Emotional Eating

My name is Jerny, I am a recovering emotional eater.

For the first 42 years of my life, I used food as comfort, as a companion, as a reward, as a stress manager. With any addiction, there are rationalizations for the behavior. I exercised up to 3 to 4 hours a day for my job. I gave away every ounce of my energy in classes, life was stressful, money was tight, the pressure to be perfect was huge. Food was my solice, food was my friend.

Sweet, salty, crunchy, even stuff that actually wasn't that tasty. It was just the act of eating, that temporarily eased my angst, and then let me to the subsequent emotional and physical crash within the hour.

As I entered my mid 30's, I noticed weight didn't come off easy any more. Pizza, peanut butter, alcohol, and ice cream stuck like glue. I was healthy, or so it seemed, but always carried the 5-10 pounds of stubborn fat. I wore a size or two larger than I should be and wore it well. I knew I wasn't where I wanted to be, but didn't have the desire or ability to curb my compulsive eating habits.

Afternoons were the worst, an entire box of cereal, crackers, or pop tarts was not uncommon. On a conscious level, I knew it wasn't healthy. I understood the endocrine system and what my body had to go through in order to process crap that the digestive system was not originally designed for.

Enter metabolic testing, a very powerful book, and a few very knowledgeable friends. I learned about the delicate balance I was disrupting and how it was affecting not just my health and my waistline, but my moods, my peri-menopausal symptoms, and my sleep. I just got tired of being tired and started to practice what I was preaching to my clients. I made slow and steady progress, little changes at a time. Learning and listening to my body's natural cues. It was hard for a while, but easier over time.

Having a solid eating plan designed specifically for me, the right supplements, the right exercise plan (less intensity and volume!!!), and patience paid off. Sure I have slipped up, gotten lazy, and fell off the plan. However, it works so well, that I can pretty much just pick up right where I left off and predictably get myself back on track and back into my skinny jeans.

Yes I still eat pizza, peanut butter, ice cream, and drink alcohol. I just moderate them, combine them properly, and time them in order to control my metabolism instead of food controlling me. The biggest change was in my head. I had to start thinking of food as just that, FOOD. Not friend, not enemy, just fuel and refuel. I also had to give up thinking I had to be perfect. No small task and one I can honestly say still creeps in occasionally.

You can do it too! You have to be ready, you have to want it. You need to make changes slowly and consistently. The benefits are so worth it! Not only do you change your body, and feel great, you teach your children, who are watching carefully, that food is not an effective stress manager and save them from the frustration that emotional eating always brings.

You won't likely be able to do it alone however. You will need a diet designed specifically for you and an exercise plan that fits your life. You will need prayer, and a belief that you can change your habits. You will need patience and you will need tenacity. You will need to let go of the concept of perfection and embrace your beautiful you!

If you are ready, I can help.

Online only plans start at $50 per month.

Online plans with accountability meetings once per week are $100 per month.

Results are guaranteed if you follow the directions...I have yet to have anyone regret working with me! :)

Contact me at jarsfit@yahoo.com for more information

Corrective Exercise: What is it?

Corrective Exercise: A systematic, scientifically proven method of creating an orthopedically healthy and balanced body.

Technology and innovation over the last several decades has changed the world and the way that we view information. It has also, however, taken it's toll on public health. The human body was designed to move. Sitting for long periods at our desks, in transportation, and on our couches, has created a monster of lifestyle related physical conditions. The costs are not just metabolic and cardiovascular in nature. When sedentary people decide to start an exercise plan, play golf, hike, and participate in other leisure activities, their bodies are unprepared for the stress. Aches, pains, and injury are common. Most people now live with chronic pain. Lower back pain affects 80% of the adult population. 70-75% of all knee injuries are non contact in nature. 40% of shoulder pain lasts for over a year.

People don't need to be in pain. Correcting muscular imbalances that are created by our daily lives, and increasing strength and range of movement, are vital to the health and well-being of everyone! Corrective exercise is a combination of myofascial release, lengthening tight muscles, strengthening weak stabilizing muscles, and re-integrating coordinated movements that are important in keeping people functional and pain free.

MindBody Unlimited uses start of the art techniques to help people achieve a high levels of function.

Myofascial release:

Percussion therapy is a non invasive, and very effective, way to decrease over-activity of a muscle. It is used in combination with manual therapy, foam rollers, and other common release techniques.

Opens proper blood flow

Assists lymphatic drainage

Releases chronic emotional tension

Decreases inflammation

"Turns off" the neural signals responsible for micro spasms

These benefits allow the body to use it's natural healing capabilities to begin the recovery process

Lengthening techniques:

The next step is to identify muscles that are tighter and shorter than they should be. Over time the imbalance created between chronically short muscles and the weak counterparts pull bones out of their natural position. Assisted stretching is used to gently lengthen and restore these muscles to proper function. Moving the body back into alignment with the center and allowing the muscles to relax and let the surrounding musculature do it's job to stabilize and protect the skeletal system.

Strengthening techniques:

Weak muscles are then identified and addressed. Many of these muscles are undetectable to an untrained individual and examples include external rotators of the shoulder, core stabilizers of the trunk, and hip extensors. An assessment is performed joint by joint to measure and evaluate the strength and contractility of important muscles that are designed to aid in the protection and stability of the body. Specific strengthening exercises are then prescribed.

Integration and Activation techniques:

As the body begins to realign and reposition into a healthier way, corrective exercise then seeks to get the individual back "into the game." Specific and coordinated movements create new motor unit recruitment patterns that create effective and efficient movement. Exercises are designed for the individual needs of the client. The goal is to train the body in specific ways to create not only functional health in daily activities, but to prepare the body for more vigorous sports and leisure pursuits so that they may live a full and healthy, pain free life.