Finally Getting Fit

About the Book

Are you like most people? You’ve got a busy and full life, a successful career, friends and family, and yet, for some reason, you feel like something’s missing.

Do you find yourself wondering, “Is this as good as it gets?”

Many of us feel this way. We long to be more alive and present in our lives, more in touch with ourselves, and closer to those we love. Yet no matter what we do, we can’t seem to get there.

But, no more!

Living Like You Mean It: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want shares with you my proven four-step approach to overcoming fear and connecting more deeply with yourself and others.

The Long Version

In the beginning of Living Like You Mean It, Dr. Frederick talks about a ‘feelings spectrum’ with people who feel too much at one end and people who have a feelings phobia at the other end. Given that this book is meant for people who want to deal with their feelings phobia, I was convinced that I fell on the ‘feel too much’ side of the spectrum and thus didn’t have anything to learn from this book.

Boy was I wrong.

In this book, Dr. Frederick takes us on a fascinating journey through the evolution of our feelings – starting at birth. Before I knew it, I found myself examining my reactions to things as well as my lifetime habits. Let me tell you – I have discovered the roots of a lot of behaviors.

Behaviors is one of the big reasons I decided to post this review here. As a recovering binge eater, learning about my behavior and thoughts towards food - as well as where it all stems from - has helped me incredibly to get past my issues and fears.

The thing I appreciated most about this book is that Frederick doesn’t preach to you. The feeling is almost like he is just as fascinated as the readers are at all of this, so you feel like you’re talking to a comrade rather than being drilled like a teacher. His conversational and friendly tone always made me feel comfortable.

The Short Version

I highly recommend this book. Even if you think you don’t need this book, you may be surprised at what you can learn from it.

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Living Like You Mean It: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want
By Dr. Ronald J. Frederick
http://www.livinglikeyoumeanit.com/
ISBN: 978-0-470-37703-1
Length: 208 Pages

I do this sort of thing on Fiction Scribe when there are a lot of interesting things I’ve read lately that I want to point to. I haven’t really had a need to do so here until things piled up on me this week.

So here we go!

Hanlie at Fertile Healthy has caught the Blah Bug that I’ve been dealing with the past few days. Head over and show her some love.

Cammy at Tippy Toe Diet has a giveaway going on for folks in the US. That doesn’t include me, so I figured I would promote it instead of entering. A copy of Eric R. Braverman’s Younger (Thinner) You Diet is up for grabs.

Foodie McBody at FoodFoodBodyBody put up a post last week that I have been itching to comment on here ever since I read it. Be Mindful, and Don’t Suffer is a post about Foodie’s ‘body philosophy’ for lack of better words. She talks about being mindful, being thankful, paying attention to what you eat and more. All points that I think most - if not all - of the diet plans, systems, etc miss completely. Definitely worth a read.

Why Health Advice on Oprah Could Make You Sick - Yes, there actually is someone out there who isn’t a fan of Oprah. This is a long article on how Oprah apparently doesn’t realize just how much she influences people and how she ‘innocently’ gears her shows to ‘innocently’ support causes she sometimes later denies. All up, it’s a reminder that we’re all different, so no one can be a true, infallible expert.

And there you have it! All the bits and bobs I’ve been wanting to point out over the past week or so.

*NOTE: Anyone who comments on any of Dawson’s posts (spotlight today, guest post tomorrow, interview on Friday) is automatically entered to win a copy of Dawson’s book - The Genie in Your Genes!

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Hello and welcome to Finally Getting Fit, Dr. Church.

1. Could you give the readers here an easy to understand definition of epigenetic work and what you talk about in your book, Genie in Your Genes?

Epigenetics is the science of the signals that activate genes. Our 24,000 genes contain blueprints for building various proteins. Which genes are active, and which proteins get built, depends partly on the signals we send to our cells. In The Genie in Your Genes (www.GenieBestSeller.com), I show how our consciousness is one of the primary purveyors of epigenetic signals.

2. Is epigenetics all energy work? If not, what other things does it incorporate?

Epigenetic signals are sent to the genes in a variety of ways. Some ways are: messenger molecules like neutrotransmitters, neural synaptic signaling, electromagnetic fields, and possibly using light in the form of biophotons. These can be generated by external environmental cues (food, temperature, predators) or internal ones, like the shifts in consciousness produced by meditation, belief, and EFT.

3. What is EFT?

EFT is short for Emotional Freedom Techniques. It’s the fastest consistent method I’ve ever found for reducing the emotional charge of traumatic memories. It involves pairing the memory with a self-acceptance statement, and then tapping on 12 stress-reduction sites on the body, which send an epigenetic piezolelectric signal through the connective tissue. It often works on physical pain, and cravings, too.

4. Could you share a story of healing?

We use EFT to work with veterans suffering from PTSD (posttraumatic stress syndrome). In a clinical trial I published in a peer-reviewed journal, I tell the story of a particular Vietnam veteran with a particularly troubling memory. He usually went on patrol with his best friend, who would walk on his left. This particular time, his friend was on his right, and was killed by a sniper’s bullet in his right side. This veteran had blamed himself for decades for not “taking the bullet” and saving his friend’s life.

After EFT, his cognitions about the event shifted to include the recognition that his friend would willingly have died for him. Another time I worked with a doctor who had recently fractured her wrist. On a 0 through 10 scale, her pain was a 7. For about 10 minutes we did EFT on a traumatic childhood memory, after which the pain dropped to 1.

5. Can energy medicine and conventional medicine coexist? Is one better than the other?

Integrative medicine combines the best of both. You use conventional medicine for conditions it’s good at treating, such as fractures and infections. You use energy medicine for conditions for which it’s suited, like autoimmune diseases, anxiety and depression.

