Kim's Fitness and Nutrition

I recently came across some intriguing information regarding various foods, their nutritional value and their curious resemblance to organs that they benefit in the human body. How fantastic that our Creator saw fit to create foods that we could easily identify with. Like clues, many of our foods clearly point to organs that they support. I am endlessly amazed by the wonders of our bodies, minds and spirits.

Let’s begin with a slice of carrot. It looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines very much resemble the surface of the eye. Science has shown that the nutrients in carrots increase blood flow to the eye as well as enhance function. A tomato has four chambers and is red like our hearts. Tomatoes contain a high level of lycopine, some of the heart’s best foods. Grapes hang in clusters that have a heart shape and each individual grape looks like a blood cell. The nutrients found in grapes are utilized by our hearts. A walnut looks like a miniature brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nutshell are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts aid in the development of more than three dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function. Kidney beans do in fact look just like our kidneys and, you guessed it, they contain nutrients that actually heal and help maintain kidney function. Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like our bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. This is so amazing. Bones contain 23% sodium and these foods also contain 23% sodium. If our diets are deficient of sodium, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body. Avocados, Eggplant, and Pears target the health of the uterus and cervix; they look just like these organs. Women who eat one avocado per week have seen an increased balance in their hormones, shed unwanted post-pregnancy weight and help prevent cervical cancer. The clincher is that it takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from its blossom to a ripened fruit, incredible! There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one on these foods and modern science has only studied and named approximately 141 of them. Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow...you got it; they support the mobility of male sperm and help to increase numbers of sperm as well. Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and their nutrients positively balance the glycemic index in diabetics. That is huge. To no surprise, Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries. Oranges, Grapefruit and other citrus look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts by aiding movement of lymph in and out of those glands. Onions look like the body’s cells and the nutrients in them help to clear waste materials from all the cells of the body. They even produce tears, which wash the epithelial layers and eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

It is truly fascinating when you stop to think about it. With these foods as examples, it certainly makes more sense then ever before to eat a diet diverse in color, shape and variety. The human body is obviously in need of much of what the fruits and vegetables available to us provide. Remember, fresh produce is always so much healthier and eating them as close to raw is equally important. Overcooking these foods strips them of all their nutritional content. So, do your best to get your 5 - 8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and know that these foods are nurturing and assisting your body in amazing and miraculous ways. Happy fitness.

I know that more and more people are looking for ways to stay centered, in alignment with who they really are and with their Higher Power. In this wonderful world that is full of contrast, it can be very challenging, that’s for sure. I was meditating one morning and flashed on a visual of a small pocket-sized book that I envisioned would easily slip into any purse or pocket. This book would be a quick reference tool, a guide to assisting me back toward thoughts that are soothing, uplifting and would jog my memory as to who I really am. From that morning on, I awakened nearly every morning between 3:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., and all I could think about was getting on my computer and writing that book. It literally poured out of me, and within 3 weeks, it was finished.

There I was with an actual manifestation of what I had seen in my meditation, and yet I had no earthy clue what I was to do next. Suddenly I remembered going to a friend’s book signing last summer. She told me of her marvelous experience with a down-to-earth publisher that lived and worked just a couple of towns east of us. I just love how the Universe works FOR me. I gave my friend a call, and she was more than happy to give me her publisher’s information. I emailed her the same day, and within a day she had responded, eager to meet and see what I had come up with.

There were a few delays due to our conflicting schedules, but within 3 months of completing my book and with the amazing help of this Earth Angel Publisher, holding my hand through all the copy write processes, Library of Congress numbers and so much more, it became a reality. Truly, she is heaven sent.

I am thrilled to announce that my book went to print yesterday, and it is with a grateful heart and an excited spirit that I proudly present, 68 Seconds - To Feel Better. All you need to move toward alignment and to begin to feel better.

The entire premise of this book is that we live in a Universe that is completely and utterly “attraction” based. There is no saying “no,” when the most powerful Law in the Universe is the Law of Attraction. Every thought we think and feel is emulating out and attracting back to us more “like” thoughts and feelings. We are virtual radio towers, vibrating out into the Universe our unique frequency, 24/7. If we are unconscious and asleep to the energy beings we are, we basically go through life ricocheting and reacting to “what is” all the time, wondering why we are unfulfilled and unhappy so much of the time. “68 Seconds” is designed to pull our thoughts back to the truth of who we are.

When we find ourselves caught up in the contrast and moving in a negative, downward spiral, it can take as little as “68 seconds” to redirect our thinking and to remember that life is supposed to be fun, and that nothing is worth thinking about if it is sucking the joy from us. Then, we elicit the powerful Law of Attraction to bring to us more of THAT. We have then begun to set into motion the shift in our energy necessary for us to begin to feel the relief that those truthful words bring. NOTHING is ever worth thinking and using as an excuse to deprive ourselves of the essence of life ... NOTHING!

If you are a fellow seeker of joy, walking this earth plain with the intention of being
“who you really are,” or if you are simply sick and tired of being sick and tired ... this book is for you. I do pray that should you choose to read “68 Seconds,” that it act as the helpful tool it has for me and my close friends. Do your best to trust in your inner guidance, trust that you were born a worthy being, here to have fun and to assist the All that IS in the expansion of consciousness. You are loved and supported more then you could ever know. Blessing on your path.

We are a smart people and on the whole, we are well educated as well. Yet it is mind boggling to see the majority of us living in complete denial as to “why” we continue to live in a body that is seriously overweight. Certainly, there are those individuals that have actual diseases that are causing their bodies to gain and cling to excess weight, but frankly, they are very rare. There simply is no other explanation for so many of us to be in the shape we are in, except that we are choosing to live in denial. I’m here to help you, to act as your wake-up call. I do hope and pray that you can hear me and choose to become willing to change.

