Kim is a holistic wellness coach and certified personal trainer. Her passion is helping women reclaim their confidence, health and wellbeing. Kim will provide the first steps you can take today to improve your gut health. You'll learn about the relationship between sugar and yeast in your body and how to harness the power of your metabolism. Kim will explain why strength comes not only from training, but from finding the voice inside you that fulfills you.
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On The Madeline & Becca Podcast, we chat with leading women from a variety of industries about their career journeys and how they developed professional self-confidence.
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Episode #11: Improve your gut health today with Kim Schaper
Kim [00:00:00] Strength comes in all areas. It can be from strength training. It can be from shifting your mindset to more of a positive one and being kind to yourself. So many women are just brutal to themselves and have that internal dialog that can be so negative. And I often remind them, like, OK, pretend that there is this little girl inside you. Would you talk to her that way? And what is it that she needs? Because we find strength in the discomfort. We find strength even in the silence. And a lot of us are afraid to sit with ourselves because we're afraid of what comes up or how are we going to manage our emotions? What's going to happen? We're constantly on the go. We've been a society where we're in this perpetual state of motion. And so, some of my clients have really suffered with not being able to stay busy all the time because it forces them to sit with themselves more. So, my two cents would be the strength really comes from, yes, it can come externally from strength training and stuff. But honestly, it really comes from finding that voice inside you, finding what truly, truly makes you happy.
Madeline & Becca [00:01:08] Welcome to The Madeline and Becca Podcast. The mission of our podcast is simple, to inspire professional self-confidence in women everywhere. I'm Madeline. And I'm Becca. On our podcast, you will hear stories from real world influencers, women who have experienced tremendous success in their careers by building self-confidence. Thanks for joining us.
Becca [00:01:47] On today's episode, Madeline will be interviewing Kim Schaper. Kim is a holistic wellness coach and a certified personal trainer. Her passion is helping women reclaim their confidence, health and well-being. Kim started her career first in broadcast journalism and then in human resources before embarking as an entrepreneur. Kim's interest in women's health originates from her own battle to overcome both anorexia and bulimia. She was in and out of treatment centers seven times in her 20s before finally gaining mental and emotional healing. Kim started her health business by purchasing weights at Wal-Mart and training stay at home moms in her basement. Today, Kim is an accomplished wellness coach and fitness expert, and her programs help women balance their hormones, thyroid, metabolism and get their lives back. Kim will provide the first steps you can take today to improve your gut health. You'll learn about the relationship between sugar and yeast in your body and how to harness the power of your metabolism. Kim will explain why strength comes not only from training, but from finding the voice inside you that fulfills you. Here's Madeline. [Music transition]
Madeline [00:03:10] What is gut health and why is it important?
Kim [00:03:13] Oh, my gosh, it is such a great question. OK, so gut health is so important because I feel like, and even there's been tons of research, the gut brain connection is so real. So, if someone, so I want you to think, for instance, you know when you maybe are going to do a race or you're going to go in front of a bunch of people and do public speaking, what you find is you start feeling anxious. So, then your stomach starts feeling anxious. It's like, OK, I'm getting butterflies. I'm nervous. And so, if women view it in that way where the gut brain axis is so real. And I'm fascinated by gut health. It's, it can be very complicated, but it's also very simplistic too. We all have our own microbiome, which is essentially our own unique blueprint, which is like you just think of like a fingerprint. We all have our own. So, it starts at a very young age and we get healthy bacteria through vaginal delivery, more so than cesarean delivery. Breastfeeding versus bottle fed. The mother's state of being during time of pregnancy. They've even said that if she's gone through traumatic events during pregnancy, that the baby kind of can feel that. So, it starts at a very young age. And many times, if you go into rounds of antibiotics or massive stress or just the food you eat, the quality of your environment. And now, with there being so many nutritional deficiencies, a lot of women now, if we fast forward to kind of where people are at, the number one things are stress. I mean, stress is huge. And I think a lot of women don't realize that stress exacerbates in many different areas. Your body doesn't know where the stress is coming from or what the stress is. All it knows is it's stressed. So, you could essentially, I'm sure you've heard the analogy before of, you're running from a lion. Right? So, when you run from a lion, your body releases a bunch of adrenaline and cortisol and then it's supposed to regulate itself again. And for many women, it can't. Our bodies are in that chronic state of fight or flight. And so, our systems are so jacked up, we have a very hard time regulating ourselves. And so, that causes a lot of gut imbalances, a lot of bloating, constipation. And so, what typically happens when women, like total transparency here, it might sound gross, but women should poop two to three times a day. And I know it sounds crazy for a lot of women, are probably like I haven't pooped in four or five days. And it shouldn't be where it's you're straining. It should be a smooth bowel movement. And a lot of women do not go to the bathroom. And that, in turn creates a lot of toxic build up estrogen dominance issues, a whole host of things. And so, I have really found that the hormones and all of our neurotransmitters, which are how our brain functions, all of that resides in our gut so we can do all these other things. But if we're not healing the gut, then we're gonna, it's gonna be a chronic wheel. So, when you ask me, OK, well, what is gut health? And to me, it's really just about nourishing yourself from the inside out, finding ways to find the moments of peace and tranquility in your day. However, that may look. Eating nourishing foods, moving your body in a way that gets bowels moving. And there's a quite a bit of things there.
