What I Learned from My Dad

June 17, 2013 / ktbuchs87

This past weekend was Father’s Day and today is my dad’s 50th birthday, so I thought in honor of all the dad awesome-ness I would write a post on some important things that he has taught me over the years.

I can really only attribute my passion and curiosity for health and nutrition to my dad. I’ve mentioned before that he is a kinesiotherapist, and he also knows a plethora of information on the way the body works as a whole. He is always eager and willing to share that knowledge with me and I have grown to love everything about the way the body works and how we can help it to perform at its optimum levels. I honestly don’t think that I would have started this blog or begun my pursuit of my own health goals without his help and guidance.

I think that one of the most important lessons that my dad has taught me is this; no matter how many times life knocks you down, you can ALWAYS get back up and rebuild. While this can and does apply to so many aspects of life, I got to thinking how it can directly apply to your health. I know for me personally, there have been so many times that I have failed when it comes to my health. I struggled for years to try and lose weight or establish a consistent exercise program or eat better. How true is that for so many of us? It seems like falling off the health wagon is so much easier than finding something that works for us.

But it is so important to keep trying. Your health is vital, and good health makes your life so much more enjoyable and easier. If I had given up after the first time I faltered, I would never be where I am today. Yes, finding a healthy lifestyle that works for you will take time and you will most likely fail or struggle at some point, but you are strong enough to pick yourself back up and try again. I have been blessed enough to have a father who instilled that in me and has always been there to encourage me to get back up and fight for what is important. So if you are struggling right now, or have given up, know that I believe in you and I know that you can dust yourself off and jump back into the game!

And to my dad, thank you so much for everything that you have taught me, I am a much better person because of it. Happy Birthday D!

Yup, that’s his kilt in Buchanan plaid!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

May 28, 2013 / ktbuchs87

I read a lot of health/fitness/nutrition blogs (shocking I know). I like to see what other people are finding out about their health, and I like to learn as much as I can. Plus it’s a good inspiration to see what other bloggers are doing, especially those that have been around for awhile. I have blogs that I follow regularly, but I also like to search new blogs. Lately I have noticed a sad trend among some health/fitness blogs: a lack of respect. That’s the topic I wanted to address today, as it is something that must be said.

So what exactly do I mean when I say that some blogs have a lack of respect? I am finding that more and more people are taking the “my way or the highway” approach to how they eat or workout. They believe that their particular lifestyle is THE perfect lifestyle and that if you don’t follow along then you are doing something bad for your health. How discouraging! I don’t doubt that whatever lifestyle they have chosen is perfect… for them. For them to say though that this is how everyone should be, however, is ignorant. They have no idea how another person’s body works or where a person might be in their health journey. SOme of these people will even go a step further with their convictions and make others feel that they are horribly damaging their health if they do not eat a particular way or follow a certain exercise program.

When I see this on a blog or in an article or even in a status update on facebook, it really upsets me. I feel that as a health blogger, I have a responsibility to encourage anyone who reads my blog to pursue better health, in whatever way works for them. When you alienate people by saying that eating Paleo or Vegan is the ONLY way to eat and doing CrossFit or yoga is the ONLY way to workout, you’re discouraging those who have tried those lifestyles and found that they don’t work for them. You’re essentially calling them failures, and no one wants to fail. Many would rather give up and continue with their poor health choices than feel like a failure for not being able to squat 350 lbs or eat only vegetable for every meal.

On the flip side, I am really excited that so many people out there have found something that truly works for them. I know that it can take a lot of trial and error to find that perfect balance. I know how exciting it can be to finally feel amazing both with your eating and your exercise routine. I know that you might want to tell EVERYONE how amazing you feel and how great it is. I have been there, and I have fallen into the trap as well. When I first started running, I thought to myself, “This is FANTASTIC!! Everyone should feel like this!” But I had to slowly realize that not everyone was as excited about running as I was. I had to learn that not everyone felt running 6 miles in 40 minutes was an accomplishment and that is OK. I realized that other people felt that lifting really heavy weights, or conquering a new yoga pose, or making it through a spin class was what gave them the feeling of great health. I learned that while I might thrive on a plant strong diet, other people couldn’t reach their optimal health without meat. We won’t all describe our ideal health in the same way and that is perfectly fine! The one thing that is important is that we do what we need to reach our ideal health. For me, I love running, kettle bell workouts and practicing yoga. I eat a mostly plant based diet and I am working on not beating myself up for having a treat every once and awhile. That’s my idea of a healthy lifestyle. It might not be yours, but I want you to feel encouraged to find what does make you feel the healthiest.

If you do run across a blog or article or even a person who makes you feel that you are a failure because you aren’t doing exactly what they are doing, please don’t feel discouraged with your own journey. Finding your optimal health is a very personal journey so try to understand that no one will be able to tell you exactly what to do. We (as in us health bloggers) can give you advice and tell you what has worked for us, but in the end you should try multiple diets and multiple exercise programs to find your perfect balance. And when you finally do and feel that rush of excitement, remember to channel that feeling into encouragement for others who might be struggling to find their way. A sense of community and support among the health world is what is going to help us get more and more people at their peak performance, not narrow-mindedness or alienation. Respect. Give it out freely and I can bet you will get much more in return!

My Digestive Journey

March 11, 2013 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

When I decided to change my diet a little over a year ago, my main goal was just to have better health. As far as I knew I had no major illnesses, I wasn’t overweight, and I had no big complaints. I felt that I ate fairly well, but when I read about eating clean I realized that there was a lot more I could be doing for my health I had no idea how big of an impact this switch would have on my life.

