FREE DOWNLOAD! 14 Nuggets of Wisdom for a Better Life!

Have you ever felt like life has knocked you down so hard you couldn't possibly get back up? Kim Rahir's equally inspiring as it is motivational story of overcoming the unthinkable is sure to leave a lasting impact on your life. And how this woman would go from suddenly being paralyzed to Olympic Weightlifting will undoubtedly leave you breathless and begging for more.

Who Is This For?

Are you someone facing seemingly insurmountable health challenges, feeling stuck in life, or simply seeking inspiration to not give up? If so, you are exactly where you are meant to be. If you've ever doubted your ability to overcome obstacles or wondered how to find strength in the face of adversity, Kim's journey from paralysis to powerlifting will ignite your spirit and show you what's possible with determination and the right mindset.

Looking for the Links?

What's It All About?

This episode takes you on an incredible journey of resilience, determination, and personal growth. Kim Rahir shares her inspiring story of how she went from being paralyzed and unable to walk to becoming a competitive weightlifter at the age of 60. You'll hear about her battle with autoimmune diseases, her discovery of strength training as a path to recovery, and how she transformed her life through the power of perseverance and a positive mindset. Kim's story is a testament to the human spirit and the incredible potential we all have to overcome challenges and reinvent ourselves at any age.

Some Key Takeaways:

Discover how to find strength and purpose in the face of life-altering health challenges

Learn the transformative power of strength training for both physical and mental well-being

Gain insights on how to approach life with gratitude and make the most of every moment, regardless of circumstances

Listen now to be inspired by Kim's extraordinary journey and discover how you can tap into your own inner strength to overcome any obstacle life throws your way.

Today's Featured Guest

Kim Rahir is a 60-year-old competitive weightlifter, health coach, and inspirational speaker. After overcoming paralysis and battling multiple sclerosis, Kim discovered the transformative power of strength training. Now, she's on a mission to empower women to embrace physical strength as a path to independence, confidence, and improved quality of life. Through her coaching and personal example, Kim is changing the narrative around aging and inspiring others to push beyond their perceived limitations.

Hey, it's Kevin!

I hope you enjoyed today's episode! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Below, you will find ALL the places and ALL the ways to connect!

I would LOVE to hear from you! Send me a Voice Message
Show Notes

FREE DOWNLOAD! 14 Nuggets of Wisdom for a Better Life!
Have you ever felt like life has knocked you down so hard you couldn't possibly get back up? Kim Rahir's equally inspiring as it is motivational story of overcoming the unthinkable is sure to leave a lasting impact on your life. And how this woman would go from suddenly being paralyzed to Olympic Weightlifting will undoubtedly leave you breathless and begging for more.
Who Is This For?
Are you someone facing seemingly insurmountable health challenges, feeling stuck in life, or simply seeking inspiration to not give up? If so, you are exactly where you are meant to be. If you've ever doubted your ability to overcome obstacles or wondered how to find strength in the face of adversity, Kim's journey from paralysis to powerlifting will ignite your spirit and show you what's possible with determination and the right mindset.

Looking for the Links?
What's It All About?
This episode takes you on an incredible journey of resilience, determination, and personal growth. Kim Rahir shares her inspiring story of how she went from being paralyzed and unable to walk to becoming a competitive weightlifter at the age of 60. You'll hear about her battle with autoimmune diseases, her discovery of strength training as a path to recovery, and how she transformed her life through the power of perseverance and a positive mindset. Kim's story is a testament to the human spirit and the incredible potential we all have to overcome challenges and reinvent ourselves at any age.

Some Key Takeaways:
Discover how to find strength and purpose in the face of life-altering health challenges
Learn the transformative power of strength training for both physical and mental well-being
Gain insights on how to approach life with gratitude and make the most of every moment, regardless of circumstances

Listen now to be inspired by Kim's extraordinary journey and discover how you can tap into your own inner strength to overcome any obstacle life throws your way.

Today's Featured Guest
Kim Rahir is a 60-year-old competitive weightlifter, health coach, and inspirational speaker. After overcoming paralysis and battling multiple sclerosis, Kim discovered the transformative power of strength training. Now, she's on a mission to empower women to embrace physical strength as a path to independence, confidence, and improved quality of life. Through her coaching and personal example, Kim is changing the narrative around aging and inspiring others to push beyond their perceived limitations.

Hey, it's Kevin!

I hope you enjoyed today's episode! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Below, you will find ALL the places and ALL the ways to connect!
Stay Awesome! Live Inspired!
© 2025 Grit, Grace, & Inspiration
Show Transcript

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Kevin Lowe: I want you to imagine waking up one day to find your entire world turned upside down.

00:00:06.397 --> 00:00:11.617

Kevin Lowe: And yet, the very challenge that has seemingly destroyed your life would end

00:00:11.617 --> 00:00:14.337

Kevin Lowe: up becoming your greatest source of strength.

00:00:14.717 --> 00:00:19.877

Kevin Lowe: Today, I'm going to introduce you to Kim, a remarkable woman who has a journey

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Kevin Lowe: from adversity to triumph that will leave you breathless and begging for more.

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Kevin Lowe: But as with most of the guests on this podcast,

00:00:28.817 --> 00:00:33.277

Kevin Lowe: the most important thing that you need to know headed into today's episode is

00:00:33.277 --> 00:00:39.277

Kevin Lowe: that you might be listening to Kim tell her story, but you must understand that

00:00:39.277 --> 00:00:41.797

Kevin Lowe: this all relates right back to you.

00:00:41.957 --> 00:00:46.137

Kevin Lowe: Because no matter where you are in life, there's always a starting point.

00:00:46.397 --> 00:00:51.857

Kevin Lowe: You can always start right now to becoming stronger, more resilient,

00:00:51.857 --> 00:00:58.277

Kevin Lowe: and ultimately unstoppable. My friend, I can guarantee that this is the episode

00:00:58.277 --> 00:01:00.577

Kevin Lowe: that you needed to hear right now.

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Kevin Lowe: Welcome to episode 358.

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Kevin Lowe: Hey, I'm your host, Kevin Lowe, and you are listening to Grit,

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Kevin Lowe: Grace, and Inspiration.

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Kevin Lowe: Welcome back to another awesome interview here on Grit, Grace,

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Kevin Lowe: and Inspiration. Today is certainly no exception.

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Kevin Lowe: Kim, welcome to the podcast.

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Kim Rahir: Well, thanks for having me, Kevin.

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Kevin Lowe: Oh, my goodness. Well, it is an absolute honor. And I have been looking forward to this so much.

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Kevin Lowe: And Kim, you have you have such an amazing story, such an inspiring story.

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Kevin Lowe: And I guess the best place always to begin is kind of back at the beginning.

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Kevin Lowe: And you can, you know, take it from where you want.

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Kevin Lowe: But basically, I know that, you know, a big part of your story kind of begins

00:01:46.197 --> 00:01:50.437

Kevin Lowe: around the year like 2008. I'd love it if you just kind of give me,

00:01:50.437 --> 00:01:54.017

Kevin Lowe: you know, the story surrounding kind of that time in your story.

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Kim Rahir: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And I can't believe it's, you know, that long ago.

00:01:59.457 --> 00:02:02.897

Kim Rahir: That's coming up on 16 years in November, at least that's when it started.

00:02:03.237 --> 00:02:04.497

Kim Rahir: Not that I want to go back, though.

00:02:04.857 --> 00:02:07.057

Kevin Lowe: No, absolutely.

00:02:07.397 --> 00:02:11.097

Kim Rahir: So I was, we had just moved country again. I lived with my husband.

00:02:11.277 --> 00:02:15.717

Kim Rahir: We were both journalists with three small kids. And we moved every four years

00:02:15.717 --> 00:02:20.297

Kim Rahir: from country to country, which is very exciting, never boring.

00:02:20.297 --> 00:02:24.617

Kim Rahir: But of course, it's challenging also, especially when you drag along kids.

00:02:24.897 --> 00:02:28.717

Kim Rahir: But we had arrived in Germany, which is my home country.

00:02:29.269 --> 00:02:32.829

Kim Rahir: And we lived in Berlin, had been living there for a year. And for the first

00:02:32.829 --> 00:02:37.409

Kim Rahir: time also in all our time together, I had a full-time job.

00:02:37.569 --> 00:02:41.189

Kim Rahir: I was employed too, because we were both journalists, but my husband had got

00:02:41.189 --> 00:02:44.529

Kim Rahir: the assignments and I started as a freelancer wherever we went.

00:02:45.209 --> 00:02:49.769

Kim Rahir: So, you know, we were in my home country. I had a full-time job, three kids.

00:02:49.929 --> 00:02:54.549

Kim Rahir: We lived in a beautiful house and it felt like, you know, that was it.

