Kimberly J Garcia

Blog

  • 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.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • 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!

     

     

     

  • What’s Causing Your Back Pain?

    Did you know 85% of people will experience back pain at some point in their life? Back pain is the fifth most common reason for visiting a physician and as of the 1990’s back pain was already costing employers up $50 billion dollars annually in the United States. 1,2

    Although back pain is common, it does not have to be.  Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic—meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer. Back ailments are typically a result of microtrauma brought on through a series of events, building up over time and then developing into symptoms of pain and stiffness.2

    Although back pain can be scary and debilitating, we should not fear it. It is not there to scare us or to harm us, it is there to warn us that something is not right. If you listen to the warning sign and seek the proper care, you will save a lifetime of misery. If you ignore the pain or seek less than adequate advice, the pain you are experiencing now will surely create a domino effect leading to additional pain, doctor visits, medication and possibly surgery. Surgery of the back, knees, neck, heels, you name it, the pain will come and the surgery may follow. So what are the common causes of back pain?

    1.Poor Body Mechanics: whether you are sitting with poor posture, lifting boxes repetitively or walking slumped over, each of these habits will create back pain anywhere from the lumbar spine all the way up to the cervical spine.

    2. Improper or nonexistent exercise program: the improper exercise program can be doing more harm than good. Lifting too heavy and completing exercises which feed the dysfunction can drastically increase your risk of serious injury. Being totally inactive can also create severe degenerative disc disease and chronic muscle imbalances.

    One extreme or the other is not good!

    3. Muscle Imbalances: Most individuals have severe muscle imbalances such as tight, short quadriceps and weak, lengthened hamstrings. Or tight lumbar erectors and lengthened, weak abdominal muscles. This uneven tug of war between the muscles causes pain in between. Pain in the back, hips, knees and neck. Treating the muscle imbalances effectively with a flexibility and strength program designed for you, can prevent several missed days from work and give natural pain relief.

    4. Poor Diet: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. Your body can only function based on the fuel you give it. If you are eating inflammatory foods, you will cause swelling and inflammation in the body. Eating too little food or low quality food will create weak bones, tendons and tissue. If you are having pain and no one has addressed your diet, chances are your pain will never be completely eliminated.5. All OF THE ABOVE: With today’s stress levels, work load and daily lifestyle habits, it’s easy to have fallen prey to all four of the common causes above. This is why it is critical to treat the body as a whole. Treating just the site of the symptom may give temporary relief, but without addressing body mechanics, exercise programming, diet and muscle imbalance, the band-aid will not hold for long.

    If you, your employees or your family are experiencing back pain, contact me today. Our staff specializes in back pain management and elimination. We offer one on one coaching, work place seminars and on site workshops.Our next on site seminar will take place on June 23, 2012 at the Garcia Institute of Modern Excellence in Spring Hill. Click here for more details on how to register.

    If you are not local and need someone to help coach you out of pain, I recommend seeking a CHEK Practitioner and/or an Egoscue Posture Alignment Specialist in your area. Visit www.chekconnect.com and www.egoscue.com for more information.  Our extensive training from these two organizations has helped us maintain healthy, fit bodies and has allowed us to share the pain-free gift with others.

    Contact Information:

    Kimberly Garcia

    352-428-6368

    kimgarcia@gimefitness.com

     

    References:

    1.Hart LG, Deyo RA, Cherkin DC. Physician office visits for low back pain.
    Frequency, clinical evaluation, and treatment patterns from a U.S. national survey.
    Spine. 1995;20:11-9.

    2. http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_vii/otm_vii_1.html#3

  • Pain Can Be Your Answer to Better Health!

    I know this may sound crazy, but it is so true. Many of  us may be looking at pain as a problem or experiencing fear wondering where the pain is coming from, when actually pain can be a blessing. A warning sign that something is not right.  Although it can definitely be frustrating, it’s really like your check engine light in the car. When it first comes on it’s a general warning letting you know something needs to be addressed.  If left unaddressed or covered up, a simple need for more oil may lead to something as chronic as a blown engine.  Migraines, back pain, stomach cramping are each signals letting you know something needs to be adjusted. If we keep about our general programming running through the pain or just throw a few Ibuprofen in to cover it up, we tend to create much larger problems.

