Kim Rahir | Doing the Heavy Lifting: The Right Perspective, Beating MS, 7-years Treatment Free, & Making the Most of Each Day

“What’s the best workout for MS? The best workout is the one you actually do!” ~ Kim Rahir

Guest Bio: Kim Rahir is a 60-year old mother of three who was diagnosed with MS 10 years ago and decided to ignore her doctor’s advice and muscle her way back to a happy life. Last year she became European Champion in Masters Weightlifting in her age and weight category. Her journey inspired her to leave her career in journalism in her 50s and become a health coach for middle aged women – with a big focus on reactivating and rebuilding muscle. Today, she helps women tap into an abundant source of vitality. It works by reactivating and maintaining muscle and eating to nourish and flourish.

SHOW NOTES: 

• Website(s): https://kimrahir.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-rahir/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kim.rahir/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kim.rahir/

REMARKABLE LISTENER SPECIAL OFFER(S):

• REMARKABLE OFFER 1: Enjoy saving 30% to 80% on EVERYTHING you order at MyPillow.com with Free Promo Code, “REMARKABLE“. Yes, that’s right! Use the best MyPillow promo code out there to save a ton of money on all 250+ quality, comfortable, cozy home goods at MyPillow.com/Remarkable. From sheets, to blankets, to pillows, to mattress toppers, be ready to sleep better and live more comfortably than you ever have before!
• REMARKABLE OFFER 2: You can access a free assessment tool about your health and strength at https://kimrahir.com

CORE THEMES, KEYWORDS, & MENTIONS:

• German university, life choices, journalism, war correspondent, experience in the war zone, perspective, meditation, mindfulness, get distance between your feelings and yourself, breathing exercises, belly breathing, box breathing, seeing double, viral meningitis, the darkness inside, hopelessness, anxiety, walking again, neurological problems, MS, lifting weights, getting strong, confidence, autoimmune diseases, building muscle, women’s health coach, improved quality of life, personal trainer, health coach, Olympic weight lifting, snatch, clean and jerk, attempt, gift of health

For more Remarkable Episodes

Transcript

Kim Rahir | Doing the Heavy Lifting: The Right Perspective, Beating MS, 7-years Treatment Free, & Making the Most of Each Day 

Hello, friend. Welcome to this week's episode of the Remarkable People Podcast. If you or someone you love is struggling with long term physical illness, if you've been written off with a terminal, diagnosis like MS, Today's guest had this unexpected neurological issue and then once she got through six months of rehab about a year later, she's diagnosed with MS and you're going to be on drugs for the rest of your life while you watch yourself deteriorate.

She talks about how she got into lifting and to the point where she just placed in a world championship, and it has not only improved her life and made her more confident and stronger, but she talks about how she hasn't had medicine. Or any outbreak or any kind of issue in over seven years.

So this episode has a ton of great quotes, a ton of great thoughts. , we talk about different aspects of life, mental, physical, emotional, spiritual. It can help everybody. But for people who are struggling with illness and are discouraged, this is a fantastic episode to listen to. Listen to the whole thing, take notes, reach out to Kim or myself at the end, and let us help you and encourage you any way we can.

Because as you're going to see in the episode, both Kim and I have been written off by medical science, But God had a different plan. We did our small part and you can too. This episode kind of teaches you how. Talks about perspective. It talks about outlook. It talks about how there's dark times , but you can get through it and you can thrive.

So, I'm David Pasqualone. This is our remarkable friend Kim. And after this short break, you are gonna hear her remarkable story. Enjoy.

Do you have a console vault? What is console vault? Console vault is a secure storage solution that goes in your vehicle. You take out the old piece of trash, plastic, container inside of the armrest of trucks, SUVs, and Jeeps, and you replace it. With this beautiful six sided steel vault, it goes in simply and easily and quickly with just a couple bolts that are there from your manufacturer and then you can put your wallet, your jewelry, your keys, any kind of protective equipment.

In there and it's safe while you run into a store or you leave your car in your driveway overnight. ConsoleVault is amazing. They're solid quality, American made, reasonably priced, and with promo code Remarkable, you get at least 10 percent off your order. So go to ConsoleVault. com. Look through their huge selection of vehicles to choose from.

Pick out your Kosovo, pick out your lock. There's different types, whether it's combination or biometric or digital, and then order yours today using promo code Remarkable, and you'll save at least 10 percent or more off your order. And then when you're done, send me pictures and testimonials about how much you love it, like we do.

That's it. I'm David Pasqualone. Now enjoy this remarkable episode.

[00:03:43] David Pasqualone: Hey, Kim, how are you today? 

[00:03:47] Kim Rahir: I'm great. Thanks. Having a great day. It's like September, the weather is milder which is really enjoyable after a scorcher of a summer. 

[00:03:57] David Pasqualone: Yeah. And for our listeners all over the world, where are we speaking with you today?

[00:04:02] Kim Rahir: I'm in Madrid, Spain, high and dry in the middle of the country, so it's going to be sunny all through winter, but it's not quite as hot. 

[00:04:11] David Pasqualone: Okay, excellent. And our listeners just heard a little bit about your story, but if they were to hear it directly from you, if they stick with this episode, what's one thing you guarantee they can add or benefit their lives, that they can not only listen to your story, but apply to their life starting today?

[00:04:33] Kim Rahir: I think they will understand in a sort of really deep and relatable way that no matter how low you feel or how, how bad your outlook seems you can always do something. And if you focus on just the now and what you can do next. Without worrying about the big picture or the past or the future, you will be [00:05:00] able to take just one small step forward.

[00:05:01] Kim Rahir: And that, you know, you can do today. But if you listen to this show you will find out that it's always best. Ask yourself, what can I do now? Do that, do something. And then, you know, this will have had an impact, which would be absolutely lovely. 

[00:05:18] David Pasqualone: Beautiful. Yeah, I remember Brother Charles Holmsher and Tim Tunn, they'd always say what's the most, ask yourself, what's the most valuable use of my time right now?

[00:05:27] David Pasqualone: And your message from speaking to you before, you make use of that. So ladies and gentlemen, we will be right back with our guest, our remarkable guest, Kim, right after this short affiliate commercial. And affiliate commercial, and we start. All right, Kim, let's get into this. You have a message that applies to us all.

[00:05:50] David Pasqualone: You have a purpose that's passionate because I've spoken to you off camera. How did you get here? What were, where were you born? What was your upbringing like good, bad or ugly through your childhood and adulthood? Everything happens to us, makes us who we are today or at least influences it. So what brought you to the place in life where this message Of just doing the next thing and doing the next thing and doing the best you can do became such an important part of your being.

[00:06:19] Kim Rahir: Well, that's I, I love this question because we are never quite aware of how every single decision that we take on a daily basis leads us you know, to where we are now. So I was born in the North of Germany and the beautiful town of Bremen, which I love to this day and still support their football club.

[00:06:37] Kim Rahir: I think you call it soccer, but we call it football. I have an older brother. I was Very smart in school. I skipped grades and stuff. I was a gymnast as a kid. I loved Nadja Komanec, who got the first full 10 at the Olympic Games. And it was a very rooted childhood, so we belonged to the north of Germany.

[00:07:02] Kim Rahir: My grandfather had been a fisherman my great grandfather too. So I, I was like really very, very anchored and very rooted. On the other hand, I was always a curious kid and we traveled with my parents for vacations. And after school, I decided I wanted to go to uni in a town. That was, I don't know, 300 miles away, maybe.

[00:07:26] Kim Rahir: So that was considered a courageous decision at the time. And I know that many of my friends from school, they never left. And I went to Bonn, which was the capital at the time, and studied political science. I chose that subject because I went through the catalog of topics that you could choose and just picked the one that appealed to me most.