00:02:54.689 --> 00:02:59.409

Kim Rahir: I had made it. I had sort of fulfilled my dream. I'd always wanted to prove

00:02:59.409 --> 00:03:05.229

Kim Rahir: that you could have a family and a career as a woman, which when I was raised

00:03:05.229 --> 00:03:08.069

Kim Rahir: was not like, you know, a given at all.

00:03:08.269 --> 00:03:14.069

Kim Rahir: I was raised in a, you know, like socially very conservative Germany where the

00:03:14.069 --> 00:03:17.289

Kim Rahir: word career woman was an insult when I was a teenager.

00:03:17.729 --> 00:03:22.669

Kim Rahir: And it was always assumed that you had to choose either you had kids or you had a job.

00:03:22.809 --> 00:03:26.929

Kim Rahir: And I would, you know, never want that and accept that.

00:03:27.069 --> 00:03:32.289

Kim Rahir: And here I was and I had both and I felt like now I had made it.

00:03:32.609 --> 00:03:36.849

Kim Rahir: And then from one day to the next, like literally, I was struck down.

00:03:37.009 --> 00:03:39.989

Kim Rahir: I was out of it all. It started by me seeing double.

00:03:40.169 --> 00:03:44.209

Kim Rahir: I was picking up my kids from school, we were driving and I was driving a car

00:03:44.209 --> 00:03:48.609

Kim Rahir: and I was seeing double and I thought, oh my God, something's really wrong.

00:03:48.729 --> 00:03:54.209

Kim Rahir: Now this came on the heels of just, you know, like a flu infection that I'd

00:03:54.209 --> 00:03:58.749

Kim Rahir: had a few days before, but, you know, like any, any mom of small kids would

00:03:58.749 --> 00:04:00.529

Kim Rahir: do, I was back on my feet right away.

00:04:00.869 --> 00:04:04.649

Kim Rahir: And then there I was seeing double and I knew this time I had to go to the doctors

00:04:04.649 --> 00:04:09.429

Kim Rahir: because, you know, that's no small thing. That's something happening in the brain.

00:04:10.203 --> 00:04:14.463

Kim Rahir: And went to the doctors and I was sent straight to the hospital where I was

00:04:14.463 --> 00:04:19.763

Kim Rahir: to stay for six weeks because they had to do all kinds of checkups.

00:04:19.963 --> 00:04:22.103

Kim Rahir: They couldn't really find what it was.

00:04:22.383 --> 00:04:27.963

Kim Rahir: And on top of like the weird eyes, after three weeks, I was completely paralyzed

00:04:27.963 --> 00:04:29.323

Kim Rahir: from the hips downwards.

00:04:30.203 --> 00:04:33.123

Kim Rahir: No sensitivity whatsoever in my legs.

00:04:33.303 --> 00:04:38.903

Kim Rahir: And that was just so scary. It was so scary, especially because they,

00:04:38.903 --> 00:04:43.663

Kim Rahir: I mean, they thought it was something autoimmune, but they couldn't really name

00:04:43.663 --> 00:04:46.623

Kim Rahir: it because my symptoms were all over the place.

00:04:46.623 --> 00:04:49.923

Kim Rahir: And they love, you know, having that symptoms in those boxes.

00:04:50.223 --> 00:04:55.083

Kim Rahir: So like the eyes would have been a Miller-Fisher syndrome and legs were like

00:04:55.083 --> 00:04:56.383

Kim Rahir: a Guillain-Barré syndrome.

00:04:56.923 --> 00:05:01.283

Kim Rahir: And there I was in the middle of this, always having like students in white

00:05:01.283 --> 00:05:05.363

Kim Rahir: coats around my bed because I was such a weird case, which, you know,

00:05:05.743 --> 00:05:09.883

Kim Rahir: contributed also to me feeling a bit dehumanized, actually, because already

00:05:09.883 --> 00:05:11.723

Kim Rahir: you don't have any power in a hospital.

00:05:11.843 --> 00:05:16.443

Kim Rahir: You can't decide like anything, not when the light is on in your room,

00:05:16.563 --> 00:05:19.403

Kim Rahir: not when you're going to sleep, not when you're waking up, nothing at all.

00:05:19.483 --> 00:05:22.683

Kim Rahir: When you can't walk, you can't even decide when you're going to have a shower

00:05:22.683 --> 00:05:23.763

Kim Rahir: or when you're going to the toilet.

00:05:23.963 --> 00:05:29.363

Kim Rahir: And then on top of this, I was there sort of exposed like a study case to students

00:05:29.363 --> 00:05:33.763

Kim Rahir: once a week. And I even said, can you please, I don't really want this anymore.

00:05:33.763 --> 00:05:38.563

Kim Rahir: And then they sort of always talked me into, you know, allow that one more time.

00:05:39.721 --> 00:05:44.061

Kim Rahir: My life had changed like from one day to the next, from one day to the next.

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Kim Rahir: Everything that I had taken for granted, taken as a given, was gone.

00:05:49.201 --> 00:05:53.301

Kim Rahir: I couldn't walk. I couldn't look after my kids. I couldn't go to work.

00:05:53.521 --> 00:05:57.401

Kim Rahir: I couldn't do anything, basically. That was really, really tough.

00:05:58.061 --> 00:06:04.061

Kevin Lowe: Wow. You know, I always say it's crazy how everything in life can change in the blink of an eye.

00:06:04.721 --> 00:06:05.201

Kim Rahir: Absolutely.

00:06:06.581 --> 00:06:13.281

Kevin Lowe: Now, during this time, you went in seeing double is what prompted you to go to the doctor.

00:06:13.541 --> 00:06:19.561

Kevin Lowe: And then you mentioned while there, you then basically became paralyzed from what the waist down.

00:06:19.881 --> 00:06:20.261

Kim Rahir: Yes.

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Kevin Lowe: How did that come on? Was it something did you just wake up and all of a sudden

00:06:24.641 --> 00:06:27.901

Kevin Lowe: realized you couldn't feel your legs or how did that happen?

00:06:28.201 --> 00:06:32.901

Kim Rahir: No, that was very gradual, actually. you know, it was my immune system attacking

00:06:32.901 --> 00:06:38.241

Kim Rahir: my own nerves and it was mostly the sensitive nerves in my legs that it started

00:06:38.241 --> 00:06:40.141

Kim Rahir: like sort of gnawing away at.

00:06:40.741 --> 00:06:44.041

Kim Rahir: And first it was just a weird feeling in my feet.

00:06:44.301 --> 00:06:49.241

Kim Rahir: Like that's the thing with neurological conditions. You always have sensations

00:06:49.241 --> 00:06:50.561

Kim Rahir: that you shouldn't have.

00:06:50.761 --> 00:06:53.841

Kim Rahir: And my feet felt weird. Then I

00:06:53.841 --> 00:06:57.581

Kim Rahir: realized that I couldn't properly flex my

00:06:57.581 --> 00:07:02.641

Kim Rahir: leg muscles you know it was like very very slowly first it was weird sensations

00:07:02.641 --> 00:07:08.541

Kim Rahir: then it was like limitations things I couldn't do and then at some point I just

00:07:08.541 --> 00:07:13.081

Kim Rahir: had lost all control over my legs that it took about like you know I'd say like

00:07:13.081 --> 00:07:16.081

Kim Rahir: two weeks first week started after one week in hospital.

00:07:17.181 --> 00:07:22.101

Kim Rahir: And that's also quite scary when you see yourself you know feel yourself getting

00:07:22.101 --> 00:07:26.381

Kim Rahir: worse every day And they treated me with all kinds of stuff with,

00:07:26.561 --> 00:07:32.481

Kim Rahir: how do you call this, cortisone and then immune globulins and all sorts of things.

00:07:32.621 --> 00:07:36.841

Kim Rahir: And because they were also a little bit desperate because they were not sure what was going on.

00:07:37.041 --> 00:07:44.001

Kim Rahir: So when I felt the feeling come back in my legs, we didn't really know what

00:07:44.001 --> 00:07:48.141

Kim Rahir: had helped because they had tried so many different things. Could have been one or the other.

00:07:48.321 --> 00:07:51.501

Kim Rahir: I'm glad, you know, I was just happy to get better.

00:07:51.501 --> 00:07:54.601

Kim Rahir: But was still not very very clear

00:07:54.601 --> 00:07:57.301

Kim Rahir: what was going on i could leave the

00:07:57.301 --> 00:08:00.521

Kim Rahir: hospital i was in a wheelchair i could sort of stand i

00:08:00.521 --> 00:08:03.541

Kim Rahir: was very wobbly and it took me about six months

00:08:03.541 --> 00:08:10.101

Kim Rahir: to walk normally again and after i had left hospital they then after a while

00:08:10.101 --> 00:08:16.081

Kim Rahir: decided that this was indeed a guillain which is a syndrome that happens a lot

00:08:16.081 --> 00:08:20.761

Kim Rahir: to soldiers and when I look back now you know my.

