How To Rest

October 1, 2014 / ktbuchs87

How many of you feel like you are constantly on the go? From work to deadlines to extracurricular activities to whatever else you have going on in your life, it can sometimes feel like you never stop. All that action without pause can tire you out and start to wear down your body as well as your health. In the fitness realm, rest days are just as important as working out. Rest days allow the muscles you’ve worked to heal and recover so that you can become stronger and better. I think that is a great concept that needs to carry over into regular life. If you never take time to stop and recover, you won’t have as much energy to give to other aspects of your day. It can be tough to slow down if you’re always used to moving fast, so here are a few ways that you can help yourself rest.

Unplug

This is one of the biggest, and toughest, ways to rest. If you’re anything like me, you are constantly plugged into your phone/computer/tablet/whatever electronic at all times. Your email is only a click away, people know they can call you whenever because your phone is always nearby, you’re constantly updating your status/tweets/photo, you even have gotten rid of your alarm clock because it’s all on your phone. While it’s great that you can do all these things from the palm of your hand, it can be draining to always be on. I know we can’t totally give up social media, we can try to lessen time spent on it. I’ve started to limit my phone/computer use on the weekends. At first it was a little tough, but after a few weekends without always being on my iphone, I realized how recharged I felt. Try giving yourself a one hour break from all social media/electronic devices. Enjoy some face to face time with your friends or read a book (a real one, with pages and everything). Your emails, tweets, and Instagram will all be there when you get back.

Pencil It In

Actually schedule some rest time into your day. Maybe you have a few extra minutes in the morning that you can spend alone preparing for your day. Or take some time right before bed to relax and unwind. It doesn’t have to be hours and hours of time, even a 10 minute chunk of time can be enough to help you feel rested. If you make the effort to really schedule some down time into your day, you are more likely to stick to it.

Do What You Like

When you do have a little time to rest, do things that you enjoy and find relaxing. Not everyone wants to sit down and read a good book for a half an hour. You might like to light candles and do yoga while others find it calming to go for a walk around their neighborhood. There is no wrong way to take a break as long as you actually take a break. Try different things like bubble baths, meditation, listening to music, or just sitting by yourself. Find what works for you and helps you to feel recharged.

Don’t Feel Guilty

This was and still is a tough one for me. I always felt guilty whenever I would take a little break. I felt like I needed to be doing something productive or else I was just wasting time and being lazy. I would rather run around all day checking off my to do list than take some me time for just five minutes. Then I started to think of taking a break as being productive rather than lazy. If I took just a little time each day to recharge then I was more able to tackle my to do list. Don’t feel bad for having a little bit of me time each day. In the end it is better to take a little rest than run yourself ragged.

If you find yourself exhausted and ready to drop by the end of each day, try taking just a few minutes to rest. I know it may seem silly and like a waste of time, but trust me, it’s worth it. Giving your body and mind a short break can help your overall health and that is always a good thing!

The Numbers Game

September 30, 2014 / ktbuchs87

The number of pounds you weigh. The number of calories you’ve eaten. The number of miles you’ve run. The number of hours you’ve spent working out. The number of inches around your waist. It appears that numbers and your health go hand in hand. Many times it can seem like being healthier is a big numbers game. Add more numbers here while subtracting some there and multiplying it all together and you get a better you, right?

Not necessarily. While it is important to know some numbers about your health, like your cholesterol, sometimes we put too much focus on them. So often we get caught up in hitting a certain number on the scale or eating a certain number of calories per meal that we lose sight of what it means to be truly healthy. For most of my teenage and young adult years, I was a slave to numbers. For me the big numbers were what I weighed and how many calories I consumed everyday.

In my mind, if I could control these numbers everything would click and I would finally get the body that I wanted and finally be happy. Make the numbers go down and everything would be alright. I would hop on the scale each morning and see if my calculations had worked for me or against me. If the number on the scale was what I thought it should be, I was happy. But even one number off of what I desired and immediately my mood would change. That’s when I realized I had a problem. If a simple number on the scale could dictate what my attitude was going to be that day, I was in trouble. Over time, I learned that the amount you weigh isn’t everything when it comes to being healthier. I started to weigh myself less and less and tried to not fixate on my weight. It was tough to let go, because it was a comfort to see the number move the way I wanted and feel like what I was doing worked. But I wasn’t totally free of the numbers. Now I turned my attention to the number of miles I ran/walked each week or how many minutes I worked out each day. I even started to take measurements once a week just to make sure I was doing everything right.