6. Can epigenetics help couples to achieve a healthier pregnancy?

Without a doubt. Much fetal development is governed epigenetically. The emotional state of both the man and the woman affects fetal development, and when one or both parents are committed to cleaning up their past emotional wounding, they help create a healthy womb environment.

7. Does energy work and other practices mentioned in your book offer hope to anyone suffering with a health problem?

Even if you have a serious disease like cancer or heart disease, energy medicine can help. If you achieve inner peace and emotional balance, studies have shown that the stress reducing effects of peace of mind correlate positively with the need for pain medication and doctor’s visits. The book is full of examples of energy psychology and conventional medicine working harmoniously together, whether it’s for a minor problem like a cold or cut, or a major disease.

8. Where do you think/hope epigenetic study will be in ten years?

In the last 20 years, medical science has developed advanced tools like gene chips that can measure the expression of every single gene in the human body simultaneously. We are now turning this technology to the study of consciousness, and investigating how shifts in consciousness like beliefs, meditation and energy work affect genes. I predict we will find very large and important effects on the genome resulting from changes in consciousness, and we will start to use these findings to bring energy psychology into primary care settings. Expect it in hospitals and clinics within a couple of years.

9. What are you hoping readers take from reading Genie in Your Genes?

The understanding that you have enormous leverage over your health. Also that there are a dozen things you can do in ten minutes or less that can have widespread positive epigenetic effects throughout your body.

10. Where can readers go for more information?

To buy the book, go to www.GenieBestseller.com. If you know a veteran who needs help, send them to www.StressProject.com. And if you have a sports team or business that needs a quantum performance increase, send them to www.EFTPowerTraining.com.

11. Is there anything else you would like to share?

Love yourself. De-stress yourself. Experiment with different stress reduction techniques, and find a toolkit of them you can make your own. A calm emotional environment is the incubator of creativity as well as health. This gift is within your reach, and you deserve it. Don’t put it off; do this today!

Good news! The progesterone worked! Woohoo!

Me (rubbing my sore abdomen): Why did I subject myself to this again?
Mr. JM (grinning): Because you someday want to be able to shove a basketball size child out of that little hole…

I’ve long thought that Mr. JM is semi-suicidal. That he likes to be a smartass even when I have about half a year’s worth of PMS coursing through my system pretty much confirms my thoughts.

Joking aside, I am very happy to have my reproductive system woken up out of its coma and grudgingly working again. I suppose I should have guessed that it might take a while to kick start things, but it’s all in the past now.

Even though I’ll whinge a bit about the pain, it’s so nice to be ‘a woman’ again. I don’t like being on The Pill, but if that’s what I have to do… I feel so silly being happy about one of the most miserable times for a woman, but I guess you take it how it goes. It’s been horrible the past months looking at other women with their babies and thinking that it was impossible for me to do that naturally.

Being on The Pill doesn’t magically solve the situation, but it is keeping things healthier and regulated until I can take some of the weight off and be able to do it myself.

Of course, none of you wanted to know about the inner workings of my body and I could have just left it at ‘the progesterone worked’…

Oops.

I’m actually getting things done on time today! Well, catching up and now getting the current things done on time anyway.

This week’s question:

“If weight loss was easy, then no one would be fat.” – One of my friends said that, but that person will have to forgive me because I can’t quite remember who it was at this moment.

Getting fit certainly is certainly not the easiest thing you are going to do in your life. We all take on the challenge in different ways and sometimes have to fight different battles. Personally, I usually have to battle my own mind and sometimes lack of confidence when it comes to making my goals. I keep winning that battle, though, and I keep losing weight.

What battles have you fought and won on your journey to get fit?

I have quite a few battles in the realm of getting fit, many of which repeat. Which sucks, but such as life.

The biggest battle I have fought and won recently is the belief that I just couldn’t lose weight. I had tried everything, it seemed. Even exercise and healthy eating just didn’t seem to be doing anything for me. It didn’t help that the psychological factors weren’t exactly up to par.

It turns out it is just a matter of finding what works for you – even if it takes years to do so. Diets, non-diets, changing habits one at a time, detoxing first… You may have to go through a lot of them to find out what works, but it’s worth it.

Thankfully I was able to find something to smack me on the behind and say, “Hey! You can lose weight!”

In Organic for Health, Sandy Powers gives you a no-fuss introduction to why going organic could improve your health significantly. With sections on everything from seafood to immune boosters, she briefly introduces you to what works best for your body – and what doesn’t.

I liked this book because it got straight to the point with things. You read about what works, what doesn’t, and what’s wrong with non-organic foods. She even includes recipes for you to try out and a section on meditation as well so you can look after your mind health.

I have two criticisms for this book, however. The first is that I would have like to have seen footnotes. When you have so many facts and figures in a book, it makes it a lot easier for the reader to follow up specific information with footnotes. While Powers does include a bibliography, footnotes still would have been helpful. Holly Fretwell’s book on global warming is an excellent example of footnotes used well.

My other criticism is that Powers advises the reader not to take vitamins and minerals but doesn’t advise the reader to talk to their doctor first. While it is possible to get your daily needs out of what you eat, there are some of us who need to take vitamins because of deficiencies. One of the more common ones is iron for women.

A lot of people simply don’t take vitamins, but I would still recommend talking to a doctor about your diet and especially if you are thinking about stopping taking vitamins and minerals.

Overall, I recommend this book. It’s a quick read and introduces you to the ‘darker’ side of the food industry without skirting around the issue.