00:08:21.501 --> 00:08:26.301

Kim Rahir: Fulfilling my dream and having a full-time job and three kids and all that I

00:08:26.301 --> 00:08:31.701

Kim Rahir: think I was a bit stressed out actually I was soldiering along a little bit and,

00:08:32.349 --> 00:08:36.089

Kim Rahir: I'm not going to say this is what caused my illness, but it somehow,

00:08:36.149 --> 00:08:38.209

Kim Rahir: you know, fits the description.

00:08:38.529 --> 00:08:42.689

Kim Rahir: And I remember one day I was at home. I still couldn't walk properly.

00:08:43.049 --> 00:08:48.069

Kim Rahir: It was like an icy Berlin winter outside. And I saw a couple on the sidewalk.

00:08:48.409 --> 00:08:53.389

Kim Rahir: They were walking along and they both had such grumpy faces.

00:08:53.389 --> 00:08:57.309

Kim Rahir: They both looked so angry. And I was sitting inside and I thought,

00:08:57.469 --> 00:09:01.949

Kim Rahir: how on earth can you be so angry when you can walk?

00:09:02.349 --> 00:09:06.669

Kim Rahir: Come on, you don't even know how lucky you are.

00:09:06.829 --> 00:09:11.089

Kim Rahir: And this sudden insight when I thought these people have stayed with me ever since.

00:09:11.449 --> 00:09:16.689

Kim Rahir: Every step I take today, I'm grateful and I know that it's a gift.

00:09:17.149 --> 00:09:21.809

Kim Rahir: So looking back, it sounds so crazy, but I'm actually grateful for this experience.

00:09:22.049 --> 00:09:25.109

Kim Rahir: It was very dark. It was very frightening.

00:09:25.689 --> 00:09:30.449

Kim Rahir: It was totally defeating. You know, I felt utterly helpless and powerless.

00:09:30.449 --> 00:09:36.009

Kim Rahir: But now I know that it's taught me so much about life, how to look at life and

00:09:36.009 --> 00:09:42.629

Kim Rahir: how to enjoy what I'm given and be grateful for all the blessings,

00:09:42.889 --> 00:09:46.629

Kim Rahir: you know, small blessings, they say. For me, there's no small blessing.

00:09:47.509 --> 00:09:53.649

Kim Rahir: Everything that I can do today, I'm really grateful for. And that makes it so

00:09:53.649 --> 00:09:55.189

Kim Rahir: much more enjoyable, you know.

00:09:55.489 --> 00:10:02.149

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, absolutely. Now, during this time, what was even just the emotional toll

00:10:02.149 --> 00:10:04.869

Kevin Lowe: on you as far as being a mom?

00:10:05.009 --> 00:10:12.469

Kevin Lowe: Because obviously, you weren't able to take the kids to school or care for them

00:10:12.469 --> 00:10:14.929

Kevin Lowe: like you had been. How was that on you?

00:10:15.189 --> 00:10:21.629

Kim Rahir: It's very painful to have your kids come visit you and you're lying in a hospital

00:10:21.629 --> 00:10:23.689

Kim Rahir: bed. It's just pure pain.

00:10:24.189 --> 00:10:27.809

Kim Rahir: But you can't show it, right? You can't show your pain.

00:10:27.969 --> 00:10:32.349

Kim Rahir: I didn't want to show my pain. I didn't want them to feel pained,

00:10:32.469 --> 00:10:36.389

Kim Rahir: you know, on top of being so, well, they weren't unbalanced,

00:10:36.549 --> 00:10:38.769

Kim Rahir: but sort of their routine, everything had gone away too.

00:10:38.929 --> 00:10:41.749

Kim Rahir: I mean, they were still going to school, but it was not me and they were still

00:10:41.749 --> 00:10:44.129

Kim Rahir: getting their dinners, but it was not me who made them.

00:10:44.729 --> 00:10:48.549

Kim Rahir: So I didn't want to show my pain, but I felt it like very badly.

00:10:48.749 --> 00:10:54.029

Kim Rahir: And, you know, that's, I remember my oldest son, I mean, Berlin is a huge place.

00:10:54.029 --> 00:10:59.349

Kim Rahir: My oldest son, he was 10 at the time and he was already traveling by himself to school.

00:10:59.649 --> 00:11:04.509

Kim Rahir: And one day, I mean, this was before smartphones also, I was just at the onset,

00:11:04.749 --> 00:11:07.389

Kim Rahir: you know, I think he had smartphones existed.

00:11:07.809 --> 00:11:10.229

Kim Rahir: A lot of the stuff in hospital would have been easier probably.

00:11:10.589 --> 00:11:14.989

Kim Rahir: Anyway, he sent me a text message and said, can I come see you?

00:11:15.269 --> 00:11:19.569

Kim Rahir: And then he took like, you know, public transport all across town just to come

00:11:19.569 --> 00:11:22.209

Kim Rahir: see me after school. even today when I think of this, you know,

00:11:22.309 --> 00:11:26.009

Kim Rahir: I feel like tearing up because it was just so...

00:11:26.497 --> 00:11:29.937

Kim Rahir: So heart-wrenching, you know, to know that your kids are missing you.

00:11:30.197 --> 00:11:33.317

Kim Rahir: There's also this other aspect. When I got home for Christmas,

00:11:33.617 --> 00:11:38.557

Kim Rahir: there was a tree, there were presents, there was food, and I hadn't done any of it.

00:11:38.657 --> 00:11:43.337

Kim Rahir: So this feeling that so many moms have, and this is something I really want

00:11:43.337 --> 00:11:48.677

Kim Rahir: to tell all the women out there who feel that if they don't do everything.

00:11:49.217 --> 00:11:54.937

Kim Rahir: You know, nothing's going to work, that everything depends on us, every single thing.

00:11:54.937 --> 00:11:56.837

Kim Rahir: And that the world's sort of

00:11:56.837 --> 00:12:01.037

Kim Rahir: somehow going to stop if we don't do what we have to do every single day.

00:12:01.217 --> 00:12:06.517

Kim Rahir: And that moment taught me that, yes, I was like out totally from one day to

00:12:06.517 --> 00:12:10.537

Kim Rahir: the next, but the world kept on turning and there was still Christmas and we

00:12:10.537 --> 00:12:15.257

Kim Rahir: still came together and there were presents and there was food even without me doing it.

00:12:15.437 --> 00:12:21.697

Kim Rahir: And that's a big relief actually when you realize that you are not indispensable,

00:12:21.697 --> 00:12:25.137

Kim Rahir: that you can take time off.

00:12:25.337 --> 00:12:30.377

Kim Rahir: We never do this when we, you know, like voluntarily, but learning that,

00:12:30.637 --> 00:12:34.237

Kim Rahir: you know, everything will still work okay if you're not there.

00:12:34.417 --> 00:12:39.577

Kim Rahir: I think it's really, it's liberating and it's empowering because it gives you

00:12:39.577 --> 00:12:43.677

Kim Rahir: the strength to say sometimes, no, I can't do this. This is just too much.

00:12:43.817 --> 00:12:48.177

Kim Rahir: I need some time here to do something else or to do something for myself.

00:12:48.177 --> 00:12:53.677

Kim Rahir: And I wish, I really wish to carry this message to all women out there who think

00:12:53.677 --> 00:12:57.777

Kim Rahir: that the world rests on their shoulders because it's a heavy load to carry.

00:12:58.097 --> 00:13:03.797

Kim Rahir: And I wish, you know, for them to get it, to get this insight without having

00:13:03.797 --> 00:13:07.157

Kim Rahir: it demonstrated to them so brutally as it was to me.

00:13:07.597 --> 00:13:15.437

Kevin Lowe: Absolutely. You, your mindset and the way that you see life, it's really beautiful.

00:13:16.117 --> 00:13:21.197

Kevin Lowe: It's really powerful. And the way that you can see, looking back on it now,

00:13:21.677 --> 00:13:28.297

Kevin Lowe: the blessings that you gained from such a terrible experience is, it's really amazing.

00:13:28.537 --> 00:13:33.477

Kevin Lowe: I guess what my next question is, is after this six-month period,

00:13:34.097 --> 00:13:37.377

Kevin Lowe: did you ever have symptoms like that come up again?

00:13:37.877 --> 00:13:42.317

Kim Rahir: Not the same, but unfortunately, that was not the end of my autoimmune saga

00:13:42.317 --> 00:13:48.057

Kim Rahir: because, well, after I got more treatment after that, after six months I could

00:13:48.057 --> 00:13:52.657

Kim Rahir: walk again, but I still went into the hospital once a month to get infusions and everything.