    Many times we do not intend to ignore the pain and we head to the doctor to find out what is going on. Our physician is trained to check our blood work, look at the site of the pain and to give us solutions to get rid of the pain. But lets say you have something  like chronic stomach pain. This can be triggered by many causes. Your physician will most likely give you a few recommendations such as taking an over the counter Pepto Bismol, prescribe a muscle relaxer or maybe even further testing such as a Colonoscopy. If the Colonoscopy comes back with no chronic findings other than a spastic colon and inflammation in the intestines, your physician will most likely diagnosis you with something comparable to Irritable Bowel Syndrome. He or she may recommend a few dietary changes and prescribe a specific medicine to keep the symptoms manageable.

    Although you appreciate knowing nothing life threatening has developed such as Cancer, have you really fixed the problem? What caused the pain in the first place? We know the pain is there, we know there is inflammation, but did we find out what caused the inflammation or are we still ignoring it? Many times we are told stress caused our stomach pain, migraine etc. or maybe something we ate. This is most definitely true, but did you determine what in your diet was causing the problem? Were you taught how to manage the various stressors which led up to a more chronic symptom?  If you did not find the underlying cause and you were unable to make changes in your behavior which kept symptoms at bay, this means you did not fix the cause which triggered the warning light. You basically just threw a towel over it so you can’t see it or feel it anymore.

    This happens many times when it comes to gall bladder pain. Although someone may have demolished their gall bladder to the point of  needing surgery, there is a reason it went bad in the first place. There is a reason it started to create pain. If we just live with the pain or just cut it out, we generally forget to look for the cause. If we continually just look for instant pain relief, but do not ask why or do not look deeper into what we’re doing to the engine, we’re basically just cutting the wires to the warning lights versus truly fixing the underlying problem. These short term fixes or “quick” fixes can and will lead to more chronic conditions such as hypothyroid, MS, stroke or even cancer. Many times we do not even know more chronic conditions are developing, because we have cut out or medicated the tools which were designed to warn us something was still not right.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Pain can be felt in different forms such mental pain, physical pain, emotional pain or even numbness.

    Although we may need medication or a surgery to fix the acute problem, we truly need to ensure we are addressing the underlying cause to prevent further damage. Of course if someone smacks you in the knee with a bat, we know a simple pain reliever, rest and possibly surgery will get you fixed up. But if you have been taking medication to address symptoms such as stomach pain, heel pain or back pain which came on without direct trauma, it is critical to find out what you may be doing to cause the pain. You may have a muscle imbalance above or below the pain or you may be having stress from overexercising or prolonged sitting. Digging deeper to find the cause may take a little longer than a medication, but you will see the results will be longer lasting and you will drastically decrease your chances of a more fatal outcome.

    This is what we specialize in as CHEK Practitioners and Holistic Lifestyle Coaches. Our training teaches us how to discover the cause, manage it and make it part of our everyday lifestyle. We assess daily lifestyle habits, nutritional choices, movement patterns and overall stressors to find the cause or causes of a persons overall symptoms. We refer our clients to physicians to ensure our steps and the client’s choices are leading to the correct outcomes such as managed blood pressure, blood sugar and proper healing. We also refer to physicians to ensure there are no underlying pathologies needing immediate medical attention.  But helping you efficiently determine the cause to many symptoms and then teaching you how to manage your daily choices, allows us to help you achieve your FULLEST life! This helps create a healthier you, reducing your physician’s liability when treating you, reducing your medical costs and improving your overall well being.  If you are ready to address the cause of your pain or overall symptoms contact us today at info@gimefitness.com or 352-428-6368. We look forward to complimenting your physician’s efforts and helping you take control of your daily choices.

