Shier Strength - July 2018

WHY SELF-BELIEF IS THE KEY TO FITNESS Summer is officially in full swing here in Kalamazoo, and as I’m sure you’d agree, it’s awesome! No more of that bitter cold, at least for now. As great as they are, the warmer months of summer are a bit of a double-edged sword for many of us. As the vibe gets more easygoing, so do fitness routines — people would rather go out and enjoy the weather than stay consistent. want to hammer home with you as you sit and read this is that you should never forget that you are in control of your actions. You control what you put into your body, and you control how often you move that body. It may feel nice to pin your lack of fitness on some external problem, but you’re the one with the keys to the car. DON’T GET DISCOURAGED! YOUR KALAMAZOO FBBC EXCLUSIVE JOURNAL 4026 S. Westnedge Ave., Suite 1, Kalamazoo, MI 49008 — www.fitbodykzoo.com

People always try to make excuses. They missed coming to the gym because they wanted to get out in the nice weather, they had their kid’s birthday party, their cat got sick, their relatives are visiting (in five days) — I’ve

Of course, I know that’s not true of any of you out there, all the fantastic members of our fitness family. I can see firsthand that all of you are in it to

win it! But I do want to talk about one thing that’s key for sticking to your goals: mindset.

heard it all. One elderly woman on the brink of heart surgery who was told she’d need to take medication for life even told me that she didn’t have time to join our program and “had to think about it.” I couldn’t help but wonder: What was there to really think about? She has a problem; we have the solution. Yet she still couldn’t make a decision and was paralyzed, I’m sure, by self-doubt and the million external factors she lets run her life. Here’s the truth: You are in control of your destiny. You don’t need to be special or have a will of iron to look honestly at the direction of your life and start making more conscious decisions about your well-being. It starts with believing in yourself, knowing you’re worth it, and gaining the confidence in your ability to take action.

The degree to which you get results is directly related to how you think about yourself. When it comes down to it, it’s all about self- belief. After all, your ability to take action is dependent on you actually believing that you can achieve your goals. Oftentimes, when someone isn’t seeing the results they want, they’re actually not being honest with themselves. If they look inward, it’s almost always obvious that they’re not actually taking the actions they need to reach their goals, whether that’s eating a healthy diet or exercising regularly. And if they’re being really honest with themselves — maybe after a healthy bout of soul-searching — they’ll usually see that the root of the problem is that they don’t actually believe in themselves. They don’t think they’re worth it or have what it takes. No matter

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this month’s article and my words of encouragement are the motivation you need to get going. If there’s anything you’d like me to write about in future newsletters, feel free to let me know at [email protected]. –Adrian Shier

who they are, this thought couldn’t be further from the truth. Everybody deserves to have a healthy, strong, and able body. And despite what you may think, everyone has what it takes to exercise and make healthy eating and drinking choices.

So many of these people feel that it’s out of their hands, that factors they can’t control are preventing them from achieving results. But what I really

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July 2018

WHERE ESSENTIAL OILS COME FROM SOURCING THE SWEET-SMELLING STUFF

Call it a pseudoscientific fad or a medical revolution; either way, essential oils are more popular today than they have ever been. Though research on the efficacy of lavender, ginger, and the dozens of other sweet-smelling oils is conflicting at best, people are using them at an astonishing rate. In fact, according to Stratistics MRC, essential oils were a $5.91 billion industry in 2016 and are expected to reach $12.85 billion by 2023. Whether you’re an essential oil acolyte or fly into a rage at the faintest hint of bergamot, your mind is probably already made up about aromatherapy. The question remains, though: Where does all this delicious-smelling stuff come from? Most essential oils are derived from a process called steam distillation. Soon after harvest, the plants are placed on a mesh inside a sealed still, into which steam is injected. As the steam rises and envelops the plant, it breaks it down and lifts its constituent components up through a tube and into a condenser. The condenser cools the resulting vapor and collects it in liquid form at the bottom. Since essential oils do not mix with water, they float on the surface, where they’re siphoned off, bottled, and shipped off to a distributor. There are other methods, such as expression (aka cold pressing), but because steam distillation is so easy to do, most essential oils you see on the shelf will have gone through this process.

Lavender essential oil is harvested from sheaves of lavandula angustifolia, that purple herb you see all over gardens across the United States. There are lavender farms all over the world, from California to Japan to Brazil, but the biggest world producer of lavender is, interestingly, Bulgaria. Tea Tree oil comes from the leaves of melaleuca alternifolia, commonly known as narrow-leaved paperbark, a short, bushy tree that produces white, fluffy flowers in the spring. The trees are endemic to Australia, but today are usually farmed in New SouthWales or Queensland. Bergamot is distilled from the peels of lime-green bergamot oranges, or citrus bergamia. Most of it comes from coastal areas around the Ionian Sea. Whatever you do with it, use it sparingly on your skin — it can amplify skin damage from the sun!

that this will be your year. But then that motivation begins to dwindle, and you find yourself slipping up again and again. How can you rekindle it? Someone’s GotYour Back Finding someone to keep you accountable can be one of the best ways to stay motivated. Heading to the gym by yourself can become boring, and staying away from junk food is difficult when your friends aren’t in the same boat. In situations like this, it’s important to surround yourself with a supportive group of people. Building relationships with people in a workout class, having a friend or two tag along with you to the gym, or hiring a health coach can all be effective ways to boost your motivation. FindYour Flow Not every diet or exercise programwill work for every person. Finding what works for you and then sticking with it can help increase your motivation, and it can keep you interested. Seek out a class, program, or routine that clicks with you and you thoroughly enjoy doing. Whatever you choose, be sure that it feels natural and flows with your schedule easily — don’t force it! Pick something that becomes second nature to you so you can follow through without worrying or quitting.

