Kimberly J Garcia

Category: Motivation

The Depression of a Food Prude

I am here to share the sad story of becoming a food prude.

Food Prude: noun \ˈfüdˈprüd\

1. a person who holds themselves to a higher standard when it comes to the foods they eat
2. a person who is easily shocked by the foods that do not shock or offend other people
3. one who is modest about the amount of food and/or beverages they choose to consume

Not to be mistaken for a chronic dieter, calorie counter or points conservationist.

We have long known that eating healthy, reading labels, living a healthy lifestyle can be depressing, boring and just plain exhausting.

This is why some fear coming in contact with a food prude in concern they may start to become one or be irritated by one. It’s like avoiding the Zombie Apocalypse. The food prudes may start to eat away at your fat and health problems, like a zombie may eat away at your face.

It’s scary. Scary that your life may be totally altered for the better. I have lived the last 19 years learning how to live a healthier, fit lifestyle, becoming one who cares about the health and well being of my mind, body and soul. Not only concerned with the health and well being of myself, but our Earth, our children and the entire decline in vitality of our current population. I have suffered deeply by coming in contact with these food prudies (not really a word, but it is a word now. It’s a Kiminism). Their inspiration, their education, their raw advice was overwhelming, yet motivating. As they ate away at my thoughts, their words started to alter my daily choices. It was at first scary to switch my coke for water, my protein bars for chocolate ( yes switch my protein bars for chocolate- soy free that is) and to give up my #1 in the drive thru in exchange for my home cooked grass-fed steak tips, organic potatoes and lots of butter :>) Yet slowly the thoughts and education of those such as Ray Peat, Phd., Paul Chek, Dr. Mercola, Dr. Lee, Sally Fallon, Dr. Weston A Price, David Kessler and Michael Pollan have eaten away at my brain, transforming me into a deprived, sad food prude.

What have I discovered after these years of torture and personal experience? There are horrible side effects of being a food prude. Some more depressing than others. Unfortunately this could happen to you. You may be around a food prude and not even know it.

How can you tell if you’ve been in contact with a food prude for too long or if you may be slowly becoming one yourself?

Signs & Symptoms of an authentic food prude:

1. Seemingly happy. Almost so happy it seems fake.

2. An increase in energy.

3. Able to cope with difficult situations.

4. Better flexibility.

5. A feeling of greater “sexiness”.

6. A decline in purchases of pain relievers, laxatives or weight loss supplements.

7. Sharp, mental focus.

8. A craving for home cooked food.

9. A sense of power, strength or speed.

10. An increase in love, patience and/or compassion.

These are just 10 of many scary symptoms you may experience if you are attacked by, or become a carrier of the food prude disorder. I know this truth is shocking and may cause temporary stress or panic attacks, but it was laid on my heart to share this information with you. This is what I have been called to do. I hope you can accept this message as a warning. A thoughtful, precautionary measure to watch out for these food prudies. The depression of becoming a food prude has become unbearable for me and if I can prevent this from happening to one of you, my life’s work will be complete. Please share this message before midnight tonight to prevent the food prudies from multiplying. If you do not share this message, you will be responsible for the world being overtaken by these obsessed food prudes prior to the Zombie Apocalypse. PLEASE…. do not allow our destiny to be altered!

November 7, 2013
Create a “Cheerios” Moment!

As you build your life, as you care for your children and as you guide them to become who you want them to be, ask yourself, “Am I taking time to build the “Cheerios” moments?” Now those of you that know me, know there are no cheerios in our household, but I do like the term and I do make great effort to build these kind of moments with my girls and my loved ones as a whole.

Herson and I know the pressure of wanting to create financial stability for our children and our family. Wanting to take a vacation and put our kids into special programs such as horse back riding, dance and sports. We also know when you are building your future, the extra money (or time) is not always there to provide these experiences. Maybe you can’t buy your kid the favorite game they want or go on a cruise. We’ve been there, and are still there at many times.

This used to cause great pressure on me to want to make more, do more, so I could give my kids everything they deserve. Then one day it hit me! I was working so hard to make the money, to make the dreams I thought they wanted, but I was not taking time to create the “Cheerios” moments. When you feel pressured to get ahead, to get a promotion, extra education or the bonus, you can change your personality. You can start to overwork, become crabby or short with your kids. All the while not realizing that your kids have all the wealth they need, YOU!