Once I cut out all processed food and focused on eating real, whole foods, I saw a lot of positive changes. I had way more energy, my acne started clearing up, my periods were less painful (sorry men, us girls have uterus’, deal with it), my body started to become more toned, and I never felt that gross nasty “food-baby” after eating a meal. I was ecstatic. For the first time I felt like I had found a lifestyle that I could follow forever. Sure, there were rough moments of temptation, and the longing for the ease of just going to a restaurant and ordering whatever. But the positives outweighed the negatives ten-fold.

Then things changed. After about three months of eating a whole foods diet, I started to get acne again, I was rarely pooping (yup, still like to talk about poop), and occasionally I would have horrible stomachaches after a meal. Katie before would have ignored these problems, but new Katie refused to feel anything but her best and healthiest.

Into research mode I went. I looked at my diet and tried to determine what could be causing my problems. After some trial and error (and a very long and terrible night spent in the bathroom following a homemade pizza) I decided to eliminate dairy for awhile.

Within a few weeks I was back to feeling like my old/new self. Why did I choose dairy first? Well, like I said I did a lot of reading/research and felt that for me this was a logical first elimination. I didn’t consume much dairy to begin with and realized a lot of my symptoms occurred after eating some form of dairy. So out went dairy, and to be honest, I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would. For me, I got more satisfaction feeling amazing and healthy than I did from devouring a grilled cheese sandwich.

What does this story have to do with you? Eliminating certain things from your diet can be one of the first steps to healing and strengthening your digestive system. Does this mean you have to stop eating dairy to have a healthy gut? Not necessarily. Remember, we all have different flora/microbes in our guts, meaning we will have different nutritional needs. For me eliminating dairy, as well as gluten, had helped put me on the path to better digestive health.

Take a look at your life and see what complaints you have about your health, whether it’s acne, achy joints, bloating or low energy. Then start to take notice when those complaints flare up and what you have eaten prior to that. Eliminate what may be your “trigger” food and give yourself a few weeks to test and see if your symptoms get better. I may just be a big nerd (ok, I am TOTALLY a big nerd), but it’s fun for me to be a food detective and figure out what might be doing me more harm than good. Don’t get frustrated if it takes awhile to pin point your problems. Just remember you’re doing this all for a healthier you!

Next week I’m going to talk about another step I’ve taken to heal my gut. I recently bought a kombucha tea starter and am in the process of growing (or fermenting) my own kombucha. I’ll share how that works and all the benefits I’m reaping from that! Until then, have a great week and see you next Monday!

You’ve got the power!

October 26, 2012 / ktbuchs87

What do you think of when I say willpower? Maybe resisting temptation, overcoming adversity, or maybe a specific person comes to mind. Whatever the case, some form of strength comes into play, the word power is right there. A lot of you may believe that you have absolutely no willpower, especially when it comes to food. When you see that plate of cookies you know you are going to cave and have one, or six. What gives a person willpower? Why does it seem like some people have greater amounts of it? How do you tap into that?

Willpower is a tricky thing. You can’t see it, only its effects. Willpower also means different things to different people so it is hard to give it an exact definition. But I do believe that we all have willpower, no matter how weak you might think yours is. I think there are a few important aspects to a strong willpower that makes it seem as if some people have great stores of it while others are just trying to muster up a few drops of it.

The first one is the desire to change. It might seem obvious, but this is so often overlooked or not given much credit. People have a strong willpower really and truly WANT to change some aspect of their life. Let’s take nutrition and eating (this is a nutrition blog after all folks). If you really want to eat better you have already taken the first step to having more willpower. But Katie, I do really want to eat better, I just can’t resist those “bad” foods. Then no, you don’t want to eat better, you want to eat the same garbage you have always eaten. Sorry to be harsh, but saying you want to change but then turning around and downing a pint of ice cream is a bit contradictory. You almost need to be at a place where you are disgusted with the way you are eating and the only place you can go is in the total opposite direction. There is a point where you will WANT change and act on that want, there is the first little hint of your willpower.

The second part of willpower is motivation. Wanting to change your eating habits is great but you are going to have to have motivation to keep that change going and to strengthen your willpower even more. Motivation is another tricky idea; here is the technical definition of it. I’m going to simplify it because I think that it doesn’t need to be super technical. Motivation is personal to you and is what gets you revved up and going. What motivates me probably will not motivate you in the least. That’s fine, what isn’t fine is when people use what they are fighting against as motivation. Let’s use eating again. If you are trying to eat better and maybe lose weight and decide to motivate yourself by promising yourself a piece of chocolate cake if you lose five pounds, how is that helpful? That’s the equivalent to trying to quit smoking and rewarding a smoke free week with a cigarette. Find other means of motivation for what it is you are trying to change. By using food to reward yourself, you’re just slowly weakening your willpower as well as your motivation to keep going.

One other thing that is important to willpower is the perception of gaining something from your use of willpower. In this article, the author talks about how when people see results from the use of their willpower, it actually gets stronger. That makes a lot of sense; if you see the fruits of your labor, aka willpower, you are going to continue to use it. And as a result of continuing to use your resolve, you’re strengthening it. And that right there will motivate you to keep up your change (see how it’s all tying together!?).

I can’t tell you how to get willpower. It’s not as simple as that. I can tell you that you already have the willpower you need to change right inside yourself. You just need to find it. You have to truly want that change, and you will need to find the proper motivation to keep going. Take a look at your life and see where your weakest area is. Ask yourself if you are ready to take on the job of turning that behavior around. If you are then you have the tools within to make that change. I believe in you, do you?