My Weekend

November 10, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I don’t know about you, but I had a jam packed weekend! Last week Adam was able to get me a free entry into the Chicago Hot Chocolate 15k/5k race and the race was this Sunday. I had wanted to run this race, but found out about it too late and the race fee was just a little too much for us so I was super excited when I found out I would get to run. This was my first Chicago race and it was a pretty good experience. On Saturday we went to breakfast at Anne Sathers Bakery and had a delicious meal and then we headed to the McCormick place to check out the race expo and pick up my bib. We of course stocked up on all the free goodies and Adam had copious amounts of chocolate. I have never been in a race this size so it was a bit overwhelming to see so many people! While we were downtown, we also went to a modern photography exhibit, hit up Barnes and Noble, and then headed back to our neighborhood and did a little shopping.

Adam’s breakfast which was 2 cinnamon rolls stuffed with mascarpone. He may have slipped into a sugar coma…

At the race expo

Sunday morning we got up bright and early to head to the race. It was just a little (ok a lot) chilly and because I was in the second wave of runners we ended up standing around for a little over an hour. I will admit, I was slightly cranky by the time that I finally got to the starting line but that was mostly because my hands and feet were blocks of ice! Once I started running though I was able to warm up. It was really neat to run through downtown Chicago, but I did have to fight through the slower runners/walkers. Once I got used to weaving in and out of the walkers, it was really cool to run through streets that are usually busy with cars. I ended up with a time of about 30 minutes and while that is a little slower than my normal pace, I was still pretty happy with my finish. Next year I hope to run the 15k part which will be my longest race yet.

Up early for the race!

Trying to stay warm while waiting to run!

Ok, now for the mushy part of my post today. Today is Adam and my two year anniversary. I know it’s cliche, but it feels like it was yesterday that I was getting ready to walk down the aisle. The memories from that day are so vivid in my mind and I still have to pinch myself to remind me that it actually happened. I got to marry the man of my dreams and these past two years have been amazing.

Adam supports me in everything I do, plus he wakes up at 5:30 on a Sunday to come and stand out in the cold while I run a race. He loves me unconditionally and accept all my little weird quirks and shortcomings. He makes me laugh daily and always puts a smile on my face even when I’m having a bad day. Whether we are out and about or sitting quietly next to each other on the couch reading, I enjoy each minute with him. I’ve heard that the first two years of marriage are some of the hardest, and while every single second isn’t absolute perfection, I’m still waiting for all this hard stuff that people talk about. Maybe Adam and I are lucky, but I think it’s more that we are totally committed to each other and making this marriage strong. We both promised that we were in this for the long haul and that no matter what we would do what needed to be done. I mean it as much as I did two years ago, I love my husband and can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him! Thanks for saying I do Adam!

Just A Thought

October 27, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I had a great weekend spending time with my in-laws, watching marching bands, and celebrating my upcoming birthday. It was nice to relax with my family and spend time together.

With all of my relaxing this weekend (there may have been a few glasses of wine), I don’t have a very long post for you today but I do have a thought. I have noticed that with all the social media out there, we have become people who are constantly comparing. I didn’t realize how much it was affecting me until I would find myself looking at pictures on Instagram and comparing my life to them. I didn’t just compare my health or body or food but my clothes, my apartment, essentially my life. Somehow there was always someone who had something bigger or better or seemingly more perfect. My life just didn’t seem to meet their standards and it was making me grumpy. I took a step back and realized how silly it is to want my life to meet OTHER people’s standards.

How often do you try and compare yourself to others, fall short, and then feel inadequate? Probably more than you know. It’s impossible to totally isolate yourself from social media, but even if you could there are still opportunities to compare. There will always be other people who seem to have everything in life and you wish you could be just like them, but that will never make you happy. You will end up always reaching for things and never have time to enjoy all the great things you already have. I stopped caring what my life looked like next to the person standing next to me and what do you know, I’m a lot happier. My life is amazing and it’s my life so the only person that needs to set the standard is me. It doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing, as long as I’m achieving my goals and satisfied with things, it’s all good. Take one day to stop comparing and see how much better your life and all the things you do really are. Because you are a very awesome person.

Have a great Monday!