00:13:52.877 --> 00:13:57.457

Kim Rahir: But then after a year, I was told that yes, absolutely, this was a one-off and

00:13:57.457 --> 00:14:01.397

Kim Rahir: I didn't need any treatment anymore. And I was now just a normal, healthy person.

00:14:01.517 --> 00:14:08.397

Kim Rahir: And I can't describe how overjoyed I felt to call my husband on the phone.

00:14:09.141 --> 00:14:14.681

Kim Rahir: We both cried with joy and I thought this is, you know, this is a gift.

00:14:15.141 --> 00:14:19.521

Kim Rahir: I'm not, I'm not going to waste it. I'm going to, you know, live every day,

00:14:20.101 --> 00:14:24.301

Kim Rahir: every moment with my kids and enjoy every, every bit of it.

00:14:24.661 --> 00:14:30.821

Kim Rahir: And then a year, another year later, I felt my left hand going numb.

00:14:31.001 --> 00:14:34.921

Kim Rahir: And this thing that I say with neurological stuff, you feel stuff that you shouldn't

00:14:34.921 --> 00:14:40.821

Kim Rahir: be feeling. So I knew that sensation wasn't right and I got more checkups.

00:14:41.061 --> 00:14:44.081

Kim Rahir: And this time they said, oh, yeah, this is different.

00:14:44.361 --> 00:14:49.501

Kim Rahir: This is not the kind of immune attack that you had before. This is an attack

00:14:49.501 --> 00:14:52.421

Kim Rahir: of your system on the white matter in your nerves.

00:14:53.201 --> 00:14:56.541

Kim Rahir: And, you know, this is MS, this is multiple sclerosis.

00:14:57.081 --> 00:14:59.821

Kim Rahir: And you can imagine that I thought this was like

00:14:59.821 --> 00:15:03.061

Kim Rahir: a really low blow because I had just overcome

00:15:03.061 --> 00:15:06.541

Kim Rahir: this other thing which was really kind of traumatizing

00:15:06.541 --> 00:15:10.161

Kim Rahir: and I thought I was so so happy

00:15:10.161 --> 00:15:14.321

Kim Rahir: so relieved so overjoyed to have left that behind me and then they said oh no

00:15:14.321 --> 00:15:18.961

Kim Rahir: you know go back to square one and by the way this time it's worse and this

00:15:18.961 --> 00:15:23.741

Kim Rahir: time it's not a one-off this time it's for life so the darkness that I had felt

00:15:23.741 --> 00:15:28.621

Kim Rahir: for the first time it came back it came back and it was even scarier,

00:15:28.801 --> 00:15:33.161

Kim Rahir: but I had learned certain sort of approaches and attitudes.

00:15:33.181 --> 00:15:35.701

Kim Rahir: And I think they got me through this.

00:15:35.881 --> 00:15:40.641

Kim Rahir: I didn't allow myself to look at the future, at the big picture.

00:15:40.801 --> 00:15:42.601

Kim Rahir: I didn't. It was too scary.

00:15:42.801 --> 00:15:47.881

Kim Rahir: I really focused on what I could do in the moment. I had to accept lifelong

00:15:47.881 --> 00:15:52.321

Kim Rahir: treatment after a fight with my doctor, because that's what they give you for

00:15:52.321 --> 00:15:56.141

Kim Rahir: multiple sclerosis. But I had just this hand thing that was numb.

00:15:56.301 --> 00:15:58.801

Kim Rahir: The rest had been stopped then by an infusion.

00:15:59.401 --> 00:16:04.561

Kim Rahir: And I could walk, I could move. And I just decided that I was going to just

00:16:04.561 --> 00:16:10.101

Kim Rahir: live every single day like this, the way I felt, thinking that I was okay and

00:16:10.101 --> 00:16:12.861

Kim Rahir: not scare myself with thoughts of the future.

00:16:13.041 --> 00:16:17.981

Kim Rahir: And I think that helped me tremendously. I think when you have a diagnosis like

00:16:17.981 --> 00:16:24.501

Kim Rahir: this and you start imagining what's going to happen, even in two weeks or in two years or in 20 years,

00:16:24.721 --> 00:16:29.701

Kim Rahir: you can be so paralyzed with the uncertainty of it that you will forget,

00:16:29.701 --> 00:16:30.941

Kim Rahir: you know, to live your life.

00:16:31.081 --> 00:16:35.701

Kim Rahir: And I decided, no, I'm going to just live every day because right now I'm okay

00:16:35.701 --> 00:16:37.901

Kim Rahir: and I'm going to make the most of that.

00:16:38.221 --> 00:16:39.381

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, absolutely.

00:16:40.641 --> 00:16:49.381

Kevin Lowe: So in this journey, this medical journey that we're on, where does exercise

00:16:49.381 --> 00:16:53.381

Kevin Lowe: and in lifting weights, how does that even enter the picture?

00:16:53.941 --> 00:16:56.561

Kim Rahir: Yeah, it's quite interesting. I mean,

00:16:56.701 --> 00:17:01.361

Kim Rahir: I had been a gym goer before all that happened, but I went to the gym like most

00:17:01.361 --> 00:17:06.181

Kim Rahir: women did, you know, like with this idea of achieving a certain body shape or

00:17:06.181 --> 00:17:09.001

Kim Rahir: staying fit in a very general way.

00:17:09.001 --> 00:17:12.221

Kim Rahir: And after my ms

00:17:12.221 --> 00:17:15.441

Kim Rahir: diagnosis i felt this desire to

00:17:15.441 --> 00:17:20.181

Kim Rahir: go back to the gym first of all and then to go there to become strong like i

00:17:20.181 --> 00:17:27.841

Kim Rahir: wanted to become insanely strong physically strong and i think this this came

00:17:27.841 --> 00:17:33.841

Kim Rahir: from feeling so powerless when i was in hospital and i came from,

00:17:34.401 --> 00:17:37.921

Kim Rahir: wanting to make the most of what I had in the moment. As I said,

00:17:38.021 --> 00:17:39.221

Kim Rahir: I could walk, I could move.

00:17:39.361 --> 00:17:42.961

Kim Rahir: I had just, I mean, my left hand is numb to this day, but that's about it.

00:17:43.541 --> 00:17:50.361

Kim Rahir: And I really felt this need to be strong also to be able to trust my body again,

00:17:50.501 --> 00:17:52.101

Kim Rahir: to count on my body again.

00:17:52.481 --> 00:17:57.281

Kim Rahir: Because with autoimmune diseases, there's this bit of a feeling of betrayal

00:17:57.281 --> 00:18:00.701

Kim Rahir: that you can't trust your body. It's doing, you know, like stupid things.

00:18:00.881 --> 00:18:03.881

Kim Rahir: Why, you know, it's supposed to protect you, not to attack itself

00:18:03.881 --> 00:18:06.761

Kim Rahir: i mean this is with hindsight i just felt this

00:18:06.761 --> 00:18:10.381

Kim Rahir: need i wanted to go to the gym and become like really strong and

00:18:10.381 --> 00:18:13.341

Kim Rahir: this is how i sort of explain where this might have come from this

00:18:13.341 --> 00:18:17.081

Kim Rahir: desire but it's what i did and i

00:18:17.081 --> 00:18:19.881

Kim Rahir: bought a book one of the first books out there i think

00:18:19.881 --> 00:18:23.101

Kim Rahir: it was from the late 90s one of

00:18:23.101 --> 00:18:27.021

Kim Rahir: the first that said women you know should lift heavy and because it's just as

00:18:27.021 --> 00:18:31.361

Kim Rahir: important for them as for anybody else and i followed that book the workouts

00:18:31.361 --> 00:18:40.041

Kim Rahir: the the instructions for proper form everything to a T and I got so much better it's hard to.

00:18:40.681 --> 00:18:43.501

Kim Rahir: You can't overstate how much better

00:18:43.501 --> 00:18:48.881

Kim Rahir: I got and I think it's because of something that we know now we have science

00:18:48.881 --> 00:18:52.401

Kim Rahir: on this now but this was like 10 years ago where this was still all sort of

00:18:52.401 --> 00:18:58.661

Kim Rahir: evolving strength training is is like an elixir for your mental health you walk

00:18:58.661 --> 00:19:02.941

Kim Rahir: out of there and you have a, you feel positive, you feel good about yourself,

00:19:03.121 --> 00:19:06.101

Kim Rahir: you feel good about everything and you feel good about what you can do.

00:19:06.761 --> 00:19:10.601

Kim Rahir: And I think this helped me get better, like spectacularly. And even,

00:19:10.721 --> 00:19:14.181

Kim Rahir: you know, my neurological checkups, they took like two minutes.