Madeline [00:06:44] So, for our listeners who are listening to this and thinking boy, I am suffering from some of these issues, what are some concrete steps that they could take to learn about gut health and then hopefully understand how that applies to themselves and start improving their own health?
Kim [00:06:59] Sure. Great question. So, I like to refer to the rubber band effect, and I talk about this sometimes in my Instagram. So, envision you have a rubber band and you put it around your thumb and your index finger, and you slowly pull at it. OK. So, there's a little bit of tension, little bit of tension, a little bit of tension. And so, let's say that a little bit of the tension comes from, you know, I don't know, trying to manage everything with chores and bills and stuff. A little more tension comes from trying to run after the kids. A little more tension comes from doing a really hard workout. Another tension comes from trying to have difficult conversations with your partner. So, over time what ends up happening is it essentially just snaps because there's so much tension on the system. So, what I would do first and foremost for your listeners, concrete steps are look at the lowest hanging fruit. What in your life that you can eliminate immediately to reduce stress? That could be saying no to certain obligations that you really don't want to do. It also means taking time for yourself. Many times, we put ourselves last. But, if we don't have our own health and mental well-being, we can't do it for anybody else. So, I think the first step in all of this is looking at what in my life needs to go? What can I cut out to alleviate some of that tension? Because when the body is under massive tension is when you start to have a lot of gut issues, digestive issues. So, what I encourage my clients to do is to take out a piece of paper. On one side, put in charges. On the other side, put drains. And so, go throughout your day and I would do it for maybe three days, go throughout your day and every time you feel like you have a stressor, write it down. And I'm not talking about just any external stressor, even an internal stressor. If you feel anxious or you feel unsettled or you suddenly feel a burning sensation, write that down and put the time. Then, if you're, if you have something where maybe you are able to take some nice deep breaths for a little bit or go for a walk in nature. So, you write down all of your charges, which would be like again self-care, walks in nature, maybe, good exercise, what have you. The drains would be, you know, running after the kids, almost getting into an accident. I hate to even say that, but you know what I mean. So, what a lot of women notice is, there are so many drains than there are charges. So, I think it's really important to say, OK, what in my life? And being honest with yourself, what in my life needs to get adjusted so I can end up having more charges?
Madeline [00:09:32] And, in terms of the nutritional aspect of gut health, do you have any advice with respect to that? I mean, in terms of what's working for your system, like an elimination type diet or what would you recommend?
