Strong Women Wednesday Featuring Jamie Krzykowski

KE: Tell me about yourself
JK: I’m Jamie, Dr. K, Mrs. Coach K, Professor Krzykowski, Savannah, Sydney and Serena’s mom…so many titles and I love them all! I’m a passionate person who loves helping others locally and internationally. My family is my life! We enjoy being active doing taekwondo, riding bikes, swimming, hiking, playing sports and other games. We also enjoy going on vacation and experiencing new things together. My professional background is in athletic training, nutrition, and teaching. As an athletic trainer I would often get asked about different supplements or nutritional programs and, at first, I didn’t have educated answers for my athletes. That’s why I went back and got my PhD in nutrition. Then I was able to help my athletes make the performance gains they were looking for. I also work with individuals who have a variety of health and wellness needs and have had success helping people use whole food and supplemental regimens to lose body fat, increase energy, heal their gut, decrease their need for prescription medications, etc, etc. This is no small task, but a very rewarding one. I recently completed a Therapeutic Nutrition Counselor (TNC) certification course in order to learn additional methods to help people reach their health and wellness goals. After I completed the TNC course I decided to start my own health and wellness business called Dr. K’s Wellness, LLC! I incorporate a number of different modalities into my practice, based on individual goals and needs. I coach people through cleansing and detoxification in order to help their body’s function optimally and love the Isagenix cleansing program. I also utilize Norwex non-toxic cleaning products in order to help minimize reintroduction of toxins into the body. My Dr. K’s Wellness, LLC approach is comprehensive, thorough and integrative!

KE: What book are you reading right now?
JK: My favorite book is the Bible and I do my best to read it daily! God’s Word is full of wisdom that is relevant yesterday, today and tomorrow!!! I also read a lot of books about nutrition, health and parenting! Currently I’m reading ‘Parenting with Love and Logic’ by Foster Cline and Jim Fay. It’s a very insightful book that uses a godly approach to help our children become more responsible decision makers who learn from their mistakes without parents running in and rescuing them. I’ve also read and reread ‘Power of a Praying Parent’ by Stormie Omartian. This is a book, I believe, you can’t read too many times! 

KE: Do you have a favorite song that has helped you through a tough time?
JK: Most recently the song, ‘First’ by Laura Diangle helped me to stay focused on seeking God first while facing a tough situation. When I’m just focused on my problem and not on God I tend to be fearful and worry. It’s best when I seek God first, give my situation to Him and let go of trying to control or ‘fix’ the situation! God’s timing isn’t always what I want it to be but it’s always perfect! 

KE: How do you define strength, and what does it look like in your life?
JK: Strength, to me, is something that develops throughout a person’s life. I believe it’s through our struggles, trials and tribulations that we learn to ‘dig deep’ into our faith and lean on God’s everlasting love for us! Strength is when we’re able to recognize our own weaknesses and ask for help, rely on others and be willing to listen to constructive criticism. Strength comes from our ability to trust God and His plan for our lives, even when we can’t see the ‘big picture’! I believe our greatest moments of strength come in times when we’re able to get on our knees in prayer and let God have control of our situation, instead of us trying to control something that we can’t!

KE: As you know, strong faith is the focus of my ministry/website. But, it can be hard to maintain a strong faith when life gets real messy. What do you do to keep your relationship with Jesus as strong as possible?
JK: I believe in order to stay rooted in our faith that we must spend time daily in prayer and in God’s Word! Fellowship with other believers is definitely a way to stay strong in your faith! This may be through Bible study groups, prayer partners or just sharing your faith moments with friends and family. Life is going to get messy, we all know that! However, when we are firmly planted on the ‘Rock of salvation’ our ship will not sink, our lives won’t be shattered! Psalm 18:2 says ‘The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.’ When we focus on God, rather than our problem, our problem won’t seem so overwhelming. One of my favorite quotes is “Stop telling God how big your problems are and start telling your problems how big your God is!”

KE: Managing a household is hard. Whether you work full-time, stay home, are single, married or have 8 kids; women often feel like they are just surviving each day. What advice would you give to women to help them strengthen their family?
JK:  Spending time and having fun together is key! We clean our house with music and our disco ball going. My kids don’t want to clean any more than other kids but when we make it fun we finish quicker and make it a more pleasant experience.
Another parenting lesson I learned a long time ago is to not give in to my kids when they beg! If we do, we are just teaching them to continue begging to get what they want! We use a saying, ‘asked and answered’. They asked and either my husband or I answered. Asking again, begging or whining isn’t going to change our answer! We need to hold firm to that!
Also, taking time to talk with each of my children is important. For my husband and I, no question is off limits! We want our home to be a safe place so that our kids know they can talk to us about the little things and the big things! We want to influence them using a godly perspective and that takes time and doing our best to not overreact.
An essential key for me is PLANNING! Meal plan, shopping plan, cleaning plan, schedule for homework, school events, extra-curricular events, etc! When we spend a little time planning we make our lives less chaotic. Since I’m a nutritionist, it’s very important for me to meal plan and prep each week! I make a quick meal plan and grocery list at the same time. Then have a designated day to get your groceries and prep as much food for the week as I can. For instance, I typically grocery shop on Friday evening (exciting, I know) or Saturday morning and then do all of my weekly meal prep on Sunday. That way we eat good, wholesome food each day and don’t need to rely on fast food or processed food that is devoid of nutrients. If you want more help with meal planning and prep, just let me know! I help people with this and can help you host meal planning and prep parties through Dr. K’s Wellness!
One last tip…..take care of yourself!!! Get rest, exercise regularly, take some time just for yourself, etc, etc!