Friday Favorites

October 17, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Hello everyone! I thought it would be a good day to update you on some of my favorite things lately, mostly because I don’t have a new recipe for you this Friday. But don’t you worry, I have plenty of new and delicious fall meals coming your way! Now onto things that I’m enjoying because I know you’re all dying to find out.

Fall-Flavored Tea

Yes, this is the season of Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Everyone goes gaga over them this time of year, and while I do enjoy a good pumpkin drink just like the rest of the country, I also like the tea that comes out this time of year. The change of seasons from warm to cold is generally also the time to change from cold drinks to warm drinks and I love sipping tea on chilly drizzly fall days. Right now my two teas of choice are Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Rooibos and Teekanne’s Cinnamon Apple Spice tea. Both have that fall spice blend going on and they make me think of crunchy leaves and other fall things. Plus the pumpkin tea comes in this awesome tin that will forever smell like pumpkin spice and what could be better than that?

All the Squash

I mentioned in my post on Wednesday that a great way to enjoy fall was to eat squash. Obviously that means I’m gorging myself on all the squash. I think that my two favorites are butternut and delicata, but I am no squash snob and I will gladly eat any squash put in front of me. The best way to eat them in my humble opinion is to roast them. Preheat your oven to 425, peel, deseed, and dice whatever squash you choose, then toss with some oil (I like to use coconut oil), sprinkle with your favorite seasoning (I like to go savory with garlic and chili powder or smoked paprika) and spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Cook for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the squash starts to get golden on the edges. Then eat as is, put on top of salads, or puree for soup or a mashed potato substitute.

Fitness Blender

While running will always be my first fitness love, I do also like to lift weights. It’s important to cross-train to prevent injuries and to add some variety to your workout routine. For the past few months I have been doing the workouts provided by the couple behind Fitness Blender. There are a ton of different workouts to choose from, whether you want to tone, strengthen, do cardio or HIIT. They have yoga and pilates and tabata style workouts. Pretty much anything your heart desires fitness wise, they provide. Their videos are simple to follow and they make sure to teach you how to properly do each exercise so you don’t hurt yourself. Plus they’re workouts are free! What could be better than free fitness? Go check them out at fitnessblender.com and do one of their videos. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Pretending to be a Model

I don’t look awkward at all….

So, I’m pretty much a professional model now don’t ya know? A few weeks back, I was asked if I wanted to start writing a health column for a local magazine. I said, uhhhh YES and I am really excited to be contributing and reaching a bigger audience. The first issue that I’ll be writing in is their Nov/Dec issue, and along with the article I included two holiday recipes. They also had me come out so they could get a headshot for the magazine and thus I am now a professional model. But not really because I had to have my sister help me pick out my clothes and do my makeup since I really have no fashion sense at all. Good thing I have her around so I don’t look like a two year old playing dress up!

Those are the things captivating my attention these days. Sometimes it’s really the simple things in life that make me happy, like tea and squash. I hope you all are having a fabulous Friday and that your weekend is awesome! I’ll see you back here on Monday!

When Routine Becomes Too Routine

September 22, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Ask any member of my family and they will tell you that I am a big fan of routine. I like knowing exactly what I should be doing at each moment in the day. I like having tasks to do and then being able to check them off my list as I complete them. Having a routine helps me to feel in control and it also keeps me on track. It helps me accomplish my goals and gives purpose to my day. Some people might find having a routine too boring and rigid and like to face the day with no plan in mind and let what may come, come. That is totally fine, but I am not those people. In my mind, routine is a good thing. Until it isn’t.

When you make a choice to be healthier, I would say that establishing some type of routine will be crucial to your success. It’s good to have a plan set for what you are going to eat for the week, what workout you’re going to do for the day, and what goals you have in mind for your health. In this sense, a routine will help keep you on track and moving towards what you want. But we have to be careful to not become so addicted to our routine that it starts to hinder our health.

I began to notice that I was becoming so used to doing the same thing over and over again that my progress had actually stalled. While I wasn’t losing ground, I definitely wasn’t gaining any either. I also started to notice that any sort of change to my routine would throw me for a huge loop and cause me a lot of anxiety. I wasn’t flexible to the little wrenches that might be thrown into my day and it stressed me out. Stress and anxiety are the opposite of helpful when you are trying to be healthier. I started to worry about straying from my ideal routine or plan and that was all I could focus on. What would I do if this happened? How could I avoid any possible challenge to my routine? What can I do to make sure that I never have to stray from MY plan? Those aren’t healthy or helpful questions.