Kim [00:09:43] Sure. So, I think that can feel very overwhelming for a lot of women. Like, where do we even start? So, what I would do is very similar. Start with a food journal. So, write out three days, write down everything you eat, because here's the thing, there's a difference between an intolerance and an allergy. So, an allergy with a food, you notice it right away. Right? So, you get a rash. Your throat swells versus an intolerance. It can take anywhere from three hours to three days to notice an intolerance coming up. So, a woman could maybe just have an apple and she's like, well, that's what causes my issues. But it could have been something from two days ago. So, that's why I think a food journal to start is so important. So, writing down everything you eat, writing beside it, how it makes you feel. Do I feel sluggish? Do I have more energy? Do I have more cravings? That's a big one to pay attention to. And see if there's a commonality, that there's a common theme. And if you notice a lot of, I would look at the main seven. So, the main ones really are gluten, dairy, soy, wheat, peanuts, corn, eggs. A lot of those can be trigger some for women. So, what you could do is just start with those. And then you can eliminate them. And then slowly integrate them after a few weeks, one at a time, to see if there's any symptoms that come up. That would be probably the biggest thing is that just the very simple elimination diet, not going hardcore FODMAP or anything. And then writing down what you're eating and seeing if there's a theme there. Another thing too, and I know this might be off topic for a quick second, but when it comes to gut health, a lot of women have Candida. A lot, like 90 percent of my clients have Candida, which is yeast overgrowth. And so, what you'll see is people say, OK, we need a probiotic. We need to drink fermented foods or make sure you eat sauerkraut and all these different things that are good for the gut. And they're great for the gut. But the problem is, when these women are dealing with yeast overgrowth, it makes it, makes it worse. So, if women notice that, you know, they're trying to be healthy and do all these rich probiotic foods, fermented foods, and they notice that, you know, maybe they're itchy or their tongue is more white or they're getting more yeast infections or bloating or burping, especially after kombucha, then that's a sign that, to cut that out, that your body has too much yeast and that it's overproducing.
Madeline [00:12:11] I'm not familiar with Candida. I mean, I feel like that's something that I just started to hear a little bit about. So, is that the way to test then for Candida, like by looking at your tongue? What's sort of the test?
Kim [00:12:24] Yeah. The test. Yeah. So, a couple of different things. The lowest test you can do is you can just like pay attention to your symptoms. So, usually it's brain fog, bloating, fatigue, massive sugar cravings, especially at night. You just want the cravings. Like, you know, some women think, oh, it's just my willpower. But many times, it's not. It's you just have that insatiable need for even wine, chocolate. Anything, any carbohydrates, athlete's foot, chronic yeast infections, a white coated tounge, a lot of dandruff, you can have a sense of a body odor. There's, again, bloating, inability to lose weight. Those are, those are probably big ones. However, it can be tied to other things, too, like thyroid and so forth. But many women I talk to have massive candida overgrowth, so that would be the lowest part. And so, what you could do, you get, so one test you can do at home, is you get a cup of water and what you want to make sure is don't do any dairy two or three days before the testing. OK? So, get a glass of water. Put it next to your bedside. Right when you wake up, get a big wad of spit, spit into the cup and wait about fifteen minutes. And if you notice that there's a bunch of strands or legs kind of coming from your saliva or there's a bunch of blobs or saliva goobies as you call it, sink to the bottom, that typically means you're dealing with Candida overgrowth. And the more legs and the more spidery underneath the saliva, the more likelihood you're dealing with Candida. So, that's number one. And then the most accurate way would be a stool test. So that's able to tell directly. Yes, ok, you have massive candida overgrowth and the percentage, and all of that. That's a whole other side. That's the most accurate. But you can try the in-home test, too.
Madeline [00:14:15] So in terms of the relationship between Candida and sugar cravings, is that how it manifests?
Kim [00:14:23] Yeah, so usually, usually it comes from a couple different things. It's a weakened immune system because we all have like again, healthy bacteria in our gut and so forth. But many times, it becomes imbalanced. So, when there's usually our body can ward off the excess yeast, but when our immune systems are compromised, we typically can't. So, it comes from definitely a lot of the foods. If you look at so many of our foods, there's so much added sugar, it's unbelievable. Even the so-called healthy, organic foods, there's a ton of sugar. So, really being mindful of that. That's number one. Number two, I see it a lot with women who had to go on a round of antibiotics or a steroid pack on it. It wipes their healthy bacteria. And then that's a great time for the yeast to come in and be an invader. Stress is huge. That's a huge one. Again, lifestyle, just not really taking care of yourself. Just eating a lot more processed, processed, sugary foods. That's typically what I see.
Madeline [00:15:25] Yeah, it is crazy how much sugar is in all sorts of different things that you wouldn't even imagine it to be.
Kim [00:15:30] It's unbelievable. I know. It's crazy.
Madeline [00:15:33] Do you have any tips for having a healthy relationship with sugar? For women, I think it can be very difficult, because I think you sometimes think gosh, it's the enemy.
