Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Andrews Bald & Rocky Top

I have NO idea why I just realized that although our website is pretty extensive we basically leave out a HUGE portion of who we are and what we do. We aren't like many other fitness websites or fitness "personalities". We don't count calories or macros. We also don't live in the gym.

More often than not you will find us outside hiking. We've been on some amazing hiking trips that I plan to post about in the coming months. Hopefully you find these inspirational and a way to get outside of the gym. Along with the new travel page we've also added a money page to the website in order to fully encompass what we are all about! We are very excited to bring much more than just workouts and recipes to you in 2016!

Back to hiking, a few weeks ago (Nov 20-21, 2015) we went hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Scott had the day off on Friday so we drove up early. GSMNP is about three hours from us and we always leave super early to beat a lot of the traffic in the park. We were only there for two days but took advantage and hiked each day.

Hiking In Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Andrews Bald

3.5 Miles
Moderate

We did Andrews Bald on Friday afternoon for a short and sweet hike. It was only 3.5 miles and we loved it! The payoff was HUGE, especially considering it was such a short hike. Once we got out of the trees and onto the bald, it was breathtaking.

We posted the plank picture (above) on Instagram. I absolutely love the way it turned out with the mountains in the background. After resting and eating for a few minutes we headed back out to the car. One the way out we were talking about how this hike is a great one for someone just starting out because it's not too difficult (but definitely leaves you breathless in some spots!) and has great views.

After hiking we went into Gatlinburg, TN to eat dinner at Bennett's Pit Bar-B-Q. At Bennett's we wanted to just order a few pounds of meat because we don't eat any of the sides that most BBQ restaurants offer. This restaurant was just like a few others we've been to where they don't let you order just the meat while dining in. However, our waitress allowed us to order from the "to-go" counter to get just the meat and eat it at the table. I know that many of you always ask what we eat when we go out so these posts will give you a glimpse into that. We normally only eat out while we are traveling.

After dinner we drove to our hotel in Townsend, TN (we stayed at Townsend Gateway Inn). 

Rocky Top

11.5 miles
Strenous

On Saturday we woke up and set out to hike Rocky Top. Thankfully this was only about a 20 minute drive from the hotel. We started this 11.5 mile hike at the Lead Cove Trailhead. It was pretty difficult and basically uphill the entire way to the top. This trail does join the Appalachian Trail for a few miles so I had to stop and take a picture for my dad!

Once at Spence Field it was another 1 mile to Rocky Top where it was cold and windy. We actually talked about quitting and turning around but we, of course, didn't. We hiked all the way to Rocky Top and we are glad we did!

On the way back down the mountain we met the nicest dad and daughter hiking duo. They were doing a two night trip in the park. I love seeing families spending time together outside! We meet some of the best people hiking and I can't wait to tell you more of their stories!

After finishing the hike we headed back into Gatlinburg (after picking up some Red Velvet Fudge!) to eat lunch. We were going to eat at Mellow Mushroom but it was almost impossible to get to the restaurant with traffic so we ate at Texas Roadhouse instead. After lunch we made the three hour drive back home.

I hope that this post, previous hiking posts I've written (you can find those here), and future posts will encourage you to get up and start moving. Don't limit yourself to the gym, running, or classes. Almost all of my best ideas come from when I am outside in nature, completely unplugged.

5 Things I Did {and Didn't Do} to Achieve My "Dream Body"

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After posting a few of my He and She Unfiltered posts I not only received a ton (and I mean A TON) of messages from people (especially other trainers) who struggle with the same thing but I also received questions from people asking me how I achieved this balance in the beginning. This is really asking me how I made my transformation. I've touched on it a little bit in other posts but I'll outline it here again.

I don't really like "Dream Body" but that's what first came to mind so I'm rolling with it, hoping this reaches someone trying to achieve that "Dream Body". I wouldn't say that the body that I have right now isn't my dream body. It isn't when I compare myself to others but it is when I'm focused on what my body is CAPABLE of. So, I guess it's safe to say that this was my "Dream Body" then and I still have my "Dream Body" - it's that my definition has changed.

I have made such amazing progress since posting about my body image issues - you can read about them here.

THIS is my DREAM BODY. I visit places that I dream about and use my body to explore them.

Zion National Park (Angels Landing Trail)

 Saying "I can't believe I just did that...", climbing the highest peak in the lower 48, Mount Whitney.

One of the prettiest places I've ever seen, Glacier National Park in Montana! 

I wasn't and I still am not very competitive. I never played sports in school. I did cheer and play softball for years but it was just a rec league. I never tried out for anything. I never worried about my weight or my appearance either. I was never that girl in the gym running for two hours and eating 800 calories. I never counted calories and cardio bored the crap out of me. It wasn't until my husband introduced me to weight lifting that I actually found something that I wanted to do. But even then I still wasn't competitive. People would tell me all the time "You should compete" but I have never wanted to do a competition. Nothing about getting up on a stage half naked, having my body compared and critiqued against others appealed to me. I want you to understand that this is coming from someone with a completely blank fitness and nutrition background - I wasn't your all-American athlete in school or someone who has struggled with body image issues before.

