Life is short make it count. #7

I have no idea what is going on in my life right now. I don't know whether to laugh or cry so sometimes I just do both. ;-) We thought we might be moving to Montana but we aren't so the search began for where the heck we are going to live after we close on March 10. Since last week we've made an offer on seven acres of land and they made a counter offer which we declined. We've admired this apartment complex that sits behind the minor league team we have here called the Gwinnett Braves. We always said we would live there temporarily if we needed to, well now is that time. We went and look at the apartments over the weekend and loved them except for all the ridiculous junk fees they charge for things like a cat. They charge the same for you to have a cat as they do for you to have a dog. There is no way I am going to pay $400 plus $30 per month for my cat to sleep 23 out of 24 hours of the day. The apartments are quite a bit more expensive than others in the area as well because they have views of the baseball stadium. Late that night after looking at the apartments I started browsing online again. For some reason the site I was using didn't have the "condo/town homes" checked as something I wanted to see results for. I checked that box and saw the most beautifully decorated and cared for townhouse I've ever seen. It's in a county that I said I would never live in again (the county where we grew up) but we are considering it. It wouldn't be something long term for us as we still want to build but we are entertaining the idea.

Like I said, I have no idea what is going on in my life right now. It's taken me days just to finish this post. ;-)

I did go run on Friday and posted this on Instagram and Facebook:

I must share. I ran 3.65 miles this afternoon. To some of you that might sound like a lot and to some of you that might not sound like very much. Guess what, I don't care either way. The point is what happened. I LOVE to run this neighborhood, it's full of hills and I LOVE hills. I can't stand to just run on flat ground. These hills are killer though & there's a lot of them. I went over there to just get outside because of everything we've had going on, I haven't had much time to spend outside and it was 72 degrees this afternoon. I wanted to run some & walk some, I didn't really care how much, I just wanted to move. I started running & decided I would run to the point where I would turn around (which was a little under 2 miles) & then walk back. The end though was straight uphill so once I got to the top I told myself might as well run back down because that's the easy part right?! Well, at the end of this downhill is the biggest uphill of the entire path. I told myself just make it up this hill, no matter how slow you go, and then you can start walking once you reach the top. Well, at the top I decided I should just keep going to hit 2.5 miles. Once I hit 2.5 miles I decided, well I should just run 3. Then I hit 3 and was about to reach another one of the biggest hills of the entire path so I just sprinted up it because I felt like it. All of this to say, your mind will try to give up before your body does. If anyone was actually listening to what was going on in my mind and how I was talking to myself they would have thought I was crazy! Not only did I run the entire thing but I did it in record time, faster than I ever have before...honestly, without even really "trying". Sure, I was running but I wasn't paying attention to my pace until it was over!

As many of you know, I'll hike 26 miles in one day but I only enjoy running in nice weather & when I want to. I'm not going to make myself run just because I think I should or because everyone else loves to run. I run when I want to because I want to! This just goes to show you that you don't have to rack up miles and pound the pavement day after day to actually be able to run & run fast!

I've been doing our She Sweats 12-Week Run Builder workout plan (but usually doing incline treadmill instead of the listed runs) and I am finally feeling good again after a very, very, very stressful year last year. I've been working out less and eating more since the beginning of the year. I'm not kidding when I say that once you give your body what it needs, it works FOR you instead of AGAINST you!

We also FINALLY get the chance to go hiking on Sunday. It was supposed to be a warm and sunny day but we were fogged in for the entire hike. I guess the warm and sunny part wasn't until later in the day. Oh well, we still had a great time. We did the 4.2 mile Blood Mountain hike on the Appalachian Trail. Below is the spooky picture that I took once were almost at the very top.

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Workouts

I'm still using the Run Builder as a guide but adjusting as I see fit. I don't really run that often (especially in less than ideal weather) so I normally swap out incline training and sprints for straight runs.

