Kim's Fitness and Nutrition

It is so exciting and comforting to hear that our medical industry is implementing exercise more and more as a prescribed form of treatment. In the January 2010 “Prevention” magazine they featured some breakthroughs that the medical professionals are now beginning to use. It comes as no surprise to me that physical activity is now one of the more significant protocols being suggested for cancer patients. "Oncologists who once thought cancer patients should take it easy are beginning to prescribe exercise as a form of medicine", says exercise physiologist Richard Cotton, ACSM’s (American College of Sports Medicine) national director of certification. The recurrence rate was drastically lowered and survival rates greatly increased in women with cancer who exercised regularly. Activity such as brisk walking 3 hours a week reduced breast and colon cancer deaths by 50%. At last, physical activity is taking a front seat as a viable weapon in fighting disease before and after diagnoses.

A healing technique created by Gary Craig, the founder of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) recently came to my attention. As I am just beginning to research this amazing protocol, I am not yet able to provide you with all the facts however, what I have found thus far is nothing short of miraculous. I encourage you to visit a web site with the address, www.tryitoneverything.com and look into it for yourself. I was given a DVD, which you can download free from this web site. As I watched this technique I was overwhelmed with hope and encouragement. I have always believed that we are much more powerful beings than we previously thought. EFT puts the technique and protocol for self-healing, literally, into your hands. Some have called this "Tapping" because that is exactly what you are instructed to do, on specific areas of the body. Tapping creates an electromagnetic charge that then flows through the body via energetic pathways that lie within us all. As this charge travels throughout the body it breaks up blockages that prevent our natural energetic flow and that limit our health in small and large ways. In Eastern medicine they have utilized these pathways for healing for thousands of years by using acupuncture and acupressure. EFT works in a similar way. The second equally important piece to be used in conjunction with the tapping is to verbalize one’s feelings, either positive or negative followed by, "and I accept myself completely." As simplistic as this may sound, the results achieved by thousands of people using EFT speak for themselves. Ailments such as fibromyalgia, insomnia, post-traumatic stress syndrome, severe arthritis and much more have seen tremendous improvement. Not only has this been effective for reducing the symptoms, it has, in many cases, completely left these people’s bodies disease-free.

As we head toward a new year we are quickly moving into a new era of medicine and technology. We are finding more holistic approaches and avenues by which to heal ourselves. Something that is clearly a main factor is paramount: our personal involvement and the decision to take responsibility for our health. Our medical professionals are certainly a blessing and we will always need them, but so much is within our own power to improve and heal through pursuing healthy lifestyles and a willingness to feel our way into wellness. The era of the victim is coming to an end and we are moving into becoming the empowered beings we truly are. Begin 2010 with a newfound resolve to exercise regularly, make healthy food choices and choose to think as positively as you can. Self empowered, positive-thinking people live longer and that is a fact. Happy fitness.

It’s another new year, so infinite possibilities lay before us. It has been my experience that what I focus my attention on and expect to happen, DOES happen. So why not decide to expect only good, and the very best that life can offer? Our attitudes really do have an enormous impact on what shows up in our experience. We have all had the misfortune of ‘waking up on the wrong side of the bed.’ As we focused on our bad mood and all the reasons why we deserve to feel bad, we found that we proceeded to stub our toe on the corner of the dresser and spill the milk all over the counter while getting breakfast. We then dropped our favorite coffee mug on the tile floor, creating another mess to clean up...bummer. Then on our way to work, as we continued to curse the morning’s events, we caught every red light and ended up late. Now, as we felt anger and frustration galore, we slammed the car door and pronounced, “This is going to be a really crummy day, I just know it.” And guess what...it was. That’s proof positive of the power of our attitude and point of focus.

