When To Take A Break

January 19, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I have tried a variety of diets over the years. The fad diets would lure me in with their promises of fast weight loss and happiness and I would commit with a gung-ho attitude. I stick with the program and did what I was suppose to do and most of the time was met with moderate success. But there would always come that point in my diet where I would take a break.

I would have lost a few pounds, I would feel better about my body and therefore myself and I felt like I could get back to life as regularly scheduled. The diet had done what it was suppose to do and I could move on. I never viewed these diets as lifestyle changes and that is what helped perpetuate the cycle of losing and gaining weight.

There finally came a point where I realized that I couldn’t just change my life for a few weeks and then take a break while I went back to my old lifestyle. I had to make a lasting change that would go on forever. It sounded daunting, but I knew that I needed to take a big step if I wanted to be healthier and finally enjoy life to the fullest. So I flipped a switch in my brain from diet to lifestyle change and got on the path to a healthier me.

And it worked. While it was really tough at first to think that I would never be able to go back to what I used to eat if I wanted to keep moving forward, I fought my way through and got lasting and healthy results. I wasn’t taking a break this time. I was all in and I was never going to change. But weirdly, that kind of got me into trouble again.

I had committed so much to being the healthiest me possible that I scared myself from straying at all. I couldn’t miss a workout, I couldn’t overeat, I couldn’t choose the wrong food or everything would come crashing down around me. That switch that I had flipped got stuck in the opposite direction and now I was worried about failing and returning to the unhappy person I was before.

It was an important lesson that I had to learn to be able to move on. I couldn’t view the way I ate and exercised as a temporary change but I also couldn’t be so afraid to stray that I was rigid in every aspect of life. I had to learn to be flexible and trust myself to do what my body needed at the right time. So how do you know when you reach a happy medium?

By trusting yourself.

When you first start, it’s going to be hard. You’re going to want to eat like a million Big Macs and you’re going to want to sit on the couch rather than do a 30 minute workout. It’s really hard to let yourself take a break at this point because it will be so easy to slip back into your old habits. Once you start to realize that all your old habits have been replaced with new and healthier ones it’s a little bit easier to see where you have wiggle room.

While I don’t personally believe in having a “cheat” day or meal (it just doesn’t work for me), it’s ok to know that one meal is not going to destroy what you have worked for. If you notice that your body is sore and achy and the thought of heading to the gym for your workout makes you want to cry, then it’s ok to take a rest day. That’s your body’s way of saying, “Hey, I need a break here!” That’s ok, rest days are good. Enjoying life is good. Being flexible and able to adjust to the situation is good.

It takes a little bit of practice to find the right balance for you and your body. Be kind to yourself as you discover what works for you and what doesn’t. Remember, it’s what you decide to most of the time that is going to impact your overall health not the tiny slip ups every now and then.

Keep It Simple: A New Blog Series

January 7, 2015January 7, 2015 / ktbuchs87

For those of you who read my blog regularly (Hi mom and dad!), you may have noticed that each Wednesday I put up a “How To” post. I’ve been offering tips and tricks on being healthier as well as other little life lessons. I want to continue on in that vein, but I am going to change the format up a little.

I mentioned the other day that I wanted to keep expanding my blog and help reach more readers. One of the ways I want to do this is to start filming and adding videos to my blog. I think this is just another way that I can reach out to people and offer the knowledge that I have gained from my own healthy journey. It’s also going to be a challenge for me to step out of my comfort zone and do something new. I am perfectly comfortable writing on my blog, but being on camera is going to be a whole new beast. Even though I am a little nervous about this new venture I know that it’s good to keep pushing myself, especially if I want to grow my readership.

I don’t have a video for today but I am working behind the scenes to start filming. But I don’t want to leave you without some helpful advice for your first Wednesday of the year!

If there is one thing that you take away from my blog it should be that being healthy doesn’t have to be hard. I want to drive home how simple it can be. I think that media and advertising makes it seem like you have to complicate everything to be as healthy as you want to be and that in turn has confused so many of us at to what is actually. The truth is that you don’t need to do anything crazy to make your life better. When I first started out I bought into the whole more is more theory and thought that I had to do the latest fad diet or exercise routine to get the results that I wanted. Nope! The habits and routines that have stuck with me all these years and are the most successful are the simple changes that I made over time.

If you are just starting out this new year with the mindset of a new you, take this advice to heart. The simpler the better. It will be easier to change your unhealthy lifestyle this way as well as make it last.