Herson and I, both came from financially and educationally challenged backgrounds. Our parents did not have a lot of money, nor did they know how to help get us in to the best college, on the best sports teams or in the extra curricular activities. What they did know is how to make the “Cheerios” moments! They knew how to work hard, love unconditionally, share gratitude, give to others, be patient, kind and loving! They wanted to give more money, more vacations, more activities, but money was not how they were able to show love and we did not suffer from the lack of extras in our life.

Growing up with less, can make you want to work your butt off to GET MORE so you can either GIVE MORE of HAVE MORE!

It can keep you so busy that you may forget the truly important moments are the “Cheerios” moments.

At this point, you may be asking, “What the heck is a Cheerios moment?”

I am glad you asked!

There used to be a wonderful video I could share, expressing the innocence of two young children, Zach and Kate, who lost their mom to cancer. The video has since been removed due to ownership rights, but this was one of the most touching moments ever aired on the Oprah Winfrey show!

Because Zach & Kate’s mom, Kathleen, had known she was dying, the family had decided to spend time taking trips and connecting as a family while she was still alive. Oprah asked Kate what her favorite moment from that year had been.

“One day when I came back from swimming,” she said, “my mom was in bed. Mom said, ‘Kate, would you get me a bowl of cereal?’ I said, ‘Sure.’ A week before she died, I was in my parents’ room.

I said, ‘Mom, would you wake me up if you go downstairs to get a bowl of cereal?’ So at 2 in the morning, we had a bowl of Cheerios together.” What Oprah and we as viewers found so powerful about Kate’s story: They’d been everywhere from Palm Springs to Disney World, but what Kate remembered was a simple, intimate moment of connection. The producers and Oprah called this the Cheerios moment from that point forward.

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Oprahs-Top-20-Moments#ixzz3lUV3EgV0

If you have achieved financial success, know that although your family may appreciate the extras, it’s the “Cheerios” moments that will last in their hearts forever, not the money. If you are struggling to create financial success or you never care to have more than you currently have, that is ok too. Many of us have been there. You still have all the wealth you need to give your children the ability to have a FULFILLING life! You can give them the confidence, self esteem, love and security needed to teach them how to sustain themselves! Take time away from the computer, the TV, the bills, the bank account or the shopping spree and ensure there is some special quality time with you and your loved ones.

During our tightest times with money or time itself, we’ve done simple things like surprise our kids with a camp out in their room, watch planes take off at the airport on the top level of the parking garage at night or set up a make believe spa day at home with cucumbers on their eyes, a clay mask and towels on their head. Our children rarely felt the effects of financial strain. We attempted to make them feel safe, secure and rich versus worried, stressed and scared. Build a fort with your child, create a picnic or walk in nature. If you have no kids, do this with your friends and family. Be spontaneous, simple, spoil them, love them, praise them for what is right! Try not to let the pressures of everyday life or their less than perfect behavior hold you back from giving authentic love and words of kindness. No matter how much money or time you have, take a few special moments to create something that money can not buy.

In the end, the “Cheerios” moments are the only investments that can truly offer a lasting return!

September 1, 2013
The Three C’s to Better Health and a Trim Waistline

Are you trying to improve your health?

Do you want to lose inches off your waist line or sculpt your hips?

If so, I have the solution for you and it does not include counting calories or cholesterol as a matter of importance!

As a society we are getting so caught up in the numbers that we are forgetting the true steps to success. This obsession with the scale, blood tests, medications, calories, carbs, sugar and fat has us currently ranked as dead last in health out of 17 developing countries. But WAIT, we did score NUMBER ONE in one category- OBESITY! We have been tracking our numbers, taking medications and weighing in for the last fifty years or more, so if this method actually worked, WHY ARE WE NOT THE HEALTHIEST IN THE WORLD? You guessed it! Because it DOESN’T WORK! We have been so focused on where we want to be and the physical aspects of health, that we are forgetting how everything works together as a whole. How numbers are not always accurate and how to motivate ourselves to treat our body as a temple. We have forgotten or never found the three underlying C’s to true health, happiness and HOTNESS!