Kim [00:15:42] I know. I know. So, you know, and that's such a great question. And to be candid, I think it depends, because there are some women that I work with who are just major sugar addicts, because sugar's like been proven it's just as addictive as cocaine. So, for some women, it is such that dopamine hit where they're reliant and they dream about lava cake or they dream about... So, for some of my clients, they just can't have it because they know once they start, they go down this rabbit hole and they can't quit. Whereas some of my clients, they do really well with it because they deprive themselves for so long. I have one client who would, she deprived herself of foods like that for so long that she a couple of times a week would allow herself to have chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. And she felt great. And so, I think it, again, totally depends upon the person. So, if you're someone that has a very addictive personality that, you know, again, really loves that sugar, that dopamine hit, then I would pay attention to that and see if you have the sugar, if you want more. I honestly, I fall in that category. I could eat a whole sleeve of Oreos, whereas my husband could have one and be perfectly satisfied. So, again, I think it's important to pay attention to your preferences. [Music transition]
Madeline [00:17:07] Let's shift to talk a little bit about metabolism, because I think there's so many misconceptions about metabolism, I know it was sort of an attitude, at least when we were growing up of, you're born with the metabolism, you've got a good one or a bad one, and then you have to deal accordingly. So, can you tell us what is metabolism? And, you know, how does it play a role in health?
Kim [00:17:28] Yeah, such a good question. I love metabolism. So, you know, there is, yes, there is that misconception of, OK, I have a fast metabolism, or I have a slow metabolism. So, my question to you and I'm just curious, where do you think the metabolism is?
Madeline [00:17:44] You mean within the body?
Kim [00:17:45] Yes.
Madeline [00:17:47] That's a good question. I don't think I've ever thought of that. I imagine it was probably related to hormones, but I'm not. I guess I'm not sure.
Kim [00:17:54] Yeah, so it actually is in the brain. A lot of women think it's in the stomach. So, it's in the brain, yep. And so, how it works it's like our metabolism is literally responsible for everything. When I think about the metabolism, I also think about hormones. And it's like a very delicate dance. It's like, it's not just one thing. You know, people think, oh, well, you know, they're so lucky because they have a fast metabolism and I have a slow metabolism. The thing is, yes, we all have a genetic make-up, our own genetic DNA. And while we can say all day long, we might slow our minds fast. It's more complicated than that. But to keep it super, super simple is your metabolism is essentially like your Hedwig's, kind of like your friend in your back pocket, if you will. So, the things that can rev up your metabolism and make you feel good would be things like strength training, because strength training helps a time with lean muscle mass and lean muscle mass helps with just your basic metabolic rate. So, the amount of calories of what you burn into resting state ever again. Everybody's metabolism is different because that's why I'm not a fan of cookie cutter diets, because you can have someone who has you know, I hate even saying it's like a damaged metabolism. There's no such thing. It's more of a compromised metabolism or they scientifically they call it metabolic adaptation. So essentially what that means is if you are someone let's say, for instance, you have one person who has been a chronic diet or so they are chronically in a state of deprivation, stress, because they're over exercising and under eating their metabolism is going to be very different than someone who has never exercised that sits on the couch, needs bonbons all day. So, it's a very, very different makeup. So, the way I see it is like the adaptation is women might think, OK, well, I'm eating less and exercising more wire and I'm losing any weight. It's must be my metabolism. And again, it's not damage is just adapted because our bodies are so freakin smart. Our bodies go into that mode of, OK. She's not feeding me enough. OK, I'm in a state of stress. Why would I allow her to lose any fat? Why? I'm going to hold on to that. And then same on the flip side, you know, holding all that weight, that creates a lot of more estrogen issues. And, yes, it compromised metabolic rate. So, it's not so simple as fast or slow. A lot of it again. Yes. Is a bit of a genetic makeup. But yet there's lots of things you can do to keep your metabolism healthy. And that's where I love seeing women who are not in that chronic state of dieting where they allow themselves, as they call it, like a reverse diet, where they slowly add calories because ideally what you want. You want to be able to eat as much as you can without gaining additional weight. So, again, like I said, the body adapts. So, if you're only eating twelve hundred calories, your body is only going to stay at the twelve hundred calories. It's only going to let you burn that amount. So, it'll slow down your walking and you won't want to. You won't have the desire to exercise as much because you're more tired. You won't move your hands as much or be as gestural. So, your body is fascinating. It just wants to preserve. That's what it wants. So.