[00:07:52] Kim Rahir: And And I think that there's something also about my family. My parents didn't just let me decide. They had no preconceptions, no, no wishes or thoughts of what I should do. They really wanted me to do what I wanted. And I think that's, that's, that's a very big element, that formed me, this idea that you get to, that you get to choose, that you, Assume responsibility too for that.

[00:08:20] Kim Rahir: And you know, it's, you know, you get to choose also means you get to you know, you, you get the blame if it doesn't go well or, you know, or the glory if it does. And I, and I love that. I had a great time and decided that I wanted to be a journalist, which somehow works well with the curiosity. I, I love languages.

[00:08:43] Kim Rahir: I love writing and I found a job as at a newswire. After my studies, which, which like fit me like a glove because in a news agency, yes, you have to be correct, you have to be detailed, you have to know your stuff, but you also have to be quick. You know, you cannot ponder and brood over an article for days.

[00:09:05] Kim Rahir: You have like, Maybe an hour, something comes in, you have to really make a decision on what are you going to say about this thing very quickly. And that really, I love this. And it got me also to, you know, be a correspondent in like in war torn Yugoslavia at some point. I, I was there with the Yugoslav army shooting at us.

[00:09:28] Kim Rahir: So that was a very, very, Impressive experience. And. 

[00:09:35] David Pasqualone: And how old were you then? 

[00:09:37] Kim Rahir: Oh, I was in my 20s. Must have been like 20, 26. 

[00:09:43] David Pasqualone: That's a lot of life real fast. 

[00:09:46] Kim Rahir: Yes, and you know what? All, when, this is hindsight. I see this now. This experience in the war zone where you can get like, I mean, you get so scared. I had never been so scared in my life.

[00:09:59] Kim Rahir: It's [00:10:00] hard to describe. You are so scared that you think you're going to faint. But already it put into perspective other stuff and, you know, people who've been to war zones, you can ask them, you come back home and you know, it's, it's already difficult to get worked up about, you know, I, I don't know, a bus that's late or, or, or a coffee that doesn't taste the way you want it to taste.

[00:10:21] Kim Rahir: Or that, that was the first brush with the special circumstances that change your perspective in a, in a very helpful way, actually, because you become more aware of All the stuff you can be grateful for. 

[00:10:37] David Pasqualone: Yeah, and the other stuff doesn't matter. It's so unimportant, the things we worry about and get frustrated about, right?

[00:10:43] David Pasqualone: It's like, nobody's dying, nobody's being raped, nobody's in torture. So what's the big deal? You know? 

[00:10:49] Kim Rahir: Yes. Yeah, I know. It, it's, I know that some So, some people can get, I mean, and their distress is real, you know, with the overwhelm and all the worries that they have about all these things. It's not like, I don't want to tell people, you know, don't be, don't be a wuss.

[00:11:07] Kim Rahir: Don't, don't, you know, exaggerate your suffering. People are suffering, but it's because they have not had that insight and, and, and it could alleviate so much of that. day to day struggles, if they, if they could get this, like, feel it in their bones that, you know, I'm, because of what happened to me later, I'm grateful now in my bones for every step that I can take with my own legs.

[00:11:31] Kim Rahir: And that's a fantastic feeling. 

[00:11:33] David Pasqualone: Yeah, and we're going to get to that part of your story. But for the listeners now who do struggle with worrying and really not prioritizing what matters in life, it's God and people, you know, all these other things, just small details that always work out like 99 percent of the time.

[00:11:48] David Pasqualone: Right. So what advice do you have for them? Like what are the things you remind yourself with? Like if you start worrying, do you catch yourself? And what do you tell yourself? What would you advise our audience? 

[00:12:00] Kim Rahir: Well, one thing that really helps is to, in some kind of way, and the easiest way is meditation, but there are all kinds of mindfulness exercises that you can do.

[00:12:12] Kim Rahir: Just manage to get a little bit of distance. Between your feelings, your sensations and your thoughts and yourself. And that's something that is very difficult to understand at the beginning, but when you practice, you get it. You are not your thoughts. You are you. And if you can get, Just a little bit of distance into that, and there's even science to that, like they have, they have really looked into this, they have researched this.

[00:12:42] Kim Rahir: If you somehow can get a little bit of distance between you and the emotion, you and the, even the sensation, even pain, everything, a little bit of distance and the intensity of the emotion recedes. And how can you do that? The most, the very, the simplest version of this is breathing. If you are like in this situation where you're like totally worked up and you take a few deep breaths you can really manage to get a bit of distance between you and the sensation.

[00:13:12] Kim Rahir: And you know, the breath is also the connection of your of voluntary and involuntary processes in the body. So it's like a, it's like a real good meeting point where you can refocus. And when you refocus on your body. On the breath, that brings you to the present. There's no way you cannot, you know, breathe in the future or in the past.

[00:13:34] Kim Rahir: And it's coming back to the present and to your bodily reality. In this moment, it will make the, the emotions, the worry, the anxiety, everything sort of subside a little bit. It's that simple sometimes. 

[00:13:49] David Pasqualone: Yeah, no, I think that's great advice because people talk about breathing, people talk about meditation, but the way you laid it out is if you're breathing in the moment and you're focused on that breath pattern, everything else gets kind of pushed away, right?

[00:14:04] David Pasqualone: So is there a pattern that I've heard? I've got to talk to so many people in 47 years and I'm thankful to God for, but is there a pattern of breathing that you're, you like, this works best for me, like box breathing or, you know, five seconds hold and let it out for two. What's what pattern of breathing works best for you?

[00:14:24] Kim Rahir: I just focus on breathing, breathing deeper to my belly and try to breathe as naturally as possible. Just very aware of it. And if you, if you try to breathe into your belly, you already get out of this hyperventilating, superficial breathing that comes with, you know, with panic and anxiety. You can also breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds, but you don't have to.

[00:14:51] Kim Rahir: What I do is really, I focus on getting the breath deep down into my belly. That sort of makes you slow down everything. It even slows down your heart [00:15:00] Beat. And so it really has a physical effect also on your anxiety. And that's basically all you need to know. I think the more we simpl simplify these things, the easier they are to use.

[00:15:09] Kim Rahir: I think many people are put off things like meditation or even healthy food or exercise, because with this. Tsunami of information. We think, Oh my God, this is so complicated. I will need like an extra course to do this. If we can simplify, most of the time it works best for us. 

[00:15:30] David Pasqualone: Yeah, I think you're 100 percent right.

[00:15:31] David Pasqualone: I mean, if you did everything everyone says, all the experts, you'd have 82 hours in a 24 hour day. It's impossible, right? 

[00:15:40] Kim Rahir: Absolutely. 

[00:15:41] David Pasqualone: One meditation expert says, stand up. One meditation expert says, lay down. One meditation expert says, lay on your side. It's like, I agree with you. I think there's definitely truth to it and benefit, but you kind of gotta find what works for you too.

[00:15:55] David Pasqualone: And if you stress about the details, you're losing the benefit, right? 

[00:15:59] Kim Rahir: Absolutely. Yeah. I remember when, when I was young, my mom, she was into these things very early. Like she became a vegetarian in the seventies. And so we were eating whole meal bread when nobody else knew what it was. And she, she went into meditation too.

[00:16:13] Kim Rahir: And when she came. And she said it's like, you know, you have to sit in a certain way and if you move only one limb or you blink or stuff, then it's all ruined and it doesn't work. And you know, that's not helpful. If you get, put yourself under pressure to do it right then you're never going to get around to actually being mindful because you're going to be worried so much about all these things.

[00:16:34] David Pasqualone: And how do you define mindful? Like cause some people don't know, that's a term that's going around, but how do you define mindful or mindfulness? 

[00:16:42] Kim Rahir: It's being aware of what you're doing in the moment, like now. There is an amazing exercise and I've never managed to do it like the way it's suggested. I'm using an app that's called Headspace for meditation, and I think it's really fantastic.

