Category: Personal Development

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Advice From a Dying 24 Year Old

Literally teared up this morning reading this…

I start my mornings with gratitude, a walk, & something inspiring to get my mind in the most abundant state possible. 

Todays read, “Advice from a dying 24 yr old.” 

Do you ever think about how most of us go through days on autopilot, merely existing. Those moments you get home & don’t remember the drive? 

We chase material things & achievements yet feel empty & lost inside. We worry about dumb shit & things that don’t really matter in the end & fulfillment like bills, titles, money, what others think of us, etc.

Why?

None of us truly know the answers & what happens to us after this life. How we navigate this life, however, & the choices we make along the way, define our character & existence. Our experiences & choices shape us, but many of us spend our lives locked into commitments chasing money, power, & stability instead of digging deep within us.

We count down the hours on the clock until we can go home for the day, rest, and do it all again the next day. We run around all chasing something, and wake up one day wondering why we even chased it. It may not matter to you now what you do with each day of your life, but maybe this advice from a dying 24-year-old will give you a wake up call.

I hope you will take some wisdom away from this, & realize we only have a short time on this planet. We may as well make the most of it, & love & live as authentically as we possibly can before our time is up.

POWERFUL ADVICE FROM A DYING 24 YEAR OLD

“I am only 24 years old, yet I have actually already chosen my last tie. It’s the one that I will wear on my funeral a few months from now. It may not match my suit, but I think it’s perfect for the occasion.

The cancer diagnosis came too late to give me at least a tenuous hope for a long life, but I realized that the most important thing about death is to ensure that you leave this world a little better than it was before you existed with your contributions . The way I’ve lived my life so far, my existence or more precisely the loss of it, will not matter because I have lived without doing anything impactful.

Before, there were so many things that occupied my mind. When I learned how much time I had left, however, it became clear which things are really important. So, I am writing to you for a selfish reason. 

I want to give meaning to my life by sharing with you what I have realized:

– Don’t waste your time on work that you don’t enjoy. It is obvious that you cannot succeed in something that you don’t like. Patience, passion, and dedication come easily only when you love what you do.

– It’s stupid to be afraid of others’ opinions. Fear weakens and paralyzes you. If you let it, it can grow worse and worse every day until there is nothing left of you, but a shell of yourself. Listen to your inner voice and go with it. Some people may call you crazy, but some may even think you‘re a legend.

– Take control of your life Take full responsibility for the things that happen to you. Limit bad habits and try to lead a healthier life. Find a sport that makes you happy. Most of all, don’t procrastinate. Let your life be shaped by decisions you made, not by the ones you didn’t.

– Appreciate the people around you. Your friends and relatives will always be an infinite source of strength and love. That is why you shouldn’t take them for granted.

It is difficult for me to fully express my feelings about the importance of these simple realizations, but I hope that you will listen to someone who has experienced how valuable time is.

I’m not upset because I understand that the last days of my life have become meaningful.

We care so much about the health and integrity of our body that until death, we don’t notice that the body is nothing more than a box – a parcel for delivering our personality, thoughts, beliefs and intentions to this world. If there is nothing in this box that can change the world, then it doesn’t matter if it disappears. I believe that we all have potential, but it also takes a lot of courage to realize it.

You can float through a life created by circumstances, missing day after day, hour after hour. Or, you can fight for what you believe in and write the great story of your life. I hope you will make the right choice.

Leave a mark in this world. Have a meaningful life, whatever definition it has for you. Go towards it. The place we are leaving is a beautiful playground, where everything is possible. Yet, we are not here forever. 

Our life is a short spark in this beautiful little planet that flies with incredible speed to the endless darkness of the unknown universe. So, enjoy your time here with passion. Make it interesting. Make it count!

Thank you!”

Drop. The. Mic. 🎤 

Now, what are you going to do today? 

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Sobremesa & Sweet Presence

S O B R E M E S A 

[noun] • Spanish

(n.) the time after a meal spent around the table with loved ones; a time to digest food, love, & friendship.