The 1st C- Communication

The first key to a healthy mind and body is communication. Many people do not understand how lack of open, honest communication impacts their health. For instance, if you hire a health coach, but you are unwilling to tell them how you feel about yourself or the pain you deal with from previous life experiences, you make it harder for your health coach to help you work in a healthy direction. You can lose valuable time not addressing the critical pieces to your wellness. If you are upset with something your spouse or your co-worker did and you do not let them know, the thoughts you hold inside can cause you to eat too much, pick poor food choices, not eat or just make you sick inside. So although it was your choice to eat too much or skip meals that hindered your goals, the true underlying cause was the lack of communication. It is okay to communicate if you are struggling, feeling depressed or have something to share you are not proud of. The goal is to find someone you trust and talk with them. Let it out and ensure people know the true you and how you are feeling. Holding back what you really feel whether it be from embarrassment, fear, anger or anticipation of someone else s response, will almost always hinder your results and increase your health problems.

The 2nd C- Compassion

The second piece is compassion. First and foremost, compassion for yourself. Many people are willing to cut someone else a break, but rarely do we let ourselves off the hook. We tend to beat ourselves up for mistakes at work, at home or in our fitness plan. Communicating with yourself using compassion will help you excel in all areas. If you are on a venture to heal your body or lose weight, it will be a heck of a lot easier if you do not beat yourself up when you make mistakes or your life gets thrown for a loop. It is inevitable that you will not lose weight every week, you will not eat perfect everyday and you will not always be the top performer. It’s okay. You are HUMAN! When trying to motivate anyone to another level or support them to their goals, we provide positive love, praise and empathy. Give this to yourself and you will see a greater success than ever before and know that success is always achieved with a few steps forward and a couple steps back. In reality you are ahead of where you were. It is also important to have compassion for others. Sometimes there is someone at work or school who is being rude to us or our spouse is not so thoughtful. Most of us are very quick to take this rudeness personal. When we take how others treat us personal, we throw ourselves off track again making poor choices. We may overeat, under eat, stress eat, skip exercise or over exercise because we feel like we were treated poorly because we are not good enough or not “liked” It is important to have compassion and empathy for the other people around us. Maybe they are not being rude to us because we are not good enough, maybe they are not having a good day or maybe they feel bad themselves and are not communicating how they feel. Have compassion for them and understand they may not be thinking like you or may have a lot on their plate. It’s important to express how you feel and to communicate with others, putting yourself in their shoes and your own. Communicating with compassion and having compassion for yourself reduces stress and can help you make optimal choices for your health.

The 3rd and most important C- Consistency

Aristotle once said, “You will become what you consistently do.” This is TRUTH! As a whole, us Americans are failing at achieving health because we tend to be an all or nothing society. If we don’t get what we want when we want it, we tend to give up or change the course. It is important to practice the daily habits required to achieve your overall goals. It is just not possible to achieve a healthy, happy, hot body without consistency. Whatever gets you sick, keeps you sick and whatever gets you well, keeps you well. If you remain consistent eating well, exercising, communicating and sharing love- you will learn a great deal about your body. You will see what works for you and you will not self sabotage. You will feel at peace when you make mistakes and understand others make them too. Staying the course and consistently learning how to treat yourself better, will lead to the greatest physical, mental and spiritual health you have ever experienced. Consistency is required to be successful in ALL areas of life. You can not come to work two weeks and be off four and expect success. You can not be nice to your spouse one year and then rude the next year and expect a great relationship. It works the same when getting well. It’s the consistency of practicing healthy behaviors, not just for a few weeks or a couple years. It’s a lifetime of working to become a better you. This is how lasting results are achieved.

If you feel you have been struggling to get healthy, lose weight or meet a goal- stop a minute and assess the three C’s. Are you communicating effectively, honestly and with compassion? Or are you holding back? Are you having compassion for yourself? Are you judging others or are you having compassion for where they may be at on their journey? Are you willing to consistently eat well, think well, live well as a whole, allowing for minor stalls and setbacks? Or are you only making temporary changes hoping for immediate results? Committing to apply the 3 C’s in all areas of your life will lead to less stress, better choices and lasting results! Without them, you may never reach your fullest potential.

April 18, 2013
What Does it Mean to Be the Change?