Positive Reinforcements

Another great way to boost your motivation is to set goals and establish a reward system for yourself. It’s also equally important not to set yourself up for any disappointments; goals you set for yourself should be practical. Don’t immediately jump into a workout expecting perfection from yourself. Set small goals and, once you reach them, reward yourself with something that doesn’t go against your “stay-fit” focus. By working for what you want to achieve and surrounding yourself with positivity, both inward and outward, you can set yourself up for success by maintaining your motivation.

–Adrian Shier

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RETURN BALANCE TO YOUR BODY WITH KHICHDI

Whenmost people hear theword “cleanse,” they probably imagine several days on a liquid diet as they rid their body of harmful toxins. The practice of cleansing with the goal of detoxification has been around for thousands of years in Indian, Native American, Greek, and Roman cultures. Some forms of modernmedicine even stem from the idea of detoxification as a healing process. Hippocratic medicinewas founded on the idea that balancing the four humors—phlegm, yellowbile, black bile, and blood—will lead to optimal health. The digestive system is integral to ridding the body of toxins, and it’s one of the areas ayurvedicmedicine seeks to optimize.Whilemany find quarterly juice cleanses to be helpful, ayurvedicmedicine highlights the benefits of cleansing with solid foods. Ayurveda— from the Sanskrit word “ayur,” meaning life, and “veda,” meaning knowledge or science— is a formof medicine practiced in India that’s been around for thousands of years. Essential to the ayurvedicway of life is khichdi, a cleansingmeal that aims to bring the body into balance. Khichdi, meaning “mixture,” is one of the first solid foods babies are given in India because it’s so easy on the digestive system. By eating khichdi exclusively for several days, the cleanse can optimize your digestive systemand return it to good health. To get the full benefits of this diet, wean yourself off of caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods in theweek leading up to your khichdi diet. This will make the transition smoother as you begin. Sarah Britton, a holistic nutritionist and author of the popular food blog “MyNewRoots,” reminds those trying khichdi to eat

when hungry, drink a lot of water, and cookmealsmindfully. “The attention and intention you put into your foodwill come back to you and nourish you inways that you never thought possible,” says Britton.

Recipe for Khichdi [Adapted frommynewroots.org]

• • • • • • • •

1 tablespoon coconut oil or ghee

• • • • • •

1/2 cupmung beans or lentils

1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 cup brown rice

1/2 tablespoonmustard seeds 1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1–2 tablespoonsminced ginger 2mediumcarrots, chopped 1 small sweet potato (or seasonal root veggie)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

4 cups water

2 handfuls cilantro, finely chopped

•

Juice of 1 lemon

1.

Soak the rice and lentils ormung beans overnight.

2. Melt oil or ghee in a large pot; add cumin andmustard seeds.When seeds are popping, add remaining spices, then ginger. Fry until fragrant.

3. Add carrots, sweet potato, brown rice, mung beans or lentils, salt, and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 45minutes or until ingredients are soft. Add peas about 5minutes before serving. Turn off heat and servewith cilantro and lemon juice.

AB BUSTER

BALSAMIC GLAZED PORK CHOPS

INGREDIENTS

• • • •

4 boneless pork chops 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons raw honey 2 cloves garlic, minced

• • •

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. 2.

Heat oven to 400 F.

Generously season pork chops with salt and pepper.

3. In a saucepan, combine balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, red pepper flakes, and thyme. 4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently for 5–6 minutes. 5. On high heat in an oven-safe saute pan or skillet, sear the pork chops for 1–2 minutes on each side. 6. Brush chops with half of glaze and transfer to oven. 7. Roast 6–8 minutes. 8. Remove from oven and brush with another coat of glaze. Let cool 5–10 minutes and serve.

Inspired by paleoleap.com

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Why Self-Belief Is the Key to Fitness Page 1

Where Do Essential Oils Come From? Your Motivation to Keep Going Page 2 An Ayurvedic Approach to Cleansing Recipe: Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops Page 3

A Few Things to Do This Month Page 4

IT’S SUMMER IN KALAMAZOO

FIND SOMETHING TO DO THIS MONTH

MOVIES IN THE PARK When: Friday, July 13 at 9 p.m. Where: Celery Flats Historical Area Admission: Free

DOWNTOWN KALAMAZOO SUMMER RESTAURANT WEEK When: Saturday, July 21 through Saturday, July 28 Where: Downtown Kalamazoo Admission: Free (Menu prices are fixed at $10, $25, and $35.) If you need an excuse to enjoy all the cuisine Kalamazoo has to offer, this is it. It’s a solid week of food at a number of downtown Kalamazoo eateries. There is something for everyone! Stay put at one of the restaurants or hop around to sample a little bit of everything. Menus change daily, so there is no shortage of options. For more information, including menus, visit KalamazooRestaurantWeek.com.

KALAMAZOO’S ULTIMATE INDOOR GARAGE SALE When: Saturday, July 21 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Where: Kalamazoo County Expo Center Admission: $2 (Kids are free.) Find a little bit of everything all in one convenient place. From clothing to camping gear, toys to books, and collectibles to antiques, the expo center will be packed. With 126 booths to browse, take the morning or afternoon to get lost in it all. Track down the perfect gift or find something for yourself. Either way, you’ll be hard-pressed to leave empty-handed!

What’s better than cozying up under the stars for a movie? Grab the family and head down to the Celery Flats Historical Area for a night of fun. On July 13, Movies in the Park will be showing the Disney Pixar film “Coco.” This Academy Awarding-winning animated film has captured the imaginations of people all around the world — and now you can enjoy the magic under the stars. Bring a blanket or a few chairs, and you’re set!

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