NO MORE EXCUSES

I don't have time to execise..

No time to exercise!?  Yay right!  That is a choice that you are making!  Why is it that we all have the same 24 hrs in a day and some of us find the time to exercise and some of us don't?!  It is all about what we "choose" to do with our time. Maybe getting up 30 mins early, or not watching the evening news!  There is time in your day that you can find to exercise and move yourself forward in your health.  Don't have 45 mins in a row to work out?  That's ok!  Take a 15 min walk (run) in the AM, do 15 mins of circuit training at lunch and then take a 15 min walk in the evening..  Break up your workouts.  you are doing something and that is what is important.  When I am crunched for time, I pop my 10 minute Trainer in my DVD player and I get my butt kicked by Tony Horton for 10 mins!  So, bottom line, we ALL can find time to work out!  Fit it into your day, you will be glad you did.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/getfit2day

http://www.facebook.com/totalbodysolutions

Are you living your PASSION!!!??

Live your passion.  Creating an income doing what you love

Gone Camping

Well, my family is not much of a "camping" type of a family!  We LOVE it when we go, but we usually spend our time out at our cabin on the Columbia River when we get a chance to get out of town. 
We do have an "annual" camping trip that we do once a year with some of our best friends.  And THIS weekend is the weekend!  We have been doing this trip for about 9 yrs now and our kids love it.  It is so cool sitting around the fire and listening to our kids telling stories of "remember when" from this annual trip!  As many of you know, eating healthy while camping is a bit difficult, to say the least!  I do my best to pack healthy meals and snacks, but it gets hard at times.  I go into these weekends knowing I am going to ENJOY myself and not stress.  I love that I live by the 80/20 rule.  80% of the time we are "on track" with our healthy lifestyle and the other 20% we indulge in the "not so healthy" catagory.  We always to do our best to keep on track, but if I do "decide" to have a smore or chips, I am not going to beat myself up, I am going to enjoy it and then move on to my healthy meal...  That is where I find living a "healthy lifestyle" is SO much better than being on a "diet"..  I did not "fall off" of anything, I just had some flipping chips!!  So cool!!
So, I am going to enjoy my great friends, amazing family, drinks and yummy food!  Sleeping on the ground, maybe not... Wish me luck

I want a LIFESTYLE NOT a DIET!!!!

 The people that I coach in my Beachbody business all have weight goals!  I like to empower them to change their mindset a little!  We all want to have that beautiful body and look amazing in our swim-suits!  That is great!  However, I want people to come from the stand point of getting HEALTHY, and when we are HEALTHY, we are going to have to amazing "beach" body.   Looking good is great.  But many times people do things to their bodies that is not necessarily "healthy" just to look a certain way!  When we can shift our mind set from "looks" to "health" we start to realize that we can have it both.  Let's be honest, if we do not have our health, what do we have??  When you look at a "healthy" person, you do not see a person who is carrying around excess weight, so why do we do things to our bodies that is not go, when all we need to do is get "healthy" and we will be the weight that we are intended to be.
I am fortunate to coach many people into a healthy lifestyle.  Many times this is not easy.  For example, someone with purchase P90X, they will think that they will do the program for 90 days and then they will be done.  I have to ask them, "then what?  After the 90 days what is your plan?"  I want people to step into their workout programs and a "beginning to their new healthy lifestyle, NOT a 90 day program"..  You need to educate yourself, with my help, on how to create that lifestyle!  To be healthy you need fitness, nutrition AND supplementation.  Beachbody gets this "LIFESTYLE" thing!  With each fitness program, from slim-n-6 to P90X, they have attached a "meal plan" and supplementation recommendations.  The Beachbody Club offers addition "healthy" recipes for meals and snacks..  They have come up with top of the line products.  These "programs" that they have put out has made it easy for ME to create my healthy LIFESTYLE and for me to coach my customers in creating THEIR healthy lifestyle.  This is not rocket science, this info is out their.  But we need support, tools and accountability to create it for us.
So, shift that mindset from "appearance" to "health" and you WILL be looking hot in that swim suit this summer.

Do you know what is in your Soda's (and other food you are eating?)

WHAT'S IN YOUR SODA'S: The dangerous effects of Diet Soda, and other foods containing Aspartame.