KE: Depending on your definition of strength, “strong body” can mean something different to everyone. What healthy habits do you incorporate into your daily schedule to help keep your body strong?
JK: I personally incorporate a variety of exercise techniques into my daily schedule. My girls and I are in taekwondo at least 2 days a week and that obviously involves kicking, punching, sparring, etc. I also cycle, run, lift weights, do Zumba and high intensity interval training. Some days I will do pilates or just stretching exercises like yoga. Those are both low-impact and excellent for strengthening the core. I know it’s important to have rest days for my body to recover. Sometimes over exercising can lead to excessive fatigue and I don’t need that! My life is too stressful and busy to be constantly tired.

KE: What do you feel is the difference between relying on your own strength and relying on God’s strength? 
JK: I find when I rely on my own strength instead of God’s that I’m more easily frustrated and worn down. Instead of pushing through, I just get exhausted and want to quit. When I rely on God’s strength I find that I’m able to ‘stay the course’ and finish strong. An example would be when I first felt God calling me to start my Dr. K’s Wellness business. At first I was hesitant because I already have a full time job but I listened to God’s leading and slowly took the steps to do what I felt called to do. Then I began to rely on my own strength and was easily frustrated when some things in my business didn’t seem to be going well. That’s when I needed to take a step back and remember a quote I heard recently that ‘God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.’ I try to give each day and everything in it over to God, it’s the only way for me to thrive!

KE: Would you mind sharing something you have struggled with and telling us how you used God’s strength to get you through?
JK: I’ve struggled with many things in my life. One that may seem trivial but can wreak havoc in our lives is the difficulty I have with saying ‘no’ to things. I tend to over commit myself and then get overwhelmed and crabby with my family. I’ve learned that I need to ask myself, ‘Is this a God thing or just a good thing?’ There are many good things we can be doing in our homes, our communities and our churches but they may not be what God is calling me to do. I need to be careful not to fill my plate so full that I don’t have enough time and energy to grow in my relationship with God or for my husband and my 3 daughters! Those should be my top 3 priorities! God’s strength is ever present, especially when I seek it!

KE: Do you have a favorite Bible verse you could share with us and could you explain what it means to you?
JK: One of my favorite Bible verses is Philippians 4:13, ‘I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.’ I’ve repeated that verse over and over in times of doubt, fear and unrest. It’s a promise from God that reminds me that I don’t need to try and do anything in my own strength but I need to rely on Him who has already given me the strength I need!

KE: If you could share one message with every woman who is willing to listen, what would it be?
JK: If I could share one message with women who are willing to listen it would be that God has created you to be so much more than you ever imagined. Whether you have a ‘tainted’ past full of hurts, poor decisions, failure, anxiety and fear or just the opposite, God can use you! We are all imperfect people but I serve a perfect God and you can to! God has used some of my deepest hurts to help other women work through pasts of abuse, neglect, post-abortive trauma and the list goes on. I’m so blessed to be a part of Healing Hearts Ministries, helping hurting women heal through the Word of God! If you need healing, please visit www.healinghearts.org!!!!

KE: Where do you feel like God is leading you next?
JK: I feel God is leading me to help people achieve their health and wellness goals through my Dr. K’s Wellness business. I’ve had opportunity for outstanding education, certifications and continuing education on a variety of integrative modalities that help the body thrive! It is so exciting to see people lose weight that they haven’t been able to for years or even decades, have their energy increase dramatically, experience less joint pain and become more mobile and enjoy life the fullest.

KE: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
JK:  Contact me at drkswellness@gmail.com or 262-349-6738. You can also visit my website atwww.drkswellness.com. I believe in a holistic approach to helping people. This means going beyond symptom management (i.e., I have a headache so I’ll just take some ibuprofen.) and working to find the underlying cause (i.e., Maybe I have a headache because I’m dehydrated. I’ll drink a glass of water instead.) I want to inspire and coach people to become the happy, healthy, amazing people God intended them to be! I do individual consultations as well as educational seminars, cooking classes and meal planning and prep assistance. I’m a cleansing and detoxification coach and have helped people lose weight effectively and keep it off. I utilize a variety of products and services to help my clients achieve their goals. I would love a chance to work with you!

Thanks for sharing your heart with us Jamie. I pray that everyone has a safe and happy New Year’s. If you need some extra encouragement with your resolutions and healthy lifestyle plans, I encourage you to reach out to either Jamie or myself and keep us posted on your progress!

In His Strength,

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.