     

     

     

  • Quick Fix! Not So Much

    We’re in the world of instant gratification right now. Many of us are being sold on so-called “quick fixes” or “easy” options to weight loss, almost giving us the sense of if we pay for it, we will get results. This is so true when it comes to buying a car, a dessert or the new iphone, but when it comes to weight loss and truly achieving the body you want… not so much. We start to think if I just get this surgery or I just do this diet, it will help me get the first 10-40lbs off and then I can go from there. This thought process typically sets us up for short and long-term failure versus true results.  Not only does it waste our time and money, it truly wastes our health! The chronic dieting and weight loss industry is creating a slow miserable death for many of us causing depression, injuries, chronic health conditions and 99% of the time leaving us unhappy with our results. Yet still these common weight loss offerings tempt us to repeat the same mistakes over and over with hopes of success if we give it just one more try.

    Lets take a look at a couple common options put before us and break down just how quick they really are.

    Lap Band and Gastric Bypass Surgery

    Here we think we can’t possibly lose weight on our own and that our body defies science. All the eating healthy and exercise in the world does not work for us. We are made to think maybe we can just get a surgery which physically restricts us from eating making results achievable. It will make it easier in our busy lives to not have to be in control, but to kind of have our own built-in governor which keeps us under the speed limit and helps us avoid more negative repercussions such as more weight gain. Some physicians stress the need for us to lose weight for better health and then sell us on this being the best way or the only way to get there.

    Reality Check #1: The body was designed to eat. We require energy to survive. Healthy calories offer the body nutrients needed to burn off fat, build tight bodies and create well-being. Having a surgery which restricts food to the point of mild to severe starvation does not create health or a nice body. Physiologically, it just can’t work. Yes, you can lose weight because you are essentially starving yourself to right before the point of death. I know most are thinking, “I don’t care. I just need this weight off so I can feel better”. Here’s the downside, being a lower weight does not mean you will feel “better”. It’s nice to be a lower weight, but feeling better begins first in your mind and how you think about yourself and then second in your actions as to how you treat yourself. I have been as low as 112lbs and did not feel “better” until I made some serious changes to my mindset, diet, stress and exercise.

    Reality Check #2: A recent study by researchers at the University of Washington found that 1 in 50 people die within one month of having gastric bypass surgery, and that figure jumps nearly fivefold if the surgeon is inexperienced. (2004). 1 in 10 die within the first year! Why is this? Because many who sign up for weight loss surgery are already so severely depleted from poor diets and high stress, their bodies can not handle the stress of the surgery or the malnutrition following. Your body can not heal without quality fuel and if it does, it takes several times longer than someone who is eating a balanced diet.

    Reality Check #3: We are told that even with weight loss surgery, we are going to have to watch what we eat and exercise. So many think if they get a jump-start they will be able to have the energy and a lighter body to do so. And although this may mentally make it easier for a person to get moving, the surgery is not needed to achieve this. It’s all about changing a mindset. It’s all about getting control over your choices making your health and movement a priority. If  we realize that we are going to have to put in the time and energy to exercise and eat right anyway, why not commit to that prior to surgery? Do what you can do! People do not have to exercise the way they see on TV or how their fitness bunny friend does. The goal is to just get moving whichever way you can without pushing yourself to the point of injury. Its appreciating that you have the ability to move and to use it while you can.

    Reality Check #4: Weight loss surgery never makes it easier. It’s actually a lot of time, money and effort. You have to prepare time for prepping and getting approval. You have to make time for surgery, recovery, meal planning, mental support and follow-up appointments. Then you have to learn how to tweak your diet and exercise again when you hit the infamous wall. Many times exercise and diet becomes more and more difficult, because as your body starves to death, it slowly eats away at your tendons, cartilage and healthy muscle mass creating more joint pain and a slower metabolism. It becomes this big snow ball effect in which the very thing you were trying to make easier, becomes even more difficult than it was before the surgery. So guess what? After 1-2 years, you typically take off 80-200lbs depending on how much you had to lose and then most still feel sluggish and flabby, missing the happiness they were looking for. This is the truth to the after effects of surgery. It’s not so easy. Most could take off 80-200lbs in the same time frame just committing to living better allowing them to bypass the pain, sluggishness and doctor visits.