I was reading about the Spanish tradition where people sit at the table after a meal, talk, & connect with friends & loved ones.

Sweet presence — that’s what it is.

And I thought to myself, how did we lose this in our lives?

The savor of the truly important things in life?

—> the feel of sunlight on your skin

—> long, lingering hugs & the smell of fresh flowers 

—>  the taste of a home cooked meal with family

—>  laughing with friends & meaningful conversations

—> the ability to simply move your body, health

—> peaceful sleep, clean sheets, the taste of fresh coffee

—> the feeling of the first time someone looked at you & told you they loved you

—> knowing you have the entire day to sit in your pjs & the freedom to do absolutely nothing

As basically the entire world has been forced to stay home due to the recent pandemic, I feel we’ve discovered we’ve lost our gift of presence through constant numbing & hustle. 

I thought this was fitting to serve as a reminder both to ourselves whether we’re working or home or everything in between — the people you come home to…

family

friends

friends that become family

those you can’t wait to get on the phone with

those you connect with via social media 

the simple feelings & emotions we experience in our everyday “mundane”…

These are the things that truly matter & we mustn’t forget when we’re feeling lost. 

For me, I’d be more interested to learn from 80 people in their 80’s who were totally lost in their 20’s & 30’s that figured out what was truly more meaningful in life than 80 people in their 20’s & 30’s that figured it out early & never got lost. 

It’s in the lost where we discover truth & ourselves again. 💟

Xoxo Coach K 

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Low Carb Reset, Life Hacks & Longevity

I went into this low carb, insulin reset diet as another learning experience. What I found was a wake up call.

A lot of knowledge and life bombs here 💣

With the dramatic life changes for us all over the course of the past 2 weeks, cliché as it sounds, everything happens for a reason at precisely the right time.

I also listened & shared an incredible podcast on my stories & facebook group on protocols about insulin control & longevity with @jasonphillipsisnutrition & @drmolly.com this morning on my walk.

Why the reset? I had been overly stressed, trying to cut, eating a high amt of carbs (via jasmine rice/rice Chex/occasional alcohol) while intermittent fasting & focusing on 2 (occasionally 3) larger meals a day.

Backstory, for my new followers: 

👉🏻I have Crohn’s, struggled with a missed diagnosis of IBS basically my entire early life & was overweight.

👉🏻Don’t digest fruits or vegetables or fiber or seeds or skins well

👉🏻Thrive off animal meals & animal-based nutrition

👉🏻Struggled with disordered eating & bingeing

👉🏻 Spent 4-5 years healing my gut & getting myself out of metabolic adaptation because I ate poverty macros for fuggin forever

👉🏻Tried to competitively CrossFit on Paleo, Quito, low carb & did all the dumb shit for years 

👉🏻I eat lowfodmap, gluten-free, dairy free, bullshit free 😆, and basic af, not cute meals are my jam. Why? Because that’s how I like to eat, Karen. 

Save this for later 😉

My cut started out well, but as we progressed I noticed my energy was all over the place I was starting to feel more out of control eating larger meals (I was fuller throughout the day). My fasting blood sugar was consistently higher (for me) around the 95 to 100 range, staying elevated even 2 hours after eating. 

Mine typically sits around 80 to 85 in a controlled environment, fasting.

My digestion was decent, but I still felt inflamed, puffy, & like I was carrying a lot of “fluff” around my middle which I did not have in my 20s. (I was more low carb as far as my diet approach in my 20s, & my workouts were lower intensity). I didn’t CrossFit until my 30s.

My lifestyle now is very different from even December 2019. My stress is higher & I’m traveling more. 

My last cut was amazing (I had not dieted in 2 years & was coming off of a surplus) My schedule & stress were more controlled. 

Last 12 week cut for a photo shoot.

💭🤔 HELLO!!!! Katie, you’ll be 38 in July, you don’t have the same body you had in your 20s. Dude, you’re almost a legit Cougar 😻😂 

💁🏼‍♀️It’s time to get real, refocus, & realign. 

