Fear

February 3, 2014 / ktbuchs87

On my new Jillian Michaels yoga DVD, she gives a little pep talk at the end of the work out while you’re lying there in a pool of your own sweat. She is pretty much just motivating you and telling you that you can do this. Most of the time I am not really listening, I know I can do it, I just finished the workout didn’t I? There is one thing she says though that always catches my attention. She says, “I never expect you to be fearless, but I do expect you to live without regret as much as possible.”

The first part of that line got me thinking about fear. I’m of two minds on this one. On one hand, I totally agree with Jillian. It isn’t realistic to never have any fear. In fact, sometimes fear is a good thing. It can motivate you or keep you safe. On the other hand, we know that fear can be debilitating. It can keep us from being great and doing amazing things. It can also keep us from being healthy.

When it comes to health, the good side of fear can be motivation. Maybe you are afraid of disease or illness that can come with bad health, so your fear motivates you to fight that outcome. But the fear of bad health can be a double-edged sword and can even cause you to be unhealthy despite your best efforts. This is the kind of fear I want to talk about today because it is the kind of fear I have.

I am scared that everything I have worked so hard to accomplish health wise will somehow go away. I know that this is an unrealistic fear because I won’t just suddenly gain all of my weight back overnight. I know that barring an injury, I won’t be able to run 10 miles anymore or be unable to do a forearm stand. Those things typically just don’t go away instantly, but I have this fear nagging in the back of my mind that they will. This fear doesn’t motivate me to do my best like it used to, but rather feels like it is keeping me back from being truly great. I tend to over analyze decisions when it comes to my health, because what if this one choice will be the undoing to my good health? That is no way to live a healthy or happy life.

I don’t expect all of you to totally understand this fear, but I know that for some of you this is an all too real scenario. You live in this constant fear of being your former unhealthy self. It doesn’t seem that long ago that you were eating cheetos on the couch instead of doing a new challenging workout or making a delicious healthy meal. What if that former self starts clawing it’s way back into your life? What if you can’t fight it this time? Will you always have to struggle? Will it always have to feel this hard?

No, you won’t always have to struggle. I have decided that I won’t let this fear rule my life or choices any longer. I am going to start trusting myself. I have maintained a healthy lifestyle for over three years now. I have made such amazing strides in my physical abilities. I have done things that I never thought I would do. I have made goals that I will never be able to reach if I keep living in fear of failing and going back to my former self. You can make that decision too. Fear does not have to rule your life or make you miserable. Whether you are just starting out on your healthy journey, in the middle, or have been at this for a long time don’t let your fear sideline you. Believe in yourself and your abilities. I know that you can do this and I bet that deep down inside you know it too. Like Jillian says, I don’t expect you to be fearless. It’s ok to have a little fear, but don’t let that fear consume you. Instead take control of that fear and show it that you mean business and you can overcome what ever may come your way.

My Likes of the Moment

January 27, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Hello from the frozen tundra of Illinois! We are once again in a “polar vortex” with wind chills reaching 30 below zero. Tomorrow is suppose to be even colder. Hooray… Anywho, rather than dwelling on the frigid temps, I thought I would do a fun post today to lift everyone’s spirits! Not every post has to be super serious, sometimes it’s nice to do something a little bit more fun! So without further ado, here are my current likes of the moment!

FOOD-

Goji berries- I know that I am a little late jumping on the goji berry superfood wagon, but better late than never right? My grocery store started selling this in their bulk section so it is a lot less expensive than buying the small 4 oz bag for $7. These berries are more along the lines of cranberries in taste, more tart than sweet. I love the tartness and I have been adding them to my breakfast oatmeal every morning. Plus they are nutritional powerhouses (hence the superfood title) so it’s a win-win situation!
Leafy greens- I have become obsessed with dark leafy greens, mainly collard greens. My favorite way to enjoy them is to rinse them off, chop them up, and saute them with garlic, pepper and lemon juice until they are wilted. So easy, but so good! I have never had a problem with eating my vegetables, but I wanted to start trying new and different kinds. Leafy greens like spinach, collard or turnip greens, and kale are cheap and super healthy. Both of those things are right up my alley!
Any hot tea- With all this cold, I am pretty much living in a mug of tea at all moments. Tea is a great way to warm up quickly and there are so many different kinds! My favorites right now are mountain chai and lemon ginger.
If I could, I would crawl into this mug of tea just to stay warm…