What does this quote mean to you? For me it was a life changing quote triggering a change in the way I live my daily life. I realized that many times I was frustrated by the way something was or the way someone acted, but after reading this quote, I realized if I wanted things to improve, I had to be the change. I could either complain about the situation or I could start doing something to make a difference. Sometimes we do not feel like we have the control to make a difference, but truly we do.

For example, many of you know I get very frustrated that some companies make money off of us selling low quality food loaded with chemicals. It’s upsetting that the individuals operating these companies are making big cash creating sickness. Why should parents have to be a scientist to know how to shop healthy for their kids? Why can’t you trust that your spaghetti sauce isn’t loaded with high fructose corn syrup and your chicken soup isn’t spiced with MSG? It’s ridiculous. At first it seemed as if the food system was so far gone that I’d might as well hang it up and drink the chemical cocktail, but then I realized if I chose to do nothing, things would remain the same. I would just be venting, our health would still be failing and people would be making my money selling crap food. It’s at that moment I decided to be the change. I decided to slowly work towards switching our snacks to whole food organic options, started buying foods from local farmers and discovering how I could conveniently cook foods without buying chemically laden seasoning packets. Within two years our family’s grocery cart changed from 85% packaged to maybe 15% or less. From there I chose to share with others. If I could do it, you could do it. Or if I can make it for you, I will. These small steps helped my family, my clients and our community. In addition, now the people who are selling ethical, healthy food are making an honest living off of my money, not those robbing my health for temporary riches.

I also work hard to be the change I want to see in the world by being as open and honest as possible. We all have dysfunction, strengths, weaknesses and insecurities. Many of us suffer because we are not willing to share what we are going through or to reach out to others who may have advice to support us. I do my best to share my opportunities, accept my mistakes and seek advice from others. I feel this helps me grow personally and helps me prevent making more critical mistakes. It also allows other people to know they can feel comfortable opening up about areas they may need support in. We are all human. We are each going through this thing called “life”. There’s just no way you can live without ever having a fear, doubt, insecurity, embarrassment or relationship issue. It’s practically impossible. I grew up thinking I had to hold all of these things in and to just try to do it on my own or figure it all out. Humans weren’t designed to do it alone. We were blessed with the ability to communicate, have compassion and to lift each other up. If you’re not already comfortable in sharing your doubts, concerns etc. with others, find someone you feel you can learn from, someone who can help you through the situation. Don’t do it alone. There’s no need to. If you want others to be open and honest with you, ensure you are leading by example and being the change you wish to see.

I could express a thousand more ways I try to apply this thought process to my daily life, but I’d love to hear from you. Each person has a profound impact on the world. Every action has a reaction and every choice you make has a ripple effect. It’s up to you as to how much of an impact you want to make and if you want it to be a positive or a negative impact. How do you lead by example or what do you do to make a situation better? What area in life frustrates you and how do you think you could Be the Change you wish to see?

August 30, 2012
The Gift of Having a Crystal Ball

I have to share with you my love-hate relationship with my passion to help others improve their life. Living the life of a trainer, fitness enthusiast and health education junkie for more than 19 years, has truly taught me a great deal about the human body. When you research and live what you learn, you truly get the chance to experience the outcome. The cause and effect of our choices. When I first started in this career of wellness, I could only understand how I felt from my choices and what happened when I worked out a certain way or followed a certain diet etc. Now after years of working with individuals as young as 5 years old up to 86 years young, I have gained the true gift of being able to see the future. My profession is one of the ONLY professions who actually has the opportunity to spend anywhere from 1 hour to thousands of hours with their clients. These hours are spent learning about their symptoms, their insecurities, their goals, diet plans, life stressors etc. Through this time, I get to learn not only from my mistakes or successes, but also from theirs. I get to see what a life with no activity leads to. I get to see what crazy weight loss plans create and I am also able to see the years many of us waste thinking lesser of ourselves. Each of these experiences have taught me something new.

Meeting with more than 3,500 people and coaching them for more than 19,000 hours has helped me identify trends, effective programming and ineffective programming. This combined with years of formal education, has given me the gift to recognize the cause of many health issues, training injuries and weight loss failures. Not only can I almost take an x-ray of your posture with my eyes, I can almost guarantee you I have an answer as to why a person may have chronic fatigue syndrome, bronchitis, irritable bowel syndrome and thyroid issues. Not only can I give you an answer as to what caused the “sudden” onset of symptoms, I can also give you solutions to the problem.