To those of you in your 30s, let me tell you, things change quickly. You don’t recover as quickly, nights of bad decisions haunt you for weeks, and you’d rather go to bed by 9:30 than stay up & go clubbing. PS you still don’t have your shit together in your 30s. 👍🏼🤘🏻

I’ve learned this is the time to accept, adjust, & think about longevity more so than a ripped set of abs. 

I love being lean & feeling light & strong, but just because you look the part doesn’t mean you’re healthy on the inside. Abs, striations, & single digit body fat — don’t help you live to a ripe old age. 

These require different levels of commitment and flexibility with your diet and training. Be realistic.

MY CHANGES:

👉🏻Focus on a low carb approach, primarily animal-based nutrition. Why? Because I thrive off animal meats & already don’t digest fibers and plants well. I will harp at you till I’m blue in the face, go your own way! Don’t send me fucking hate messages because I eat animals. I’m not telling anyone to eat this way, I’m simply sharing my experiences and reasoning why. 

👉🏻I also am not “CrossFitting” because all the gyms are closed, therefore, my activity is more lower intensity. This would warrant lower carbohydrates for my needs are not as high.

👉🏻I am also sleeping more, reducing caffeine intake, & fasting at least 14-16hrs overnight to recover, give my digestion a break & allow my body to balance itself out. 

👉🏻I need an approach that is going to keep me fuller, longer, with less energy crashes to sustain long days working at the clinics & hospitals. I don’t like worrying about food & a bunch of meal preps, just my personality.  I prefer two large meals a day. Naturally, protein and fats will do this. they take longer to digest and are harder to digest by the body — keeping blood sugar more stable, energy levels more stable with you feeling fuller, longer like a cherry on top. Which is why I’m taking a higher protein, higher fat approach.

👉🏻Macro wise, I am loosely tracking just to make sure my calories are in check. Keeping my carbs 50 g & under. Not really paying attention to where my protein & fats fall, obviously I’m getting plenty of both with animal-based nutrition with the inclusion of nut butters. 

👉🏻I Am tracking weight, progress photos, & blood sugar with a simple glucometer (am fasting, 2 hrs post meal, bedtime) just to see how my body tolerates specific ratios, salt intake, stress, & food choices. Not because I’m focusing on the weight on the scale. Obviously when reducing carbohydrates, you’ll naturally lose water, so a lot of this is water weight loss, initially.

Me this morning 3/24/20 113.7lbs

THINGS IM LEARNING:

✅CrossFit is not in aesthetic sport. Stop choosing CrossFit to look like a bodybuilder. Align your training, lifestyle, & align your food. Manage you mofo stress!

✅I personally feel much better on a carnivore-ish diet which aligns better with my lifestyle right now. 

🌀My digestion is exceptional, my bloating is gone, bowel movements routine & normal, my puffiness is gone, I feel lighter. 

🌀After nine days I’m noticing aesthetic changes finally. Stomach is starting to lose that patchy fat in my stubborn areas above and below my belly button. 

🌀Yes with the training differences I’m getting smaller, and softer but I’m fitting more naturally back into my happy setpoint. My weight is staying around 113 pounds. 

🌀I don’t hurt as much (minus my broken toe I have right now). 

🌀No energy crashes, I have absolutely no cravings for sugar and I’m offen satisfied with one large meal during the day after my fasted walk. 

🌀I love walking, it is my savior mind and body. I don’t need to work out six days a week and I need to sleep more. Duh.

✅The more data we have the more we can make educated informed decisions about our lifestyle & food choices. Do we need to worry about tracking & measuring all of the time —  NO! But there’s a time & a place for it so you can learn & make educated decisions about how to live your life for YOU. 

Quit whining, complaining, yo-yo dieting, yo-yo training, yo-yo living your life aimlessly because you’re not educating yourself. Get tested, invest in mentors, coaches, doctors to help you. There are free podcasts, wonderful people & resources on social media, books you can purchase & things out there at minimal cost. 

✅Your goals should be centered around 4 different areas: healing, performance, aesthetics, & longevity. Your seasons will change, adjust accordingly.