This article really hit home for me. I've never been much of a soda drinker, let alone diet soda yet I find so, so many people are.  It's scary what the additive in these diet soda's (and many other foods) do to your body. What concerns me the most is that so many families do not understand that this product is found EVERYWHERE in the grocery store, and the effects of it are devastating especially to young children. There are thousands of case studies over the last 15 years to the FDA of the effects of Aspartame, yet the FDA still deems it "safe" and usable for consumption. Now, you tell me is something that can cause DEATH be deemed "safe"?

Just some of the products containing Aspartame: Children's Mulit-Vitamin's (WHY)?; Sugar Free Kool-aid, fruit juice, gum, cookies, ice cream, basically folks anything that say's SUGAR FREE has some sort of ARTIFICIAL sweetener in it and these sweetener's all containing chemicals that make up the sweetener's themselves. Do you know how Aspartame was found? Accidentally. Yes, accidentally.

"Aspartame was discovered in 1965 by James M. Schlatter, a chemist working for G.D. Searle & Company. Schlatter had synthesized aspartame in the course of producing an antiulcer drug candidate. He accidentally discovered its sweet taste when he licked his finger, which had become contaminated with aspartame.[16] Upon ingestion, aspartame breaks down into natural residual components, including aspartic acid, phenylalanine, methanol,[25] and further breakdown products including formaldehyde[26] and formic acid, accumulation of the latter being suspected as the major cause of injury in methanol poisoning. Human studies show that formic acid is excreted faster than it is formed after ingestion of aspartate. In some fruit juices, higher concentrations of methanol can be found than the amount produced from aspartame in beverages.[12]~Wikipedia

Now, you can go and do the research yourself, but the bottom line is if you're ingesting this even just a couple time's a week, I would recommend listening to your body, and the symptoms you may be having and not even realizing that you could be poisoning yourself, or your family.

The scary thing is that RARELY do you find a product with only one artificial sweetner in it.  You will most likely see several, and the studies that have been done (and the risk found) is of ONE artificial sweetner, we have NO idea what mixing several together is doing to our bodies!

 

Another scary thing is what the FDA is allowing, despite all of the case studies! If you or any of your family are having any of the symptoms as stated in the article, then PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE detox yourself (I recommend a 3 day jumpstart, to cleanse!) and take everything back to the store you bought it from and tell them that this product is making you SICK. They will have to send the product back to the manufacture stating what you told them and they will get a refund for it, and in turn sending a message to the manufactures of this POISON that WE will NOT be purchasing things with ASPARTAME in it for ourselves or our families!!
hpp://www.beachbodycoach.com/getfit2day

Are you drinking enough water and do you knwo WHY you need to be drinking it!?

OK., you know, I know how much water one should be drinking, but do you know the "why"? This is a question asked by many a kids, so thought I'd post a little details of the "why's", so this may clear up some questions out there.

We all know we need no less than 64 oz. of water every day right? That's 8-10 glasses of water depending on how many oz. the glass is. Doesn't seem like much right? HA! Until you start chugging down the first glass and after your done you feel like you could float a river, then your onto glass 4 before noon and the potty breaks start to kick in. Well, if your like me that is, ha ha ha!

The thing is, is your body NEEDS that water just as much as it NEEDS the air you breathe. What you also must understand, is your body will get used to it after some time and you won't have to have those potty breaks quite as often. I'm talking quite the simple gesture on your part to ensure the proper functions of your body, your brain. Did you know that you actually are smarter when you drink water? Yes, no joke here and you know why? Because your brain can actually function more effectively when it is lubricated. That's why people get headaches when they are dehydrated! OK, so there you actually are SMARTER for drinking those 8-10 glasses a day (More if it's over 90 degrees folks)

Now on to your organs. How do you think drinking more water will effect your organs. Let's start with the heart, because it's seriously what keeps us alive, o.k.? Take a look at this:

