Changes; They are a-coming

March 11, 2014 / ktbuchs87 / 3 Comments

I know this post is a day late, I’m sorry. But as you are about to learn, it has been a busy weekend for us and things are about to get busier.

My husband, Adam, has been searching for a job since about last November. He has applied to any and everything that is within his skill set and all over the US. All of that searching finally paid off and he was offered a job with Aon Benfield as a Catastrophe Risk Analyst. He happily accepted and will start with them in June. Now the changes start happening. His new job is in downtown Chicago, he will literally work right across the street from Millenium Park. From where we are now, the commute would be over 2 hours each way. Not really the ideal situation, so after much talking and debating we decided that it would be best for us to move closer to his job. What would spring be without the Dawson’s looking for and moving to a new place? While the idea of moving is not the most appealing to me (I’ve moved every single year for the past 5 years), we are both excited to start this next chapter of our lives.

Yes I made my husband take a picture in front of his new building. Isn’t he cute?

Needless to say, I have had many emotions about this whole situation. I am so happy and proud of Adam for getting an amazing job that will both challenge him and allow him to excel. I am excited to move to the more “adult” phase of life, complete with “real” jobs (will we ever really feel like adults or qualify our jobs as real people jobs? Eh, maybe). I’m also scared to leave the comfort of our town and routine. We have lived in this area for 7+ years. I know everything here, I’m familiar with it’s rhythms and motions. I like it here, this area has been so good to us. I’m sad to leave my job. While I knew going in that it wasn’t a long term job, they have become like a second family. Sure there have been days when dealing with a 2 year old and a 9 month old have been challenging and tiring, but it has been fun to see those two grow up. I’m also nervous about pursuing my passions, specifically in the health realm. I have so many doubts about myself and I’m worried about failure, yet I know that it is time to go after what I want to do. As you can see, I have run the full gamut of emotions, and I am sure that there will be more to come as we get closer to the move and Adam’s start date.

But the most important thing is that even though I might be scared or nervous or stressed or anxious, I know that we can do this. I know that I can do this. So often in the past I have fought and resisted change and it has only caused more hardship. While I can’t promise that I will full embrace all the change that is about to happen or not occasionally have a breakdown, I can say that I am going to do my best to be flexible and understanding with this process. I’m not afraid to ask for help or communicate when I have too much on my plate anymore. I have such an amazing support system, with Adam as well as with my family and friends. I know they will offer as much help as they can and in any way they can. I am blessed to have all of them in my life.

So please forgive me in advance if I’m not posting as regularly. We have a lot to get done in these next few months and I’ll be putting most of my energy into that. I’ll keep you all updated as much as I can along the way! On another note, any of you who live in Chicago have any advice about where to live there? If you have any tips, advice, or info PLEASE send it my way! Have a great week everyone!

Love this man!

Playing the Blame Game

March 3, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Often times in life, it is so easy to blame anything and everything for things that go wrong. We are all quick to point the finger at situations, circumstances, and even other people that might have caused our problems. Very rarely ,at least for me, do we blame ourselves for our hardships. I feel that bad health is one area of life that we are very quick to play the blame game. So often it is fast food, poor medical care, various diseases and ailments, environmental factors, or a myriad of other factors that take the rap for our poor health. I am totally aware that in some cases, these factors can be totally true and can be a big contributor to bad health. However, so many times it is our own fault, we just don’t want to admit it.

I get it. Believe me. I don’t like to take the blame for things just as much as the next guy. Is there anyone that really enjoys saying they’re wrong and it’s all their fault? I don’t think so. But more and more, we are not taking responsibility for our actions when it comes to health and that is hurting us more than helping us. By constantly passing the buck, we can feel less motivated to step up and make a change. It can get easier and easier to feel like we have no power over the food we put in our mouths, the lack of movement we make throughout our day, or way to change our current circumstance. Our health no longer becomes our problem; it’s somebody else’s issue to deal with. If someone could get rid of all the fast food restaurants, then you could be healthy. If someone made fresh and organic food affordable and easily available, then you could be healthy. If someone could make getting access to health professionals easier and less expensive, then you could be healthier. If someone could get an inexpensive fitness center in your neighborhood, then you could be healthier.

That someone? It’s you. All the excuses need to stop. They waste time and they accomplish nothing. I don’t expect you to revolutionize the health world and make a change for everyone. I do expect you to revolutionize YOUR health and make a change for YOU. Accept responsibility for your actions and your choices. Will all fast food restaurants ever disappear? Not likely. Can you make the choice to eat something else? Absolutely. Will organic food become cheaper than conventional and pop up in every single grocery store across America? Maybe some day. Can you make the best possible decisions while grocery shopping and still eat a nutritious and healthy diet? Of course you can. Will you be able to workout and train like all the A-list celebrities? Perhaps if you win the lottery. Can you find free and simple ways to workout? Definitely. There are ways to make a healthy lifestyle work for every person, you just have to be willing to do the work and stop passing the blame to someone else.