[00:17:02] Kim Rahir: And I mean, I have no affiliation with them. I've just been using them for 14 years now and that make it very easy. And they have one exercise where they say, okay, today to practice mindfulness, to be like aware of the present, Every time you change position, you get from sitting to standing, from standing to sitting do that with awareness.

[00:17:22] Kim Rahir: Be aware of, oh, now I'm getting up. Now I'm sitting down. So I'm sitting for my meditation in the morning. I listen to this instruction. I say, oh, that's easy. The first, the first one, because they say, oh, if you can manage like two, three times that you've got to be doing really well. I say, well, that's easy.

[00:17:38] Kim Rahir: The first time it's like when I get up now from my meditation, that's the first time I can be like really aware of me getting up. And then five minutes later, I'm walking around and I remember, Oh, I did not get up with awareness. I've missed the first chance. And it's, it's extremely hard because our mind is always running away with those thoughts.

[00:17:59] Kim Rahir: And that's something that you can practice, you know, be aware of what you're doing in the moment. Try to be aware every time you change position with your body and you will realize how difficult it is. 

[00:18:10] David Pasqualone: Alright, I think that's great advice. So, let's go back. You're 26 years old, you're in a war zone, scariest time probably to date in your life.

[00:18:18] David Pasqualone: Take us, take us on from there in your journey, Kim. 

[00:18:22] Kim Rahir: Yeah, well, I got home safe. I kept working and then I met a colleague over the phone. I'm not kidding. I mean, I've met him in person once when I was on a work trip in Paris, but basically we talked over the phone for a few weeks. Then we met like twice and then we got married totally crazy.

[00:18:40] Kim Rahir: My parents were out of their mind. What are you doing? You don't even know this guy. And I didn't. Not really. And so I quit my job and we, I followed him. He was a journalist too, so he was assigned to Dubai. So we went to the Middle East together and spent four years there. And I started working as a freelancer.

[00:19:01] Kim Rahir: Now, 

[00:19:01] David Pasqualone: was he from the Middle East or where was he from 

[00:19:05] Kim Rahir: originally? He, he's, he's Belgian. Okay. And 

[00:19:07] David Pasqualone: then was it a culture shock for both of you? 

[00:19:11] Kim Rahir: It's hard to describe because Dubai, I mean, I don't know what it's like now but it's probably even accentuated what we experienced. It, it, you're not really confronted with the culture directly all the time.

[00:19:26] Kim Rahir: I used to say it's the best, Bit like a big shopping mall in the desert because they're very westernized. You could go running in shorts as a woman and things like this. And you have very little contact with the locals. They are very secluded. They stay among each other. So there's lots and lots of expats.

[00:19:46] Kim Rahir: You can meet lots of people. But it's not like you're sort of submerged in, in, in the culture of the, of the Emiratis when you go there. 

[00:19:54] David Pasqualone: Yeah, I've heard that, that I think there's a lot of people who [00:20:00] travel there for vacation from around the world. I've heard like the taxis are like Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

[00:20:06] David Pasqualone: It's like ultra mega wealth and it's not like. The rest of the Middle East. Is that your understanding too or am I off? 

[00:20:13] Kim Rahir: Yeah, yeah. It's fair. It's a, it's, it's very rich. It's a, it's quite artificial actually. I'm, I'm not, I'm not going to say it's good or bad. Some people love it. At the time, the atmosphere was that people who came there, came there to make money.

[00:20:29] Kim Rahir: The expats and that makes for a certain sort of makeup of society. And I know that the Emiratis were like really striving, you know, to get museums and to get cultural opportunities and things. So it might've changed at the time. It was really a bit like a, it was very like a glitzy shopping mall. A big cars on the roads and everybody was there to make a quick dime because you didn't pay taxes at the time.

[00:20:56] Kim Rahir: I think that's still the case. I think many successful businesses moved there because the taxes are so extremely low. It's also very harsh climate, very harsh climate. It's like over a hundred degrees all through summer with 95 percent humidity. So you go out the door, your makeup starts running. 

[00:21:18] David Pasqualone: So you and your husband move out there, you don't really know each other, but you get the rest of your life to get to know each other.

[00:21:25] David Pasqualone: Where's your life go from there, Kim? 

[00:21:27] Kim Rahir: Well, we spend those four years like traveling also a lot in the region, which was great. We got the chance to travel to Saudi Arabia together, for example, which was absolutely amazing. Because to go there as a journalist is close to impossible and as a female journalist is like never happens.

[00:21:42] Kim Rahir: But there was an attack on, on the U. S. troops there in Tehran. And I think the Americans urged the Saudis to let people in for 24 hours. So we packed a bag and ran there and went to Iraq and, and Qatar and Bahrain. We saw the whole region, came back to Paris. Oh no, at the end of, of, of our stay in Dubai, my, our first son was born.

[00:22:04] Kim Rahir: So and so we came back with a, with a baby to Europe and then lived in Paris for a while, which is headquarters for my husband. And then we moved on to Vienna. I had two more kids, then moved back to Paris and then moved to Berlin. So every four years sort of, we dragged on those three little people to a new country.

[00:22:25] David Pasqualone: Alright, and then you and your husband were kind of similarly wired. I mean, obviously, journalism is high speed, fast paced, changing constantly. So did you enjoy the change of country and atmosphere and culture? 

[00:22:40] Kim Rahir: Absolutely. And it's something I keep wondering about this to be quite frank, because as I told you, I, I, my, in my childhood, I was like in a very anchored, rooted culture and family, but I also had the curiosity.

[00:22:56] Kim Rahir: So sometimes I wonder, you know, when I see people who've stayed in the same place for all their lives, and this could have been my life too. I would have been happy to, I suppose but this moving around, it has a big advantage and we come back to this focusing on the present. Because when you know that you're somewhere for four years, you will not worry so much about the things that you dislike because you know it's only for a limited time and you will enjoy the things that you really like.

[00:23:30] Kim Rahir: You know, even more because, you know, it's only for a limited time. So you are more aware, actually, of, of time passing. And I think that helps in, in making the most of every, every moment. 

[00:23:45] David Pasqualone: Yes, I agree with that. I know like, you know, most people will grow up somewhere, let's say for 18, 20 years. And then when they start moving everywhere they move, they go see the sites and they look at the things around them.

[00:23:59] David Pasqualone: They take advantage every moment they can, like you said, because they know it's limited. But yet they look, they spent 20 years, let's say, in a country or a state, and they saw nothing around where they grew up, right? So it's like, it is a phenomenon that human nature, we take it we don't, we take for granted what we have.

[00:24:18] David Pasqualone: So now you're traveling, you're relocating, you got three kids, a husband, what happens next? 

[00:24:26] Kim Rahir: Yeah, in 2008 we, no, 2007, we moved to Berlin and for the first time since we got married I got a full time job too. So I had been the freelancer all the time, looking after the kids, writing stuff on the side.

[00:24:42] Kim Rahir: And in Berlin, I had a full time job too. And I was like really elated because I, I'm. Always wanted to prove that you can have family and a job and a career you know, like you can have it all. I, the way I was [00:25:00] brought up in Germany was pretty conservative and the word like career woman was an insult when I was a teenager.

[00:25:06] Kim Rahir: And, and it was clear that you had to choose. You either wanted a career or you wanted kids. And I wanted both. And so we were in Berlin and I had both and I thought, this is it. I've made it. And we lived in a beautiful house. And it was, it was like, you know, the pinnacle I thought. And then from one day to the next, when I was picking up my kids from school, I realized that I was seeing double.

[00:25:30] Kim Rahir: And I thought, Oh, this is not good. You know, when you have achy knees, you think it's going to go away by itself. Or, you know, so many things you can sort of ignore your way out of. When you're seeing double, you know, there's something wrong in the brain. Went to the doctors, was sent to the hospital. And this is really no exaggeration.