Many people would say that their focus on their bad mood had nothing to do with the way things unfolded, #*@$ happens! I would unequivocally disagree. Through many experiments in my own personal life and also while encouraging clients to experiment, I have witnessed, time and time again, that what we focus on becomes so for us. Beyond a shadow of a doubt therefore, it is my advice to decide to choose your perspectives, attitudes and thoughts with care and conscious attention. Run an experiment or 10 for yourself. Decide that no matter what thoughts you find yourself starting your day thinking, stop right there, first thing for 2 minutes and change the direction of your focus to one of gratitude, appreciation or love. It may take several attempts to shake off the pessimism, doubt or worry: these are strong emotions that may have created a well-traveled pathway in your brain. Stay with reaching for better-feeling thoughts around the subject you are focused on until you FEEL a shift into a lighter, more positive place. Now you are on your way and can keep the momentum going with more and more ease. It is critical that you genuinely feel better before you move into your day. Decide and proactively scour your life to determinedly find the positive in absolutely everything. As challenging as this may seem, it is possible.

We are free will beings who have been given the choice and freedom to think and, as we think so we feel. As we feel, so it is we experience life. With the onset of a new year it is an excellent time to make some positive mental changes, especially considering that we are in the midst of economic and politically tumultuous times. With chaos, upheaval and confusion comes great opportunity and unlimited potential. It is now more important then possibly ever in our world’s history to take control over our thoughts, attitudes and feelings to know, expect and decide that the very best is yet to come. Decide that life is only getting better and better. Trust that no matter how dark it looks there is always a light to be found and incredible gifts to be experienced after having walked through the darkness. If there was ever a time to be hopeful, positive, and optimistic it is right now. So as the empowered, free will being that you are, I encourage you to choose to expect the best because those who really do that with their whole hearts are never disappointed. Happy mind, body and spirit fitness to all.

As we embark on a new year I want to share with you a very special email, chock-full of wisdom and sound suggestions. Let us remember that we are ultimately the only ones who are responsible for our bodies and our overall health. On all levels, making healthy choices--mental, physical and spiritual—is our personal job. Frankly, no one else has that power over us unless we give it to them, consciously or unconsciously. I encourage you to be awake and aware to the best of your abilities, and to decide today that you are starting a new year with the agenda to be the very best you that you can be. The following is my version of a formula for joyous living. I hope it proves to be useful for many.

First and foremost I begin with WATER. Commit to drinking plenty of pure, clean water every day. You are 70% water and it is absolutely essential for optimal health to ingest 60-80 oz. each day.
#2 Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. I can’t stress eating breakfast enough...it is so vitally important.
#3 Make time to pray. Our spiritual connection needs to be a top, top priority.
#4 Make time to exercise 2-5 times per week. We must move our beautiful bodies if we expect to remain fit. They were designed to move.
#5 PLAY more. Recreation is one of the most deleted necessities in our balance wheel of life.
#6 Sit in silence 10 minutes each day. As we quiet our minds we become open to our divine guidance.
#7 Sleep 7-9 hours each day. Without adequate rest EVERYTHING is compromised mentally, physically and spiritually.
#8 Take 10-30 minute walks each day and while you walk, smile.
#9 Waste no time comparing your life to anyone else’s for you have no idea what their journey is all about.
#10 Aim for balance and moderation and know your limits.
#11 Decide to lighten up and refuse to take yourself so seriously. After all, nobody else does. Besides, life is a precious gift meant to be enjoyed.
#12 Don’t waste precious energy on gossip. This behavior smacks of lack of integrity.
#13 Daydream much more. Our imaginations were never meant to be disregarded after our youth ended.
#14 Envy not. Instead bask in others’ good fortune KNOWING what is possible for one is possible for anyone.
#15 Release past issues and do not remind your partner of his or her mistakes. This robs you of the joy available in this present moment.
#16 Do not hate others. First, life is too short to waste time and energy on hatred and second, it will undermine your being on all levels.
#17 Make peace with the past so it won’t spoil your present.
#18 Vow to smile and laugh much more. No one is in charge of your happiness, that’s an inside job.
#19 You don’t have to win every argument...agree to disagree.
#20 Call your family often.
#21 Each day give something good to others.
#22 Forgive everyone for everything.
#23 Spend time with people over 70 and under 6.
#24 Try to make three people smile every day.
#25 Remember that what other people think of you is none of your business.
#26 Your job will not be there for you when you are sick, your friends and family will. Stay in touch.
#27 ALWAYS do the right thing.
#28 Get rid of anything that is not useful, beautiful or joyful.
#29 However good or bad a situation is, it is temporary and is going to change.
#30 And finally, when you wake up alive, thank GOD. And no matter how you are feeling, get up, dress up and show up. Time is flying by and we need to remember to make the most of each and every day. Though our world is in crisis, we need not lose faith. In fact, as we choose to live our lives expressing as much love, enthusiasm and positive attitude as we can, we shine the light for others. We demand the best from life and we model the joyousness that is the birthright for each of us. Happy mental, physical and spiritual fitness to all.