    Rapid Weight Loss Plans- HCG, Phentermine and all the others

    This plan typically consists of a Very Low Calorie Diet, High Protein and some type of hormone or appetite suppressant. Another plan which goes against physiology and how the body was designed to work. Plans work short-term and again sell us on the fact that we don’t have to think much. Just eat anything that’s a protein and maybe a couple of cups of vegetables and we can drop 20lbs pretty easily in a month.

    Reality Check #1: Why are you trying to lose weight in the first place? Is rapid weight loss going to serve your true purpose? Are you losing weight to look less flabby, to be firm in your swim trunks or bathing suit or do you really just want the scale to validate your beauty? When you lose weight on this type of plan, more than half of that is muscle and water weight. If you continue on the plan, you continue to lose lean muscle mass and healthy tissue. Your gall bladder starts to experience stress, your heart gets weaker, your thyroid starts to slow or shut down, slowly but surely you are rapidly losing weight and rapidly aging your body. You may feel elated that the scale is going down, but before long, you will start to scrutinize your body realizing that it still doesn’t look so hot just because you dropped a few pounds.

    Reality Check #2: When you attempt to eat “normal” with your family again, the weight piles back on as fast as it came off.  As we lose lean muscle mass our body starts to require less energy. As we fall back into our old habits not really ever committing to living healthy, our body starts to put all the weight back on and even faster than before. So we spend a few years up down, up down, up down.

    Why create health issues such as heart palpitations, gall bladder failure, hypothyroid and blood clots just to drop a few pounds if they’re just going to make you look flabbier and most likely pile back on with a vengeance?

    Reality Check #3: Many who start this diet to lose weight, we’re not eating enough in the first place. Their metabolism was already too slow from skipping meals, eating too small of portions and only snacking on 100 calorie snack packs. If your lack of weight loss was due to your already nutrient deficient diet, taking on a diet which guides you to eat even less is not the answer for you. If you are someone who has been overeating, this may help get your eating habits under control or help you break a carb addiction, but you can truly achieve these same results through simple life changes not requiring you to buy special pills or hormones.

    These reality checks are just the tip of the ice berg. I can not even begin to share the side effects, the science, the results I have seen over the past 18 years in just a few paragraphs within a blog. Know that I share this information with compassion and empathy for each of you who have been through this or are striving to get weight off. I practice no judgement, because I understand we each just want to feel and look our best. I share this information because it is my hope for you to achieve each of your goals as effectively and painless as possible.

    You have to ask yourself, where do I want to be 3 years from now? Do I want to rely on so-called quick weight loss options losing the same 40-100lbs over and over again? Or do I want to commit to improving my life and actually achieve my goals long-term? I assure you, if  you commit the next one to two years to making true lifestyle changes such as exercise and fueling your body with “real” food, you will achieve your goals and maintain them! Achieving a healthy body and a healthy mind, really takes commitment, perseverance and a love for self. You can’t sign up for college and get the degree in a few weeks. No you actually have to study, take the test and study some more. You have to apply what you are learning  for a consistent amount of time without quitting, but the amazing thing is, with a few years of commitment, you gain a degree which lasts for life. This is what will happen if you truly take the so-called “slow” route to weight loss. Within a few years of learning how to reprogram unhealthy habits, you will actually get the 50-200lbs off you have been working at for the past several years and they will stay off! You will have educated yourself as to how your body works and how to make better choices no matter what is happening in your life. And best of all, you will LOOK and FEEL the best you ever have, achieving better health, less pain and a tighter body!!!

     

  • Why We’re So Passionate About Food!

    Why We’re So Passionate About Food!

    In recent years, our team has learned so much professionally and personally about the importance of food. Learning through mistakes, illness and success, we have become very passionate about sharing a message of truth. What’s tough, is sometimes a message of truth may seem a little overboard or outside of the norm.