00:19:14.341 --> 00:19:17.461

Kim Rahir: You know, I had to check in every six months with a neurologist and they saw

00:19:17.461 --> 00:19:20.481

Kim Rahir: me the way I walked in there and they knew that I was just fine.

00:19:20.701 --> 00:19:24.641

Kim Rahir: So much so that we, I know we moved again between all these things.

00:19:24.781 --> 00:19:28.981

Kim Rahir: The first episode was in the Berlin, the multiple sclerosis diagnosis was in

00:19:28.981 --> 00:19:31.621

Kim Rahir: France. and then we moved to Spain where we live now,

00:19:32.413 --> 00:19:37.253

Kim Rahir: And after three years of watching me thrive, I really must say it like this.

00:19:37.433 --> 00:19:40.453

Kim Rahir: My Spanish neurologist said, well, you know, if you want to,

00:19:40.533 --> 00:19:42.993

Kim Rahir: you can stop your treatment. And I did.

00:19:43.193 --> 00:19:49.513

Kim Rahir: And that was like seven years ago. I have been without relapse and without treatment for seven years.

00:19:49.793 --> 00:19:55.333

Kim Rahir: And that's also when I felt, even though I, you know, I'm not claiming you can

00:19:55.333 --> 00:19:59.353

Kim Rahir: cure a mess with strength training, but I felt that was this approach that I

00:19:59.353 --> 00:20:00.793

Kim Rahir: had used instinctively.

00:20:00.793 --> 00:20:03.593

Kim Rahir: I was on to something there was you know

00:20:03.593 --> 00:20:07.453

Kim Rahir: the benefits were like so incredible for

00:20:07.453 --> 00:20:10.293

Kim Rahir: you know for overall health for mental health and

00:20:10.293 --> 00:20:13.073

Kim Rahir: it had gotten me back to living a

00:20:13.073 --> 00:20:16.133

Kim Rahir: normal life without having to inject myself three times

00:20:16.133 --> 00:20:20.693

Kim Rahir: a week that's when I got the courage up to fulfill something that I'd been dreaming

00:20:20.693 --> 00:20:24.513

Kim Rahir: about for a while which was like sleeve journalism become a health coach and

00:20:24.513 --> 00:20:29.053

Kim Rahir: you know shout it from the rooftops if you want to be happy and healthy just

00:20:29.053 --> 00:20:33.613

Kim Rahir: go strength training and most things will take care of themselves.

00:20:34.294 --> 00:20:42.194

Kevin Lowe: Yeah. Wow. So in this kind of fitness journey and you talk about the just profound

00:20:42.194 --> 00:20:48.634

Kevin Lowe: impact that it had on you, were your doctors surprised at this?

00:20:49.074 --> 00:20:52.694

Kim Rahir: Yes, absolutely. I mean, the very first one who gave me the diagnosis,

00:20:52.874 --> 00:20:56.014

Kim Rahir: when I asked him about exercise, he told me to be careful.

00:20:56.314 --> 00:21:00.474

Kim Rahir: And I don't know what he meant by that, actually. And I think it was a way of

00:21:00.474 --> 00:21:03.854

Kim Rahir: saying, I don't really have an idea of what you're talking about.

00:21:04.294 --> 00:21:08.334

Kim Rahir: But I don't want to take any responsibility. So I'm going to just scare you

00:21:08.334 --> 00:21:10.234

Kim Rahir: a little bit by telling you to be careful.

00:21:10.714 --> 00:21:13.554

Kim Rahir: And then, you know, for the rest of that, you're on your own.

00:21:13.894 --> 00:21:19.374

Kim Rahir: And then the next guy who was looking after me was this Spaniard who is also

00:21:19.374 --> 00:21:22.034

Kim Rahir: a bit of an expert in MS here in Spain.

00:21:23.114 --> 00:21:27.634

Kim Rahir: And when I told him that I was actually, that I had started weightlifting,

00:21:27.794 --> 00:21:31.934

Kim Rahir: because over my journey from normal lifting in the gym, I switched to Olympic

00:21:31.934 --> 00:21:33.994

Kim Rahir: weightlifting, which is something totally different.

00:21:33.994 --> 00:21:38.354

Kim Rahir: And again, you know, it's just, it's this sport where there's just two movements

00:21:38.354 --> 00:21:42.054

Kim Rahir: of putting, you know, the barbell over your head.

00:21:42.194 --> 00:21:46.934

Kim Rahir: And it got me totally hooked because it's so much fun and very technical and challenging.

00:21:47.314 --> 00:21:53.474

Kim Rahir: And when I told him that I was doing that sport, he was amazed and he thought, that's fantastic.

00:21:53.874 --> 00:22:00.274

Kim Rahir: And he also told me, you could be an inspiration to so many people, so many patients.

00:22:00.494 --> 00:22:04.314

Kim Rahir: He said, please keep doing this. This is great. this is fantastic.

00:22:04.694 --> 00:22:08.174

Kim Rahir: And I'm very grateful that I have met this guy.

00:22:08.354 --> 00:22:11.574

Kim Rahir: We moved to Spain. I looked for a neurologist and I, you know,

00:22:11.674 --> 00:22:18.714

Kim Rahir: I went, I Googled and I found him and yeah, he's, he's super supportive.

00:22:19.574 --> 00:22:25.474

Kim Rahir: And he, he also gave me this idea of, you know, sharing, spreading the word.

00:22:25.954 --> 00:22:32.414

Kevin Lowe: Yeah. Okay. So you mentioned one little detail that I think me and everybody

00:22:32.414 --> 00:22:35.294

Kevin Lowe: else was like, Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Say what?

00:22:35.996 --> 00:22:43.476

Kevin Lowe: You weren't just like lifting, doing some little arm curls with the little 10 pound dumbbells.

00:22:43.856 --> 00:22:47.496

Kevin Lowe: You went on to Olympic lifting.

00:22:47.876 --> 00:22:48.736

Kevin Lowe: That's crazy.

00:22:48.976 --> 00:22:54.096

Kim Rahir: Yes, it is a bit crazy, but it's one of the best things I've ever done.

00:22:54.236 --> 00:22:56.276

Kim Rahir: So, you know, I was training in the gym.

00:22:56.576 --> 00:22:59.656

Kim Rahir: We had just gotten to Spain. I was working with a personal trainer.

00:22:59.936 --> 00:23:04.296

Kim Rahir: He was very, very glad to work with me because, you know, most women still go

00:23:04.296 --> 00:23:09.796

Kim Rahir: to the gym to spend half an hour on the elliptical one and sort of avoid anything

00:23:09.796 --> 00:23:12.316

Kim Rahir: that includes heavy metal.

00:23:12.916 --> 00:23:19.036

Kim Rahir: So I was working with him and he one day said, would you like to try Olympic weightlifting?

00:23:19.676 --> 00:23:23.556

Kim Rahir: I think he had just started himself somewhere just to try it out.

00:23:23.636 --> 00:23:27.476

Kim Rahir: He was a guy who tried all sorts of things, you know, like rugby and kite surfing

00:23:27.476 --> 00:23:31.396

Kim Rahir: and what have you. And then he was into Olympic weightlifting and said, do you want to try this?

00:23:31.616 --> 00:23:35.876

Kim Rahir: And I said, yeah, why not? And my memory of this, this is the first thing I'm

00:23:35.876 --> 00:23:37.676

Kim Rahir: going to share because that's really funny.

00:23:38.016 --> 00:23:40.976

Kim Rahir: I had a memory of Olympic weightlifting because when I was a kid,

00:23:41.136 --> 00:23:42.716

Kim Rahir: I watched the Olympics with my dad.

00:23:43.036 --> 00:23:47.116

Kim Rahir: And because I think Germany had weightlifters, that's why we watched it.

00:23:47.376 --> 00:23:50.616

Kim Rahir: Otherwise, I don't see why we would have been there in front of the TV.

00:23:50.856 --> 00:23:58.516

Kim Rahir: And my memory was of like really big, often like fat guys in weird, weird leotards.

00:24:00.736 --> 00:24:03.736

Kim Rahir: Very like heavy and hairy and like

00:24:03.736 --> 00:24:06.636

Kim Rahir: lifting insane amounts of weight over

00:24:06.636 --> 00:24:09.356

Kim Rahir: their head that's the memory i had and still i said yeah i'm

00:24:09.356 --> 00:24:13.396

Kim Rahir: gonna give it a try why not because i thought that was you know could be fun

00:24:13.396 --> 00:24:17.456

Kim Rahir: and i tried and i totally sucked at it because i can't begin to describe i mean

00:24:17.456 --> 00:24:21.196

Kim Rahir: i could talk about this for hours so you need to stop me but it's you know it's

00:24:21.196 --> 00:24:25.196

Kim Rahir: not only physical it's also physics you have to outsmart gravity because you

00:24:25.196 --> 00:24:28.856

Kim Rahir: need to put the barbell overhead so to make it as.

