well, you don't actually say "nutrition dense" those are my words. You say "healthy for me" foods. :)

So, this podcast is dedicated to you and your DIET. I give you FOUR tips that will not only help you to stay on track with your eating, but will also help you feel GREAT about you. When you feel successful about your food choices, you just have a good day.

So, pour a coffee or cocktail, put your listening ears on and grab a notebook cuz you are gonna wanna take notes on this episode! Here is some of what I chat about:

- You have to set a goal and write it on your ceiling.

- You need an accountability partner, or two, or three!

- Make sure you know YOU. To thine own self be true– totes stole this from Shakespeare.

- Buy yourself a gift, and make it a good one.

As always, I want you to know how much I appreciate you. I know time is our greatest commodity, and I appreciate yours. And, I love that you take time to connect with me. Please continue to send me your podcast ideas, your comments and your questions. This podcast is for you. And I want it to be worthy of your time. Have a fabulous rest of your day and I will "see" you soon!

Smiles,Lorixoxo

Hi friend, I hope you are having a most awesome day.

I know I am always preaching to move your body, eat your veggies and drink water. But, there is something else I don't talk about much but it is just as important if not MORE – SAFETY when exercising.

The news has been filled of late of tragedy striking young women as they run in their neighborhoods. And, they were doing it "right"; jogging in the daylight, running in the "good" neighborhoods.

I started thinking about my own safety. Sometimes, I run outside by myself (not often, but I have done it). What would I do if someone approached me with the intent to harm? I don't carry a weapon. I don't carry pepper spray (which, after this podcast, I am ordering some!) and I do not know any karate moves.

So, I decided to reach out to someone with over thirty years of experience with safety and protection.

Friends, please allow me to introduce you to Police Chief Steve Lewis. He is the police chief with the Ellisville Police Department in St. Louis, MO. Not only does he have decades of experience, he actually interviews criminals after they are incarcerated and asks them questions so he can provide US with the intel we need to lessen our odds of becoming a victim.

If you have any time today, I so encourage you to listen to this week's episode. Not only does the chief share the best strategies to protect ourselves, he also shares the following:

- How a nose booger, (yep, I said nose booger) saved a woman's life.

- How the Electric Slide can provide you with a getaway.

- How to use your car as a weapon.

- The NUMBER one thing women need to know to put the odds ever in our favor :)

As always, I want you to know how much I appreciate you. I love all your suggestions, your ideas and your comments! Please keep connecting with me and I will continue to bring you the best content on the planet! Too dramatic? Okay, the bestest fitness, nutrition, safety intel in the world. Still too big? How 'bout I'll just keep podcasting as long as you keep listening? Yea, that's better.

Have a fabulous rest of your day and stay SAFE!

Smiles,Lorixoxo