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!

How To Enjoy Fall

October 15, 2014 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Fall is the best. I don’t just think that because my birthday is in the fall or I got married in the fall or one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving, is in the fall. Sure, all those things further my love of fall but they aren’t the main reasons. There is a change in the air and the scenery and it inspires change in daily life too, at least for me. While many people think of spring as the time of renewal and things coming to life, I feel like fall is the same way. The leaves turn to beautiful shades of gold, orange, and red, there is a certain crispness to the air, and the seasonal offerings at the market are warm and hearty. It’s just a great time of year and I think we should all take some time to enjoy it! These are some of my favorite things to do come fall time.

Apple Picking

My family has always gone apple picking during the fall. Whether it was on a school field trip or a day off on our own, I have many memories of picking apples. This Monday, I got the chance to go apple picking with my parents and my sister and her fiance. I haven’t been apple picking with my family in a few years and it was great to relive some fond memories of my childhood. There is nothing better than walking up and down row after row of apple trees, sampling as many apples as your stomach can hold, and loading up bags with your favorites. Anyone who has been apple picking can tell you, fresh picked apples are just better. And tons of apples can only lead to good things like apple pie, apple crisp, apple sauce, and apple butter. Plus, what would apple picking be without a stop at the country store for fresh apple donuts and homemade fudge? Go find an orchard near you and enjoy this fall favorite activity.

Pumpkins

You know I love pumpkins and it’s no secret that the rest of the population goes pumpkin crazy this time of year. I like eating them, baking with them, decorating with them, picking them, and just being around them. Pumpkins are great and when I see the first few pumpkins hit the stands, I know fall is pretty much here.

Squash in General

I like zucchini and summer squash just as much as the next person, but there is something so satisfying about winter squashes. They’re creamy, filling, versatile, and so tasty. There are so many varieties out there, butternut, kabocha, delicata, acorn, kuri…. The list goes on and on. You can eat them in pretty much every dish during the fall. Add them to soups, salads, stuff them full of delicious things, bake with them, or my personal favorite, roast them. You can make them sweet, savory, or spicy. They might look intimidating, but once you know how to handle them you’ll be eating them all the time. Go get some from your local farmer’s market and enjoy immediately!

The Scenery

I can’t begin to tell you how beautiful I think fall is. I feel like the leaves change from day to day providing new and even more gorgeous scenery than the day before. And the smell of fallen leaves, raked leaves, and burning leaves are some of the best scents I can think of. I also love fall weather. It’s usually fairly mild, chilly in the mornings and evenings but with that golden sunshine the afternoons are pleasantly warm. This is the best time of the year to get outside with your workouts before the harsh weather of winter comes. I love running in the brisk weather in the morning and then taking a long stroll in the afternoon, crunching leaves underfoot along the way. Fall is when I soak up that last bit of sunshine before I’m stuck indoors during the winter. Find a way to get outside during this time of year. Whether it’s for a workout, a walk a football game, or just sitting out in your backyard, enjoy that fall air.

I could keep writing on and on about all the things I love during the fall. Watching football games, band competitions, being around family and food at Thanksgiving, celebrating my anniversary with my husband, sipping warm tea and reading while it’s raining outside, smelling my mom’s hot apple cider simmering on the stove are all things that I love about this season. While you might not be as passionate about fall as I am, you can definitely find something to enjoy about this time of year. Get out there and make the most of fall!

10710997_941142475899875_903414146494164383_n

Happy Fall!!

Your Words

October 14, 2014 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. We’ve all heard it, we all try to believe it, but if we’re really honest with ourselves, we know it isn’t true. Words can hurt. Once you say something, it’s out there forever and you can’t take it back no matter how hard you try. You can try to let words bounce off of you and pretend that they have no effect, but after awhile they can start to wear away at you. Your strong exterior starts to crack and hurtful words seems to slip right through those chinks in your armor. For some, it might feel like the sticks and stones would be better than the words. We can’t control what other people will say about or to us, but we do have the power to control our own words.

Today’s post isn’t a lecture about watching your words and being careful what you say. I want you to think about the words and things you say about yourself. When we talk about words, it’s often in regards to what you’re saying about those around you. We don’t spend much time thinking about the words we use to describe ourselves. We don’t think about the things that we say to ourselves day in and day out and we really don’t think about the consequences of those words. Take a moment, what are the words you use about yourself?

Lazy. Self-conscious. Nonathletic. Over-eater. No willpower. Failure. Those were words that I often used in the lowest moments to describe myself. I was always negative and had a hard time seeing any positive when it felt like I had failed for the millionth time. High school was a rough time for me self image wise and in my quest to try and be like everyone else I constantly put myself down. I was my own worst enemy because by using all those negative words I was only hurting myself. How could I succeed when I couldn’t even talk well about myself? While my self-esteem got better as I got older, I would still find myself talking negatively to myself. If I felt tired during a workout, it was because I was being lazy and unmotivated. If I ate something I deemed bad, it was because I had no willpower. I failed to see all the good things that I was doing. Sure, I could fake being proud of myself sometimes but there was always something I could be doing better at and I zeroed in on the negative. I had trained my brain to only talk trash about my body.

Sound familiar? Like I said, words can hurt, especially the words we say to ourselves. With each jab and insult we say to ourselves, we’re only hindering our progress. Maybe you believe that you need to be tough on yourself or else you won’t see any results. I fully believe that there are times that we need to push ourselves but it should never be at the sake of talking smack. You wouldn’t call your best friends a loser for missing a workout, why in the world would you use that same word for yourself? Words are powerful and we need to start using them to our advantage. If you call yourself strong, you have a much better chance of feeling stronger and getting stronger. If you call yourself motivated, you can bet you are going to feel more motivated.

The words that come out of your mouth can either pick you up or bring you down. Stop beating yourself up with your words, it’s unacceptable. We all have flaws and more often than not we are very aware of what those flaws are. There is no need to constantly voice your problems to yourself over and over again because it will get you no where. You will just feel worse than before and are more likely to give up. If you can’t even talk nice to yourself, what’s the point. You deserve to be talked highly of and you are worthy of good words. Will you always be perfect and feel worthy of those words? No, but it’s in those times of struggle that you need those uplifting words the most. Today, start letting positive words enter your vocabulary. Use your powerful words to make yourself better and to keep moving you forward. Be your biggest cheerleader and watch how your outlook and life can change.