That was my biggest motivation for sticking with numbers, it made me feel like I was doing this whole healthy thing right. It gave me validation for all my hard work and proved that I was successful. It was nice to see that I could run more miles this month than compared to two months ago. It felt good that my waist size stayed the same week after week. While my addiction to these “new” set of numbers didn’t play with my emotions as much as the old ones, it was still an unhealthy relationship. And my whole goal was to be healthier, not just physically but mentally as well. My reliance on numbers was holding me back from being wholly healthy.

I am not going to say that I have totally done away with numbers, I still track how many miles I run, but I try not to let those numbers define or validate me. I don’t think that tracking numbers, in whatever form, is necessarily a bad thing. If you’re just starting out, numbers can be a helpful way to keep you on track or show progress. I just caution you to make sure that those numbers don’t become your whole world. When you spend all your time focusing on numbers you miss out on other important aspects of your health. As cheesy as it may sound, YOU are not a number. You and your health are so much more. You are a person who has so many other things that define who you are than a number on a scale or number of calories you eat. Think of it this way, when you introduce yourself do you say, “Hi. My name is Katie, I run 40 miles a week, eat 1500 calories a day, and do yoga at least 20 minutes a day.” No, because that is kind of ridiculous and I’m pretty sure most people aren’t really interested in any of those numbers. Don’t put all your worth into an arbitrary number. Work to feel good about yourself as a whole and remember that health is not just a numbers game.

How To Eat Well, Quickly

September 24, 2014 / ktbuchs87

There seems to be this notion that in order to eat well you have spend a lot of time in the kitchen. People associate healthy food with an elaborately planned and executed meal, but I am here to tell you that doesn’t have to be the case. Sure, you can spend a lot of time preparing a wonderfully delicious and healthy meal and on the weekends I myself like to spend some extra time in the kitchen. But 90% of the time, I want to get a meal on the table in under an hour. Most of you probably have busy lives with jobs, kids, spouses, and a million other activities going on. You don’t really have time to be spending over an hour getting dinner ready every night. Meal prepping can be a huge help in this area and I have talked about it many times before. But sometimes you are left trying to get healthy food on the table in a hurry with no planned or prepped meals at hand. Rather than reach for the take out menu or head to your nearest fast food joint, I have some items that you can keep on hand to whip up a healthy meal in no time.

Pasta

Keep a box of your favorite pasta in your pantry and you will always have a quick meal at hand. I like to keep brown rice pasta or corn pasta well stocked at all times (sidenote: I get my pasta from Aldi. It is under $2, gluten free, and has an ingredient list of one. It’s awesome). You can keep it simple and make your traditional pasta and tomato sauce or you can get creative and try making your own sauce out of pesto or avocado or even salsa. Pasta is a great canvas for adding things like roasted vegetables, beans, or eat and it’s a great thing to help tie together a meal of odds and ends you may have hanging out in the fridge. Make sure to read the label of your pasta and know what’s in it. There are a ton of different kinds out there, so whether you’re gluten free or looking for a heart healthy version you’re bound to find pasta that works for you.

Beans

Beans are just as versatile as pasta and can be even cheaper. I have a variety of dried beans like chickpeas, black beans, and cannellini beans that I keep on hand at all times. You do have to think a little bit ahead with dried beans because they need to be soaked and then cooked. If you don’t have the time for that though, you can stock your shelves with canned beans. Make sure that the only ingredients are beans and water and that you drain and rinse the beans before you use them. Beans can pretty much be added to any dish. Try them in soups or stews, in stir frys, on top of salads or pasta. You can saute them with some leafy greens like collard or kale. Or mash them up and puree them for a dip or spread for breads and crackers. Beans add protein and fiber to any meal and are quick and cheap. All wins in my book.

Eggs

I always have eggs in my fridge because they are delicious and cheap. There are so many different meals that you can make with eggs and they aren’t just for breakfast, although breakfast for dinner is awesome as well as quick. Try a frittata or an omelette for dinner and add in your favorite vegetables and seasonings. Poached eggs are simple and go pretty much on top of anything from pasta to vegetables to salad to soup. Seriously, put eggs on anything and it is an awesome meal.

Frozen Fruit & Vegetables

At any given time I have at least 4 bags of frozen vegetables in my freezer along with a bag of frozen bananas. The bananas get turned into tasty desserts, but the vegetables are great when I need a quick side dish or need to up the vegetable intake of any dish. Some people think that frozen isn’t as healthy as fresh but that just isn’t true and frozen vegetables can save you a lot of time at dinner. They work great in stir fry or added to grains and pasta. I know at my grocery store you can buy big 5 pound bags of vegetables. This saves money and you can just portion out what you need for that meal and put the rest back in the fridge. It’s also a nice way to get a variety of vegetables no matter what season you’re in.