✅People just think glucose is just a measure of carbs, it’s not, it’s a measurement of your lifestyle. Stress, food choices, sleep, your workouts, air pollution, under eating, over eating, toxins, artificial shit you put in your body or on your body — it all matters.  It all affects your physiology, hormones, gut health, & processes that go on internally. 

✅You have to ask yourself what level of stress you are OK with in your life. Adjust accordingly. If you choose this stress level, don’t bitch when you don’t get what you want.

✅The biggest thing people ignore are their mindset & their thoughts. So why are people having such a hard time right now being at home with their thoughts? 

BINGO. 

I hope this helps you wherever you are in your journey. Remember only you know your body best. I am not endorsing anyone to follow any particular diet I want you to learn, I want you to follow your heart, and I want you to ALWAYS listen to your gut. ❤️

Let me know if this was helpful in comments👇🏻

Hugs 🤗 

Xoxo Coach K

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Times are Changing – “The Purge”

Sometimes people, places, things, our comfortably controlled routines — the old you — must be lifted from the VIP seats of your life to allow the aligned ones in. 

Hello #covid19 

This removal usually hurts like hell. 

It usually is a big kick in the azzzz frankly. 

It creates scars. 

Scars we don’t other people to see so we hide them. We mold into people & titles we think other people will like to approve of. 

What happens when they’re stripped away? What do you cling to?

What do you discover?

What do you let go?

This time has been challenging for me too. I’ve had to basically relearn how to live & sit uncomfortably in my feelings. I don’t sit & rest well. #gsdqueen 

I am beyond grateful, however. For some downtime & slowdown to refocus on what makes me unique, refocus, gratitude for simple things, & realizing I am fuggin awesome no matter if I’m being productive or not. 

Don’t put yourself on the clearance rack — I tell my clients this all the time. With anything in life — dating, fitness, food, career, personal development. 

People doubt their ability, they’re ashamed of their scars when there are people out there in awe of their potential. ⁣

I remind myself to savor relationships & connections made, no matter what the outcome, to not doubt my abilities & worth, to not settle, & to share my scars freely, & choose gratitude ALWAYS.

Here’s to service, presence, & new beginnings. 

Xray on 🤘🏻💀😷

Gimme a ❤️ & one thing you’re grateful for today!🙏🏻👇🏻

⁣

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Emotional times & Emotional Eating

“It’s always a beautiful day to save lives.”

Insert cheesy #greysanatomy quote here⬆️💙😷

But for real…I’ve received an influx of messages about emotional eating during this time of heightened emotions.

As one who suffered from disordered eating, body dysmorphia, bulimia, orthorexia…all the deep 💩 — I HEAR YOU❤️🙏🏻

Cred: Mymindmybody

FOOD & FEELS 

They go hand-in-hand. 

We use them for celebration, socializing, fitness, etc. They’re a necessity. We need food to LIVE. BUT if you feel like food is your go-to coping strategy, it may mean that you’re not actually meeting your needs — emotional &/or physical.

Cred: BlessingManifesting

How to approach emotional eating:⁣

❤️Like not having your period ladies, categorize emotional eating as a red flag 🚩 Something is off balance. Physically &/or emotionally your needs aren’t being met.

❤️Journal. Let’s get to the root issue. Ask yourself “What am I feeling ?” “What do I need?”⁣⁣

❤️Braindump. How can you meet your needs?

✅journal, read, walk outside, sauna, read, listen to a podcast, workout, talk to someone, what puts you in a better mood? 

EAT ENOUGH FOOD in the first place, we binge most often because we’re restricting in some way, positive self talk. 

❤️Know thy self. If you know you can’t control yourself from trigger foods, get them out of your home. Find an approach to redirect those thoughts from ones that are hurting you to one a that are helping you.

The point is to become a mf boss at identifying & meeting your needs before they own you.

Emotional eating, like any gut &/or hormonal dis-ease, is a complex topic that affects many differently.