• Monday: HIIT Class (AM) + Arms (PM)
• Tuesday: 1 mile walk + Legs + 20 min cardio (treadmill at 11% incline/3.1 MPH)
• Wednesday: OFF + 2 mile walk
• Thursday: 2 mile walk + Back
• Friday: RAN 3.65 miles
• Saturday: Chest + Shoulders
• Sunday: 4.3 mile hike + 2.12 walk

Grocery Shopping

Visit this link for our shopping lists and this link for ways to save money grocery shopping.

Costco #1 (total $150.54):

• Organic Salsa $7.69
• Avocados $6.49
• Wild Tuna $14.99
• Cottage Cheese $4.99
• Organic Tortillas $5.59
• Brown Rice $12.39
• Ground Bison $19.99
• Pesticide Free Frozen Blueberries $11.89
• Beets $5.99 (on sale)
• Organic Chia Seeds $6 (on sale)
• Cage Free Egg Whites $8.99
• Lemons $6.99
• Organic Kale $13.47 (3 at $4.49)
• 5 dozen Cafe Free Eggs $8.59
• Organic Gala Apples $9.99

Publix (total $18.56):

• White Vinegar $2.19
• Unsweetened Almond Milk (2) $4.50 (2 at $2.25 each)
• Ezekiel English Muffins $5.35
• Cucumbers (2) $1.69
• Sweet Potatoes $3.14
• Organic Granny Smith Apple $1.11

Dining Out

• Chipotle (RELATED: 5 Chipotle Hacks)
• Yahoola Creek Grill (after hiking)

Food Prep

• Orange Chicken (recipe coming soon I promise!)
• Taco Meat
• Bison Burgers
• Sweet-Sweet Potato Cubes
• Brown Rice
• Boiled Eggs
• Chocolate Chunk Protein Bars

Items We Sold

• Golf Bag (Facebook Yard Sale Group) $45

Until next week, have a good one! Let us know if you ever have any questions or comments! I've loved hearing from you about the updates! Click here to read all of our updates.

Life is short make it count. #6

I posted the quote above on Instagram and Facebook last week and wanted to document it here too. I heard it in yoga a few weeks ago and it has been stuck in my head ever since. Sometimes I just find myself repeating it. Powerful words. Read all of our body image related posts here.

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On Monday I had to go buy a new dishwasher since ours conveniently quit working the week we went under contract. My dad and I went down to Lowe's to get one that I found online. It said they had it in stock and I had a coupon so I was all set, or so I thought. Once we got there they couldn't find either of the two they had in stock so they actually let me get one that was better (and $100 more) for the same price and I was still able to use the coupon. We LOVE the dishwasher, our buyer is lucky he is getting such an awesome quiet dishwasher haha. :)

As you can tell with our workouts lately, we've only been going to the gym four days per week. This is all we can handle right now and I'm actually loving it. We also try to do 1-2 days of cardio per week and the other 1-2 days are complete rest days. You will see that I normally walk on those days but that's it. I'm not running or going to the gym. I just like to walk during the day to get outside and move around a bit. I posted the picture below on Snapchat (hesheeatclean), it's true that my "New Years Resolution" was to eat more and workout less.

Scott's birthday was Friday. He turned 34. Not really sure how that happened but I can't believe he's 34. As you probably gathered from previous posts, we don't really celebrate many holidays or birthdays the way others do. We don't buy each other gifts or make a big deal out of things. Scott wanted to go to Whole Foods to eat so that's what we did! He loves to go there because he can get many different things (he normally builds a salad, gets BBQ, wings, and occasionally a piece of pizza and cookie!). We also stopped by Costco quickly on our way home. We planned on hiking on Saturday but changed our mind. After the gym, we went to a nearby neighborhood that's really hilly to run, walk, and do hill sprints. We are hoping we can truly go hiking next weekend. Fingers crossed the weather forecast stays sunny and warm!

Be sure to follow us on the following social media accounts (and snapchat under hesheeatclean) and also sign up for our newsletter so you never miss anything!

