My Institute for
Integrative Nutrition (IIN) Course has given me so many wonderful things.
Access to fantastic information taught by renowned teachers, a new approach to
my lifestyle, and fabulous business resources. Perhaps the greatest thing I
have gained from IIN has been the
incredible community I have found among my fellow classmates. So many talented
amazing people launching new products, creating businesses, and most recently a
fellow student who has just had her book published on Amazon. Kim
Petrosino, one of my classmates, is the author of "The Small Change Solution: A 52 Step Guide to Getting
the Naturally Healthy Lifestyle You Want". I recently had the pleasure of interviewing
Kimberly about her book.
Harmonious Health (HH): Thanks for joining my blog today Kimberly.
When I learned that your inspiration for writing your book and changing your
lifestyle was losing your Dad, I found myself immediately feeling connected to
you and drawn to your story. Like you, I also was inspired to change my
lifestyle and learn more about health and wellness after losing my Dad who
suffered a 2 year battle with lung cancer. I know the loss of your Dad was much more
sudden and unexpected. If you don’t mind, can you tell my readers a little
about your story, as well as how you were able to turn that into motivation to
inspire you to make your own lifestyle changes?
Kimberly Petrosino (KP): First of all, I’m so sorry about the loss of your Dad and I
think it’s wonderful that you were also able to turn that into a learning
experience and make positive changes in your lifestyle. For me, I think even
more shocking than finding out that we lost my dad was finding out that we lost
him to a heart attack. Five days earlier when I saw him last he was happy and
laughing, the life of the party at St. Patrick’s Day dinner. Even on that day
his coworkers said he seemed fine. So after things started to settle down I hit
the Internet hard, searching for information on exactly how one goes from being
“fine” to gone just like that. What I found changed the path I was on
completely. I knew that heart disease was a serious problem; what I did NOT
know is that by implementing certain lifestyle changes, heart disease is not
only preventable but it’s actually reversible. I made it my mission to start
spreading the word about the importance of healthy living, which led me to IIN
and then to writing this book. As for myself, now knowing that I have a history
of heart disease in my family, my health is a top priority. And, as I emphasize
in my book, that goes way beyond what I eat! I make sure I make plenty of time
for myself and my loved ones, and I don’t allow myself to get too stressed out.
I know what’s good for my soul and I do it often.
Harmonious Health (HH): I am the type of person who can often be found reading
multiple books at the same time!! One of the things I just love about your book
is that it is the perfect book to always keep on your nightstand. You can just
read one or two chapters, and then take time to implement your changes into
your life slowly so they become habits. In this way the reader does not become
overwhelmed or discouraged. How did you decide to write your book in this
style, and was this similar to the strategy you used in making your own health
changes?
Kimberly Petrosino (KP): Thank you for saying that! This was absolutely my strategy,
although I didn’t know it while it was happening. My health journey has always
been a progression, and I would have these moments where I would look back and
say “wow, I remember when I didn’t even dream of running this far” or “ah I
used to hate making these smoothies and now I do it every day”. I originally
incorporated lemon water into my routine because I heard it helps you lose
weight. Now I know that for me, hot lemon water helps me digest a heavy meal
and it relaxes me at night. You learn as you go. I thought breaking the book
down into one week increments would give the reader enough time to start making
it a habit while keeping a good momentum going; however, I do stress that each
person is different and may want to take more or less time before implementing
a new change, and that’s okay! There’s no right or wrong way.
Harmonious Health (HH): Something I have always dreamed about and set as a goal for
myself is to one day also become a published author. What strategies or skill
set did you tap into to create the discipline necessary to write your book? Do
you think there is a correlation between the health changes you made and your
ability to accomplish such a monumental task like writing a book and having it
published?
Kimberly Petrosino (KP): There were definitely some days I didn’t feel like writing!
But just like I talk about in the book, I set goals and deadlines for myself,
and when I met them, I set more. I also had a phenomenal support system
surrounding me, in my friends and family of course but also in the other
authors along this journey with me. I think most people writing a book probably
don’t have a gang of a hundred other people writing books too! They are all
Health Coaches as well and just the most inspirational group of people I’ve
ever had the pleasure of working with. I’ve always dreamed of writing a book,
even as a little girl. My healthy lifestyle changes inspired the content for
the book. The experience of losing my Dad gave me the ambition to go after my
goal of writing it and having it published.
Harmonious Health (HH): One of our recent lecturers at IIN, Dr. Daniel Amen really resonated with me. He said everyone is
always looking for that “ONE THING”. What is the “ONE THING” I should do to get
healthy? His response:” THE ONE THING PEOPLE SHOULD DO IS TO STOP BEING STUPID
AND REALIZE THERE IS NOT ONE THING BUT LOTS OF LITTLE THINGS DONE OVER AND OVER
AGAIN.” What do you think about this statement?
Kimberly Petrosino (KP): Well I wouldn’t go as far as to say that people who think
there is one magical thing you can do to get healthy are being stupid! Haha but
I absolutely agree, healthy living is a series of habits. It’s about what you
do every day, not once in a while. Take going to the gym, for example. If you
go to the gym once or twice a month for a couple of hours, it’s not going to
have the same effect as if you go a few times a week for 30-40 minutes at a
time. That’s why I think it’s so important to incorporate changes slowly. If
you try to make too many changes all at once, they won’t last and you’ll miss
out on all of the benefits.
Harmonious Health (HH): I want people to understand that this healthy, active,
amazing lifestyle has not come easy for you. You had to work hard at this, and
I think that is why readers will find your book so relatable. I recently
listened to your interview with The Wellness Junkie Health Coach where you
talked about running a half marathon. Can you tell my readers how your running
began?
Kimberly Petrosino (KP): Absolutely! It’s one of my favorite stories because it is a
measurable testament to how far I’ve come just by implementing small changes
into my life. I was at a point where I was really unhappy with myself. I
decided one day that I wanted to go for a run and I just couldn’t do it, that’s
when I realized how bad I had let myself get. I downloaded a beginner’s running
app on my phone and started running about 90 seconds on, 90 seconds off. Those
were the longest minute-and-a-half increments of my life. Every week I ran a
little bit more, and three months later I ran in my first 5k race. I loved the
energy among the other runners so I kept looking for more races. A year and a
half later, I ran my first 10k! It was when I was picking up my race packet for
my second 10k that I saw the sign for the Long Island Divas Half Marathon and
decided it was time to take the plunge. Crossing that finish line was such a
happy and proud moment, because I have NOT forgotten that girl who couldn’t
make it to her street corner without losing her breath. When I first started, I
never thought of it as training to eventually run 13.1 miles. I thought, I want
to run one mile without stopping. Then two. Then 5k, then 10k, and so on. I
celebrated myself every step of the way.
Harmonious Health (HH): Thank
you so much for joining us today Kimberly. I am so excited to have you as a
guest blogger here on my page in November where my readers might get a little
peek into one of your “Small Change Solutions”. Until then, is there anything
else you would like my readers to know?
Kimberly Petrosino (KP:)I love the quote “Life is a journey, not a destination”. If
you're too focused on the end result, you’ll miss the ride getting there! I
think that’s the beauty of the Small Change approach. Healthy changes become
habits, part of your life, unlike fad diets which have you obsessing over every
calorie and gram of fat. That’s no fun! My secret is to eat clean, stay active,
stress less, laugh often, and do things that are good for your soul. It can really
be as simple as that!
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