3 Common Myths About Exercise

July 27, 2015July 27, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Diet and Exercise. Those two go together like peanut butter and jelly. They are the first pieces of advice for anyone trying to lose weight. Both of these things are important pieces of the puzzle that is getting healthy, but that is the key. They are just pieces, neither is the whole thing. While both diet and exercise get a lot of talk, I think sometimes that exercise gets more of the emphasis. This emphasis creates some myths about exercise and its role in a healthy lifestyle. Today I want to address some of those myths so you can better incorporate exercise into your life and health!

1. Exercise is the best way to lose weight

Exercise is great and I’m not going to bash it or anything like that. But exercise really isn’t the only or best way to lose weight. Don’t get me wrong, exercise does help you lose weight, but it isn’t as big a factor as you might think. Your body is a very tricky thing when it comes to exercise. It likes to be efficient in all things and it will always find the easiest way to go about its daily tasks. After you have been exercising awhile your body will adapt to the change and you will actually burn fewer calories every time you workout. This doesn’t mean exercise is a hopeless cause, you just have to be smart about it. Try different workouts, different intensities, different times, and don’t rely totally on exercise to get the body or health that you want. The food you put in your body is what you really want to focus on but more on that later.

2. Exercise has to be vigorous/hard/long or it doesn’t count

This one took awhile for me to wrap my head around. When I first really started getting into exercising I thought that I had to be dripping in sweat, lying on the ground exhausted, or sore beyond belief for my body to get the full benefit of exercise. Soooooo not true. You don’t have to destroy your body in order to reap all the good stuff that comes with exercise, and in fact, that can lead to injury and burnout. Vigorous exercise does have its time and place, hard workouts aren’t evil, and sometimes you have the time for a longer workout. But there are times when it’s better to take it easy, do a shorter workout, or even have a rest day. You need to listen to your body and give it what it needs not beat it up just because you think that is the only way to get fit.

3. Exercise will cancel out any “bad” food that I eat

This common myth is one of my biggest pet peeves. I hate when I hear someone say, “Oh it doesn’t matter what I eat, I work out.” It seriously makes me want to rage throw a table. But instead of throwing tables, I am going to calmly address this myth right now. First, don’t put food into a good group or a bad group. Food is food, not a miracle and not evil. There are better choices that will benefit your health, but you shouldn’t feel guilty about eating anything. You’re an adult you can choose what to eat. Second, the saying you can’t out exercise a bad diet is SO TRUE. You can’t just eat a piece of cake go run 3 miles to “burn it off” and be healthy. The first problem with that mindset is that exercise doesn’t burn as many calories as most people think (see first myth). The second problem is that in order to function, as well as exercise, you need to get certain nutrients. If you are constantly filling your body with things like cake and cookies and processed food your body is missing out on vital things it needs. The last problem with this is that getting in the habit of working out just to cancel out what you eat is a really good way to develop exercise bulimia. Exercise bulimia is a very real and serious disorder that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Choose the food that will help you reach your health goals and the exercise that makes you feel better.

Exercise is good, it has tons of benefits, and it works in tandem with a healthy diet to make you feel your best. Just make sure you aren’t falling for some of these common myths and use exercise to your advantage.

What is one thing about exercise that you found wasn’t true?

DIY Wednesday: Chocolate Caramel Candy

July 22, 2015July 22, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Sometimes you just need something sweet, preferably covered in chocolate. There are days that a piece of fruit is just not going to satisfy your sweet tooth. I used to think that I had to fight that sweet craving because it was a sign of my weakness. I would ignore it and tell myself that I was making my willpower stronger. I was really just making myself miserable.

Having a craving for sweet stuff doesn’t mean that you are weak, it means that you are human. Indulging in a sweet treat every once in a while is totally fine and better for your sanity in the long run. You just have to do it the right way. If you find yourself reaching for a candy bar multiple times throughout the day, then maybe you need a little sugar detox. But if you’re looking for a little bite every now and then, this DIY is just for you.

Homemade food is always going to trump store bought because you are in control of the ingredients. That is especially true for this candy. It’s only two simple ingredients, but will still satisfy that craving for a little something decadent. You can even add nuts or seeds for a little crunch and texture. Make a batch and keep them on hand for whenever you need a little bite of chocolatey caramel-y goodness!

Chocolate Caramel Candy

10 Medjool dates, pitted and sliced in half (you could also use prunes)
1 cup dark chocolate chips (read notes for another substitution)
1 tbsp coconut oil
pinch of sea salt
peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, almonds (optional)

Place pitted and sliced dates into a bowl and cover with hot water. Let dates soak for 10 to 15 minutes until very soft
Drain the dates and place them into a blender with the pinch of salt. Blend until everything is completely smooth.
Spoon about a teaspoon or so of the date caramel mix into a silicone mold. You could also put them on a parchment lined cookie tray. If you’re using nuts, press one into each caramel now. Freeze for 30 to 45 minutes.
Melt the 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips and 1 tbsp coconut oil. You can do this in the microwave in 20-second intervals stirring until all the chips are melted and it’s smooth. Or you could melt the chips in a double broiler.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove the frozen date caramel and pop them out of the molds. Using a fork, dip the caramel into the chocolate and place onto the cookie sheet, working quickly. Place the sheet into the freezer once they’re all covered
Freeze for 15 minutes then enjoy! Keep the candy in a container in the freezer so they don’t melt.

*Note* You can also use baking chocolate for the coating. Use 100% cacao and melt in a double broiler with 1 tablespoon coconut oil and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey. Stir constantly until completely smooth.

Run The Mile You’re In

July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 / ktbuchs87

1 mile down, 6 to go.