[00:25:50] Kim Rahir: I was out from one day to the next. One day I was picking up my kids from school, the next day I was in hospital and I was not going to get out for six weeks. After three weeks, I was paralyzed from the hips downward, I couldn't wiggle a toe and the doctors knew it was something autoimmune, but they weren't quite sure what it was.

[00:26:13] Kim Rahir: Because the eyes go with one syndrome and the paralysis goes with another syndrome, so they couldn't really put a name on it. And most of all, I mean, when they finally named it, that was after I left the hospital, it was clear that this was supposed to be a one off. So it comes and it goes. It's, it's quite, Violent.

[00:26:32] Kim Rahir: And I was lucky because it sort of stopped at the hips for me. For some people, the paralysis is ascending and then you need to be ventilated because your, your autonomic system stops working. So, but it was bad enough to be, I mean, in a hospital. Even if you're not paralyzed, you are so powerless. You've, I felt like a thing.

[00:26:53] Kim Rahir: It's dehumanizing. You don't, you have no power. You don't decide when the light is on in your room. You don't decide when the light, when you go to bed. You don't decide when people are in your room. Don't decide, you know, when people are talking in your room. I, and because I was such a weird case on top, I had like, you know, five white coats standing around my bed like students all the time.

[00:27:16] Kim Rahir: I was sort of presented like a, like a freak. And I looking at me and I really felt like a thing. And that was, That was horrible. Yeah, and especially 

[00:27:27] David Pasqualone: living in so many countries, they probably were looking at infectious diseases and even if it's autoimmune, what triggered it? I mean, you probably had doctors in and out from everywhere, right?

[00:27:38] Kim Rahir: Yeah, they, they really try to find the reason. The problem is the following and I, I totally understand, but you know, at some point, sometimes I was a bit upset about this. It was like, Three weeks before they did like the really full, deep, expensive, wide ranging blood panel. And by that time, it was obviously some, a virus infection that had caused this immune reaction.

[00:28:08] Kim Rahir: I had viral meningitis that had caused this, but they couldn't find the virus anymore. It was too late. It's normal for them. They, like, they cast a wide net first. They check for the, like, for the most basic things, like herpes and stuff. But it took them, You know, a long time to do this, like the really big deep test and, and they couldn't identify the virus anymore.

[00:28:32] Kim Rahir: And yes, yeah, they were looking at everything. They were looking at everything and they tried all sorts of treatments also, like I don't know how to call them corti, cortisone, corti, corticoids, corti, cortico, cortisone steroids. Yeah, yeah. That was a, yeah, it was a drip. I was put on a drip. And then immuno, immune globulins, And one of them must have worked because my legs came back to me very slowly.

[00:28:55] Kim Rahir: And same thing, not really sure which was the one that worked. I think it was the immune globulins because I got another shot later and it made me improve more. It's, it makes you sort of question everything. It's, I always describe those moments as very dark, felt like darkness, or it felt like there's a little door in my soul that had been opened.

[00:29:19] Kim Rahir: Behind that door was darkness. And, you know, I was worried about letting that door open itself more. I wanted, I wanted it closed. I didn't want to see the darkness. I wanted darkness to go away. And that was also the time when I, I really had to focus on, on the present moment because otherwise, you know, you get so scared, you get so scared and so, so anxious and, and hopeless.

[00:29:49] Kim Rahir: Whereas when I asked myself, okay, when's, I mean, like even the horrible hospital coffee when it came in the morning, I was just determined to enjoy that first cup of [00:30:00] coffee and things like that. That was the one thing that kept me sane, you know, because when my kids were small, my oldest was like 10, like 10, eight and six.

[00:30:10] Kim Rahir: And when your kids visit you in hospital, that's a very painful experience. I mean, it's great to see your kids, but the idea that your kids have to see you in a hospital bed like this, it's, it's pure pain. 

[00:30:23] David Pasqualone: Yeah, no, I been there, like totally understand. I know many of our listeners have, I remember being sick in 2007 to 2009.

[00:30:33] David Pasqualone: Dropping down to 140 pounds, dying. And the worst part was the mental and emotional anguish of watching your kids watch you and you can't do anything. It's, you know, God's got a purpose and you trust him. But at that moment, it's, that's, I think the worst part besides the pain. So now you're in bed. I mean, even, especially at that time 2008, you said, right?

[00:30:57] David Pasqualone: Was that when SARS was going around and everybody was freaking out? The Saudi Arabian respiratory virus? Were they thinking that's what it was? 

[00:31:07] Kim Rahir: Nobody worried about SARS. I suppose that was easy to identify. 

[00:31:12] David Pasqualone: But I do 

[00:31:12] Kim Rahir: remember when I was in the hospital, it was the financial crisis that happened while I was in hospital.

[00:31:17] Kim Rahir: So I couldn't really care a lot about this. I had other worries. 

[00:31:24] David Pasqualone: Yeah. All right. So what do you do? You're in bed. You start finally making some progress from the time you were admitted to the, or started this, the double, the, the blurry vision and seeing double, to when you started finally getting relief.

[00:31:38] David Pasqualone: What was the duration on a calendar? 

[00:31:41] Kim Rahir: Well, the hospital stay was like six weeks. I think towards the end of those weeks, the eyes were getting better and I was in a wheelchair, but I can sort of stand up walking very wobbly because it's the nerves that are attacked. So you don't get any feedback. It's, which is crazy.

[00:31:59] Kim Rahir: You, you, you really, some, I remember once, When I had been out of hospital for a while and I wanted to go to a concert with my, with my husband and I was sitting there and the feedback you're getting because your nerves are damaged is so crazy that I thought my, my left foot was sort of pointing backwards.

[00:32:18] Kim Rahir: That was the sensation. I had to look at my legs to see that they were normal, but the feeling sensation was totally crazy. It took me about six months to, to walk again, like normally first, you know, With crutches and then one crutch and then then I was walking nearly normally. There were, there's still weird sensations.

[00:32:37] Kim Rahir: People who've had neurological problems, they know that it's all with weird sensations that you cannot describe. They lingered for a while, but then after I got another year of treatment and, and after that I was given a clean bill of health and I said, yeah, it's gone. It's a one off and, you know, I cried with gratitude and then one year later I got MS.

[00:33:01] Kim Rahir: So, there was no, I know I'm laughing now because it seems just so ironical. Such a low blow. I mean, I had already learned so much from this first experience, right? I came home from hospital for Christmas. I hadn't been there. There was a tree, there were presents, there was food. I hadn't done any of this.

[00:33:23] Kim Rahir: And I think this is really, if you look into this, it's, it's liberating. So many women live with this idea that if they don't look after everything and everyone, you know, it's going to come crashing down. The world's going to come to an end. Whereas I learned like the hard way, you know. No, the world keeps on turning.

[00:33:46] Kim Rahir: You're not there and the world just keeps on going. And that takes a lot of pressure off if you, you know, if you can make the most of that insight, because you know, if you can't do it, it's not a problem. 

[00:34:00] David Pasqualone: Yeah, I think that's very true. A lot of people feel this tremendous pressure. But self induced and there's things that if you stop other people step up and it's a compensation effect.

[00:34:13] David Pasqualone: So now you get out, you're grateful, you're doing better, and you said within that year It either re manifested itself or it was dormant, it kicked back in. I don't believe in coincidence, you got MS, something happened and you get MS, right? 

[00:34:32] Kim Rahir: Yes. So we moved again. We, you know, my, my first syndrome was in Berlin and then we moved to France.

[00:34:40] Kim Rahir: And it was just one day I felt my left hand going numb. And as I said, you know, when you have had neurological troubles and you have weird sensations, you know, it's basically you're feeling stuff that you shouldn't be feeling. I, my hand felt numb and went to see the doctor. First they thought it might be another [00:35:00] case of what I had before, but actually the scans showed that this time it was an autoimmune attack on the white matter in the nerves, which is much more serious.