Potatoes

Ah the humble potato. Most of the time people only think of potatoes in the form of french fries, but they are a really versatile food. You can bake them, roast them, boil them, mash them, put them in a stew (Lord of the Rings reference anyone? Yup, I’m a nerd). Try making a baked potato and then loading it up with things like beans or vegetables or salsa or leftover meat. Now you have a quick and delicious dinner in less than 30 minutes. And don’t just limit yourself to russet potatoes, try sweet potatoes, fingerling potatoes, or red potatoes. There are so many different kinds and you can put them in anything.

Soup and Salad

Olive Garden has it right with making a meal out of soup and salad (and breadsticks, but we won’t go there). Yes, there are a few good brands of canned soup out there, but most of the time they are loaded with sodium and unpronounceable ingredients. It’s really easy to make your own soup and a lot healthier too. Start with sauteing whatever vegetables you have on hand (onions, garlic, carrots, celery, parsnips, leeks are all good), then add in water or vegetable/chicken broth and seasonings, next try adding things like beans, cooked meat, brown rice/quinoa/millet, or potatoes. Simmer everything for about 15 minutes and if you want stir in some leafy greens, like kale, at the very end. Simple soup and all in one pot. Salads are another great meal, all you need is some cut and washed greens and toppings. Again, beans, meat, more vegetables, nuts/seeds, dried fruit, hard boiled eggs, are all great things to add to your salad. And if you really don’t have time to cut up your own lettuce, just grab a bag of pre-cut lettuce at the store. Just don’t pour a huge amount of store bought dressing all over your delicious, healthy salad. Try making your own with any of these recipes.

Good food doesn’t have to take a long time or a lot of brain power. All the things I listed here are things that I usually have on hand and can be thrown together quickly. So don’t panic if it’s dinner time and you realize you have no idea what to put on the table. If you keep a few of these items in your kitchen, you’re never far away from a tasty and wholesome meal.

When Routine Becomes Too Routine

September 22, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Ask any member of my family and they will tell you that I am a big fan of routine. I like knowing exactly what I should be doing at each moment in the day. I like having tasks to do and then being able to check them off my list as I complete them. Having a routine helps me to feel in control and it also keeps me on track. It helps me accomplish my goals and gives purpose to my day. Some people might find having a routine too boring and rigid and like to face the day with no plan in mind and let what may come, come. That is totally fine, but I am not those people. In my mind, routine is a good thing. Until it isn’t.

When you make a choice to be healthier, I would say that establishing some type of routine will be crucial to your success. It’s good to have a plan set for what you are going to eat for the week, what workout you’re going to do for the day, and what goals you have in mind for your health. In this sense, a routine will help keep you on track and moving towards what you want. But we have to be careful to not become so addicted to our routine that it starts to hinder our health.

I began to notice that I was becoming so used to doing the same thing over and over again that my progress had actually stalled. While I wasn’t losing ground, I definitely wasn’t gaining any either. I also started to notice that any sort of change to my routine would throw me for a huge loop and cause me a lot of anxiety. I wasn’t flexible to the little wrenches that might be thrown into my day and it stressed me out. Stress and anxiety are the opposite of helpful when you are trying to be healthier. I started to worry about straying from my ideal routine or plan and that was all I could focus on. What would I do if this happened? How could I avoid any possible challenge to my routine? What can I do to make sure that I never have to stray from MY plan? Those aren’t healthy or helpful questions.

In case you hadn’t noticed, life doesn’t really care too much about your plan or your routine. It is going to do whatever it wants and you can play along or fall by the wayside. No matter how much I plan out my day or week, there are going to be things that have to change and I am going to have to adapt. That is a good thing! I realized I was missing out on so many fun things because they didn’t fit into what I thought I needed to be doing that day. I can’t go to the movie at that time, that’s when I’m suppose to be doing yoga. You want to eat that meal instead? Sorry I already planned this one out three days ago. I was trapped in a box that I had made myself and ironically it was causing me to stray from my healthy goals.

I will never be a person that can just fly by the seat of my pants. I will always have to have some type of schedule or routine because that’s who I am. But I am working on going with the flow more often. I am learning to say yes to things that weren’t originally in my plan and letting go of the anxiety that creeps up when I can’t cross something off of my list when I think I should. It’s ok to have some wiggle room in your life, in fact I would say that it’s necessary. Say yes to an impromptu meal with a friend from out of town. Surprise yourself and your significant other by doing something out of the blue. Don’t worry about not getting in a full hour workout or eating the exact meal you prepped. Adapt to the situation and make the healthiest choice possible at that time. You’ll be a more well-rounded person and you’ll get to experience amazing opportunities along the way. You don’t have to throw all caution to the wind and forgo routines or plans all together. Instead of a rigid schedule you HAVE to stick to, set a general map for your day or week and make decisions as they pop up. As long as those decisions are propelling you toward your ultimate goal, don’t stress about the ride!