Madeline [00:21:33] I am interested to know about the role of lifting weights in protein, and I think, you know, Becca and I have talked a lot about this. I remember sort of in a prior iteration of my own life thinking I ate a salad, I ate well, but didn't have chicken or salmon or anything else on it. And I always though oh I was being good. I ate a salad. And then as I've gotten older and incorporated lifting weights and eating protein. I think that completely changed the way that I felt.
Kim [00:22:00] Oh for sure.
Madeline [00:22:00] But I think a lot of women are afraid if protein and just assume, "I want to eat the least amount of calories." Can you speak to that a little bit?
Kim [00:22:09] Oh, yeah. Gosh, I mean, protein is our building block. We have to have protein not only for our muscles, but for our brain. And so, a lot of women can't understand why they have massive anxiety or depression. The amino acids in essential meat-based proteins and B vitamins, when we're deficient in that, when we're deficient in amino acids, that's going to affect our neurotransmitters, which is our serotonin, which is our happy transmitter. Our dopamine, which we can get from different sources. But if someone is not eating enough protein, it'll absolutely mess with the neurotransmitters in the brain. And so, that's one thing. And number two, again, protein is an essential building block. So, a woman can try and train and lift weights and do all of these things. But if she's not eating adequate protein, not only is she not going to recover properly, she's not going to shift her body composition. They have done numerous studies and have shown time and time again that protein is the most satiating food. And so, you can, you know, it's very easy to grab crackers. It's very easy to grab, I don't know, some convenient food versus eating chicken breast. But I can promise you, you'll be more satisfied with the chicken. Your blood sugar will regulate more. You won't be up and down so much. But I know women are petrified of protein. But, my gosh, it's essential. And my clients that increase their protein, obviously you don't have to increase to massive amounts, they notice a huge difference in their body composition. And it also prevents a lot of sugar cravings because protein has tryptophan in it, which is the if so, if you think about Thanksgiving, Turkey has tryptophan in it. That's why so many people get sleepy, because I just eat too much of it. But tryptophan, that's just as important. And we want tryptophan. And so, when we don't get it, we want the sugar. So, the protein is super important. So, my two cents would be if someone is inactive, I would have point seven grams of protein per pound of body weight. And you can, I would say my, some of my clients who lift heavy, I would have them go up to like one gram of protein per pound of body weight.
Madeline [00:24:21] That's a great correlation. In terms of people who want to understand more about their own metabolism, do you have some specific steps that people can take to sort of understand what their metabolism, you know, what works well for their metabolism versus something that's not going to work with their metabolism?
Kim [00:24:43] Yeah. So, I can tell you right away the metabolism, as I mentioned earlier, it wants to stay balanced. It doesn't like to be thrown off. So, yes, you can throw it off periodically here and there. But this is where you really implement self-care. Healthy lifestyle habits, exercise, eating, good quality nutrition. That's really important for the metabolism. Same with strength training, not over exercising, not under eating, because, again, that's a stressor. And when you throw that stressor on your system, your metabolism is essentially going to down regulate. So, what I mean by that is it will affect your thyroid. So, if you're under eating and in a chronic state of stress, it'll affect your thyroid and your metabolism, which literally slows everything down in your system. And then women wonder why they're doing more and they're gaining weight. So, paying attention to that. What I recommend if women really want to kind of take it a step further is there something called the DEXA scan. I'm not sure how they're doing it now with Covid. But that's great because it'll tell you exactly your body fat, your lean muscle and the amount of calories you need. There's also like an underwater test you can do. Those are really accurate. But as far as, again, the metabolism and kind of doing it on your own. I would start with really those main dial movers. So, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, sleep's a big one too. You know, healthy exercise, managing stress, keeping your hormones regulated. All of those things are really important when it comes to the metabolism. [Music transition]
Madeline [00:26:28] One really popular diet, I think a lot of women have been trying is intermittent fasting. Do you have a position on that or any feelings on that?