How can I do this? Why do I think I can?

Do I know it all? No.

Am I a doctor? No.

Am I a VooDoo practitioner? No.

What is it then?

I ask questions. I listen. I am PASSIONATE about what I do. It is embedded within my soul to help others live their fullest life. I seek the best of the best and I train under them. When I don’t have an answer, I seek it out. I find someone who does. When I can’t get a clear answer, I research what happened before the problem began and identify the trends. I track, test, follow through and tailor my programs to my client’s need. I live what I preach and learn from what I live.

When you do anything with passion over a period of years, you become an expert, a master of your trade. If you are like me, you then want to top what you know. You want to gain more answers and give more solutions. This is what I LOVE! I love being able to give someone a solution to their want or need, particularly when it comes to a better mind, body and health. Many times the solutions are simpler than what one might expect and then other times, a chronic condition may take time to heal, but it CAN be done and if it can not be 100%, a person can drastically slow the progression of their symptoms through the proper guidance. How do I know this? I experience it everyday of my life.

Now what do I hate about this passion? What I hate about this passion is really my issue. Have you ever lived something, made a mistake and then saw someone you love about to make the same mistake? Have you ever tried to stop them? What happened? Did they listen? Did they believe you? I am sure sometimes they did. You may have helped them avoid a misery you already lived. A lesson you learned from experience.

What do you feel like when they don’t listen? When your daughter still stands on the counter after you told her not to and then she falls and hurts herself. Or when your sibling keeps dating someone whose tearing them down and it kills you inside. Or when you see your family member continue to abuse themselves through food, alcohol or drugs with no thought of what they are doing to you or their own body? Does it bother you inside? Don’t you want to help them because you know the results of their actions? I would assume most of you would say yes. I know some are built to walk away and let others just live their journey, but for me it’s not that easy.

When you have been given the gift of being able to absorb so much knowledge and experience from others and self, it’s almost impossible to not want to help others avoid chronic mistakes I see on a day-to-day basis. Many mistakes creating misery, depression, feelings of failure and early death. When I see someone who gives up on themselves because the scale didn’t respond fast enough or someone who is over exercising, under eating or cutting out whole food groups to live “healthy”, it literally kills me inside. Why? Because I have been there and done that. I know the consequences. I know the short and long-term results. I know the years of quality life people are shaving off their future and the rapid aging they are creating. I know how they are impacting their family’s future by their choices and how they will miss their goal yet again.

I have people I care about deeply hire me to help them and then negate everything I coach them to do or throw everything out the window once they are on their own. It’s so tough to see them work harder versus smarter, reliving the mistakes I have seen lived a million times over again. But I have to understand, it’s their journey. It’s their lesson to learn and their choice to make, not mine. It’s taken me some time, but I have learned that I can not put my passion on to others. I can not make them want to trust what I tell them. They have to choose what they want and I have to realize I will help some avoid issues all together and I will spend the rest of the time helping people regain the health they lost.

Having the “crystal ball” has definitely helped me live in the moment, love myself for who I am and value taking care of the body I have today. With two-thirds of adults struggling with weight, over 26 million having diabetes and over $83 billion dollars spent on depression each year, I have a true passion to help slow the statistics. A passion to spread my knowledge to each of you and help you live it on a day-to-day basis. One person at a time, we can be the change we wish to see in the world. Many of us have knowledge, but knowledge is nothing unless it’s applied. So if you know me, you have worked with me in the past or you meet with me in the future, know that when I give you A LOT of information and I send you emails of support, it’s not to tell you what to do. It’s not to seem like a know it all and it’s definitely not to mislead you. It’s just because I have had the chance to see the future and I have learned how to live balanced and happy in the present. It is my passion to help you achieve full vitality and performance. You deserve it. Our children deserve it. And our community deserves it.

I hope you will allow me to share my crystal ball with you! It’s definitely worth the outcome.

April 26, 2012
It’s Better to Be Late and Happy!
Hmmm? What is Kim talking about now?

This is a new saying around our facility and something I truly try to live by at home and at work.