How To Start Cooking

September 17, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I am a big supporter of making your own meals. There is no better way to know exactly what you put into your body than to make a meal yourself. The home cook is starting to make a slow comeback. Things like food network and celebrity chefs, have helped make it “cool” to get back in the kitchen. I’m all for this, no matter what your reasoning to cook might be. Some of you though still avoid the kitchen like the plague because you just can’t cook. No matter how many times you try, you just can’t get a meal together. You never learned how to cook or you just never had any interest. But I am here to tell you, if you have decided to eat healthier, you’re going to have to learn how to cook. The good news is that it really isn’t that difficult. I’m going to give you a few tips on how to feel confident in the kitchen and put together some simple, tasty, and healthy meals all on your own.

Start Simple

You don’t have to be able to make elaborate dishes. You don’t have to spend hours performing complicated cooking techniques to put a meal on the table. Start with very basic meals. Things like dried pasta, grains, salads, and baked chicken are all very easy to make and very healthy. Try spaghetti and tomato sauce. All you have to do is boil some water and cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. For the sauce, all you need is a can of tomatoes, a can of tomato sauce, and some simple seasonings like oregano, basil, garlic, and salt and pepper. Heat that in a small saucepan until it bubbles and voila, you have a super easy meal that even a beginner cook can handle. The slow cooker is also the new cook’s best friend. It is easy to add the right ingredients and then let your slow cooker do the rest. It’s hard to mess up and you usually end up with a delicious meal. By choosing meals like this, you can start to build your recipe repertoire and start to feel more at ease in the kitchen. Once you get a handle on these simple meals you can start to expand to more complicated ones or start to play with different flavors and ingredients.

Watch Food Network

Watch any cooking show really. Many of the things I have learned how to cook, I have watched on cooking shows. One of my favorite shows is Alton Brown’s Good Eats. Each episode focuses on one ingredient or technique and then goes into simple ways on how to prepare that food. Alton really does a great job teaching the average Joe how to master some really simple dishes. If you don’t have cable, you can find a lot of cooking shows on YouTube or Netflix or Hulu. Find a show that you can watch and take some notes from the pros on how to cook some really delicious food.

Talk To Other Cooks

You don’t have to start going around to restaurants and bugging the chefs for their secret recipes, but start talking to other people who cook a lot. Start with people in your family who tend to be the ones preparing the meals, whether it’s your mom, grandma, uncle, or cousin. Ask them what they like to cook and how they do it. Watch them prepare a meal and ask to give them a hand. Not only will they most likely appreciate the help, you can learn a TON from watching others cook this way. Almost all of the basic cooking skills I have are from watching my mom make dinner for our family. She wasn’t a 5-star restaurant chef, just a mom who wanted to feed her family well. She stuck with simple ingredients and meals that she knew we would like and to this day her food gives me comfort. Being around other people who cook can help you with your own kitchen adventures, so start talking!

Don’t Be Afraid To Mess Up

If you have never really cooked before, chances are you’re going to have a few mishaps in the kitchen. That is totally fine and most home cooks will tell you they have had their fair share of whoops moments. But it’s good to have those mistakes because then you know next time what not to do. Sometimes, you’re just going to make a meal that is totally inedible. That’s ok! Don’t give up after one bad meal. Keep trying and soon you will be able to avoid most of those missteps. Although, every once and awhile you will do something silly like try to steam vegetables without any water and wonder why your pot of broccoli is smoking. I swear I have never done THAT before….

Read Recipes

I know that I am probably a little bit of a weirdo, but I read cookbooks like they are novels. Sometimes there are tips and tricks written in the description of the dish that most of us skim over. By reading the whole thing, you might learn how to better prepare the meal. Take the time to read everything that goes along with the recipe and get everything you can out of it.

Don’t be intimidated by the kitchen, no one is expecting you to be the next Iron Chef. Getting some basic techniques down like cooking grains & meat, or roasting vegetables can be enough to get you started cooking your own healthy meals. Many of the recipes that I post here on the blog are simple enough for a beginner to handle and offer a lot of wiggle room for learning. Give any one of them a try and start getting more confident with your cooking!