Winter Blah’s

January 6, 2014 / ktbuchs87

The beginning of the new year often brings a fresh start. Resolutions are made or goals are set and motivation seems to be a little higher. For some. The beginning of the year can also be a tough time because many of us are in the heart of winter. Right now the temperature in Illinois is -13 with wind chills as low as -45 and gusts of wind up to 30 mph. Just a bit chilly. The cold, lack of sun, and holiday food/mood can lead to some serious lack of motivation and willpower. Many days it just seems so much easier, and appealing, to bundle up in sweatpants and eat cookies and drink hot chocolate all day.

While I love winter, there are days that I feel drained. Everything is the same and it’s boring. I don’t want to leave the warmth and comfort of my home. I feel lethargic and would rather do anything than go run or cook a healthy meal. I pretty much want to go into hibernation Bears get to sleep all winter, why can’t I?

Many of you know exactly what I’m talking about and the rest of you probably live in a place that’s warm all year round Lucky you! For those of you who struggle with the winter blah’s, here are a few of my strategies to break through the doldrum of these colder months.

Find the light. During the winter we tend to get less sun which results in less vitamin D. This can cause some of us to feel more blue than usual. Try to take advantage of what little sun is available. If the weather permits, take a short walk outside. Even just sitting in a sunny window for a few minutes can boost your mood and make you feel less like a zombie.

Switch up your exercise routine. Find a new workout to try out during the winter months. Whether it’s a different circuit at the gym, a new workout routine for home, or running a new route, mixing things up can help boost your exercise motivation. Don’t think you have to spend a ton of money on a new routine or class either. You can find a ton of new routines, videos, and workouts online. You can also rent exercise DVD’s from your library. If you do want to try a new class or gym, this time of year there are some pretty great deals, so check it out.

Pull out the slow cooker. You know I’m obsessed with my slow cooker, and for good reason. I can make really big batches of healthy meals and freeze leftovers. That way when I really don’t feel like cooking, I can pull a delicious and nutritious meal out of the freezer. Also try to make a goal of making one new healthy recipe a week or once every other week. This way you can get some variety in your diet and you can expand your cooking arsenal.

Pick up a new hobby. When you’re feeling stuck in a rut, a new activity can shake things up. Maybe you would like to try a new crafty thing like knitting, crocheting, or cross stitching (my new favorite). Try a new class through your park district. Find a new board game to play with friends or family. Read a new series of books or volunteer at a local animal shelter or senior center. There are plenty of things to break up the hum-drum.

Of course there are plenty of other things to do during the winter like sledding, skiing, skating, building snowmen, or snuggling by the fire. The key is to not let yourself slip deep into the coma that winter can bring. Believe me, I know how easy it is to sit on the couch and watch Netflix all day. Some times that is totally alright. Everyone needs a day of laziness. The trouble comes when that one day of lazy turns into a string of lazy and you never want to do anything else. You don’t have to be constantly on the move during the winter, but don’t become a hibernating bear. No matter how enticing that may seem!

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 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!

We got snow yesterday! Yay!!

What are some ways that you avoid mindless or needless night snacking? I would love to hear your tips and be able to share them with all my readers!

Government and Health

November 19, 2013 / ktbuchs87

If you haven’t heard, soon the FDA is going to place a ban on trans-fat in food products. My husband and I were talking about this over dinner the other night and it led to an interesting question. What role should the government play in our health?

At first I thought I had a fairly straight forward answer, but the more I thought about it I realized it was a little trickier. My first reaction was that the government shouldn’t necessarily tell me what I could and could not eat. I wasn’t a huge fan of Mayor Bloomberg and his attempt to ban soda in NYC. As an adult and an American I’m lucky enough to have the choice to decide what and how much I want to eat. I understand that there is an obesity and health epidemic and I understand that Bloomberg and others are not trying to maniacally control the population by banning certain foods. They genuinely want to fight a major problem in the United States. I just believe that the choice of what to put into my body should be mine and mine alone.

Then I started thinking more about the approaching ban on trans fat. I realized I was more supportive of that, but how is it really any different than the soda ban? Yes, trans fats are not healthy. In no way do they improve your quality of health or nourish your body, but neither does soda. If I believe that people should have the right to choose to eat or drink whatever they want, but also choose to support the trans fat ban, I would contradicting myself. I tried to figure out a legitimate reason that I was fine with the trans fat ban but not the soda ban, and I really couldn’t come up with a strong argument.

What I did figure out was that I fully support the government educating people about better health and nutrition. I truly believe that the more we can get the message out about better health practices and learning how to properly feed ourselves, the better off (and healthier) the American population will be. Let’s teach people how to shop in grocery stores, how to cook in their own kitchens, how to prepare healthy meals. and how to move more and sit less. Let’s make it easier for people to get access to good information and good food. That is an initiative the government can take that I can fully get behind.

While I might not have a solid stance on how much meddling the government should have with what we eat, I am glad that they are trying to figure out how to improve the health of the nation. Any little step forward is one step closer to everyone being able to live the healthiest life possible!

What role do you think the government should play in our health? I would love to hear your opinions! Have a great week everyone!

Making and Meeting Goals

November 4, 2013 / ktbuchs87

This past week I celebrated my 26th birthday. I also thought of things that I had accomplished over my life as well as the things that I want to accomplish. Clearly I am still relatively young and I have a lot of living left to do. I know that I want to make the most of that time and for me, making goals to strive for really helps.

When I first decided to be healthier, I made big goals of losing a ton of weight and eating perfectly and exercising every day. While those are good goals, they are big picture goals. Those goals can also often seem unattainable, and if you’re like me, you want to feel like you’re actually accomplishing something. Over time I realized I had to make smaller and more realistic goals. Instead of losing a ton of weight, I focused on fitting better into my clothes. Instead of eating perfectly, I focused on choosing better options than what I had been previously eating. Instead of exercising every day, I focused on running a little farther each time I went out for a run. With these more manageable goals, I saw results and felt so proud of myself for accomplishing things. I kept up with making smaller goals to be met. I ran in a 5k race and then a 10k race. I started doing yoga and practicing more difficult poses. I immersed myself in learning how to cook with healthier ingredients and now can create my own meals and recipes to be shared with others. I stopped focusing on a number on the scale and feel comfortable and proud of the body I have and all that it can do.

It is important to have goals and it is also important to have big goals. All the little goals I made and met, helped to move me toward my ultimate goal of being as healthy as I possibly could. I am still working towards that, but I am knocking out the little steps all along the way. You can do that too. Maybe you want to be healthier, maybe you want a better job, or maybe you just want to get through the day with less stress. Set small and attainable goals for yourself that will help you reach that overall goal. Once you meet those little goals that you set, you’ll be more motivated to keep going and meet that ultimate goal.

With all of that being said, I wanted to set another large goal for me to accomplish. I have really developed a passion for health as well as a heart for helping others to enjoy the best health they can. I want to make this my everyday work and I feel that the best way for me to get my message across and help others is to become a health coach. I have been researching this for quite some time now, and I am ready to start taking steps to reach that goal. What am I going to do to help that? I have been looking into certifications, once I settle on one I can start classes. I will continue to write and maintain this blog, as well as continue to learn as much about health and nutrition as I can. I want to start looking for opportunities to reach more people with my knowledge and message, maybe reaching out to people and offering my help. As long as I am moving towards that ultimate goal of health coach I am open to anything.

Sure, it is a little scary to declare that you are going to do something. What if you fail? What if it’s impossible? What if others don’t believe in you? Yes, those things can happen. You could also succeed, prove others wrong, and become a better version of you. You won’t know until you try!