00:24:29.470 --> 00:24:33.170

Kim Rahir: As light as possible, like, you know, easy to lift as possible.

00:24:33.230 --> 00:24:35.050

Kim Rahir: It has to be very close to your body.

00:24:35.250 --> 00:24:37.670

Kim Rahir: It has to be close to your center of gravity.

00:24:38.050 --> 00:24:41.250

Kim Rahir: Otherwise, you know, just imagine holding a heavy weight, like,

00:24:41.470 --> 00:24:45.270

Kim Rahir: you know, on an outstretched arm far away from you or close to your body.

00:24:45.410 --> 00:24:47.290

Kim Rahir: You can, you know, imagine how that feels.

00:24:47.470 --> 00:24:51.230

Kim Rahir: It has to be close to your body, but in order to travel up, you know,

00:24:51.350 --> 00:24:54.670

Kim Rahir: with some speed and ease, it also needs to travel vertically.

00:24:54.670 --> 00:24:57.450

Kim Rahir: Vertically it's really important yeah because that's

00:24:57.450 --> 00:25:00.590

Kim Rahir: the most efficient way of lifting it up but then

00:25:00.590 --> 00:25:03.410

Kim Rahir: your body isn't vertical and especially because you

00:25:03.410 --> 00:25:06.350

Kim Rahir: need to bend your legs and and then straighten them

00:25:06.350 --> 00:25:10.850

Kim Rahir: to to give the thing a push you know it's not vertical at all so you have to

00:25:10.850 --> 00:25:15.410

Kim Rahir: find a way to sort of move the barbells close to your body as vertically as

00:25:15.410 --> 00:25:19.990

Kim Rahir: possible and then give it a good shove overhead so it's it's challenging but

00:25:19.990 --> 00:25:23.970

Kim Rahir: i loved it because it's you know it's more than just strength.

00:25:24.250 --> 00:25:28.790

Kim Rahir: And it's also something I think I appreciate it so much because you have to

00:25:28.790 --> 00:25:30.430

Kim Rahir: be totally in the moment.

00:25:30.790 --> 00:25:34.970

Kim Rahir: You cannot think of anything else while you're doing it.

00:25:35.230 --> 00:25:41.050

Kim Rahir: You need to focus 100% on this one movement that you're about to do.

00:25:41.750 --> 00:25:48.190

Kim Rahir: And I think that's what hooked me, which, and then it led me to joining a pure weightlifting club.

00:25:48.270 --> 00:25:50.670

Kim Rahir: So I left the commercial gym, went to a weightlifting club.

00:25:50.890 --> 00:25:53.870

Kim Rahir: After two weeks, they asked me if I was, if I wanted to compete.

00:25:54.030 --> 00:25:56.970

Kim Rahir: And I said, what? You know, I was 55 at the time.

00:25:57.410 --> 00:26:00.390

Kim Rahir: And then I thought, yeah, what the hell? You know, why not?

00:26:00.650 --> 00:26:05.430

Kim Rahir: Okay. I said, I'm going to compete. And I'm pretty sure that in my 30s,

00:26:05.530 --> 00:26:08.450

Kim Rahir: I would never have said yes. I would have thought, oh my God,

00:26:08.670 --> 00:26:13.570

Kim Rahir: just another sort of obligation, another stress factor, another thing to do.

00:26:14.050 --> 00:26:18.730

Kim Rahir: And then, you know, nerve wracking and you could fail. You know, but...

00:26:19.135 --> 00:26:22.435

Kim Rahir: After everything I'd been through, I was just like, what the hell?

00:26:22.595 --> 00:26:26.855

Kim Rahir: Yeah, let's have some fun and see how this goes. And it's amazing.

00:26:27.315 --> 00:26:30.755

Kim Rahir: It's so, you know, the first competition I ever did, there was a regional meet.

00:26:30.895 --> 00:26:33.655

Kim Rahir: And I thought I was going to, I felt like crying all the time.

00:26:33.995 --> 00:26:41.195

Kim Rahir: Because, not because I was sad, but the emotions were so strong of excitement,

00:26:41.195 --> 00:26:45.895

Kim Rahir: of nervousness, of fear, of, you know, wanting to go.

00:26:46.115 --> 00:26:49.875

Kim Rahir: It was just so intense. And that's something,

00:26:50.075 --> 00:26:54.675

Kim Rahir: I mean, I don't suggest that everybody start competing in Olympic weightlifting,

00:26:54.835 --> 00:27:00.735

Kim Rahir: but, you know, looking for situations where you are challenged and where you're

00:27:00.735 --> 00:27:05.455

Kim Rahir: happy to rise to the challenge, especially when you're in your 40s or 50s.

00:27:05.595 --> 00:27:10.055

Kim Rahir: You need to do that because it makes you feel so alive.

00:27:10.575 --> 00:27:13.975

Kim Rahir: It really adds zest to life.

00:27:14.175 --> 00:27:17.595

Kim Rahir: And you have to learn how to fail. I mean, of course, you know,

00:27:17.775 --> 00:27:20.935

Kim Rahir: you don't make every lift and you have to learn how to fail.

00:27:21.495 --> 00:27:24.315

Kim Rahir: And I think it's very beneficial.

00:27:24.995 --> 00:27:30.155

Kevin Lowe: Yeah. Oh, my goodness. You're amazing. This is absolutely incredible.

00:27:30.435 --> 00:27:35.035

Kevin Lowe: The fact that you didn't just get into weightlifting, but now you're doing in

00:27:35.035 --> 00:27:40.455

Kevin Lowe: a club. And so with the club, I assume that that means you got right into doing competitions.

00:27:41.315 --> 00:27:45.835

Kim Rahir: Yes, because that's a competitive place. It's a club for that.

00:27:46.403 --> 00:27:51.663

Kim Rahir: And it's wonderful because it's like a family and I lift with guys who are 18,

00:27:52.223 --> 00:27:55.163

Kim Rahir: some are 25, others are in their 40s.

00:27:55.363 --> 00:28:00.263

Kim Rahir: You know, nobody cares how old you are and everybody's got their own challenges.

00:28:00.263 --> 00:28:05.243

Kim Rahir: And the cool thing with weightlifting, the training is worked out in percentages.

00:28:05.483 --> 00:28:09.463

Kim Rahir: So, you know, you've got to go there and the coach tells you to,

00:28:09.843 --> 00:28:16.383

Kim Rahir: you know, I don't know, do five series of snatches at 75% of your personal best.

00:28:16.643 --> 00:28:21.903

Kim Rahir: So the relative intensity that you're training at is the same for everybody.

00:28:22.083 --> 00:28:28.183

Kim Rahir: The guy who lifts, you know, 400 pounds, he works at 75% of his best.

00:28:28.303 --> 00:28:33.703

Kim Rahir: And me, I lift a hundred pounds and I work at 75% of my best.

00:28:33.823 --> 00:28:39.603

Kim Rahir: So we sort of in this together and we, and there's no, you know, like no snobbism.

00:28:39.723 --> 00:28:43.683

Kim Rahir: Nobody would ever say oh you you know you're an old woman and you only live

00:28:43.683 --> 00:28:49.803

Kim Rahir: very no we know you know we know that we're doing the same so so.

00:28:49.803 --> 00:28:55.823

Kevin Lowe: So now you're the person in one of those goofy leotards that you talked about earlier yes

00:28:55.823 --> 00:29:02.883

Kim Rahir: I mean that's a bit of that's a bit of a downside i mean they look much better

00:29:02.883 --> 00:29:08.223

Kim Rahir: these days than they look then because then i think they had like like their

00:29:08.223 --> 00:29:10.983

Kim Rahir: upper their torso was somehow naked.

00:29:11.063 --> 00:29:13.663

Kim Rahir: I don't know why that was the case.

00:29:13.983 --> 00:29:17.463

Kim Rahir: Or maybe they were like very low cut or something. No idea.

00:29:17.923 --> 00:29:21.843

Kim Rahir: And now it's not quite as bad. Now it's, they look a little bit better,

00:29:22.003 --> 00:29:26.723

Kim Rahir: but it's, you know, nothing you want to really be seen anywhere else.

00:29:27.463 --> 00:29:34.563

Kevin Lowe: Oh my goodness. I love it. Now, how old are you today? I know you said you got started when you Yes,

00:29:34.883 --> 00:29:42.143

Kim Rahir: I'm 60 today and in, hang on, we're what? Yeah, in four days, I'm turning 61.

00:29:42.463 --> 00:29:43.243

Kevin Lowe: Oh my goodness.

00:29:44.180 --> 00:29:50.640

Kevin Lowe: Wow. So here you are at almost 61 years old.

