Kim's Fitness and Nutrition

I have come to know, over the years, that as adults we tend to lose our creative sense of wonder, and it is gradually replaced with a very serious, focused, "no time for games" attitude. Granted, as adults we are aware of the responsibility we are now shouldering, and what the consequences of not being responsible can be, not only for ourselves, but usually for our immediate families as well. This causes many of us to grow increasingly less joyous, less lighthearted, and less fun to be around. The real crime of this process, however, is that our imaginations are one of the most direct connections we have to our higher power and our creative resources. If we do not allot time for ourselves to imagine, daydream, fantasize and visualize, it is liken to putting your favorite plant in a dark closet and yet expecting it to flourish. Dreams are what make life worth living, and slowly we are cutting ourselves off from that joy, that expectation of more, the hope of that which makes our hearts beat faster.

Our bodies are communicating with us constantly; however, if you are not accustomed to tuning in and listening, you may not be aware of what it has to tell you. Practicing becoming aware of feelings in our bodies is the way to begin. Pain or discomfort are some of our bodies greatest forms of communication. Many of us have learned to ignore these signals, because early on we received messages from our parents and authority figures to "toughen up, shake it off, don't be a baby, you have to learn to hurt a little to get through this life, etc." As we became adults, often out of necessity, we had to go on with our day, even when we were feeling ill or were injured. Over time, we slowly lost our conscious awareness with the feelings/signals our bodies were giving us, and we began to live exclusively in our heads, completely disconnected from our bodies. Sure, we continued to take basic care of our bodies, bathing, feeding, clothing, but that is where many us have stopped. The vast majority of people that I work with come to me in complete disconnect from their bodies, and although they may be aware that they often feel tired or are in constant pain somewhere in their bodies, they literally practice ignoring it so that they can "keep on keeping on." Finally, they get sick and tired of being sick and tired, and they decide to take some action.

To think that we are capable of consistently staying in the vibration of joy is unrealistic. First of all, the ups and downs of life are inevitable and are often unpredictable. Secondly, the contrast that life provides is the meat and potatoes of our life in this space and time reality. We came here knowing that there would be things, people and situations that we would not agree with and that we would want to shout "NO" at. We also came here knowing that this contrast would cause us to determine our personal preferences, and we would then focus there. As we maintain a focus on those things that are true, right, and bring us joy, not only do we tend to feel happy, but we are then well on our way to attracting those desires into our reality. Given that this is an attraction-based Universe, and that we are vibrational beings first and foremost, all is set up very well for us to thrive. That is, unless we have forgotten who we are and forgotten that our thoughts have enormous creative power.

Something as simple as changing the environment in which you are working out can breathe new excitement into your program ... taking a few weights out to your deck in the cool morning air or switching from walking around your neighborhood to the route at Lake Junaluska. Maybe you could do a circuit training course (alternating between exercises done in place and a walk/jog combo). You can set that up indoors or outside or switch back and forth. Try using calisthenic type exercises rather than weights once a week ... push-ups, dips, squats, lunges, sit ups of all kinds ... and create a program where you cycle through 8-10 exercises, 2 or 3 times. Really, the only limiting factor is our imagination. If you are being physical, your body is benefitting.

I am right there with everyone else. Our schedules today make stopping off at KFC or Mickey D awfully tempting at the end of a long, hard day. The fact is that 90% of the choices available at fast food restaurants are not going to provide you and your family with anything close to sufficient nutrition. Much of the foods provided are of the lowest quality, and then they are injected and covered in chemicals to make them smell and taste like decent food. They have had us fooled for quite a while, but more than ever before, the word is getting out. Thankfully, most fast food businesses have added better selections to their menus because they too are aware of our increased awareness. Yea!!! The big question is, why are we continuing to frequent those establishments so regularly? Of course, the answer is CONVENIENCE. May I make another suggestion?

I often hear my clients, family and friends complain about situations, people and circumstances in their own lives as if someone or something "out there" has the control. I find myself listening to these loved ones and thinking, "I can remember when I too thought it was all about that which was outside of me." My life experience has taught me that absolutely nothing is imposing itself on me ... not without my permission. I realize that that is a strong statement, and for many people it will cause tremendous defensiveness to arise. It is never easy to take full responsibility for who, what, why and where we are, but there really is no one else to blame.

It's all the rage on the fitness scene ... using unstable surfaces while doing basic exercises like squats, lunges, bench press, lat rows and just about any type of move you might want to experiment with, for that matter. Why has this become so popular? The two greatest benefits are 1) the core strength benefits are huge, and 2) the dozens of smaller, less utilized, stabilizing muscles that are recruited. As Pilates took the forefront several years ago, we began to better understand the value of core strength. The core is made up of essentially your chest, all four abdominal muscles, and all the muscles in your back. The theory behind core strength is that if those muscle are made strong, then movement of the extremities would become effortless. Hence, Pilates was designed for ballet dancers so as to improve their art form. The small stabilizing muscles have gained attention due to our new awareness of those muscles' role and capacity to respond. They are so important for maintaining balance and joint integrity.

We are quickly approaching the holiday season, and the average American will gain 5-12 pounds between October 31st, (all that Halloween candy, don't you know), and January 2nd post New Year's Eve parties. Sad, but true. You, however, do not need to be counted among those statistics. A way that will instantly assist you in losing unwanted pounds now and as you go through the holidays is to eliminate all "white" from your present food plan. Number one, choose to stop eating anything made with white cane sugar. Reading the labels of all your current choices will be required, because white sugar is hidden in a ton of foods. Did you know that a single hamburger bun has approximately 6 teaspoons of sugar in it? Number two, cut out anything made with white flour. Yes, that would mean hamburger buns, as well as white bread and many other foods in general. Processed white flour is just that, processed, and consequently it is practically digested for you. In fact, as it enters your body, your body treats it like sugar and basically converts it to fat and stores it. There is virtually no nutritional value for your body in white bread. Numbers three, four and five, white potatoes, white rice and white pasta. Actually, a small white potato eaten dry along with a healthy serving of fresh steamed vegetables and a piece of lean protein is just fine. The problem comes when most of us can't eat a potato dry and end up loading it down with butter, sour cream, cheese or at the very least, pour gravy, (by the way, gravy is made with, you guessed it, white flour), all over it. It's the additional stuff that packs on the fat, not to mention, clogs your arteries. White rice is much like white bread, very little nutritional value and tends to be converted to fat by the body. White pasta, of course, is made with white flour, and well, we've been over that.