    I remember the first time I met a gentleman Paul Chek at an ECA Fitness conference in Miami. He is the creator of the CHEK Institute and by far one of the best health practitioners in the WORLD!  In 2005, I attended a brief nutrition lecture with him and was totally blown away! I knew everything he said was the absolute truth, but it seemed so out of my reach that I was unable to wrap my head around the changes he was recommending. Information such as switching my meat to organic, throwing out my microwave and going back to eating REAL food! I valued what he said, but it seemed as if I would have to move to a remote island somewhere to make the changes truly come to life. An island where there was no temptation, no kids screaming for what they want and free food from the land.

    I was already eating “HEALTHY” based on what mainstream society was telling me, but I realized I was still having issues such as gas, constipation, fatigue, depression and cellulite.  As I moved forward with clients and coaching them with lifestyle changes, I started to see many trends with health symptoms relating directly to how someone was eating. I started to see those who ate too little had hypothyroid, heart palpitations and extremely low pulse rates, others who followed popular weight loss programs for several years had Fibromyalgia, depression and symptoms of MS and those who cut out whole food groups experienced digestive disorders, skin issues and diseases such as Hashimoto’s Disease.

    Prior to receiving extensive training and experience in this area, I used to just focus on Calories, Fat, Protein, Carbs and Fiber. I thought if I hit my calorie goal, I was healthy!  NOT! That was the furthest from the truth. I found that this method of achieving weight loss was very generic and actually created sick, skinny and fat bodies, not healthy, vibrant bodies!

    Food, or the replacement of food, has the most POWER when it comes to how you look, think, act, feel and age! When we train clients we are very passionate about sharing this truth with them, because we know what they do when they leave our facility is more critical than what they do when they are with us. If we train someone at a high intensity, but they go home and either skip meals, eat microwaved meals or often drink protein shakes, we know (based on trends & education) most will be creating a chronic illness for themselves. Training programs which advise you to eat very strict amounts of calories, omitting whole food groups such as fat, meat or carbs, will eventually (or immediately) lead to serious issues. When someone hires us, they typically have a goal of weight loss, pain relief, more energy and a tight body! We know if they crash diet or eat all “fake” food, they may achieve these goals very short-term, but not long after, the injuries will increase, healing time will take much longer and/or chronic diseases such as autoimmune dysfunction or Cancer will arise. There is just no way around it!

    Metabolism is all chemical reactions happening in a living organism to maintain life.  Calories are units of energy required to help the chemical reactions take place. Whole food calories are the only ones which have true nutrients to spark these reactions in a way which creates life versus stress in the body.

    Our goal is to help people achieve the goals they truly want:

    Energy, Health, Tight Bodies, Strength, Better Skin, LIFE

    Weight loss does not guarantee any of these things which is why we never advise crap food, surgeries or crap meal replacements as a way to achieve the body you want.

    If you are experiencing gas, bloating, anxiety, mood swings, depression, autoimmune dysfunction, poor healing, infertility, impotency, loss of libido, symptoms of MS, Melasma, muscle wasting, increased injuries- YOU ARE NOT DOING SOMETHING RIGHT!

    A health plan should make you feel healthier!

    It took me some time to realize Paul Chek was definitely not crazy or going overboard when he shared his passion for better health. What he was doing was trying to save lives and prevent unnecessary health problems being created by common “health” practices. He was the expert and had already been there, done that.  I chose to learn by his mistakes and start applying versus fighting the advice. Our entire staff has worked over the past few years to make small changes and it is amazing to see how far we have come mentally, physically and emotionally.  It’s always a work in progress, but I am here to tell you THAT YOU CAN DO IT! You can have what you want to have without deprivation, sickness, high food bills and strict diets.

    If you need help taking your health to the next level, please email me at kimgarcia@gimefitness.com .

    If you want to get started on your own, your best investment right now would be our new Tour of the Store GIME Guide!

    This is quick fix allows for you to make easy changes TOMORROW!

    Save Your Time, Money and Health! Know that your diagnosis does not have to be permanent! More than 2/3rd’s of our current health problems can be completely managed/eliminated through small, simple changes! We hope you will understand our passion and we hope to add more Quality of Life to your years!

     

    *Photo from http://www.paulshealthblog.com/2010/07/you-are-what-you-eat.html