Kim [00:26:38] Yeah. You know, honestly, I have a mixed approach about it because I've kind of seen both sides. So, I have some women who deal with a lot of adrenal issues. And so, those are the ones that have been in this chronic fight or flight state and their body is just not recovering. So, when you're dealing with adrenal issues, I don't recommend doing intermittent fasting because it just puts additional stress on the system. But some, again, I think it really goes back to it depends. I don't think there's a clear-cut answer. Some women do well, because they intermittent fast, it helps with their digestion, which is true, it does help with digestion. But in some of them, like might eat late at night. So, for them, their main meal and caloric intake comes at dinnertime with their family. So, automatically they're not going to be as hungry when they get up. So, they can kind of push it out a little bit and eat when they're hungry. But I don't think there's anything like clear cut when it comes to Intermittent fasting. I think it just depends. I don't recommend it for my clients who suffer from disordered eating habits or anything like that, because that can bring them back to days of essentially not eating. So, I think there's pros and cons to it. It just depends on the person. [Music transition]
Madeline [00:28:02] I want to ask a little bit about lifting weights. I think there is just a misperception about lifting weights is going to make you look bulky.
Kim [00:28:11] Sure. Sure.
Madeline [00:28:13] And I found in my own life just that lifting weights has been like, it was revolutionary. I guess never did it to my 30s, never touched a weight. It was always run, run, run. Do a ton of cardio. Eat less. For women, first of all, why are lifting weights, why is that important in body composition, I think first.
Kim [00:28:34] Sure. Sure. Well, as I spoke about earlier, it just helps so much with your basic metabolic rate. So, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. And muscle is more dense. Muscle holds more volume than fat. And so, again, the more muscle you have, the better your metabolism is going to be, the more you can actually eat rather than eating like a bird and feeling like you have to do chronic cardio. And I mean, strength training is just, it's a game changer. I mean, some people don't like it, and that's totally fine. I think for myself; it's empowered me to a whole new level. Especially coming from someone who was just all about being as tiny as possible and still being unhappy versus the strength training has given me a whole new level of confidence. But, for for a body composition part, it's a game changer. The body will change for sure.
Madeline [00:29:27] So, for women who perhaps have not ever really picked up a weight and are unfamiliar about, I think it can be intimidating when especially I mean, I know a lot people aren't walking into gyms at the moment, but if walk into a gym and you see all men in the weight area.
Kim [00:29:39] Sure, sure. Yep.
Madeline [00:29:41] And maybe, you know, some of our listeners want to get a few weights and go to the basement and it might be a good time to start. What would you recommend in terms of getting started with weight training?
Kim [00:29:50] Yes. So, I would just, if you can go to Target or Walmart or any local place and grab five and ten pound weights and just do some basics so, you can do like a squat to an overhead press. You could do walking lunges. You could do bicep curls. You could anything, anything that's going to create some tension under those muscles is going to be great for you. I would just start there, start and you can, there's tons of YouTube videos. There's tons of online fitness programs. I have some of those and my clients love it. I have one program where my, I have, it's all women and their stay at home moms. And so, they just crush it in their basement with these kind of weights, five, ten-pound weights. So, I think, again, just starting is the biggest piece and not getting overwhelmed and being patient with yourself rather than trying to jump all over the place. That's where it feels like a lot.
Madeline [00:30:41] Yeah, that's really good advice because I think it can be very intimidating when you see you know men lifting these hundred, hundred- and ten-pound weights and you think, you know.
Kim [00:30:54] Oh yeah, yes, yes. I get that. Yes
Madeline [00:30:54] So, do you have any tips, I think a lot of people are experiencing like just their entire bodies and systems being out of whack during Covid. Do you have any tips about simple things that our listeners can do who are struggling with maintaining health during a pandemic?
Kim [00:31:10] Yeah, if you can, get outside and walk in the sunshine. That's going to be a game changer. So, taking time away from the computer, away from the electronics, getting out, walking in nature, getting outside in the sun, that helps so much. The sun is amazing for the soul and the brain and your health. And so is movement. So, when you add the two together, it's a double whammy. So that would be my first one. Second would be just finding ways to ground yourself. If you take your shoes off, go put your feet in the grass. Wiggle your toes around. Maybe light some candles. Finding ways to stimulate your five senses. That helps to kind of self soothe a little bit, maybe even creating a little safe space in your house where you just feel happy like it might be, a chair with a little light next to it and a candle and a book. Somewhere in your house where you don't feel where it's this constant chaos, where it's your little safe haven. I think that's important. And really just trying to again, go back to the basics, trying to sleep the best you can eat well and movement. All those things really add up and they help a ton. [Music transition]
Madeline [00:32:35] Let's talk a little bit about confidence. That's one of the things that we talk about a lot on this podcast, developing professional self-confidence and self-confidence. And obviously, you've been through your own challenges with developing confidence. In your experience, how does feeling good and feeling strong improve your confidence?