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Workouts

I'm still using the Run Builder as a guide but adjusting as I see fit. I don't really run that often (especially in less than ideal weather) so I normally swap out incline training and sprints for straight runs.

• Monday: HIIT Class (AM) + Arms (PM)
• Tuesday: 2 mile walk + Legs + 10 min stair climber
• Wednesday: OFF + 3.5 mile walk
• Thursday: 1 mile walk + Chest/Shoulders + 15 min cardio
• Friday: OFF + 1 mile walk
• Saturday: Back/Legs + 3.5 mile run/walk outside
• Sunday: 4 mile run/walk/hike outside

Movie Watched:

• The Impossible - This was really good! It was about a family that survived the tsunami in Thailand in 2004.

RELATED: How We Ditched Cable TV but Still Watch Our Favorite Shows & Sports

Book Finished:

• The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines - so good!

RELATED: 4 Books Everyone Should Read

* This post contains affiliate links which means that we may get a small commission if you purchase from these links. It does not cost you any extra but helps us produce the free content on this website. Thank you. :)

Grocery Shopping

Visit this link for our shopping lists and this link for ways to save money grocery shopping.

Publix (total $20.28):

I went to Publix to get ground chicken breasts since one near us carries it again! This means we won't have to make them grind it for us in the store (which they did but I don't think they were too happy about). I'm not sure if it just had the wrong price on it or what but the chicken rang up for a lot more than the sticker so I ended up getting them at the lower price plus a free pound because it was wrong! I'm slowly making up for having to buy that dishwasher. ;-)

• Banana/Mixed Berry Baby Food 3 at $1.19 each
• Daisy Cottage Cheese $2.09 (on sale)
• Perdue Ground Chicken Breasts 3 at $3.79 each
• Unsweetened Almond Milk $2.45 (on sale)

Publix #2 (total $57.68):

Our Publix had a special where if you purchase $50 or more in grocery you can buy a $50 gas card for $40. We do every single time they offer it because it's truly getting $10 off just by buying what we already needed. Springer mountain farms chicken was BOGO so that is why this bill was so expensive - I stocked up!

• 100% Orange Juice $3.29
• Ezekiel English Muffins $5.35
• Waters $3.48 (4 at $0.67)
• Cucumbers $1.69
• Sweet Potatoes $3.02
• Springer Mountain Farms Chicken Breasts $39.17 (BOGO)

Costco ($95.16):

• Lemons $6.99
• Avocados $6.49
• Cottage Cheese $4.99
• Organic Maple Syrup $10.99
• Organic Kale $8.98 (2 at $4.49)
• Mighty Greens Juice $20.07 (3 at $6.69 on sale)
• Liquid Egg Whites $8.99
• Organic Peanut Butter $9.99
• Tomatoes $6.49
• 5 Dozen Eggs $8.59

Whole Foods ($22.54)

• Sirloin Steak $6.60
• Fuji Apples $4.36
• Siggis Yogurt $5.00 (2 at $2.50)
• Grapefruit $1.63
• Cookies $3.41

Dining Out

• Whole Foods $30.91 (two salads with chicken + beer + Brown Rice/Quinoa Avocado Tuna Roll to go)

Food Prep

• Chocolate Chunk Protein Bars
• Sweet-Sweet Potato Cubes
• Taco Soup
• Ground Chicken seasoned with DIY Taco Seasoning

Until next week, have a good one! Let us know if you ever have any questions or comments! I've loved hearing from you about the updates! Click here to read all of our updates.

10 Things to Get Rid of for a Clutter-Free Home

I've received quite a few messages regarding all of the clutter clearing and purging we have been doing (see our weekly updates). I wanted to take this opportunity to share just a few things that you can easily go through and get rid of to start your journey. While some items (sentimental items like pictures, notes, etc.) will be harder to get rid of than others this list is pretty neutral so you should be able to clear these out without much struggle. ;-) We will be sharing much more on this topic soon but use this list to get started. I've also included where you can check the items off as you complete them! You can make your own timeframe goal, for example, you could do one checklist item each day and be well on your way in 10 days!