With that being said, after entering this "health and fitness world" and having people ask me questions about what I do I quickly learned that every one seems to be looking for that magic pill or the quick fix that will make all their worries and extra body fat disappear. Well, you probably know by now that there is no magic pill, it's all up to YOU.

This might surprise you but the first place you have to start is in your mind.

So, without further ado this is how I achieved the body of my dreams:

1. Positive Thinking AND Talking

When I decided to change my lifestyle I also changed my thoughts. I started looking at things from a different perspective. This isn't to say that it was all sunshine and rainbows but I always tried to find the good in whatever it was. I did this while working a high-stress job that I hated so I know that it can be done! I would also talk to myself. Yep, I would talk to myself. POSITIVELY. Even if it had nothing to do with being healthy - it could even just be "wow my hair looks good today" or something similar. I started each day with positive thoughts and talks!

2. One Day at a Time

I took it one day at a time. I didn't care what I was going to look like or be doing in a month or three months down the road. I was just living my life, talking and thinking positively and living in the moment. I did go on to prepare for a photo shoot (as the picture above shows) but that was only for a short period of time. The rest of the time was spent just living life. It was always just one foot in front of the other. One meal. One workout. One day. It was a lifestyle. There was NO finish line.

3. NOT Comparing Myself to Others

I started blogging about my journey in March 2012 on my personal blog and I didn't go back and read through all of the posts but from what I can remember (and what I saw) I only posted ONE picture of someone who I "wanted to look like". As I mentioned in my post on how getting into fitness ruined my body image, it wasn't until Instagram really took off in the fitness industry that I fell into the comparison trap and it's truly been one of the most difficult things I've had to deal with. I never thought anything could consume someone so much. I'm so thankful that I haven't lived my whole life like this though and really hope to help others work on getting out of this same trap. Bottom line - I didn't compare myself to others. I wasn't competing with anyone. I wasn't even competing with myself. I was just living a healthy lifestyle.

4. Hard Work

I worked hard. I loved it. I was passionate about it. I trained 4-6 days per week (4-6 days per week weight training and 2-3 days of cardio). I didn't ever "over-train" but I was pretty much always on target with my workouts. I also had a personal trainer for about three months before my photo shoot. Same thing with my eating. I didn't ever restrict my calories (again, I am NOT a girl that will starve herself to be thin) but was always on target with my meals and we didn't eat out often.

5. Determination AND Consistency

As the ones above show, I was (and still am) very determined and consistent. I never had a goal date or finish line when I started. I wanted to be happy and healthy. Giving up has never been an option. Sure, I'll skip a workout if I'm sick or just not feeling it but giving up on a healthy lifestyle is never going to happen. What would I be giving up on? Basically everything I love and enjoy. If you don't feel the same way you should try to find an exercise routine that you do enjoy (try one of our She Sweats workout plans!) and find healthy meals that you do love! To me, there is no other option.

To be completely honest with you though...

I don't know if I would have made the transformation I did if social media was the same back then (I know it was only 4 years ago but so much has changed - and I sound really old saying that). Social media is one of the main reasons that I fell into the comparison trap and why, for awhile, I was only accomplishing 3 out of these 5 things. I forgot the most important two...positive thinking and not comparing myself. Although I am healthy, a size four (definitely the smallest I've ever been, aside from my photo shoot), workout 4-6 days per week, and eat healthy I would still find myself falling into the comparison trap because of social media. I would not change anything about my journey because I consider everything a learning experience and I honestly think I went through this in order to help others. It's definitely been an amazing ride these last 4+ years and the fact that my husband and I still continue to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle shows that we have been successful!

Please use these tips and by learn how to love YOURSELF so you can be on your way to a healthy "Dream Body".

Eat Clean Meal Planning - Sample Meal Timing

Confused about when to eat? We transformed our lives eating every 2-3 hours like the schedule below (you can read about our transformation story here)! This schedule shows when we normally eat each day. Of course, you would need to adjust if you wake up earlier and/or go to bed earlier but typically you will want to eat within one hour of waking and continue eating every 2-3 hours during the day. Eating every 2-3 hours will help you from reaching that "starving" point where you want to eat every single thing in sight! Don't skip meals. You don't necessarily need to eat less - you need to eat right!

The basics:

• Eat every 2-3 hours
• Protein and fiber at every meal

Not sure about how much you need to eat? This article "Clean Eating: How Much Should You Eat" will tell you what you need to know!

These additional resources may help you:

• Clean Snack Ideas
• Clean Food to Keep at Your Office

Don't forget to check out our recipes in order to plan your meals for the week! We have you covered from the main dish to dessert!

Need personal coaching? Check out our coaching options here.