Only 45 minutes left. 40…35…30…

The minute I cross the street and go from walking to running, I am counting down. I love running, I really do, but there is a struggle between my mind and my body. Some days my mind is fully prepared to run, it urges my tired and leaden legs forward. Other days my legs are ready to go 100 miles, but my mind wants nothing to do with the pavement beneath my feet.

There are good running days and there are bad running days. The bad running days are brutal and each step, each labored breath, each drop of sweat pleads for me to stop. On those days I am only looking forward to the second that my run is over and I can move onto better things, easier tasks, and just take a shower and wash the bad run juju off my body.

But then I think of a quote from Scott Jurek’s book, Eat And Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness.

Run the mile you are in.

It’s so simple yet so powerful. Run the mile you are in. Be there. Be totally present for THAT mile, right now. Notice the air on your face, the sites around you. Take inventory of your body and see where you are in that moment. Don’t think about the tough hill in that next mile, stop longing for the finish line, and run the mile you are in.

Take this mantra and apply it to all areas of your life. Having a hard time eating better and incorporating more healthy food? Run the mile you are in. Don’t think of all the things you have to give up, focus on what you can do today to make a better choice. In the middle of a tough project at work? Run the mile you are in. Stop thinking about what will happen if you don’t meet the deadline, accomplish one task at a time until you reach the end. Finding your life in a rough patch? Run the mile you are in. While the suffering might hurt, learn as much as you can from this experience so you can grow as a person and help others with similar problems.

My tough run is making me a stronger person. I need to be there for every single mile of that tough run to get the full effect of it’s lessons. I need to be present for all moments of my life instead of wishing and waiting for better things. Often the better things are passing us by in those moments we are wishing were over sooner.

I’m running my 7th mile and it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t run the other 6.

DIY Wednesday: Fruit Chips

July 15, 2015July 15, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Does anyone remember the Seneca brand of apple chips? They came in all these super delicious flavors like granny smith and my absolute favorite, cinnamon. When I was younger my sister and I only got to eat them once in a blue moon. My mom considered them a treat and not an everyday snack. She was smart to do that because those things were loaded with added sugar.

Well, today’s DIY was partly inspired by those chips. I wanted to make a snack that tasted just as good but didn’t have all the added sugar. Fruit is naturally sweet and when you dry it out you concentrate those sugars even more. Fruit chips don’t need to have any added sugar and they can still be a sweet snack.

For those of you who have a dehydrator, fruit chips are simple to make. You just slice the fruit, place it on the trays, and go about your day. Hours later you get tasty fruit chips. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can still get fruit chips with a few simple steps. I tried this with apples, bananas, and peaches. You can use whatever fruit is your favorite. Strawberries, mangoes, and pears would also be really good.

DIY Fruit Chips

1-2 of your favorite fruit (apples, bananas, pears, strawberries)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon, optional

Preheat your oven to its lowest setting, 170-200. Wash your fruit and dry it thoroughly. Slice the fruit VERY thin. The thinner you slice the fruit the crispier your fruit chips will be.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Place the fruit slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Make sure they don’t touch.
Sprinkle the lemon juice and cinnamon over the fruit. Bake the fruit slices in the oven for 2-4 hours, flipping every so often. The baking time will vary based on the temperature of your oven. The chips are done when they’re lightly brown, starting to curl, and no longer soft.
Once the chips are done, let them cool on the sheet until completely cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Put Down The Phone And Step Away: Try Unplugging

July 13, 2015July 13, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Raise your hand if you feel uncomfortable when you can’t check your phone every five minutes? How about if you have to turn it off? If you go a day without checking Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/whatever social media site?

Don’t worry if you raised your hand and kept it up there, you’re in good company. Most of us have a hard time getting away from our TV, phone, or computer screens for longer than a few minutes. I’m just as guilty as the rest of you. As a blogger, I spend an inordinate amount of time writing and researching posts, putting things up on all of my social media accounts and browsing the enormous amount of cat pictures online. Ok, that last one really doesn’t have anything to do with blogging but you get the idea.

As a culture, we are enamored with the instant gratuity that social media provides us. It feels good to post a picture on Instagram and have 20 likes in the first 5 minutes. I love hearing my phone ping with a notification that someone favorited my last tweet. It makes me feel important worthy, like I’m doing my job as a health blogger right.

While that’s somewhat true, if no one liked or read my stuff I would be pretty ineffective, it’s also a little counterintuitive. Being healthy doesn’t mean spending all my time trapped behind a screen and in the online world. We need to get away from the glow of our phones and laptops and televisions and out into the world of people and natural light.

I recently noticed that some of my best work for my blog came when I was actually away from it. Every day I try to take an afternoon walk. It helps break up my day of sitting and gives me a chance to not be working. While out on these walks I don’t have my phone to tell me there is a new notification on Facebook or my laptop refreshing with new emails.

It’s just me and the great outdoors.

It clears my head and I can actually come up with some awesome ideas for the blog. Sometimes I compose whole posts while out on my morning run or solve a problem that I have been struggling with for the past few hours while I’m strolling by the lake.

Technology is great, don’t get me wrong. I love being able to reach a big audience and have my words and thoughts make an impact all while I’m sitting in my pajamas. But don’t forget there is so much more out there than getting more followers or retweets. Try unplugging yourself for just a few minutes each day. Just 20 minutes where you don’t look at any technology.

Go outside

Take a walk

Read a book

Get coffee with a friend

And don’t post one picture of you doing it on Instagram. You’ll be more productive for taking a short media break and the internet and slew of cat memes will be waiting for you when you get back.