00:29:51.160 --> 00:29:56.880

Kevin Lowe: You are still in the gym, still lifting weights.

00:29:57.200 --> 00:30:04.160

Kevin Lowe: I mean, talk about an inspiration to others of what is possible.

00:30:04.500 --> 00:30:09.740

Kim Rahir: Oh, absolutely. And this is something I so want to shout it from the rooftops.

00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:13.920

Kim Rahir: And I think this is why my story needs to be shared also.

00:30:14.180 --> 00:30:20.220

Kim Rahir: Because, I mean, I was unable to walk. I had no legs, no functioning legs.

00:30:20.780 --> 00:30:26.940

Kim Rahir: And now I'm competing in weightlifting. So I know how I felt in the moment.

00:30:26.940 --> 00:30:30.440

Kim Rahir: I didn't know at the time if I was ever going to walk again.

00:30:30.580 --> 00:30:33.500

Kim Rahir: And I know there's so many people out there who have problems.

00:30:33.840 --> 00:30:38.760

Kim Rahir: And it could be just dodgy knees that make you think there's so many things you can't do.

00:30:38.900 --> 00:30:43.600

Kim Rahir: Or a frozen shoulder or a sore back or whatever it is. or maybe you're carrying

00:30:43.600 --> 00:30:46.620

Kim Rahir: too much weight and you don't feel like you can move.

00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:53.000

Kim Rahir: No matter where you are, you can always start doing something.

00:30:53.640 --> 00:30:58.580

Kim Rahir: And this is also what my whole approach when I work with my clients now is based on that.

00:30:58.800 --> 00:31:02.580

Kim Rahir: We find the place where you can start.

00:31:02.860 --> 00:31:06.920

Kim Rahir: Don't go looking for stuff on YouTube. There's fantastic workouts there,

00:31:07.020 --> 00:31:12.060

Kim Rahir: but they are probably not made for you if you were in your 50s and you have

00:31:12.060 --> 00:31:16.500

Kim Rahir: high mileage knees and you haven't done, you know, exercise in a while.

00:31:16.880 --> 00:31:21.920

Kim Rahir: If you find your sort of point of entry, as I also like to call it,

00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:26.400

Kim Rahir: the one that's right for you, no matter how low you might feel,

00:31:26.560 --> 00:31:28.680

Kim Rahir: this point of entry exists.

00:31:28.860 --> 00:31:35.080

Kim Rahir: And then from there, you can start getting stronger, building momentum and like,

00:31:35.220 --> 00:31:38.700

Kim Rahir: you know, increasing your quality of life, like manifold.

00:31:39.460 --> 00:31:42.280

Kim Rahir: And you don't even need to go to a gym for

00:31:42.280 --> 00:31:45.820

Kim Rahir: that because that might be the second objection that comes up like i know i

00:31:45.820 --> 00:31:49.360

Kim Rahir: hate gyms i don't want to go to the gym you don't have to you can get stronger

00:31:49.360 --> 00:31:54.340

Kim Rahir: like in the comfort of your own home and that's what i do with my clients they

00:31:54.340 --> 00:31:59.620

Kim Rahir: start with literally 15 minutes a day at home and it you don't even have to

00:31:59.620 --> 00:32:01.320

Kim Rahir: get out of their pajamas to do that,

00:32:02.599 --> 00:32:07.499

Kim Rahir: We take it from there. So wherever you are right now, if you feel that there's

00:32:07.499 --> 00:32:12.059

Kim Rahir: nothing you can do, you know, forget that thought. There's something you can do right now.

00:32:12.339 --> 00:32:17.179

Kim Rahir: And no matter how small, but it will be like the first building block of,

00:32:17.299 --> 00:32:19.119

Kim Rahir: you know, of your castle.

00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:22.779

Kim Rahir: And, you know, even if it starts with a little pebble, you know,

00:32:22.899 --> 00:32:26.319

Kim Rahir: this is one step in the right direction and you can always do something.

00:32:27.999 --> 00:32:33.519

Kevin Lowe: Absolutely. Well, before I ask you more about what you're doing today, I want to ask you,

00:32:34.379 --> 00:32:40.159

Kevin Lowe: back when you got started lifting weights and then even kind of up to today,

00:32:40.519 --> 00:32:44.659

Kevin Lowe: what has been the response from your family, from your kids,

00:32:44.819 --> 00:32:48.539

Kevin Lowe: that mom is now competitive weightlifting?

00:32:49.099 --> 00:32:57.599

Kim Rahir: Oh, well, I think they love it. That was not even a, they didn't take a beat.

00:32:57.599 --> 00:33:02.539

Kim Rahir: I don't know if you say it like this or pause think oh my god what's mom doing it's it was just,

00:33:03.019 --> 00:33:07.199

Kim Rahir: wow that's cool wow that's amazing it

00:33:07.199 --> 00:33:10.339

Kim Rahir: was not quite as I mean that's my kids my husband

00:33:10.339 --> 00:33:16.279

Kim Rahir: he had to sort of get used to the thought and I think there's a but it didn't

00:33:16.279 --> 00:33:19.479

Kim Rahir: I mean it didn't take him long or anything and there was absolutely no resistance

00:33:19.479 --> 00:33:24.119

Kim Rahir: which is really important because I know that many women get resistance from

00:33:24.119 --> 00:33:27.419

Kim Rahir: their environment when it comes to these things but But this, you know,

00:33:27.539 --> 00:33:31.099

Kim Rahir: this cultural aspect that you're sort of talking about is really,

00:33:31.259 --> 00:33:36.079

Kim Rahir: it's really important because it's physical strength is not part of the sort

00:33:36.079 --> 00:33:38.899

Kim Rahir: of virtue catalogue for girls or women.

00:33:39.679 --> 00:33:43.579

Kim Rahir: And that's something I want to change too, you know, we need to be strong,

00:33:43.799 --> 00:33:49.379

Kim Rahir: physically strong if we want quality of life and, you know, our own power,

00:33:49.559 --> 00:33:51.699

Kim Rahir: our independence until we're very old.

00:33:51.859 --> 00:33:53.979

Kim Rahir: We just, we need physical strength.

00:33:54.704 --> 00:33:58.864

Kim Rahir: And even though it's not, it's not our first thought, you know,

00:33:59.044 --> 00:34:00.864

Kim Rahir: how are we raised as girls?

00:34:01.044 --> 00:34:05.364

Kim Rahir: I don't know about young girls today, but in my generation, it was like,

00:34:05.484 --> 00:34:06.944

Kim Rahir: you know, you want to be pretty,

00:34:07.444 --> 00:34:12.464

Kim Rahir: you want to be smart, you want to be slim, but like, you know,

00:34:12.584 --> 00:34:16.884

Kim Rahir: you want to be muscular and strong was not really part of that.

00:34:16.884 --> 00:34:25.724

Kim Rahir: And that's why it's so hard to adopt, to embrace, you know, that ideal or that goal.

00:34:25.904 --> 00:34:29.484

Kim Rahir: But it's the one that's going to give you everything else that you desire.

00:34:29.584 --> 00:34:32.224

Kim Rahir: So here I am spreading the message.

00:34:32.604 --> 00:34:34.864

Kevin Lowe: Yes, look at you, you little trendsetter.

00:34:37.604 --> 00:34:45.324

Kevin Lowe: Now, such a powerful message. I want to ask you kind of a deep question is,

00:34:45.564 --> 00:34:51.804

Kevin Lowe: do you ever deal with fear of if things come back?

00:34:52.084 --> 00:34:58.384

Kim Rahir: To be honest, not really. It's a very weird thing.

00:34:58.584 --> 00:35:04.884

Kim Rahir: And I've been thinking about this a lot because I am acutely aware every day

00:35:04.884 --> 00:35:08.284

Kim Rahir: that all of this could end tomorrow.

00:35:09.144 --> 00:35:12.224

Kim Rahir: It's not you know and it's not we all have this

00:35:12.224 --> 00:35:15.324

Kim Rahir: rational knowledge in our

00:35:15.324 --> 00:35:18.244

Kim Rahir: head we know that tomorrow is not guaranteed we could

00:35:18.244 --> 00:35:21.104

Kim Rahir: die in an accident we could be i don't

00:35:21.104 --> 00:35:24.204

Kim Rahir: know in an earthquake or whatever but i'm not

00:35:24.204 --> 00:35:27.444

Kim Rahir: talking about this this sort of rational insight i

00:35:27.444 --> 00:35:30.684

Kim Rahir: really know in my bones from my

00:35:30.684 --> 00:35:33.784

Kim Rahir: experience that you know this can all end

00:35:33.784 --> 00:35:36.964

Kim Rahir: tomorrow it could anything could happen i could

00:35:36.964 --> 00:35:39.964

Kim Rahir: not be able to lift tomorrow that's just a fact

00:35:39.964 --> 00:35:43.264

Kim Rahir: that i and and i feel it in

00:35:43.264 --> 00:35:46.564

Kim Rahir: every fiber of my body but it doesn't make

00:35:46.564 --> 00:35:55.144

Kim Rahir: me afraid it makes me more determined to make today you know the best day it

00:35:55.144 --> 00:36:01.344

Kim Rahir: can possibly be and to you know live everything that i can live today to the

00:36:01.344 --> 00:36:04.304

Kim Rahir: fullest so i don't i I don't know if that's,

00:36:04.404 --> 00:36:06.784

Kim Rahir: is there some denial in what I'm doing?