Please seek help from a qualified individual🥰

Leave advice & your thoughts for others in comments🙏🏻👇🏻

Rose 🌹 are red, my scrubs are blue💙……& I ❤️you🤗 

-Hugs xoxo Coach K

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Self Love & Success Habits

I feel what the world needs right now isn’t another post about losing weight or body fat loss. 

Right now, for most of us, we should be focusing on feeling our best — not shrinking our bodies because we think we’ll be happier taking up less space.

What we really need is S E L F  LOVE

Beautiful design by my fav: @positivelypresent⁠ 💕

Cred: @positivelypresent

Ever wonder where negative talk comes from?

They’re rooted from experiences & traumas you’ve had in your past, often childhood. The more you focus on the familiar past, the more the predictable future repeats itself.

Just because something negative happened to you in the past, maybe someone called you ugly or stupid or pathetic or whatever — doesn’t mean that’s what you are. 

Remember, what people do or say to you comes from how they view themselves &/or the product of their environment. Hurt people hurt people. As we like to say, “Haters gonna hate.”

On the other hand, ⁠if you believe you are unworthy/unloveable you may have biased expectations & reactions when approaching situations with others. 

Thoughts become things. These thoughts contribute to your cycle of black cloud emotions & habits.

To cultivate more self-love you must break the cycle & challenge yourself away from negative thoughts, start enforcing boundaries with yourself & others, practice self-care, and distance yourself from toxicity (environment, people, food, social media, etc).

I talk about how habits make you a lot.

That it’s not exactly about picking the right foods or the right diets or the right workouts or the right macros.

Your habits will directly drive how successful you are in anything & everything you do.

Remember that Marshmallow Experiment done by Stanford professor Walter Mischel?

I had to Google that again actually🤓

Basically it found that children who had more willpower & delayed eating the marshmallow to receive a bigger treat later on were more successful in many areas of their lives than the children who couldn’t resist & chose temporary pleasure over long-term gain.

This experiment relates to our routine habit choices. We can choose habits that will serve us more later or ones that will not. 

When working with clients one of the first things we work on is self & food awareness. Which includes creating healthier habits. 

These can be as simple as eating more protein with each meal or reducing drinking from three days a week to one. 

Change your habits, change your thoughts — change you. 

Make them better ones. 💕 

⁠

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The New Chapter Begins

A lil bit wolf, a lil bit woman — it’s the wild that made her beautiful. @lil_bit_of_fit

She finally started to love the pieces of herself she used to hide & run from.

The scars, the imperfections, the things that made her different — like her Indiana twang, the way a strategically placed cuss word just rolls off her tongue a little bit sweeter, & the way she loves selflessly without abandon.

The scars physical & mental.

The ones on her shin missing a box jump.

The ones on her chest from falling off a tractor in childhood.

The ones from having her gallbladder removed, cervical cancer, Crohn’s, umpteendozen farm injuries.

The ones on her heart from self loathing, disordered eating, overtraining, periods of debt, failed relationships, food fear, fear of failure, fear of fucking up societal timelines & wondering if she’ll ever have her shit figured out.

Livin life somewhere among boots, scrubs, & lessons…

She stared at her picture & out the window, always something on her mind, & finally felt the peace & acceptance of her past, present, & future, all the knowns & unknowns, & realized the experiences & pieces that made her beautiful…

…a lil bit wolf, a lil bit woman — it’s the wild that made her beautiful. – @lil_bit_of_fit

And with that…I finally got my shit together this morning & launched my website, my little writing space to hopefully add value, laughs, mentoring, coaching, & shine some light in this world.

It’s official — lilbitoffit.com

Working on a blog for y’all later, stay tuned: 10 HABITS HAPPY & SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO DIFFERENTLY.

xoxo -Coach K

Photo: @matteuccij13 @lensandlightphoto

Lashes: @kyra_coleman2488 @thelashloungefishersdt

Wardrobe: @tjmaxx

Hair: @skoontz1

Makeup: @sweatcosmetics @elfcosmetics

Lip: @maybelline superstay matte ink