With this key idea in mind, that’s what these Wednesday videos are going to be all about. Simple meals, simple exercises, simple tips and advice. These are the things that I do everyday to help keep myself healthy. I have a lot of great things planned and I’m sure that they will help you realize just how easy it is to live a healthier life!

Check back next week to see the beginning of my simple health series and get ready to live your healthiest year yet!

How To Stay Active In Winter

December 17, 2014December 17, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Winter is the perfect combination of situations to keep you from being active. It’s cold and possibly snowy where you live, the days are shorter and it gets dark by 4 pm. Plus there are a slew of holidays that take up your time and energy leaving you feeling exhausted by the end of the day. It’s so easy to abandon your normal healthy activities and do what you can to keep up with everything. Even once the holidays are over, the weather makes you want to wrap up in a blanket and never leave your couch.

While it is so tempting to put your workouts on hold during these months, it’s really important to keep up with your exercise during this time. Taking too long of a break will make it that much harder to jump back on the wagon come spring time. The winter months are a good time to switch your exercises routine up and keep up with your health. Here are a few tips to keep you moving during the cold and dreary months of winter.

Change it up

If you have been running outside or doing other outdoor activities, it might be a little more difficult to keep up with them during the winter. While you still can workout outside (I might have been the crazy person running in sub-zero temps last winter….) this is a great time to try something new. Many gyms are offering new classes as well as discounted deals at this time of year. Some gyms even allow you to try out a new class for a low price so you can check out a few and see what you like before spending a lot of money. If you don’t want to spend any money, check out online workouts. I am a huge fan of Fitness Blender. They are a husband and wife team that offer hundreds of free workouts on YouTube. They have all different types of workouts for all fitness levels. Either way, there are plenty of indoor activities you can do to keep you out of the harsh weather.

Grab a buddy

Look at how happy winter and working out with a friend makes you!

One of the most popular resolutions at this time of year is to be healthier. If you have a friend who made this resolution, invite them along to your workouts. This not only helps them with their goals, but it can keep you accountable as well. Now you have someone relying on you and that makes you much more likely to go and do your workout. Plus it’s more fun to have someone working out with you!

Have winter fun

There are a lot of winter activities that are great workouts. Sledding, skating, skiing, even building a snowman! Instead of fighting the elements, get out there and enjoy them. These are some fun ways to burn some calories, keep up your fitness level, and try some new things.

Schedule it

This isn’t just a winter time tip, I think you should do this all year long. This is one of my number one pieces of advice when it comes to getting yourself to a workout. Schedule it and put it on your calendar. You are more likely to do your workout if it’s already in your plans like anything else during your day.

It isn’t impossible to keep working out during the winter, you just have to be conscious to make the effort. Yes, it can be a little tougher to leave your warm bed when the weather is frightful, but exercise offers so many benefits that can help you get through these long months. It boosts your mood and energy, keeps you fit, and makes you feel better overall. Those are all great reasons to get out there and get active!

Don’t Do That, It’ll Kill You

November 24, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I don’t know if many of you read as many health related articles and studies as I do, but let me tell you: we are doomed. At least that is the feeling I get sometimes. The titles can read all doom and gloom and it would seem that we can do nothing right. From eating the wrong foods, breathing in the wrong chemicals, and even not standing enough, every aspect of our health is in danger. It can be overwhelming and cause you to feel like it is a hopeless cause because no matter what there is going to be something that you do that is going to kill you or compromise your health.

I started feeling this way when I really started to dig into making myself healthier. I wanted to make sure that I was doing everything right so that I could be the best and healthiest. I wanted to be eating all the right foods, doing all the right exercises, and so I turned to health research. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate and value all research. It is what helps us learn more about ourselves and the world around us. Research helps us do better, but it can also be a double-edged sword. Any study that you find proving one thing, you will undoubtedly find a conflicting study proving something else. This is especially true with health research. So when I started in on finding the healthiest life possible, I got confused and overwhelmed. I was doing everything wrong it felt like and if I kept this up it would lead to a morbid end.

I began to worry about everything I did when it came to my health. Was I eating at the right time to get the optimal nutrition from my food? Was I exercising enough or too much? Did I sit down too often? Should I ever sit again? Were the cleaners I used in my house going to undo all the healthy eating I had been reading about? I second-guessed every choice I made, and fretted over if I would ever be able to do it right. Ironically enough, all that worrying about doing everything perfect is what led to me not being as healthy as possible.

