How To Keep Moving Forward

October 30, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Since we have moved to Chicago and Adam started working at Aon, I haven’t had a “real” job. It was a conscious decision on both our parts and it is working well for the moment. I knew with all this new found free time, I would need to make sure that I had things to keep me occupied and moving forward on my goals and dreams. It could have been so easy to just waste the day away and not do much at all, but I didn’t want to be complacent.

I think that the idea of moving forward and reaching goals can be applied to pretty much any area of life. Whether it be losing weight, completing a home project, getting a promotion at work, or getting into the college of your choice. I don’t have all the answers on how to achieve those goals but I do have a few tips on how to keep moving towards those goals. These are some things that I have used to help from keeping me sitting on the couch all day eating bon bons. Does anyone actually eat bon-bons all day?

Create a vision board

Have you ever heard of Pinterest? If you haven’t, it’s like a giant cork board on the internet You can save all the recipes, workouts, outfits, etc you find on the internet in one place. You can create different boards to sort all your pins. Having a visual representation is a great way to keep your goals at the front of your mind. You don’t have to use Pinterest (even though it’s awesome) you can just use a regular pinboard. Find images that embody your goal and hang them where you can see them everyday. You can add or subtract as you reach your goals or they change.

Tell someone

Share your goals with another person, preferably someone that you trust. It’s really helpful to have another person know exactly what you want to accomplish. That way you have someone that can support you and keep you accountable. Ask them to check in with you every once and awhile to see your progress. While you might think you’re really independent and can do everything on your own, it’s really important to have someone there to support your dreams. You will be much more likely to reach those goals with that little extra oomph.

Do something everyday

It doesn’t have to be a huge or monumental task but do something everyday to propel you towards your goal. If you want to lose weight, try keeping a food journal each day to see where you can make changes. If you want to write a book, try writing a chapter or paragraph everyday. Little steps like this will get you closer to your goal and before you know it you’ll be there. Also little steps can lead to bigger steps and you can reach your goal even faster. This is also another great way to keep yourself from stalling. If you actually do something you’ll feel more motivated to keep working hard.

Be kind to yourself

This one is tough for me. I often get down on myself for not reaching my goals sooner or I keep beating myself up for not doing more. Don’t worry if you aren’t going at the rate you think you should be. You will reach your goals at your own pace. Don’t compare yourself to others or give up because it isn’t happening as soon as you want. As long as you are continually working towards something, you don’t need to beat yourself up. Be kind and keep going.

Like I said, I don’t have all the answers and maybe these tips will not help you in any way at all, but give them a try. They might be a good starting point if you are at the beginning of your journey. No matter what you decide to do, start making decisions and steps to accomplish your dreams.

Staying Power

August 18, 2014 / ktbuchs87

There are many steps when it comes to leading a healthier lifestyle. First, you have to actually want to make that choice. No matter how many people tell you that you need to change, if you are not willing to change then nothing will happen. Then you have to figure out how you want to change, what you are going to do, and then actually put it into practice. Along the way there will be a million other little steps and choices that will make up your healthy journey. At many points during this process, it is very likely that you will be met with challenges and possibly even failure. I’ve talked about failure before and it doesn’t have to be your undoing. I’ve also talked about the desire as well as the motivation to change. Today, I want to talk about maintaining your choices for the long haul. What happens once you have done everything else and want to keep living healthy for the long haul?

It’s very common, and helpful, to have goals when you decide to start being healthy. Whether that is to exercise more, eat better, lose weight, or even just relax more, it is good to have something to work towards. Not many people plan for what they’re going to do once they reach that goal. For the longest time, I just wanted to lose weight. That was my ultimate goal. Some days I had a set amount that I wanted to lose, other times I just wanted to lose something. I never really thought about what would happen once I reached that goal, in part because I never seemed to reach that goal. I would lose a little, then gain it back. Start eating better, then quickly fall off the wagon. Get on an exercise schedule for a few weeks, then start making excuses to skip. The whole see saw of good and bad that a lot of people go through when they decide to be healthier. After years of the teeter-tottering back and forth, I finally got my act together and made the commitment, not to just lose weight, but to be healthier and feel good. After a good amount of dedication (and my fair share of sweat and tears), I reached that goal. I felt awesome and proud and… what do I do now?

I had focused for so long on the end prize that I never really thought about what to do after that. I knew that I couldn’t just go back to what I did before, a mistake that many people make. They think that once they get what they want they can just go back to living their “regular” lives. The problem with that logic is that often, their “regular” lives are what got them to unhealthy place that they were. Knowing that I couldn’t go back, I slowly began to realize that my lifestyle was forever, and that scared me. I began to panic and worry that I couldn’t keep this up for the rest of my life. Could I really keep myself healthy for the next month let alone the next 50 years? When you are working towards small goals, it doesn’t seem as daunting. That’s why it’s good to make small and manageable goals. You won’t feel overwhelmed by having to completely overhaul the way you eat if you just work to change a few meals a day. It doesn’t seem as scary to just lose 5 pounds in two weeks compared to losing 100 pounds total. But now that I had reached my goal, I had the seemingly big and scary goal of maintaining this for the rest of my life.