Kim [00:32:57] Oh, gosh, that's such a great question. I think when you feel good and you feel strong, you feel like you can accomplish anything. There's something to be said for just feeling strong and being able to pick up 10 bags of groceries at once. Or just, you know, feeling like, oh, I've got this. Like, you can pick up something and it not feel hard. You know, strength comes in all areas. It can be from strength training. It can be from shifting your mindset to more of a positive one and being kind to yourself. So many women are just brutal to themselves and have that internal dialog that can be so negative. And I often remind them, like, OK, pretend that there is this little girl inside you. Would you talk to her that way? And what is it that she needs? Because we find strength in the discomfort. We find strength even in the silence. And a lot of us are afraid to sit with ourselves because we're afraid of what comes up or how are we going to manage our emotions? What's going to happen? We're constantly on the go. We've been a society where we're in this perpetual state of motion. And so, some of my clients have really suffered with not being able to stay busy all the time because it forces them to sit with themselves more. So, my two cents would be the strength really comes from, yes, it can come externally from the strength training and stuff. But honestly, it really comes from finding that voice inside you, finding what truly, truly makes you happy, regardless of what society thinks. Because some of my closest friends, what society has taught them to do isn't anything that they're doing and they're the happiest people I know. So, trusting, trusting that intuition, trusting that everything will work out. And it always does. Even if it feels hard and uncomfortable and the moments of discomfort and challenge, even though it feels super hard at the moment, it's always propelling us to a greater version of ourselves.
Madeline [00:34:50] And is that why it's helped you with respect to your own body image and surviving anorexia and bulimia?
Kim [00:34:58] Yeah, for sure. I think it's been again, it's been, it's not something that's happened overnight. It's been a slow progress. It's been learning to really love myself for who I am, the good, the bad, the ugly, and being accepting of myself and giving myself grace and compassion. And I think at times when I've been in such that state of, you know, I have to lose weight, or I have to be as lean as possible. I would go there, and I was so miserable. It was brutal. I'm like, why do I, why am I even doing this? Because I think we idealize only when we get here or only when we have this. It's like, actually, no, I can be content with what I have now because I've never known any woman that's hated herself into losing weight. It just doesn't work that way. So, I think that's very important to pay attention to and remembering it's a journey, like there isn't a, there's no like, "oh, aha I got it." You know, it's an ongoing thing. And I do feel like the more internal strength we have and really seeking help when we feel like we need it from additional sources like therapists and so forth, it makes a really big difference.
Madeline [00:36:05] Do you have any advice? I don't see people on social media and everything looks so perfect and so curated, it can sometimes be so hard to look at yourself in the mirror and think, I don't look like her or, you know, I don't, I'm not as strong as her. It's that constant comparison. Do you have any advice for listeners about how to handle their own body image in a social media world?
Kim [00:36:30] Sure, sure, sure. So, you know, I think a couple of things. Number one is many times it's smoke and mirrors. OK. So, if you see a woman who is super shredded and she's eating this huge pizza, it's not accurate. OK? So, many times these women that are so, so, so lean and have these chiseled abs, many times they are under eating. They're not taking care of themselves. They have all these hormonal issues. They're miserable. They have major issues with food. And I can tell you this because I see all the behind the scenes stuff being in this industry for a while and having a lot of them come to me saying, Kim, I mean, I'm jacked up. I need help. Or they are in this, like, peak mode of you know, they're about to get ready for a photo shoot or fitness contest. So, they're dehydrated. They're starving. There are all of these things. So, let's not forget that. And then, you know, it's the social media is everyone's highlight reel. They're not going to talk about how they're struggling or how life is really hard. They're only showing the highlighted moments. And then my encouragement would be if women feel self-conscious, turn off the phone. Don't even look at it. Don't even go down that route. And unfollow people that just don't make you feel good. You know, I think, and everybody's so different. Like, I think if I just use myself as an example, women will say, well, you know, how come you're so strong or how come you have muscle or this or that. A lot of mine is genetic and I'm very fortunate. So, I, and I've been on either extreme. And so, I think it's important to realize that just many times it is smoke and mirrors and it's not always what it seems. It's very easy to create that facade. But if it's making you feel worse about yourself, it's definitely not worth it.