Like I said before, I know that there are some situations where there is no way you can take responsibility for health problems. I don’t want to make anyone feel bad or guilty. I just believe that the more you try and take control of your health, the better off you will be. When you take charge of your actions and health decisions, then your health starts to become a priority. I don’t expect you to do it all on your own either. Ask for help and guidance along the way! Find people who have successfully changed their health for the better and see how they did it. Read health blogs, articles, magazines, or books and start implementing their tips or advice. If it works, keep it. If it doesn’t, move on and try something new. The more ownership you start to take of your health, the more you want it to keep improving. Don’t get discouraged, get empowered to start taking steps in a healthier direction!

What Do You Want?

February 28, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Hello Readers!

I know that I usually have a recipe for you on Friday, and I promise that I have some more coming your way soon, but I wanted to take today to try and find out what you are looking for when it comes to food. Do you want more breakfast ideas? More dinners or desserts? Snack ideas? I want to makes sure that I am putting out content and recipes that you guys find helpful and will actually use.

I don’t get much feedback on the things that I post, other than to see how many views each page gets per day. I would love to actually hear from you guys about what works for you and what doesn’t. I want my blog to actually be helpful and not just another voice in a huge crowd. Believe me, there are hundreds of health and food blogs out there and I appreciate that you choose to come and take a look at mine. To keep you engaged and coming back for more, I need to know what you guys want!

So comment on posts you like. Let me know when you try a recipe and it works out deliciously (or not). Ask for new ideas or recipes. All of these things can help me make this blog even better and give you the things that will help you on your healthy journey. My goal is to help anyone struggling to lead a healthier life. I have been in that position, just starting out and having no clue which way to turn. I hope that this blog can end that struggle for at least a few of you! Give me your opinions and I will do my best to make this blog what you need and want! Have a great Friday and an awesome weekend!

If you are also interested, you can follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest as well. I post a lot of my meals on Instagram and offer little health tips on my Twitter, so check them out!

Misconceptions About Healthy

February 24, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I believe that there is sometimes a common misconception when it comes to eating well: healthy diets must contain organic foods. They also assume that because of this idea, eating healthy is expensive. These two ideas about a healthy diet can cause people to shy away from changing their current eating habits. Either they don’t have the money to buy all organic all the time or they don’t even have access to organic food. They keep eating the same way and tell themselves this is the only way that they can eat. I’m here to say that this just isn’t true at all. I want to help people see that a diet full of delicious and healthy food doesn’t have to be expensive and it also doesn’t have to be 100% organic.

Let’s start with the organic idea. Thanks to marketing and media, the word organic has taken on the association of healthy and that just isn’t necessarily true. Don’t get me wrong, I am not here to bash organic food. I fully support the organic movement, but not everything you see labeled as organic is good for you. I have talked before about the “health halo” that words like organic, gluten-free, and all natural assume. But an organic candy bar is still a candy bar and a candy bar is not doing anything good for your health. Sure, you can feel good that you aren’t eating pesticides or factory made preservatives, but don’t think that the organic candy bar is going to miraculously change your health. Be careful in thinking that as long as everything you buy is organic, it’s healthy. Packaged and processed organic food is still inferior to whole and real food.

Expense is the other issue that hinders people from changing their eating habits. The fact is organic food is more expensive. I wish that we lived in a world where organic practices were the norm and everyone could afford it. Unfortunately that isn’t the case, but that doesn’t mean your health is doomed. I don’t buy all organic food, yet I still manage to have a healthy diet. We are on a tight budget and we can’t afford to buy all organic. Many of you are probably in the same boat. This doesn’t mean that you can’t eat well, it just means you have to be smart about how you shop. When it comes to produce, you can use this chart to choose which foods to buy organic and which you can buy conventional. Generally foods that you peel or discard the outer layer can be bought conventionally without too much worry. Because I have a limited budget, I tend to favor those foods a little more. I buy plenty of bananas and oranges and other citrus, but I also don’t worry too much about buying the other foods non-organically. I just make sure to wash all my produce thoroughly. In the end, a conventionally grown apple is still an apple and it will still trump processed food any day.

That same idea translates to other foods as well. If you can buy organic, that’s great, but don’t stress out about it. As long as you are avoiding the food-like substances that you can find in the aisles of the grocery store, you can still have a healthy diet. Check out this post and this post, to get some more tips on how to be a savvy and healthy grocery shopper. The biggest key is to have a plan and know exactly what you need/want before you get to the store.

When I tell others that they need to eat whole or real foods, I don’t want them to immediately jump to the organic conclusion. I don’t want people to think that I am saying the ONLY way to be healthy is to eat organically. It isn’t the only way and no one should feel stuck in their eating habits because of money or availability. There are ways to eat better, shop better, and ultimately feel better. It’s totally ok if it isn’t an overnight transformation, as slow and steady wins the race. When faced with the choice of what food to eat or buy, make the best choice possible available to you. If that means buying the conventional lettuce, buy the conventional lettuce. A conventional salad trumps organic junk food every time!

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.