I do hope that you are considering adding the Resist-a-ball into your workouts, not only for additional core intervention but also for the variety factor. There is a women I watched years ago in the gym where I trained who had actually mastered standing on the ball while she moved through a gamut of resistance exercises from bicep curls to triceps kickbacks and much more. Yeah, I looked at that in awe myself knowing the kind of focus, core strength and balance it required for her to do that...really awesome. So, obviously there is no real ceiling to the amount of challenge the ball can provide. I encourage you to use your own imagination and play with doing any weight training move you normally do standing or seated. Instead, try the same move while sitting, kneeling or standing on the ball. It will add an entirely new dimension to your workouts: that I can promise you. Please do be careful and only use an appropriate level of challenge. Obviously standing on a ball takes an extremely high level of fitness and skill.

Let me suggest that we use the ball to focus on that lower end of our abdominal muscles group, the part we lovingly refer to as the "pooch". Lie down on the floor and place the ball under your legs. Now dig your heels into the ball and pull that ball off the floor and inward toward your chest. Depending on your leg length and the size of the ball, you may opt to straddle your legs around it and pull it toward you that way. Be conscious of your lower back. If you feel pressure as you bring the ball back to the floor, either shorten your range or I’d recommend skipping this exercise. I have another one with no injury worries. We Trainers have hundreds of ways to exercise each body part, trust me. The idea here is to focus on the low end of the abdominal muscles near the pelvis. Use your breath to further engage these muscles by exhaling forcefully as you pull the ball inward. Do 10-30 repetitions or proceed until you feel fatigue in that area. Again, please stop immediately upon feeling discomfort in the lower back. Otherwise you may end up aggravating it and causing it to become sore. Another option is to hold the ball between your lower legs with them extended up into the air creating a 90-degree angle at your hips. Cross your arms over your chest to prevent them from assisting. Exhale forcefully and pull in at the low end of the abdominal muscles. This will curl your tailbone in and slightly uplift your buttocks from the floor. Do not be discouraged if you do not get any lift in the beginning. This is a notoriously weak section of the abdominals and it may take some time and practice before you feel really successful with this exercise. Repeat 10-30 times. Finally, assume the same starting position you had in the second exercise, maintain that and place your hands interlaced, behind your head. Exhale forcefully and, as you do, curl your shoulders off the floor and rotate your right elbow toward your left knee without bending at the shoulder. Upon inhaling, lie back down and repeat going to the left this time. Alternate, rotating your left elbow toward your right knee. Perform 10-20 repetitions to each side. This is actually working all four of the abdominal muscles that create your abdominal muscle group, specifically though your waist.

There are hundreds of variations and I encourage you to play around using your imagination, staying tuned into your abdominal muscles. You just may create a new and wonderful exercise of your own. The main focus is a sense of fatigue in the stomach area and once you feel that, you will know exactly what I mean. There is no real benefit from working deep into the ‘burn’. Once you begin to feel it, 2-5 more reps are plenty. It’s good to know, though most of us never adhere, you can safely perform abdominal exercises EVERY DAY. These muscles innately have great endurance capacity so do not be afraid to give them a good workout. If you start working them daily, you may find yourself sneaking into that holiday outfit with a bit more ease then you did last year. All the best to you and happy fitness.