Maybe you have reached that point in your journey. You have managed all the little goals that have added up to your ultimate goal and you’re now faced with the unknown. What do you do now? Take a deep breath and don’t worry. Once I got over my initial panic, I started to think of how I could handle this new challenge. I thought of all that I had accomplished, and realized it was a lot. I could handle a lot of things, challenging things, and come out on top. I had just proven that to myself. I didn’t get healthier overnight, in fact it took a few years to get to a good place. If I could do that, surely I could handle the rest of my life. Building on that confidence, I also realized that I could still set small goals to work towards and not look at this new part of my journey as a huge chunk aka the rest of my life. I could still break it down into small and manageable pieces. My new goals would just look different than my other goals. Try new healthy meals, train for a longer race, buy one new workout DVD a month, there were still plenty of things to work for.

The truth is, if you want to be healthier and feel good, you’re going to have to be in it for the long haul. You can’t just decide to be healthy for a month and then expect to reap the benefits forever, that’s ridiculous. But you don’t have to be intimidated by forever. Continue to set goals for yourself. While the goal might not be to lose weight or start making healthier choices, there are still things for you to accomplish. Be empowered by the fact that you have reached a major goal and use that feeling to keep going. Journeys aren’t short things. They’re long and they’re lasting. Your health is a journey, one that I know you can excel and thrive at. Meet your challenges head on like you have from the beginning and you will do just fine.

Unique Opportunity

June 16, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Have you ever felt lost? I’m not talking, “I turned down the wrong street and now I have no idea where I am”, lost. Lost in life, wandering without a clue or perhaps a purpose. I’m sure we have all felt a little lost at some point in our lives. It’s totally normal to not know what to do or where to go at some juncture in your life.

I have been having that lost feeling since about my sophomore year of college. Sure, there have been periods of time within that span that I have thought I knew exactly where I was headed and what I was going to do. For the majority of that time though, I would have to say that I had no clue. I started college so sure that I was destined to be a band director. I loved music, I was good at it, I had always thrived in a band setting, and my own directors were amazing and influential figures in my life. I wanted to give what they gave to me to other kids and share that passion with them. I quickly realized that I was not totally cut out to be a band director. I am not good at leading large groups of people or having all eyes on me. After a short mini crisis/breakdown/cry on the phone to my parents, I decided to pursue music therapy. My college didn’t offer that degree specifically, but I “customized” my own by getting a BA in music and a minor in psychology. My intention was to then get a masters in music therapy. That never happened.

Once I graduated, I got engaged, then married. Adam went right from undergrad to graduate school and we decided it would be best for only one of to be in school at a time. As the years went by, my passion and desire to become a music therapist dwindled. I couldn’t see myself doing that day in and day out for the rest of my life. I also REALLY enjoyed not being in school and out in the “real” world.

During this period, I really started to focus on my health. I started a blog, not this one, which eventually turned into those one. I got my hands on any and everything health related and started to learn as much as I possibly could. I began to develop a passion for this and could begin to see a path for me to make this a career.

I’ve shared my goals with making health my job before on the blog, and those are still true. So fast forward to today. Adam is about to start his new job and we have moved to Chicago. We both agreed that while Adam worked we would start saving up money for me to become a health coach and start my own business. In the meantime, I would try to find a part time job to bring in a little extra cash. I figured I could do some freelance writing to bring in some money, and even got accepted into a writing “bootcamp” program that would help me learn the ins and outs as well as get published. This turned out to be an eye opener for me and caused me to panic (because I never overreact to anything….). I wasn’t cut out for deadlines, strict writing rules, and limited freedom. I started to feel lost again and like I was a failure like before with both music ed and music therapy.

Then Adam came to the rescue (I sure do love that man). When I told him my frustrations and concerns, he said that I had a really unique opportunity here that not many people get. I have the blessing of having someone who can support us financially (and mentally) while I pursue whatever I want. He help me realize that I needed to use this time to my advantage. That is exactly what I am going to do.

I am going to take this time to grow and expand this blog. Once Adam gave me his little pep talk, I immediately had ideas on how I wanted to spend my time. I got excited to take steps forward and really work towards my goals. I want to quick let you know about a few changes that will be happening here. First, and probably biggest, will be a new name and look to this page. I want to make this place inviting and user friendly, so a change is due. There will be better pictures, more posts, advice/tutorials to help my readers, and more of a presence online. Expect these changes to be rolling out soon, with an official “relaunch” of my blog coming this Friday. I can’t wait!

I know what it’s like to wander around aimlessly, wondering what it is you should be doing with your life. I have cried tears of failure, lack of purpose, and frustration. I have watched others who seem to have it all together and felt like I was doomed to be a bum with no calling. You might be going through that now, whether it’s with your health, life or something entirely different. I know that isn’t fun. Let me give you the courage and support Adam gave me. Find your unique opportunity and use it to your advantage. Take steps, even if they’re baby ones, towards your ultimate goals. Search for your passion and ignite it. Trust me, you will find your way and it will be all worth it.

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!