00:36:06.964 --> 00:36:13.384

Kim Rahir: Maybe, maybe, but I'm not, I'm, I'm really totally aware that this is,

00:36:13.584 --> 00:36:18.564

Kim Rahir: you know, not a given forever, that this is actually a very fragile sort of

00:36:18.564 --> 00:36:21.504

Kim Rahir: state of, of happiness and health.

00:36:21.924 --> 00:36:29.924

Kim Rahir: But instead of sort of scaring me, it just gives me this determination to make the most of it right now.

00:36:30.344 --> 00:36:31.164

Kevin Lowe: Yeah. Yeah.

00:36:31.659 --> 00:36:38.259

Kevin Lowe: I absolutely love that. You know, it kind of goes back to the way in which we

00:36:38.259 --> 00:36:40.479

Kevin Lowe: all can choose how we see the glass,

00:36:40.639 --> 00:36:46.139

Kevin Lowe: whether half full or half empty, you know, and if you have that choice to make

00:36:46.139 --> 00:36:49.939

Kevin Lowe: and you're really wanting to make the most out of every day,

00:36:50.159 --> 00:36:52.359

Kevin Lowe: why not choose to see it as half full,

00:36:52.679 --> 00:36:55.259

Kevin Lowe: you know, and that's so powerful.

00:36:55.259 --> 00:36:59.759

Kevin Lowe: Now, today, what are you doing?

00:37:00.139 --> 00:37:04.999

Kevin Lowe: Where can people learn more about what you're doing and really just kind of

00:37:04.999 --> 00:37:06.679

Kevin Lowe: stay plugged in with your world?

00:37:06.879 --> 00:37:11.579

Kim Rahir: Well, what you can do if you want to find out about what I do in my work with

00:37:11.579 --> 00:37:16.419

Kim Rahir: women, help them to become strong and lean, you can check out my website,

00:37:16.599 --> 00:37:18.839

Kim Rahir: which is with my name, Kim Raheer.com.

00:37:18.839 --> 00:37:21.739

Kim Rahir: And there's also a free health and

00:37:21.739 --> 00:37:24.659

Kim Rahir: strength assessment on there that you can take because remember that

00:37:24.659 --> 00:37:27.379

Kim Rahir: point of entry I was talking about that will give

00:37:27.379 --> 00:37:30.299

Kim Rahir: you a very good idea of where you are at right now

00:37:30.299 --> 00:37:34.419

Kim Rahir: with your health and strength and when you fill that out I can I'm sending you

00:37:34.419 --> 00:37:39.239

Kim Rahir: some pointers and tips on you know what you could do next to get started if

00:37:39.239 --> 00:37:44.279

Kim Rahir: you you know don't want to engage like that right away you can just start you

00:37:44.279 --> 00:37:48.419

Kim Rahir: can lurk a little bit on on Facebook with my My name also, Kim Raheer,

00:37:48.499 --> 00:37:49.759

Kim Rahir: where I'm sharing lots of stuff,

00:37:50.379 --> 00:37:55.799

Kim Rahir: you know, info, helpful tips, and some of my weightlifting adventures too.

00:37:56.139 --> 00:37:59.479

Kim Rahir: Same on Instagram, by the way. You know, just with my name, you can find me.

00:38:00.099 --> 00:38:04.179

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, amazing. Well, I'll be sure that anybody interested, I'll be sure that

00:38:04.179 --> 00:38:08.679

Kevin Lowe: all of that information and links, all of it is in the show notes for easy access.

00:38:09.179 --> 00:38:13.939

Kevin Lowe: Kim, it's been a pleasure getting to meet you today, to get to hear your story.

00:38:13.939 --> 00:38:22.399

Kevin Lowe: And more than just your story is getting to be enlightened by your perspective on life.

00:38:22.599 --> 00:38:31.299

Kevin Lowe: I think you are one of those real-life superheroes for the fact that you see

00:38:31.299 --> 00:38:38.039

Kevin Lowe: life differently and that you were faced with this thing,

00:38:38.319 --> 00:38:41.239

Kevin Lowe: and yet you chose to persevere.

00:38:41.239 --> 00:38:43.699

Kevin Lowe: You chose to keep going

00:38:44.487 --> 00:38:48.747

Kevin Lowe: And look at where you are today. It's such a beautiful story.

00:38:49.007 --> 00:38:50.147

Kim Rahir: Thank you so much.

00:38:50.607 --> 00:38:56.347

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, absolutely. Well, listen, I have one final question and then I'll let you go.

00:38:56.527 --> 00:39:02.687

Kevin Lowe: But my final question is, is for somebody listening today who maybe they're

00:39:02.687 --> 00:39:08.027

Kevin Lowe: going through their own struggles, whether it's something physical, maybe mental,

00:39:08.467 --> 00:39:14.207

Kevin Lowe: something that hasn't been a position in life, maybe back where you were during those six months.

00:39:14.487 --> 00:39:18.027

Kevin Lowe: What would you say to them to give them a little bit of hope and encouragement?

00:39:18.367 --> 00:39:25.047

Kim Rahir: I want to say there's only one question that you want to ask yourself in order

00:39:25.047 --> 00:39:27.667

Kim Rahir: to get better and to feel better.

00:39:27.927 --> 00:39:30.947

Kim Rahir: Do not ask, why is this happening?

00:39:31.367 --> 00:39:34.707

Kim Rahir: Who is to blame? How did this happen?

00:39:34.987 --> 00:39:40.187

Kim Rahir: Or why is this happening to me? Or don't even ask what's going to become of me.

00:39:40.407 --> 00:39:44.007

Kim Rahir: Ask this one single question. what

00:39:44.007 --> 00:39:47.607

Kim Rahir: can I do right now that will

00:39:47.607 --> 00:39:50.407

Kim Rahir: make me just a little bit better and there's

00:39:50.407 --> 00:39:53.927

Kim Rahir: always something that you're going to find and that could be the smallest of

00:39:53.927 --> 00:39:58.927

Kim Rahir: things like listening to bird song having a glass of water or calling a loved

00:39:58.927 --> 00:40:03.707

Kim Rahir: one whatever it is but if you ask that one tiny question what can I do right

00:40:03.707 --> 00:40:10.147

Kim Rahir: now that will get you on a path of doing something instead of pondering and fearing,

00:40:10.407 --> 00:40:15.707

Kim Rahir: and it will create momentum and it will help you get out of the place you're in right now.

00:40:16.387 --> 00:40:23.867

Kevin Lowe: Wow. Kim, you're amazing. You are absolutely incredible. Thank you once again for being here.

00:40:24.127 --> 00:40:27.367

Kim Rahir: Thank you so much for having me. You're such a lovely host.

00:40:27.467 --> 00:40:32.667

Kim Rahir: And I know that the feelings that I've been talking about, you know, all about them.

00:40:33.207 --> 00:40:38.227

Kevin Lowe: Yeah, absolutely. Well, for you listening today, I hope that you're smiling

00:40:38.227 --> 00:40:43.907

Kevin Lowe: as big as I am because this woman today, wow, she just brightened my day and

00:40:43.907 --> 00:40:45.347

Kevin Lowe: I hope she did yours as well.

00:40:45.987 --> 00:40:50.627

Kevin Lowe: If today's episode resonated with you, if it made you think of somebody who

00:40:50.627 --> 00:40:55.927

Kevin Lowe: could use a little boost to their day, maybe consider sharing today's episode with them.

00:40:56.087 --> 00:40:59.667

Kevin Lowe: That would mean the world to me. And I know that it would mean the world to

00:40:59.667 --> 00:41:03.587

Kevin Lowe: them. Until next time, of course, I'm your host, Kevin Lowe,

00:41:03.687 --> 00:41:07.107

Kevin Lowe: and this was another interview here on Grit Great.

00:41:07.120 --> 00:41:27.199

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#358: Motivation in Motion: One Woman’s Inspiring Journey from Paralysis to Olympic Weightlifting

#358: Motivation in Motion: One Woman’s Inspiring Journey from Paralysis to Olympic Weightlifting

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Who Is This For?

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