EXERCISE-

Jillian Michaels Yoga Inferno- My husband, Adam, got me some new yoga DVD’s for Christmas and this was one of them. I love it! This is a great workout and by the end of the routine I am literally dripping in sweat. There are two workouts and she gives advanced and beginner versions of each move, so you can build up your strength and endurance. This isn’t your typical yoga flow, so if that is what your looking for read the next bullet point. But if you want a good strength and cardio workout while doing some fun yoga poses, check out this DVD!
Yoga Flow with Shiva Rea- This is the other yoga DVD I got for Christmas. I was getting a little bored of my normal yoga routines so I wanted to try something new. This DVD features seven 20 minute yoga flows as well as a short core flow, forward bends and meditations. It also uses a customizable yoga matrix so you can pick and choose the flows you want to do. It’s great because you can choose the length of the practice you would like as well as the type of flow. There are a bunch of new to me poses that I am going to start working to perfect, so that should keep me busy for awhile!

ENTERTAINMENT-

Once Upon A Time- Yes, I know that once again I’m late to the party on this one. Adam and I started watching this on Netflix and I really like it! It is so fun to see all the different fairy tale characters and find out how their story weaves into the main theme. Plus it’s fun for me because Jennifer Morrison was my high school band director’s daughter, so it’s pretty much like I’m besties with a famous celebrity…. yeah not at all. Oh well, check this show out I promise you’ll have fun!
The Fault in Our Stars- I just finished this book by John Green this weekend. It was a really great book and I had a hard time putting it down. Normally books where the main characters have cancer can be kind of a downer, but Green manages to make them as normal as possible. They laugh, they make jokes, they live life, and yes there are sad and depressing moments, but life isn’t always positive whether you have cancer or not. They are making a movie of this book this year I believe, so I urge you to go out and read this book before that!

HOBBIES-

Cross-stitching- I know. Your 75 year old Nana cross-stitches. Well so does this 26 year old. It is a great way to relax at the end of the day and in the end you get to make some pretty cool things. You can buy patterns to follow or you can make up your own pattern to stitch. Just make sure you don’t go to far with it….
Maybe too far… ?

Those are the things that are filling my time and belly this winter. What are some of the things that are keeping you sane and entertained during this cold weather?

Have a great week everyone!

Holiday Bliss

December 30, 2013 / ktbuchs87

I’m still in the middle of all my holiday fun and still don’t have a “regular” post for you, but I still wanted to stop in and say hey! I hope that you are all enjoying this time of year and had a great Christmas.

With the new year right around the corner (seriously, where did 2013 go?), I wanted to talk really quickly about resolutions. New Year, new you. That seems to be the theme right around this time of year, and sometimes that is a good thing. Maybe you are resolving to change a bad habit, learn something new, or volunteer more. Many times though, people enter the new year with the idea that they need to completely overhaul their lives and personalities to be the best person they can be. I don’t know about you, but not only does that seem exhausting, it seems a little depressing. Most of us are pretty awesome people already and it seems like a bummer to put yourself down. I have struggled with self hate for a long time. I was never good enough, I always made mistakes, and I needed to do better. I would often vow to change everything about me to become the person I thought I needed to be. Slowly but surely, I have started to see myself in a different light (thanks to my husband and family) and I have started to realize that there are so many things about me that are really great and should be celebrated.

Instead of making resolutions to completely change everything about me, I have started to make goals to improve on the assets I already have. I want to continue to be as healthy as possible as well as help others reach that goal. I want to keep learning how to make more delicious and nutritious meals that can be available to as many people as possible. I want to keep letting the little things go that I have no control over. I urge you to make loving resolutions this year instead of beating yourself up for not being a super human. Do that and I promise you that 2014 will be a great year!