[00:35:12] Kim Rahir: And they said if it happened again, it was MS. And then a year later, it happened again. It was much milder, the relapse but for the doctor, it was clear. That's the protocol. To relapses, you have MS, you need lifelong treatment. And I didn't want that. I, I fought with him and he was not used to that. He, I mean, he just, he was sort of like just writing the prescription to send me on my way.

[00:35:39] Kim Rahir: And, and there I was, and I said, can we talk about this, please? What do you mean lifelong treatment? And, and I think my aversion to this, and I, There's something, it's hard to understand when you haven't been there. You know, so many people who need lifelong treatment, they are, they, they so want to stop it.

[00:35:59] Kim Rahir: They so want to not need it. And, and as an outsider, you might think, well, you know, they need this thing and it's fine. It allows them to live, but it's a way again of, Giving your power away, you're depending on something when you're moving all the time like us, you know, you, you need the special treatment, you know, you have to find new doctors, new nurses, new pharmacies, new prescriptions.

[00:36:29] Kim Rahir: It's all a lot of pressure and it's all taking a lot of energy when you would love to be doing other things. 

[00:36:36] David Pasqualone: Yeah. And you're not, you're not only traveling countries, but cultures and France, like a socialized medicine, correct? 

[00:36:44] Kim Rahir: Yes, 

[00:36:44] David Pasqualone: so that whole health care system is completely different than other countries like in the US We're going far more socialized, but it's still private for the most part.

[00:36:54] David Pasqualone: So When you're in France, they're just like hey, you got MS. Here's a prescription get used to taking this for life, right? That's kind of the mentality the doctor had 

[00:37:03] Kim Rahir: Yes. 

[00:37:04] David Pasqualone: Yeah. And I had to give in, 

[00:37:05] Kim Rahir: I had to do it. Yeah. I had to, I inject myself three times a week, and it's not pleasant because it has these side effects of, you know, it makes you feel like you're getting the flu, like you have your heavy limbs and headache and stuff.

[00:37:18] Kim Rahir: And I would just take over the counter drugs to, to get a, get rid of that feeling because I, I wanted to live, I, and I was, I was happy to be able to walk because I mean, my left hand is numb to this day. But otherwise, I didn't suffer any serious damage and I had this urge that I wanted to become physically strong after, after I was told I had to inject myself three times a week.

[00:37:48] Kim Rahir: I said, can I, can I go to the gym? And the doc, the French doc said, yeah, please be careful. I don't know why he said that. He didn't, he didn't know what he was talking about. 

[00:38:00] David Pasqualone: He just 

[00:38:01] Kim Rahir: didn't want any responsibility or maybe scare me. I don't know. I'm, I'm very unhappy about what he said. And I, if I think about so many other patients that will go through his office and when he should actually be telling them, you know, if you can still move.

[00:38:18] Kim Rahir: And if you can move, do you want to start getting strong now? Go strength train. Instead of this, you say exercise. Yeah, careful, please. But I met a nurse who showed me how to inject myself and she said, exercise is great. makes you fatigue resistant. So still in France, I started going to the gym. And I started lifting heavy, getting stronger, which is absolutely, I cannot, you cannot overstate the effect of that on your mental health.

[00:38:50] Kim Rahir: I mean, it's, all the effects are well documented now. You need muscle to be healthy. It's the organ of longevity. It makes, it increases your quality of life, like incredibly, because you can move. You can, you carry yourself well, your joints, your bones, your metabolism, even your cardiovascular system, everything benefits.

[00:39:12] Kim Rahir: But the one big thing that I. That I experienced most is that it makes you so confident. It gives you such a positive outlook. And when you've had an autoimmune thing where you feel like your body's betraying you, right? It's your body's doing something that it shouldn't do. And why? It gives you this feeling of being able to trust your body again.

[00:39:34] Kim Rahir: Because, you know, you feel strong and you know what your body can do. And I think for many people who, who, who suffer with, with all kinds of diseases and ailments, this idea that there's some control that you do have over your body. And. You can trust your body to do certain things. It's, it's a big relief makes you feel so much better.

[00:39:57] David Pasqualone: And then let's talk about that. Cause [00:40:00] anybody can say anything and we can listen to anything, but the key is doing it right. All the knowledge in the world means nothing if you don't apply it. So talk about Kim, how you got this diagnosis. You start lifting and then bring us through to today because just recently you had a pretty great accomplishment.

[00:40:22] David Pasqualone: So show, show the world where this can go. You are remarkable, but they got it in them too, right? Inspire them. 

[00:40:31] Kim Rahir: Absolutely. So, I got stronger and I got better. Like my neurological checkups were like rubber stamp, two minute situations. They just walked in, they looked at me and let me walk out right away because it was obvious that I was doing so well.

[00:40:47] Kim Rahir: We moved to Spain and I found a neurologist who, after looking at me for two years, said, you know what, you can stop this treatment. And, and, That was seven years ago and I'm without treatment. And this is another great gift. I mean, my first recovery was a great gift and I was so grateful. And now I get this gift again.

[00:41:14] Kim Rahir: And at that point I thought, Hmm, maybe I'm onto something here with my, with my muscle mission. And I decided that I wanted to become a health coach and, and tell it. Women around the world that they need to build muscle in order to get over all these, all these things that weigh us down when, you know, when we turn 40 and then we turn 50.

[00:41:39] Kim Rahir: And so many women think this is it for me. It's not, it's never going to get better again. And it's downhill from here. And because I had come back from such a desperate situation, I'm not claiming you can cure MS with, with this kind of training, but you can improve your quality of life so tremendously.

[00:41:59] Kim Rahir: So. I kept training. I started taking classes and, and certifications to become a personal trainer and a health coach and everything. And I was working with a personal trainer myself. When he said one day, Kim, would you like to try Olympic weightlifting? And I mean, I was like 55 at the time, I think 54, maybe.

[00:42:26] Kim Rahir: And my curiosity won and I say, yeah, let's do this. And the memory I had of Olympic weightlifting was watching the Olympics with my dad, Like overweight, hairy men in weird leotards, you know, lifting barbells overhead. That was my memory. You know, this weird thing. And because when I was a kid, women didn't do Olympic weightlifting.

[00:42:47] Kim Rahir: I think they were early 2000s was the first time that the Olympic committee allowed women to do Olympic weightlifting there because it's all about money. And apparently nobody wants to watch women lift heavy shit. I mean, I do, but. Yeah. Yeah. But apparently it doesn't sell very well. So I tried this and I totally sucked at it.

[00:43:06] Kim Rahir: It's, I mean, I was very strong already, but then you need the technique, you know, you have to, it's not only physical, it's physics too. You have to outsmart gravity for this thing. So I sucked at it, but I was hooked. I loved it because this is also a thing where you cannot. You have to focus on this one next lift, what you have to do.

[00:43:27] Kim Rahir: You cannot think about the first one or the next one, just this second counts and you have to be fully focused, which is great exercise, great exercise. So I even left my commercial gym and joined a club and then after two weeks they said, Oh, great to have you with us. Do you want to compete? I said, what?

[00:43:49] Kim Rahir: Okay, I'll compete. And then it started from there. I had one regional competition, then one national one. And then I had the minimum that was necessary to go to a European championship in 2019 for the first time. And I went there, lifted there and, and I, you know, I can't, I can't not smile when I tell you this because it's, it's such a great.

[00:44:12] Kim Rahir: Great experience and it's so much fun. 

[00:44:16] David Pasqualone: Yeah, and talk to our audience because some people have never been into powerlifting or especially women's lifting. Do you do multiple events? Is there one you focus on and explain to them? Like some people are just absolutely intimidated by the gym. They're like, if they don't look like a cover model, they don't want to go.