In case you hadn’t noticed, life doesn’t really care too much about your plan or your routine. It is going to do whatever it wants and you can play along or fall by the wayside. No matter how much I plan out my day or week, there are going to be things that have to change and I am going to have to adapt. That is a good thing! I realized I was missing out on so many fun things because they didn’t fit into what I thought I needed to be doing that day. I can’t go to the movie at that time, that’s when I’m suppose to be doing yoga. You want to eat that meal instead? Sorry I already planned this one out three days ago. I was trapped in a box that I had made myself and ironically it was causing me to stray from my healthy goals.

I will never be a person that can just fly by the seat of my pants. I will always have to have some type of schedule or routine because that’s who I am. But I am working on going with the flow more often. I am learning to say yes to things that weren’t originally in my plan and letting go of the anxiety that creeps up when I can’t cross something off of my list when I think I should. It’s ok to have some wiggle room in your life, in fact I would say that it’s necessary. Say yes to an impromptu meal with a friend from out of town. Surprise yourself and your significant other by doing something out of the blue. Don’t worry about not getting in a full hour workout or eating the exact meal you prepped. Adapt to the situation and make the healthiest choice possible at that time. You’ll be a more well-rounded person and you’ll get to experience amazing opportunities along the way. You don’t have to throw all caution to the wind and forgo routines or plans all together. Instead of a rigid schedule you HAVE to stick to, set a general map for your day or week and make decisions as they pop up. As long as those decisions are propelling you toward your ultimate goal, don’t stress about the ride!

Home Improvements: Dawson Update

September 15, 2014September 15, 2014 / ktbuchs87

This was a busy weekend! Adam and I have lived in Chicago now for about four months and he has been working at his new job at Aon for about three months. We have slowly been making this place our home and these past few weekends we have been working on some home improvements. Staining shelves, painting furniture, and painting the dining room and kitchen. It’s been really exciting! I remember as a kid HATING going to hardware store or sitting around for what seemed like HOURS while my parents debated wall colors or new furniture. It was pure torture. But now I find that it’s exciting to debate wall colors and new furniture and I don’t mind spending time at the hardware store. Guess I’m getting old! Oh well, I thought that I would share some pictures of some of the things that we have been doing around here and share some exciting news about what I have been doing for the past few weeks!

Ikea shelf before and after

Last weekend we stained this Ikea shelf that we have been using as a pantry in our dining room. It’s actually a very dark brown, not black like it looks in the picture.

Dining room before

Dining room after!

This weekend we painted our dining room and I absolutely LOVE it. We went with red (torch red if you want to use the fancy name!) and I think it looks awesome. It’s nice to finally have some color in the apartment instead of a bunch of white. I was a little worried that we went too bold with the red, but it works so well. We also added some of this same red in the kitchen….

Kitchen cabinets before

Before

Kitchen cabinets after!

We didn’t want to have two rooms painted the exact same color but we wanted to add a little something to the kitchen. I really REALLY don’t like having an all white kitchen. Not only is it a little boring, you can see every speck of dirt and grease which drives me bonkers! Painting the cabinets with a little bit of the red made the kitchen just a little less boring. I love it!

Kitchen island Adam built me.

Last weekend I also painted this kitchen island Adam built me from an old vanity. It used to be plain white and now it is a light grey. Kind of hard to tell the difference, but it looks much better.

In other “home improvement” news, these past few weeks I have been taking an online course to become certified as an Advanced Sports Nutritional Advisor. I finished on Friday and got my certificate. I am really excited to finally be taking steps towards some of my career goals. This upcoming week I am going to be getting myself organized and ready to start working with clients. I will let you know more details once I have those ironed out, but I hope to work with not only athletes looking to improve their performance with nutrition, but others who just want to have a healthier lifestyle for life. I promise to keep you updated with all of those developments!

I hope that you all had an amazing weekend and are enjoying to fall weather that is starting to work it’s way into the midwest. Anyone else been doing some home improvements lately? Let me know in the comments. Have a great Monday!