Madeline [00:38:16] So, for our listeners who are working to develop their own self-confidence, can you give them just one, one concrete step that they could take today to help themselves?
Kim [00:38:25] Yep. The first thing that comes to my mind is get out a sheet of paper and write down "I am" statements. So, "I am beautiful." "I am strong." "I am confident," rather than I want to be confident or I want to lose. As if you're already there. So, "I am." And keep telling yourself that over and over and over again. And you'll believe it. "I am this." It makes a huge difference. And one other thing, too. I know this is two, but one other thing that really helps is just take action. So anytime I'm feeling really insecure or unsure, I just do the next best thing. So, maybe I'm about to, I want to create a program, but I'm procrastinating because I'm feeling down about myself. I'll just do the next best thing. I'll just write an email or, so taking action really helps a bunch. [Music transition]
Madeline [00:39:21] For our listeners who are trying to decide on a fitness program, you know, whether that is something with heavier weights or body weight, what is, what steps should they take in terms of evaluating what type of a program is good for them? There's so many options I think it can be almost decision fatigue.
Kim [00:39:41] Oh totally, and especially now with all the online stuff, too. It's like, where do I even start? And then, "oh, well she's doing that. I need to do that." So, first thing is, number one is find something that you enjoy. That's first and foremost, because if you want to get results, you have to stay consistent with something. Program hopping and trying all these different things, it's not going to give you the results that you want, but if you are someone that hands down wants to change your physique, they want to get stronger, they want to get leaner. They want to help their metabolism. They want to drop body fat. The thing that works time and time and time again, research, extensive research has shown lifting weights, walking, doing a little bit of cardio and then eating properly, too. And the biggest thing I could suggest would be progressive overload. So, essentially what that means is starting with the weight you're comfortable with and slowly adding weight over time because the muscle needs to be under tension and it's just like, it's just like learning something. The more we do it, the better we get at it, the more our bodies get adjusted to it. So, over time, you have to lift a bit more weight. You have to challenge yourself a bit more. But again, the progressive overload is going to be the biggest key. Rather than seeing, I see all these different programs where it's like, OK, let me do 100 crunches or let me run around and do all these random, you know, exercises that look like a circus act. None of that's going to do anything. Sure, you might lose a little bit of weight just because you're burning calories. But long term, it's not going to do you any favors. It's, again, like starting with the foundational moves. Like think about how you are in everyday life. You're not going to stand there and do bicep curls all day. Think about things like planks or squats or things like that go a really long way. So, I think the biggest key, number one is finding something you enjoy. And number two is finding a program with someone that has clout, someone that you look at and respect and think, OK. And I'm not talking about someone that has a million followers and they've got an amazing butt, that could be smoke and mirrors too. Look at people that have been in the industry for a long time. They're staying consistent with their message. I mean, that's huge. So, again, the progressive overload, especially for females who want to drop body fat, change their body. So, slowly adding weight over time and sticking with the basic moves. So, what I mean by that, again, it doesn't have to be fancy, do some sort of push movement. So, a push-up, a chest press, some sort of pull movement. So, a bent over a row or a seated row, some sort of hinge. So, a hinge would be like a deadlift, anything hinging from the hips. A squat would be again, any sort of squat. Another one would be some sort of carry, like you're carrying dumbbells and walking, you know. And I would say too, one other one would be some sort of press, some sort of overhead press. If you just stick to those basics and slowly add weight over time, it'll be great.
Becca [00:42:46] To learn more about Kim and her training programs, visit her website Kimschaper.com. You can also follow Kim on Instagram @kim.schaper, where she provides useful nutrition and fitness tips. If you enjoyed listening to our podcast hit, subscribe now and leave us a review. Thank you to Nico Vettesse for composing our original music. And thank you always to our home team of friends and family for supporting us in our mission. This episode was produced and edited by Madeline and Becca. Thanks for tuning in. And remember, you are somebody.