Want to lower your risk of having a heart attack? Drink more water, and less of everything else, new research reports.
Researchers at Loma Linda University in California found that people who drank at least five glasses of water each day were less likely to die from heat attack than those who drank two or fewer glasses per day.
In contrast, people who drank a lot of other fluids (soda, juice, coffee, tea) were more likely to die from heart attack than those who drank less, with high levels of non-water drinking women associated with more than a two-fold increased risk of death.
Officials at the college said the results of a study to be published in the American Journal of Epidemiology reveal that drinking high amounts of plain water is as important as exercise, diet, or not smoking in preventing coronary heart disease.
"Basically, not drinking enough water can be as harmful to your heart as smoking," said Dr. Jacqueline Chan, principle investigator and lead author of the article.
That's bad, huh? OK, now onto your digestion and metabolism: Digestion & Metabolism
If you're not getting enough water, these functions suffer and don't properly and this may prevent you from losing as much weight as you otherwise would if you were getting enough H2O. One of the definite benefits of drinking water are proper digestion and metabolism. Even mild dehydration can slow down metabolism and cause you to work harder to burn the same number of calories.

Loss of Body Fat
As you begin having success with your weight loss thanks in no small part to the benefits of drinking water, you’ll lose body fat. As a result, your body increases its percentage of water so the amount of water you need to drink increases each day. As you may be realizing already, the benefits of drinking water are part of a cycle. Everything runs smoother and more calories are burned when you have enough water to keep your body working properly.

Curbs Your Appetite
Drinking 64 ounces of water each day will fill you up so you don't overeat. It's the best natural appetite suppressant you'll find.

Now let's move onto your liver and kidney functions: Glycogen Storage
Glycogen is a form of carbohydrate stored in your muscles. It can be used as energy when you're exercising. The more fit you become, the more glycogen is stored in your muscles. Glycogen holds water so the more fit you are, the more water your body will hold and the more water you'll need.
Impaired Liver & Kidney Function: As I said earlier, one of the benefits of drinking water is a properly functioning body. Without enough water, extra amounts of glucose remain in the bloodstream until reaching the liver. The extra glucose is stored as fat. Your body takes water from inside cells in an effort to compensate for a dehydrated state, including fat cells.

The less water you have in your fat cells means less mobilization of fat for energy. One of the liver's primary functions is to turn fat into energy. The kidneys are responsible for filtering toxins, waste, water, and salt out of the bloodstream. If you are dehydrated, the kidneys cannot function properly, and the liver must work overtime to compensate. As a result, it metabolizes (burns) less fat.

Folks, I don't know any other way to get this across to you, but here it is in black and white if that's what you need.  They are saying 64oz, I say 80oz!!  You can do it.  Find a water bottle that works for YOU!  I have my fun little 40oz Pink Kanteen or my INSANITY water bottle that I take with me everywhere I go, even to bed!  (my husband thinks I am crazy!)..

Now, get up of your butt and get to your sink, or your fridge or wherever your water is and DRINK!

Be happy, be healthy and be hydrated!!

In Love and Health~
Kim Stewart
206.251.4313
http://www.totalbodysolutions.org/
Empowering, educating and coaching you to your ABUNDANT life~

Eating every 2-3hr: the BEST advice I have gotten..