We all know there are obstacles in life. The plan never exactly happens how we planned it. The only thing guaranteed in life is change. We are always going to experience setbacks, obstacles and disappointments. What’s different about each of these guaranteed moments in life, is how we choose to react to them.

Many of us are making our life MUCH harder than it has to be. Each time a stressor comes around, we allow it to consume us. We allow worry, doubt and fear to consume us just anticipating what may come around. If we look back at all the times we have consumed ourselves with worry and doubt, what’s happened? Did you make it through? Did it work out ok or did you make it out stronger than before? I would say most of us would answer yes to the majority of situations. If you’re reading this, you did survive each of the obstacles. Now the question is how do we survive each frustration well? I have found it’s all in how we look at each situation. It’s our personal choice as to how we want to react to each bump in the road.

For example, the little stressors such as being stuck in a traffic jam or getting lost on vacation:

Sometimes we get so frustrated that we’re running late, wasting gas or wasting time turning in circles. Although these setbacks can be annoying, is it really worth ruining your day, your moment or someone else’s moment? Now of course I don’t like to be late, but I definitely don’t want to be late and unhappy. The two together are a real crappy combination.

My loving husband, Herson Garcia, used to get so worked up when we were heading to a conference or leaving for vacation that he would make the whole experience regimented and rushed. For most women and men, this is not a great turn on :>) If we were running a little behind, he would get less smiley and just resemble a drill sergeant to the kids and I. By the time we did arrive where we were going, we were all late and unhappy. Being late is one thing, but then screwing up the rest of the trip, event etc. just because we were late, was even worse. This is when I decided to start reminding my family and myself, do we want to be late and at least happy or would we rather lose out on both. “Not I”, said the wise wife. Take my time, but don’t take my happiness with it.

The same tool can work in many areas of your life.

Many people are financially strapped right now, unable to take their families on vacation or on a weekend get away. Although it sucks to be looking for ways to pay the next bill, we don’t have to lose our love and kindness to family also. This may sound insane, but you could lose your job and your house and still have love, happiness and peace. How? Think back? What did people do before the big houses existed? What did people do when there were no cell phones, TV’s, fancy cars and Disney World?

They spent time together. They read books. They worked. They went for walks. They looked for affordable shelter. Before we were so attached to “things” there was happiness. Do you think everyone who was born in the 1800’s walked around depressed? Heck No! It might not have been easy all the time, but they weren’t all on anti-depressants trying to figure out how to cheer themselves up because they couldn’t go on an extravagant vacation or buy the $30,000 and up car. Why? Because it didn’t exist. They weren’t sold to think these things were needed for happiness or for status. Although it is very humbling to have to shut off your cable or cut down on dining out, it doesn’t have to be miserable. It doesn’t have to take your family with it. Money and things is not what creates happiness in a family. It’s the little moments in which everyone still feels safe and loved no matter what is happening around them.

So how do you make a tough situation like financial loss better?
- If you have children, have a camp out in their room. Pop homemade popcorn, color with them, make a special craft. They will remember that camp out more so than most major trips to Disney World and it will mean more than buying them something to cheer them up.
- If you are with a special someone- light some candles and have a nice dinner together. You can put ice water in wine glasses, put the pizza on nice plates and be comfortable together. Show each other that although you may have to take a few steps back financially, you can jump leaps and bounds mentally and emotionally together.
- If you are on your own, take this time to focus on you. Take care of you. Gather with friends to go for walks. Read a nice book in the park. These things may sound cheesy, but use time of setbacks as an opportunity to slow down a little and do things you can’t do when your slammed with work and killing yourself to pay the bills.
We have to know there are Universal Laws and the Law of Rhythm states there is a time for everything, with no exceptions. If you can ride out the bad knowing the good is on it’s way, then you have won half the battle. The more you fight the bad with negativity, fear and worry, the longer it will last.

So although I know it’s not always easy to look for the opportunity in the moments of frustration, there is opportunity and there will be an upswing if you allow it. Try to ride the wave the best you can and know that you have at least two ways of dealing with every stressful situation. You can lose your accessories and lose your family = no money and no love. Or you can take the time to invest more love and security into those around you, while you work together to build the financial security you want.

You can have a rushed, miserable trip to school and work, arriving late and unhappy.

Or you can realize it’s always better to be late and happy!
April 19, 2012