[00:44:34] David Pasqualone: Right. But really the gym's for everybody. And I used to tell my son as a joke, I'm like, Do you want to look like the thin guy in the magazine with the 12 pack abs, or do you want to be the guy that can put your fist through his body? I'm like, I'd rather be the guy that put my fist through his body, right?

[00:44:50] David Pasqualone: Yes. So, yeah, 

[00:44:52] Kim Rahir: I love to talk about what you love about. Yes. Yes. So first of all, and it's still, it happens all the time. [00:45:00] What I do is Olympic weightlifting. It's not powerlifting and it's not bodybuilding. Some people still think it's Bodybuilding. I talked to a lady recently who said, yeah, yeah, you know, Kim, not everybody wants to step on a stage in a bikini.

[00:45:11] Kim Rahir: And I said, no, I don't. Give me a break. That's not what we do. So Olympic weightlifting consists of two techniques. The, you have to put the barbell overhead. And there's one technique where you do it in one move, which is called a snatch and a second technique. You do it in two moves, which is called a clean and jerk.

[00:45:33] Kim Rahir: And that's all. And in a competition, you get three attempts at every lift. And this is also something that's that we love about this. It's an attempt, you know, you should know that you have to try something, that you have to give your best. It's, it's, it's called an attempt. And I do like four regional meets.

[00:45:53] Kim Rahir: four to five regional meets here in Madrid, Spain in a year. And then there is one national meet and it's called Masters because when you're, when you turn 35 in competitive sports, you're an old person called a Master. And then I go to the European Championship. Once a year, and since last year, I also have the minimum requirement to go to the world championship, which is absolutely, it's amazing.

[00:46:25] Kim Rahir: It's fantastic. 

[00:46:27] David Pasqualone: Now, when you do the snatch versus the clean and jerk, to me in my mind, the clean and jerk's safer. Is that true or is that not true? Because I feel like you get that break and that rest between to refocus. 

[00:46:42] Kim Rahir: No, it's safer is not what I would call it. The snatch is more technical. And the clean and jerk, you can get away, probably get a, get a good lift with a bit of brute force.

[00:46:56] Kim Rahir: Yes. And you can lift heavier stuff. You know, you lift more in the clean and jerk than you do in the, in the snatch. The snatch is very, very, very technical. There, nothing of this is like really unsafe. If you. There's like statistics, like minutes trained at numbers of, of injuries, stuff like soccer, football is much more, much more injury prone.

[00:47:20] Kim Rahir: Oh yeah, yeah. I wasn't putting it on a 

[00:47:21] David Pasqualone: sport. I just meant like, those are two distinct, like, events. And in my mind, it's like, it is so technical. I don't really want to do one, okay, recalibrate, two, and it's like, take a pause between. 

[00:47:35] Kim Rahir: Yeah. Yeah. You know, it depends what you, what you like. I always, sometimes I prefer the snatch, sometimes the clean and jerk overall.

[00:47:44] Kim Rahir: I like the snatch a little bit more because it's, it's more technical. So you need more focus, more refinement, more 

[00:47:54] David Pasqualone: challenges yourself. 

[00:47:57] Kim Rahir: Sorry. 

[00:47:58] David Pasqualone: Does it challenge you more? 

[00:48:00] Kim Rahir: I think it does. Yeah. And it's also you know, you control the bar until you have lifted it beyond the knees. When you, when you, when you go beyond the knees, you have to explode.

[00:48:14] Kim Rahir: So, and there's no more thinking. There's, you want to control the bar even when you explode, but you do that by practicing, practicing, practicing. So your body knows it. By itself. You know what it does, your, your consciousness doesn't control the lift anymore, so it's sort of exciting. You know, your, you control, control control.

[00:48:36] Kim Rahir: You pass the knee and then it's just give it your, give it your all and, and hope for the best and can only. be controlling in that part of the lift by what we call mechanization. So, you know, your brain sort of learns by heart what it, what the body has to do, and you don't steer that anymore consciously.

[00:48:58] Kim Rahir: So I think that's the exciting part about this. 

[00:49:00] David Pasqualone: Yeah. So if somebody's listening to you in Abu Dhabi, if somebody's in Shanghai, if somebody's in Dublin, if somebody's in Montana, what would you say, especially to the ladies about going to the gym for the first time and maybe trying this? 

[00:49:15] Kim Rahir: That's two things.

[00:49:16] Kim Rahir: First of all if you, I, I totally understand if you don't like the gym and the women I work with now, most of them, they work out at home. They don't want to go to a gym and that's fine. You can get stronger at home as well. So I, I don't want to put pressure on anyone. Because it's, what I want to do is remove all obstacles that are between women and strength training.

[00:49:45] Kim Rahir: And if the gym, the idea of going to the gym, the, the, you know, your identity, you thinking of yourself, I'm not a gym person, prevents you from getting stronger, then I, you know, do it at home. The obstacles have to go, you have to [00:50:00] start training, you have to start getting stronger. If you are looking at going to, to the gym, but you don't really feel so good, but you would like to I, I just want to encourage you and remember Most people who see you come to the gym, who are there, you might feel like they're looking at you weirdly and you feel exposed or you feel out of place.

[00:50:23] Kim Rahir: Most of them. are probably quite happy to see you there because there's another person looking after themselves and trying to, to get in shape. Most people are happy to, to help you, to give you some advice. You can, you can ask them and say, well, how do I use this? What, how does this work? Or can we maybe alternate on this, on this machine?

[00:50:44] Kim Rahir: People are much less judgmental in the gym than most women think, you know, it's, it's. something, you have a common interest. You know, you go there, you already have something in common with everybody there because you're going to the gym. But I think it's really important to know that you are not, you know, limited to the gym.

[00:51:05] Kim Rahir: If you want to get stronger, you can do that at home. It's really, I really, I, that this message needs to get out because anything that stands between you and getting physically strong has to go. And if that's the, the gym that you hate, then it's Forget the gym, do it at home. 

[00:51:28] David Pasqualone: So where did this journey take you personally, Kim?

[00:51:32] David Pasqualone: What's your life look like the last few years and even the last few weeks? 

[00:51:36] Kim Rahir: Yeah, so last year was a wonderful year because I, I actually won the European championship and I got a bronze in the world which made me so happy. It's hard to describe, but I've got to try. You know, when you're a woman in, you know, beyond 50s.

[00:51:59] Kim Rahir: Most women will tell you that when you turn 50, you become invisible. And that's how they feel. They feel they don't count anymore. Nobody cares anymore. And I think that's a very, very sad and frustrating place to be in. When you go and compete in weightlifting, you become extremely visible in a way that's, that can even be scary.

[00:52:24] Kim Rahir: Because how does this work? Like, the light goes on, they call your name, and you walk out onto that platform, and all eyes are on you. So, you're extremely visible. And that's scary, That's exhilarating. It's exciting. It makes you feel alive. And that's also something, you don't have to go and compete in weightlifting, but you, you don't want to accept to be invisible as a, as a woman, when you turn 50, you want to be visible and you want to feel that life that you're living.

[00:52:59] Kim Rahir: You want to feel alive and, and, and do scary things or challenging things and then feel great afterwards. So this year I went back to the Europeans. I, I came forth and I came forth in the world championship last weekend. 

[00:53:14] David Pasqualone: Nice. Congratulations. 

[00:53:16] Kim Rahir: Thank you. And it's, it's really crazy because my rivals were stronger than me.

[00:53:23] Kim Rahir: There was no doubt about this, but I had a really good fight in me and that felt so good. And the whole, it was in Finland. It was a sports center. It was an amazing experience. I mean, I was blown away because, you know, you really are there like a professional athlete. You live and eat and train and compete in the same place.