I have 5 daily health goals that I try to reach every day..  I also want the people that I coach to shoot for these goals each day as well.  One of these goals are to eat every 2-3 hrs!  One of the statements that I hear is, "What?? If I eat every 2-3 hours I am going to gain weight."  This is a very common "belief system" that many people have.  Let me try explain and see if I can get you to change that "belief system".
I want to start off by stating that not all calories are created equal.  SO, if you are eating "crap" every 2-3 hrs, you will gain weight and you will not move forward in your weight goals.  BUT, if you are eating healthy, low gylcemic, natural (non-processed) meals and snacks you WILL see your waste line shrink.  Think of it this way; your body is like a fireplace..  (just go with me here!)  What do we need to do to our fire to keep it burning? (Our metabolism is our "fire")  We need to add wood to it every 2-3 hrs, or it will go out.  Now, we do not want to add wet, icky wood!  We want to stoke it with DRY, HEALTHY wood.  By doing this, you will have a warm, cozy, roaring fire!!  THAT is what you are doing to your body by adding "wood" (healthy food) to it every 2-3 hrs.
When do we need to start our fire?  FIRST thing in the morning.  EAT BREAKFAST PEOPLE!!!  I suggest that you eat within an hour of waking OR within an hour after your workout (if you are working out first thing in the morning!)  Back to our fireplace.  If you don't put wood in it all night, what happens to it?  It goes out!  That is what happens to our bodies as we sleep.  So in order to get that fire (our metabolism) burning, we need to fuel it, start if up with some nice dry (healthy, low gylcemic) wood!!  I personally start off every morning with my SHAKEOLOGY.  It is packed with over 70 amazingly healthy ingredients and it is LOW glycemic, so it is not going to spike my blood sugar level first thing in the morning!  It gets my "fire" roaring..  So many people do not eat breakfast.  What this does is it doesn't start your fire 1st thing, then what people tend to do, is eat several hours later and the dump a whole bunch of "wet" wood (Junk food) and it just smolders..  Start that fire FIRST thing in the morning and you will be setting yourself up for success for the rest of the day.
Another great thing about eating every 2-3 hrs, is you are never in the extreme!  You are never starving and you are never stuffed!  You can sit down and enjoy"small" meal or snack because you aren't starving.  AND you can eat a "normal" portion because you know that you are going to get to each again in a few hours.  How cool is that? 
So, what do you eat?!!?  Make sure that you have "healthy" carbs, proteins and "healthy" fats at each meal or snack.  It is great to find a good nutritional bar to have as one of your snacks.  Keep food with you at all times.  Be prepared, that way you will not miss a meal or snack or be forced to pull into that drive thru.
Give it a shot..  Eat every 2-3 hrs, remember HEALTHY, Low glycemic, natural (non-processed) foods and see if your waistline begins to disappear.  I think you will be surprised!

Dont sabatoge your exercise success, find something you like to do!!

I  hear many people talking that they “Hate” to exercise.  To me this is crazy talk!  Exercise is not about going to the gym, running on the treadmill and pumping weights for hours!  Some may think that is fun and that’s great!  Part of a healthy lifestyle is just moving your body!  So when I hear people say they hate exercising, I tell them the “find something you like to do!”  If you don’t like running, don’t run.  If you don’t like to bike.  don’t bike.  There are 1000′s of things out there that you can be doing, the important thing is that you MOVE YOUR BODY!!  If you are one of those people that have used this as an “excuse” to not exercise, I challenge you to try something new.  Try Zumba, try hiking, swimming, P90X, kickboxing, dance lesson, boot camps, Hip Hop Abs (that one always makes me laugh!), or maybe a little INSANITY, the list goes on and on!  No excuses, just move!! BeachBody has been huge for me in finding a workout that I like!  There are SO many to choose from..  Weights, cardio, dance, yoga, the list is unlimited.  Love it, I get to choose each day what I am in the mood for!
So you find something you enjoy doing, how do you keep motivated?  There are several was to “ruin” your motivation!  One way is if you are working out for physical reason’s only!  What I mean by this, you work out hard for 2 wks, you don’t see the results that you would “like” to see, so you tell yourself “I give up, this doesn’t work”.   Another way to lose that motivation is to think that because you worked out you can eat whatever you want to eat.  Not good!  You will never see the results you want with this mind set. If you come from a place of “health” and not “physical” appearances, you will keep your motivation longer, start seeing results and feeling amazing, THAT will keep you going.

How I stay on my Fitness program while on vacation..

I love to travel!  One of my concerns while traveling is that I will get off of my “workout routine”..  Since not traveling is not an option, what do we do??  What has worked for me is that I pack my in-home fitness programs, such as P90X or INSANITY with my, through in some fitness bands, my running shoes, swim suit and workout clothes.  I know that I can start each of my days off with a good work out.  I have worked out in the comfort of my own room with my bands and workout videos, or I swam laps or ran on the beach.  I have even found hotels that have workouts that are available to their guest.  For instance, a hotel in Washington (The Silverdale Beach Hotel) holds a P90X workout 4 days a week.  I would stay at this hotel just for these workouts.

Do your research before you chose a hotel. Do they have group workouts, a gym, a pool or someplace where you can workout.  But just remember, if they do not, be empowered with your life and pack your stuff with you!  Pack your workout DVD's and your bands.  These fitness bands are great for traveling!  They are light weight and they are very useful for getting results.
So, enjoy your vacation. Stay on track with your fitness program and have fun!!