Stress is one of the biggest health busters and it can wreak havoc over all areas of your life. It can affect sleep, which can then affect your hormones that help make food choices, which then affect your body, which in turn affects your physical activity. By stressing over all the research that I was taking in, I was doing the exactly the opposite of what I wanted.

I’ll tell you something I needed someone to tell me: you aren’t going to do it all perfectly. There is no way that you can eat every super food out there, perform all the most challenging exercises, eliminate every bad habit that is going to be the demise of your health. It is impossible and it is also ok. You can’t be perfectly healthy and you shouldn’t expect yourself to be. Rather than stress over all the things you have to do or suffer the consequences, focus on doing the best you can. Remember when your parents told you even if you got a bad grade on something as long as you gave it your all and did your best that was what mattered? The same applies to your health. Eat as best as you can, whether that is organic or conventional. Exercise in the way that works for you, whether that is doing CrossFit or yoga. Make as many healthy choices as you can, whether that is using all natural cleaners or walking more throughout the day. The little things will add up and you’ll live a healthier life by doing the best you can.

I’m not perfect, you’re not perfect, and we aren’t meant to be. Don’t let all those studies and research get you down and make you hopeless. Don’t give up or worse, not start, just because it appears to be a lost cause. Making today better than yesterday is a healthy goal, and research says that’s a good thing!

How To Offer Support

November 19, 2014 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

I often talk about how I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the support of my family and friends. It is especially helpful to have a great support system when you decided to be healthier. It’s good to have people around you who will keep you accountable, pick you up when you fall down, and offer encouragement when you want to quit. I’m sure most of you can think of one person who is always there for you and ready to help no matter what. Here is my question for the day, do you give support back? As great as it is to receive support, it’s just as important to give support to others. Here are some good ways to give support to others who want to be healthier, as well as a few things NOT to do.

Don’t force it

Giving support is great, but sometimes it’s unwanted. Have you ever been working out at the gym and a stranger comes up to give you tips or tell you what you’re doing wrong? I’m sure they think that they are helping, but most of the time it’s just annoying and you want them to leave ASAP. Don’t be that person when being supportive. You might think that you are helping, but if the person really doesn’t want your support you’re just being annoying. Don’t force support onto anyone who clearly doesn’t want it.

Be gentle

You don’t need to be the crazy coach screaming in someones face trying to motivate them to be better. Sometimes it’s better to be the calm and gentle anchor for someone. When people decide to be healthier, many times their lives and routines are thrown into chaos. Suddenly they are eating a different way, exercising perhaps for the first time ever, and things can seem crazy. The last thing they need right at the beginning is a crazy friend yelling at them and telling them they are going to be unhealthy forever if they quit. Lend a listening ear when they have their struggles, offer advice if you have it, and reassure them that they can do this. These methods will work much better and actually help.

Know your audience

On the flip side of this, some of us work better with the tough love approach. We’re all different and different things work better to support us. Find out the best way to offer your support. I recently found out that my husband likes when I push him when we workout together, so make sure you know the best way to help.

Don’t make it just about you

This is one that I have to watch out for. Because I have gone through my own journey to get healthier, it is so easy to turn everything around and say how I did things. While it’s good to be able to give support and advice based on our own experiences, realize that this is about the other person not you. They are going through their own unique experiences, and while it might be similar to yours respect their journeys. If you find yourself starting every sentence with, “Well when I was doing…”, try to work on finding out how they’re going about things and offering advice when warranted.

Build them up

Probably the biggest thing you can do is to build others up. Eating better and exercising more and improving your health is hard and can have a tendency to break people down. There will be days that you just don’t want to do this anymore and those are the days that having a great support system really helps. When someone comes to you ready to throw in the towel, help show them how far they have come and all that they have accomplished. Tell them how proud you are that they have chosen to take better care of themselves. Motivate them to keep going and do what you can to help them pick themselves back up.

I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today without support from other people. I want to be able to help others the way that I have been helped and offering support is a kind of a way to pay it forward. Because I have gotten such great support I know how crucial it is to succeeding, so do what you can to help be that important influence in someone else’s life.

Sorry for not having a post on Monday, but I spent the whole weekend in bed with a fever and just general miserableness. I hope that you guys had better weekend and are staying warm with this early blast of winter. I will see you guys on Friday!