Food Prep + Tough Mudder Training

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Note: We're on Snapchat now! You can find us under hesheeatclean. We will be posting more of our meals, workouts, and money saving tips! Also, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!

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Normally we have a ton of food prepared for the week in advance. Not so much these last few weeks. If you follow us on Snapchat (hesheeatclean) or Instagram (heandsheeatclean) you know that we've been doing a TON of yard work since we got back from San Diego. Two weekends ago we had 50 bales of pinestraw, half a pallet of sod, and a ton of topsoil/dirt to spread. This past Saturday we dug up our entire backyard and put out fescue seed. We basically worked from sun up to sun down both days. We both actually really like this type of work but it is exhausting. We've also had a lot going on in other areas of our lives so things are a little more hectic than normal but that is what makes life interesting, right?!

I posted a lot of the pictures on Snapchat but forgot to save them to my phone (Snapchat newbie!) so this is the only one I have! All of this yard work is great training for Tough Mudder too, especially when it starts pouring on you! Saturday night our backyard was basically like our own Tough Mudder course.

So instead of a lot of food prepared for the week, I only had a little time (and energy) to make a few things. This is to show you that not every week is 100% but small efforts add up. It took me less than one hour to prepare boiled chicken, brown rice, asparagus, and chocolate chunk protein bars. I picked this because it is easy to prepare and you can eat it many different ways. I normally use our boiled chicken in Clean Eating Chicken Salad or Savory Chicken Casserole but those take more time than I wanted to spend. We also have TLS Protein Powder packets that we can use as a meal, if needed.

In other BIG NEWS...We are running the Tough Mudder again in ONE week! Tough Mudder graciously offered us free media passes and since we did it last year and absolutely loved it we decided to do it again! You can read about our experience last year here. This year we have a team so we are very excited to have a larger group!

You can learn more about Tough Mudder here

We stay in shape all year long but sometimes we tend to do slack on cardio (ahem, winter months when we don't hike as often). In order to prepare for the Tough Mudder we have been upping our cardio a bit. We started out doing the She Sweats 12-Week Run Builder when we got back from San Diego but recently transitioned into the She Sweats Extreme 4-Week Shred. Although this isn't a race, we need to improve our cardio anyway for our hiking trips coming up. The challenge is not to be taken lightly though, it is 10.8 miles with 22 obstacles! The obstacles for the Atlanta race include things like Arctic Enema (which was brutal last year), Everest, Cliff Hanger, and Mud Miles. Sounds fun, right?!

This was our "before and after" picture last year:

If you want to follow along, we will be posting a lot of pictures on social media (mostly on Snapchat under hesheeatclean) before and after the race (I'm not taking my phone on those obstacles!). Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Snapchat: hesheeatclean

As we mentioned, the event is a challenge, not a race. It is about teamwork above all else, and helping each other overcome their physical and mental obstacles as a team. When Scott and I participated last year we both had to encourage each other through many obstacles. What amazed me though was the support from people we had never even met. It truly felt like a community not a competition. I remember I needed help on the Everest obstacle and some men stayed at the top with Scott to grab me as I ran up, without their help I wouldn't have made it!

Remember to follow us on social media as we share our Tough Mudder experience with you! Check to see if a Tough Mudder is coming to a city near you, it's definitely a challenge that needs to go on your bucket list!

DISCLOSURE: We are receiving free entries to Tough Mudder Atlanta 2016. All opinions are 100% ours.

31-Day Squat Challenge

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Note: We're on Snapchat now! You can find us under hesheeatclean. We will be posting more of our meals, workouts, and money saving tips! Also, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!

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Seriously, time flies! I can't believe it's already time for a new challenge. It seems like yesterday I was writing the 30-Day Ab Challenge.

If you are advanced and this is too easy for you, you can double each day or add weights for an added challenge. If this is too difficult, cut the reps down and work your way up. This challenge is totally customizable based on your fitness level.

This challenge was designed to be something that you do in addition to your normal workout (which is hopefully one of our workout plans!). We have 4, 6, and 12 week workout plans for all fitness levels!

Stay updated on all of our current fitness challenges here. Tag us on Instagram and use the hashtag #heandsheeatclean so we can follow along!

Full Body Hiker Training

I'm a member of a lot of hiking groups on Facebook and one of the most common questions I see is how to train for hiking. Scott and I are avid hikers and we don't necessarily train for hiking, we just train, but basically what we do makes us better hikers.

RELATED: Read about our hiking adventures.

We workout similar to the way the She Sweats 12-Week Transformation is structured with weight training and cardio. Closer to a hiking trip, we may steer more towards the She Sweats 12-Week Run Builder, trading in some of the running for incline walking/sprints but we don't spend hours a day working out (unless we are hiking). It's just not necessary or healthy for most people.

While I do think it's important to follow a complete workout plan so that you are working the necessary muscles with proper rest, this workout will get you started and can then be incorporated into your workout plan.

Related: Try some of our incline cardio routines!

Having a strong core, back, and legs is key for hiking but that doesn't need you need to neglect your upper body. Doing things like bicep curls, tricep extensions, shoulder presses, etc will help you develop a strong upper body. If you have weights, try to incorporate these exercises into your routine as well. Again, I think it's key to follow a set workout plan (one that was developed by a personal trainer) so that you aren't over or under training any one body part.

RELATED: View upper body workouts here.

Take this workout and make it your own. You can use just your body weight or incorporate weights for an added challenge. Start with 20-30 seconds of each exercise or 10-15 reps. Repeat the circuit 3-5 times.

Keep in mind that training for hikes doesn't just stop at what exercises to do, it also involves healthy eating. You need to fuel your body with food that will sustain the activity you are trying to complete. We will be doing a series on what we pack for hikes but keep in mind that just because you are hiking doesn't mean that you need to eat candy, drink sports drinks, and/or eat a lot of processed foods. Fuel your body with the lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats that it needs.