I wish so badly that I could wave a magic wand and “POOF,” everyone walking the planet today would instantly be their ideal weight, perfectly healthy and incredibly fit. Alas, that is but a fantasy, not unlike many of the fantasies that we tell ourselves on a regular basis. Ones like, “I will cut back on my food intake tomorrow, or I don’t really eat THAT much, or I will begin an exercise program as soon as I get 20 pounds off, or as soon as I have more time I will get to the gym 3 times a week, or when I have more time I will prepare fresh meals but for now, this fast food is going to have to do, or, or, or.” I bet that I sound patronizing to many of you, like I’m being sarcastic or heartless or like I could never really know what the heck goes on in your mind anyway, but the truth is, I do know. I’ve been there and I used all those excuses myself many, many times. So, what’s it going to take to shake you out of your denial? I really have no earthly idea, but I honestly pray that it is something that you can recover from and that it doesn’t leave you disabled for the rest of your life. We can choose to push it and push it and push it until we reach that horrible point of reckoning, or we can start today to make small changes that will, given time, make a huge difference in the long run.

Begin today to decide that from now on you are going to be brutally honest with yourself … that you will stop telling yourself that you are going to do something that in your heart of hearts you KNOW you are never going to do. Please stop that because it is wounding you more then you may know. This behavior tells your subconscious in no uncertain terms that you are not worthy, that you are not trustworthy, and that your “word” is meaningless. It’s true, and the damage it is doing is extremely far reaching. Saying nothing is a much better approach then continuously telling yourself lie after lie.

Next, begin to tell yourself small new truths, ones you absolutely know you can manage and can keep. Something like, “Today I’m going to reduce the size of my dinner by 1/4 the normal amount, or as I run errands this morning I’m going to park my car in the first spot I see, knowing that it will not be the “closest” possible spot, or I am going to walk the dog this evening for 5-10 minutes, or today instead of grabbing a pre-packaged lunch I will pack some homemade tuna fish on hearty grain bread, or …” Well, I think you get my drift.

We all know what to eat and what to do in terms of getting our bodies moving, but what many of us don’t think about is the denial we have slipped into and how insidious it really is. Be your own best friend. Treat yourself like you would someone you admire and deeply love. For many of us that is a very difficult thing, but I can promise you that if you start with small changes, it will get easier and the results are amazing, that is for sure. Happy fitness!

Of all the treasures known to man, they all pale in the absence of joy and happiness. There is not a human alive that does not, whether they are conscious of it or not, strive to be happy. Many go their entire lives reaching for that next right person, opportunity, or material object that they are sure, once it is in their possession, will finally make them happy. The craziest part is, it is fleeting happiness at best, and then they are found scrambling for yet another “something” to pursue. What if happiness was available to you anytime, in any situation and at any instance that you so desired? Well guess what? It is.

Happiness is not only the result of particular chemical happenings within our bodies that can be enhanced through certain physical activities, but it is initiated by and through the thoughts you are or aren’t choosing to focus on. Bottom line ... your happiness is entirely up to you and most definitely within your control.

I realize that from an emotional place, the absence of happiness, which can range anywhere from totally depressed up to pessimism and frustration, this may be nearly impossible to hear … even infuriating. IF, however, you are willing to experiment a little bit, you just might be surprised at your results.

First, from the standpoint of the body’s part in assisting you to feel happier, the vagus nerve has been identified as the primary mechanism responsible for the release of very important hormones … hormones that directly affect our outlook and attitude. This most essential vagus nerve is located at the base of the brain and then branches to facial muscles, vocal muscles and onward to the heart, lungs and gut. It signals the release of acetylcholine, which slows heart rate, as well as a protein called cytokine that calms the immune response and communicates with muscles that control respiration and digestion. Dacher Keltner, author of Born to Be Good states, “The mellowing vagus nerve is also closely related to oxytocin, the all-important hormone of human trust and devotion.” As oxytocin is released along the vagus nerve, it results in the feeling of upliftment.

Certain activities have been linked to the stimulus of the vagus nerve … yoga exercises and meditation are among them. You can play a crucial role in promoting your own wellbeing, reduce stress in your life and move toward feeling better and better overall. Many people shy away from yoga thinking that it is a form of religion, and of course, in India it is closely related
to the Hindu religion. Here in the West, however, yoga has been reformulated and is now streamlined into primarily an exercise program. The piece that is so helpful in enhancing our vagus nerve to work on our behalf really boils down to deep breathing. It is this component that both yoga and meditation have in common. It is simple and easy, and yet most of us will not take the time to do it.

If, on the other hand, you are willing to commit to setting 5-15 minutes aside each day and practice focusing on just your breath, you will reap the wonderful benefits that come from such work. Sit comfortably, close your eyes and visualize your breath entering your lungs slowly, to a count of 6-10. Once your lungs are completely full, pause for a second or 2, and then begin to slowly exhale your breath, again to the count of 6-10. Continue to breathe in this manner, staying fully tuned into the inhale and exhale of your breath. As your mind wanders, and it will, no harm, no foul, just bring your attention back to your breath again and again. Being fully present is nothing more than this exercise, and yet it is with great difficulty that most of us will proceed. Be gentle and patient. This improves with time and practice.

Our minds are relentlessly thinking, it is their nature; however, learning to slow it down, learning to be still, remembering that we are human “beings” and not human “doings” is the path to happiness, optimal health and peace of mind. Happy fitness!