4 Books That Every Single Person Should Read

As we go into the new year, I wanted to take this time to share with you a few of our favorite books. As you may have noticed over the last year or two, we've moved away from being a website totally focused on clean eating and working out to a website that also incorporates another very important part of our lifestyle which we refer to as minimalism. You can read more about what that means to us here and here. Not all of these books are new books but they are the ones that we personally love. Take our word for it when we say you should read them...they are definitely worth your time!

I've shared these books a few times on Snapchat (hesheeatclean) and Instagram Stories and always get a lot of questions so I wanted to do a "real" post here too. Enjoy! :)

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Here's Rambo in front of the books, not pictured is Better Than Before because I only have the Kindle version of that.

4 Books Every Single Person Should Read

*single: not as in relationship status ;-)

The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own - Joshua Becker

If you are new to the concept of minimalism or even just living within your means this is a must-read book. If you already consider yourself a minimalist this is still a must-read book! I was able to get an advanced reading copy before it was released (and it was signed!) and I could not put it down. I finished the book in one day which is almost unheard of for me. The author, Joshua Becker, is a father of two and the creator of BecomingMinimalist.com and one of my favorites because he is so easily relatable. Minimalism doesn't necessarily mean living out of a suitcase, living in a tiny home, only having white furniture, etc. He shares his story and shows you how you can also find the life you want under everything you own!

This book helps you (as seen on the back of the book and I can attest to as well):

• Recognize the life-giving benefits of owning less
• Realize how all the stuff you own keeps you from pursuing your dreams
• Craft a personal, practical approach to decluttering your home and life
• Experience the joys of generosity
• Learn why the best part of minimalism isn't a clean house, it's a full life

Essentialism - Greg McKeown

I'll admit, this was my favorite book before Joshua Becker released his book The More of Less. Now I can't truly pick a favorite! I know I've mentioned numerous times that I think that the best way to live your life is to not care about what other people think of you and quit being a "people pleaser". I remember reading this book the first time and thinking...I've said that a million times. ;-)

As found in the book, essentialism isn't about getting done in less time. It's about getting only the right things done. If you feel any of the following questions pertain to your life, you definitely need to read this book ASAP!

• Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin?
• Do you simultaneously feel overworked and underutilized?
• Are you often busy but not productive?
• Do you feel like your time is constantly being hijacked by other people's agendas?

Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits -- to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life - Gretchen Rubin

This book is everything. If you truly want to change your life, you must change your habits. This book will help you learn how to make your habits work for you. Many times, it's best to embrace who you are and how you do things instead of trying to change. This book has made me completely obsessed with learning everything I can about our habits. In order for us to be better parents, sons or daughters, friends, teachers, coaches, etc we must learn how people react to certain things and form habits. We can’t just expect everyone to be like us.

• Do you know those people who train for a half marathon or marathon and then never run again?
• Do you know those people who will do something that someone else wants them to do but nothing they want to do for themselves?
• Can you really wake up early to workout if you are not a morning person?
• Can you even train yourself to be a morning person?
• Why can some people develop habits that others can’t?
• Why do some things seem so easy to some people, yet so difficult to others?

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! - Robert T. Kiyosaki

It has always frustrated me that our schools typically do not teach kids how to manage their money. Kids go all the way through high school maybe taking one or two classes on finances. Then they go to college and unless their major is related, they still do not take any classes on how to manage their money. This HAS to change. I see it all the time where people don't know how to do a budget, they don't know how to balance their bank account, they have no idea that they don't have to live paycheck-to-paycheck. 

Rich Dad Poor Dad will (as listed on the book):

• Explode the myth that you need to earn a high income to become rich
• Challenge the belief that your house is an asset
• Show parents why they can't rely on the school system to teach their kids about money
• Define once and for all an asset and a liability
• Teach you what to teach your kids about money for their future financial success

Chime in and let me know what your favorites books are. Have you read any of these?

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.