Holiday Update

December 23, 2013 / ktbuchs87

Yes, I’m still here and I haven’t forgotten about you! It’s been busy around our house lately with Christmas this week. This was the scene in my kitchen yesterday:

There are now a ton of tasty Christmas treats to share with our family and friends in the next few days! I am usually the neatest/cleanest person, but when it comes to baking I turn into a tornado in the kitchen. Oh well it’s fun and my reward is delicious treats. I hope that your Holiday celebrations are going well and you are taking the time to really stop and enjoy the season. So many times we get caught up in all the chaos and busy-ness of the year and forget to take a moment to breath and be thankful for all the joy that we have! Merry Christmas everyone!

Holiday Night Snacking

December 9, 2013 / ktbuchs87

Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years and all the holidays in between. This is the season of good cheer…. and food. So much food. I love food and this is the time of year that some of my favorite dishes are made (sweet potato casserole anyone?). Having all this delicious food around used to be very difficult for me and would usually end in a late night binging fest. Thankfully I have been able to control that unhealthy habit and my holiday eating is much better than it used to be.

Our pretty little Christmas tree!

These past few weeks though I have noticed that after dinner I have been going back to the kitchen to look for something else to eat. I have no problem with having a little dessert or snack after my dinner, but this snacking is happening even if I am full from dinner. Before I started to eat healthier I would never have thought twice about why I was eating when I wasn’t even hungry, but now I know to stop and figure out why I am wandering to the fridge after a full meal.

In this case, I know it’s because there is just food there. After two Thanksgivings (one with Adam’s family and one with mine), there were plenty of leftovers that we were sent home with, including an apple cranberry crisp that I made and tahini brownie bites. I am not one to waste food, so I eat it. I know this habit can lead to binging on food so I have thought of a few tips that can help curb this “extra” eating. If you know that this is a problem for you, you can use some or all of these ideas to help your snacking.

House in our neighborhood with a CRAZY amount of lights. Pretty sure you could see this house from outer space!

Make sure you eat enough throughout the day. This is fairly self explanatory, but make sure that you are getting enough food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Eating enough throughout the day helps curb that nagging feeling after dinner that you didn’t get enough food and you need to eat something more.

Wait 20 minutes after dinner. Before heading straight for dessert the minute you finish your dinner, wait just 20 minutes. Most times just waiting that 20 minutes will give your dinner time to start digesting and you won’t even want to eat anything more. If you do still feel like having something extra, go ahead but make it a small portion.

Plan for a dessert. If you are someone that needs to have a little something extra after dinner, that is totally fine. My husband always wants just a little dessert after his dinner and he makes it work with his eating throughout the day. I don’t really count calories (and neither does he) but if I know that I am going to want to have a piece of that crisp after my dinner, I factor it into my other meals and eat just a little less at lunch or dinner.

Take up a hobby. If you have the habit of always eating at night, think about taking up a hobby to occupy your time. I like to read, and I have recently taken up cross stitching (yes I realize I am like a 65 year old woman). Keeping my mind as well as my hands busy makes it harder to eat brownie bites. If reading or cross stitching isn’t your thing, try yoga or crossword puzzles or jigsaw puzzles, or whatever interests you!

Sip some tea. Tea is a really great way to feel like you are getting a dessert without actually eating a dessert. There are so many different flavors out there like pumpkin spice, cranberry, and even chocolate tea! I love sitting down after dinner with a good book and a mug of hot tea. It’s a great way to wind down before bed and keeps me from eating when I really don’t need to eat.

These are the tips that help me from mindlessly eating after dinner. I am not trying to bash dessert or night snacking at all, I don’t think that they are bad things. I am saying that eating when you aren’t hungry or just because food is there is not a healthy habit to have. Mindlessly eating is never a good thing and can lead to binge eating or eating too much. There is no reason that you can’t enjoy your favorite dishes this holiday season. Don’t feel guilty for making a conscious decision to eat any food. If you do find yourself indulging when you don’t need to, find out why you did, make the choice to not do that again, and then move on. Beating yourself up or falling into a downward spiral of unhealthy eating because of one slip-up is not good. Getting right back on track at the next meal is the best way to stay on your healthy journey!