[00:53:45] Kim Rahir: It's a big sports center. It's all organized so beautifully. The nature around there. I mean, we were, we were at the Arctic, the polar Arctic circle that high up north. It's beautiful. It's fantastic. And just to be able to be there, to be part of this to be able to compete there it, it's, it's, It's just, it makes you feel so alive and I think it's great to challenge yourself a little bit with stuff that it's not, your life doesn't depend on it, you know.

[00:54:18] Kim Rahir: If I, if I bomb, as we say, you know, if you don't get one of the three attempts and none of them is a good lift, then that's called bombing. If you bomb, it's very, very sad and annoying, but still the world will keep on turning. So you can challenge yourself with something that's fun that is important to you, but it's not that serious.

[00:54:38] Kim Rahir: And I, and I think that's, that's just the best that can happen to you. 

[00:54:44] David Pasqualone: Yeah, and that's amazing. And I think you'd agree. It doesn't matter if people get involved in weightlifting, or if they get involved in jujitsu, or if they get involved in running, the key is getting involved in something you [00:55:00] love and sticking with it.

[00:55:01] David Pasqualone: And for you, You found your niche, right? You love that. That's great. And there is definitely for men and women, huge benefit to weight training. Like it, not just your heart, but your muscles, your bone strength. There's so many benefits to it. Like Kim talked about, but find something you love because the Bible talks about physical exercise profiteth little.

[00:55:24] David Pasqualone: But it profiteth. It's just saying it's not as much as your soul. You know what I mean? Our, our relationship with God, our relationship with others, that's more important, but our physical body gives us the ability to serve other people and help other people and just to enjoy our lives. So it's remarkable, Kim, that you were able to go from a diagnosis of MS.

[00:55:45] David Pasqualone: To be in symptom free and now off all the meds for seven years. Congratulations and well done. 

[00:55:51] Kim Rahir: Thank you so much. For me, it's, it's a gift. It's, I, I'm really aware of this, of this gift, and I'm enjoying it every single day. I also have, from my experience the acute awareness. That this can be over from one day to the next.

[00:56:09] Kim Rahir: I mean, this is true for every human on this, on this earth. But we often know it sort of in our rational mind, but we don't really feel it. And because I was out of it. I didn't pay it with my life, but I was out of it from one day to the next. So I, I have that experience in my, in my, in my bones, in my fibers, that helps me and enjoy every moment that I get.

[00:56:34] Kim Rahir: And like I said before, every step that I can take, that I can walk, I don't take anything for granted. And the crazy thing is like knowing in your bones that this can be over tomorrow. It's not scary. It makes you appreciate today. And, and, and that's, that's the greatest gift that you could give yourself to appreciate what you have today and make the most of it.

[00:57:01] Kim Rahir: And I know it's not easy. I was not like that before I fell ill. I was also a worrier and a planner and sleepless nights for, I don't know, work timetables and crazy things. So I, I know I'm not a stranger to these feelings, but I have. I'm grateful actually now for the experience I've had because it taught me so much and I can enjoy my life more now.

[00:57:26] Kim Rahir: That's 

[00:57:28] David Pasqualone: awesome. And that is a huge blessing. And thank you for sharing your story with us, Kim. So where are you today? Where are you heading next? If our listeners want to continue the conversation with you, what's the best way to reach you? 

[00:57:42] Kim Rahir: So, I live in Spain, but I work with women all over the world, and I help especially midlife women start building strength and muscle.

[00:57:51] Kim Rahir: You don't need a gym. You can do it from the comfort of your home, and I'm going to help you start with something like 15 minutes a day, because I think the most important part, and you said that at the very beginning it's not. Really that much what you do, but actually do something. I always say the best workout is the one that you actually do.

[00:58:10] Kim Rahir: And to make that easy I, I make it like 15 minutes a day. You can find me and find out more about this approach that I have when on my website, www. thekimrahere. com. And you can also follow me on Facebook or Instagram with the, with my name and I share my weightlifting adventures and lots of tips and advice and, and thoughts on, on health and fitness in midlife, especially for women.

[00:58:34] Kim Rahir: Yeah. And on my website, you can actually take a free health and strength assessment if you want to. If you want to know where you are at with your health and your strength how this all fits into your daily life, how, how you cope with your daily challenges and, and activities. And if you fill that in, I will give you some, some pointers on where you can start, what you could do next to get stronger and healthier and happier.

[00:59:00] David Pasqualone: Beautiful. And I just want to clarify something when you said the best way to start is x minutes a day. Did you say 15 or 50? 

[00:59:11] Kim Rahir: 15. 

[00:59:12] David Pasqualone: That's what I thought. Okay, because I'm like telling people to start with 50 might be a little discouraging. Okay, 15. No, no, it's, it's 15. 

[00:59:20] Kim Rahir: And 

[00:59:21] David Pasqualone: motion, right? Just something's better than nothing.

[00:59:24] David Pasqualone: Something's better than sitting in a chair. Absolutely. 

[00:59:26] Kim Rahir: Small steps. And that's something that I had to learn too, because when I first qualified as a personal trainer, you know, you think that what you do is, Design the perfect workouts for people and, and explain to them how to, how to eat in order to, you know, make this all work and function.

[00:59:43] Kim Rahir: But that's not the job. The job is actually help people. Do it. That's the thing. Help people fit this into their busy lives and actually take that step and do that workout. You can find great workouts everywhere. They might not be perfect for midlife women, but it's [01:00:00] how do I actually start doing this? And, and that's, that's my craft.

[01:00:05] David Pasqualone: Beautiful. So from your birth to today, And where you're headed next, Kim, is there anything we missed that you want to share with our audience or a final closing thought before we move on for today? 

[01:00:20] Kim Rahir: I don't think we missed anything, but I really want to sort of repeat is, you know, Forget the big picture.

[01:00:29] Kim Rahir: I know it's very inspiring. You know, there's always these messages about, oh, you have to see the big picture and have lofty goals and plan ahead. Don't do that. You know, think just one thing. What can I do now? Don't ask, why did this happen? Don't ask, who's to blame? Don't ask, you know, how did we get here?

[01:00:49] Kim Rahir: No. Ask just one question. What can I do next? That's going to be empowering, liberating. You're going to be doing something and then you're already one step further. And you know, tomorrow can come, but you don't have to worry about it today. 

[01:01:08] David Pasqualone: That's, that's beautiful and I couldn't agree more. I do want to point out one thing and I want you to talk about one more thing before we close.

[01:01:17] David Pasqualone: I've been critically ill twice in my life. And it wasn't like a couple weeks, it was years. Very bad situations, but God got me through. But I know the turning point, not just emotionally and mentally, but physically, was when I was just accepting and grateful. And you mentioned that in your life, and you're mentioning now, you're grateful for every day.

[01:01:42] David Pasqualone: And I remember in like, 09, I looked at a kid in a wheelchair. And I was like, you know what? He's in his 30s. He's handicapped. His parents are pushing him around. They have for 30 years and they're going to probably till the day they die. I'm like, what do I have to complain about? I had a great life up to this point.

[01:02:03] David Pasqualone: If I die, I die and I'm with God. And if not, no worries. But that shift into gratefulness turned the corner for me. And it wasn't conscious. It was just a paradigm shift in the moment for you, Kim to help our audience. What are some of the ways that you saw the shifts in your life, the gratefulness, or how can people remind themselves to be grateful each day?

[01:02:28] David Pasqualone: Cause we even talk about the war zone. Like people were like, Oh, I don't know if I can pay my car payment. I don't know if I can see this movie. I don't know if I'll get the special edition video game. You know, we worry about stuff from major to minor and we literally worry about and stay up at night.

[01:02:41] David Pasqualone: But you're in a war zone. You realize like soldiers, this doesn't matter. Like none of this matters. Nobody's dying. Nobody's being raped. Nobody's being tortured. We're good to go. So what, what kind of advice for gratefulness do you have for our listeners? 

[01:02:56] Kim Rahir: I think it's really important to focus. On the moment, ask yourself, where am I at now?