Just as it is with fitness, the hardest part tends to be maintaining. After you have cleared all 10 items off the checklist, set aside some time each week to make sure you are up to date on things like paperwork and maybe even take a second look through your closet!

You may also be interested in our money saving challenges and tips!

10 Things to Get Rid of for a Clutter-Free Home

1. Piled up paperwork

Everyone hates piled up paperwork but it seems to happen often and quickly for most people. Even if you don't have time to go through every item each day, you can sort them and throw away/recycle the trash and place the important items in a folder to sort at least once a week.

2. Old or unread magazines

How many stacks of magazines do you have that you just held onto for one reason or another? I'll raise my hand here! I recycled stacks and stacks of magazines a few months ago. You can find almost anything online now and even if you wanted to try something out of those magazines, it obviously wasn't important to you because it has just been collecting dust. If you want to take the time to go through the magazines and get the tips, recipes, etc that you want, that's up to you but I recommend just tossing them.

3. Expired food

Take a quick sweep of your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. While I don't believe in all expiration dates, many are important. Take this time clean out your food supply.

RELATED: How to eat healthy on a budget

4. Duplicate kitchen items

The overload of items I found while clearing our kitchen was just disgusting to me. I got rid of all of our duplicate items and cut way back on how many plates, bowls, cups, etc that we kept. We haven't missed anything so far. There are a lot of people out there who would love to have some of the items we take for granted. If you aren't using what you have, donate it so someone else can! Take a good look at your items like whisks, measuring cups, knives, etc.

5. Broken items (toys, jewelry, etc)

This one sounds easy but many times we set broken things aside to fix them and never do. I am all for fixing something that is broken and using it but if things seem to pile up around you and you never get around to fixing said items, give them to someone who can or recycle them. Don't hold onto things because you feel bad for tossing them. Even if you don't realize it, your things are weighing you down.

6. Dust collectors (fake plants, decor on top of cabinets, trinkets, etc)

How often do you dust those fake plants and flowers you have? What about the collection of baskets, fake fruit, or other trinkets you have on top of your kitchen cabinets, inside your China cabinet, and in other numerous places around your house? If you aren't going to take care of it (i.e. dusting it), get rid of it. Not only will it make your home clutter-free but it will likely help your allergies also. ;-)

7. Expired cosmetics (dried nail polish too!)

I had a bad habit of holding onto those small travel sized items from hotels. I had so many and just kept adding to the pile each time. If they aren't expired, find someone who can use these, contact your local women's shelters, homeless shelters, or donate them.

8. Pens, pencils, markers that no longer work

This is another one that sounds easy but tends to be overlooked! Go through your collection of writing utensils. Immediately toss the ones that no longer work. After you have tossed those, take a close look at what you have left. If you have a ton of supplies, donate them to a local school!

9. Owners manuals & guides

Do you have owners manuals and guides scatter in different drawers around your house? When was the last time you actually used one? When something goes wrong most of us just pull out our phone or computer and google what we need. We had some manuals to items that we didn't even own anymore! Almost everything can be found online but if you are too nervous to toss some of them, keep them all in one place and discard the ones that are no longer relevant.

10. Clothing and shoes that no longer fit

This one might take you a little longer than the others but it's important. While I will go deeper into clothing and shoes in another post, now is the time to get rid of those clothes that you KNOW are too big or too small. You don't have to go through each item right now, only those that you are hanging onto that do not fit. Let go of what you "used to be" or what size "you want to be". Being happy and healthy is more important than a size. If you do NEED to lose weight, you can always purchase staple items after you lose the weight. You can even try to purchase those from a second-hand store.

Remember the whole point here is to get rid of things you no longer use. You don't have to get rid of your favorite decoration, pen, or pair of pants. We take a lot of things for granted so let go of what you don't use and give someone who might not have much the opportunity to actually use it.

Use the checklist below as you complete each task. Print it off and hang it up for motivation!

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