[01:03:04] Kim Rahir: And what is great about right now? And what you're saying about like surrender and acceptance, gratefulness is, is not, it's not like saying, oh yeah, this is great to everything or, you know, never, never complaining. It's not like, yeah, that's fine. Yeah, that's fine. Oh, I broke my leg. It's okay. It's okay.

[01:03:27] Kim Rahir: That's it's, it's not quite as superficial as that it's, Like, you have to feel it inside. What's good about right now? And it's sometimes something very small, but the small thing that can really, really, really empower you and help you go on. As I said, for me and in the hospital, the hospital mornings, what's good about right now?

[01:03:55] Kim Rahir: I couldn't sleep all night because I had a horrible headache with meningitis. And then when I finally slept at seven in the morning, someone came in and turned the light on in my room. Oh, you know, horrible things. And then I asked, what's good right now? And he said, this first. Cup of coffee is coming and that's fantastic and I'm going to enjoy the heck out of it.

[01:04:19] Kim Rahir: And I think that you can always find something that's good right now. And you have to be open and surrendering for that. You have to move away from like making lists of things that's that are horrible, that don't work, that you don't like, that you resent, that are unfair. You have to really open your heart to that question, what's really great right now?

[01:04:46] Kim Rahir: And you're going to find something if you open your heart. 

[01:04:51] David Pasqualone: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And let me ask you about your personal journey

[01:04:59] David Pasqualone: I'm sure there's [01:05:00] dark moments because we all have them, but for myself, whenever I got to the point of, you know, real pain or real discouragement, I always went back to, you know, if this is happening, God has a reason and it's going to work out. I either die and go to heaven, or I recover, or even if I'm tortured for 40 years, it's only 40 years, attorneys, Eternity, right?

[01:05:24] David Pasqualone: What was your mindset in those dark moments? Was there that, that bungee cord that brought you back of hope or how did you process it? 

[01:05:34] Kim Rahir: The, the most important skill that I acquired was really to Like what I said before, not believe everything that I think, and I think that's extremely helpful because you're going to have so many thoughts, scary thoughts, angry thoughts, sad thoughts, and there's nothing that you can do about those thoughts popping up.

[01:05:55] Kim Rahir: But if you don't take them too seriously and think, okay, And because you know this, you know this, sometimes you get up in the morning and you think everything is horrible, I can't do this, I don't wanna, I don't wanna get up, I don't wanna, you know these thoughts, everybody has them once in a while, but if you just then take a step back and think, oh yeah, I thought like this last week too and nothing happened, so let's not take this too seriously.

[01:06:20] Kim Rahir: So don't believe everything that you think sort of bring it back to the present moment. Maybe with a breath, maybe with a cup of coffee, it doesn't matter. Something that you can enjoy right now. I think it's our thoughts that can drag us into this abyss of darkness. If we follow them, if you, if we go down this, this, this rabbit hole, and if we realize that, you know, Our thoughts and our, our deepest self are not the same.

[01:06:48] Kim Rahir: I think we can protect ourselves against that and, and, and keep, you know, being hopeful and optimistic. 

[01:06:56] David Pasqualone: Yeah, I agree. And then did you ever use like, today everybody talks about it and I don't even know what it's called, but like, you know, talking, self talk and being positive. But I just remember reading my Bible and when I was sick, I remember just refusing those thoughts when they were trying to torment me like, you're sick, you're going to die, you know, you're not going to get better.

[01:07:16] David Pasqualone: I'm just saying, no, I am healthy and strong. I am healthy and strong. And I would just repeat that quietly and out loud. Did you ever do anything like that to help in your recovery? 

[01:07:26] Kim Rahir: No, I have never, and I, I, I think I sh I, I should even now, you know, when I go lifting or something, I know affirmations are powerful.

[01:07:34] Kim Rahir: Affirmations, that's a 

[01:07:35] David Pasqualone: word. I couldn't remember that word. Affirmation. Yes. 

[01:07:38] Kim Rahir: No, I haven't, I haven't practiced that, to be honest. And I think I should. I'm, I'm doing with meditation, like watching the breath. And, and I, I can now, I mean, I've been doing it for years and years and many times you do it and your thoughts just keep.

[01:07:53] Kim Rahir: You know, carrying you away like a, like a, like a wild horse. But sometimes you have this moment where you're really just watching your breath and you have, and it, it can set me such a deep, profound happiness. It just in that moment that it's, it's very, very powerful. But I need to, I need to try the affirmations like, I can lift 50 kilos or something like this.

[01:08:17] Kim Rahir: I could snatch. 

[01:08:18] David Pasqualone: I don't, I didn't do it when people were calling it affirmations in my circles, right? I did it because I just felt like, you know, the Bible, like when Satan tempted Jesus three times. All three times Jesus spoke out loud and he talks about what we call upon the name of the Lord to be saved.

[01:08:33] David Pasqualone: So when I was like just as a teenager and I got a tumor in my head and they're removing it, it's growing back, removing it, it's growing back and I'm radiation. I look like a holocaust victim literally emaciated. I was like, no, God made my body. God made all our bodies this way. It's regenerating. I am healthy.

[01:08:52] David Pasqualone: I am strong. Right now, all my cells are just, we're crapping out the bad and rebuilding good. And I mean, I really believed it and it worked. I'm fat and healthy. Right? So I mean, I definitely, I don't know what people call it, the secret, the law of attraction, affirmations, but I believe there's a biblical basis for it.

[01:09:11] David Pasqualone: And I was just wondering if you ever used anything like that, but Hey, if you go back to the gym and start using and pick up some weights, let me know. 

[01:09:18] Kim Rahir: I'll, I'll try that. I think I really, I really should. What we do in, in, in lifting and there's something that helps many people in other parts of life too, is visualize.

[01:09:30] Kim Rahir: See yourself Envision the perfect life, visualize it, and then somehow your brain will reproduce it. It's amazing, the mind. I mean, we, we tend to think that we have our thoughts and we have our body. It's all connected. It's all connected in ways that, that we can't even really comprehend, I think. And if we always know that, you know, The body, the human person is just one thing.

[01:09:57] Kim Rahir: It's just one big system and everything. [01:10:00] People don't realize this. Every, every emotion that you feel has a physical impact on your body. So if you can manage to get yourself Happy or grateful with simple things, it will leave an impact on your body too. This explains also why affirmations work, I think, or when you say, you know, I'm healthy, I'm strong it, it will, it will leave a trace in your body and your body will get better.

[01:10:30] David Pasqualone: Well, I couldn't, I couldn't agree more. Thanks for being here today, Kim. You truly are a remarkable woman. And for our audience, the right way, say your name one time with the proper pronunciation so I don't butcher it. 

[01:10:44] Kim Rahir: Well, I'm called Kim Ra'ir. 

[01:10:46] David Pasqualone: There you go. So I'm David Pasqualone. This is our remarkable friend, Kim, and we love you.

[01:10:54] David Pasqualone: Kim took the time out of her schedule to share her life. All of us just want to see you grow. So like our slogan says, ladies and gentlemen, don't just listen to this great content and information. Pray about it. Meditate on it, but do it. Repeat the good each day so you can have a great life in this world, but more importantly an eternity to come.

[01:11:16] David Pasqualone: So check out the show notes, visit Kim's website, contact her, continue the conversation. Don't forget to shop our affiliates like MyPillow and ConsoleVolv and Jasper Air Filters. They support the show so we can bring you amazing content. And when you shop and use promo code Remarkable, You save tons of money.

[01:11:38] David Pasqualone: You get amazing products. If we didn't test it, we're not promoting it. They are a company that thrives and the whole system works for even better. So Kim, thank you again for being here today. 

[01:11:50] Kim Rahir: Thanks for having me. 

[01:11:51] David Pasqualone: All right. Have a remarkable day, ladies and gentlemen. We'll see you in the next episode.