Life is Short Make it Count. #20

Climbing Mt LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Let's see, it's been more than a week since my last update. A few things have changed but most have remained the same. :) I start coaching (very part time) for an organization called Playball, which is a kids sports program. I'm LOVING it so far. I spend a few hours each week in daycares/pre-k teaching kids (2-8) movement and sports skills.

On the home front, we hired someone to come and "frame" our bathroom mirrors and extend our chair railing. I'm told it's pretty easy to frame mirrors yourself but we are not skilled in that area nor do we have any tools. We love the way it turned out. We are just waiting on painters to come out and paint the chair railing and our living room as an accent or we may end up doing it ourselves. Below is a picture of the guest bathroom. It's not a good picture because I just took it to send a friend but figured I would share it here also. We actually did make those shelves ourselves, I'll share that DIY tutorial soon!

We did do something that's a constant in our life though, we went hiking. Surprise! A few weekends ago (on August 5) we went back to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and hiked over 13 miles (again)! We just couldn't stay away with the amazing weather we've had. We wake up super early and drive over 2.5 hours each way in one day to hike. We climbed Mt LeConte which started out really foggy but made for some great pictures! The Mt LeConte hike is 11 miles and gaines over 2,700 ft in elevation! After lunch, we drove up to Clingmans Dome and did a few miles on the Appalachian Trail.

Climbing Mt LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Climbing Mt LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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Workouts

I'm still going to boot camp with my neighbor and walking the hill in my neighborhood at least once a day. We've also started running more frequently, although it's so hard when it's hot and humid! My plan is to do boot camp until our hiking trip and then when we get back do the She Sweats 12- Week Run Builder program again.

Grocery Shopping/Food Prep

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

I won't bore you with our food prep and grocery shopping because it's basically the same as it has been for the last six years. :) We did hit up Chipotle on Sunday (on our way to Costco, of course!). We haven't been there lately because we've been going to Moe's and trying to limit our dining out but we had a BOGO coupon so we used it! Some days we get a burrito and some days we get a burrito bowl. Sunday it was kind of a mix...did you know you can get tortilla(s) on the side? We do this and make our own sort of burrito or just put a lot of guacamole in it & eat it. ;-) Read our 5 Chipotle Hacks here.

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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.

Bodyweight Tabata Workout + Brownie Batter Protein Shake

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of AllWhites® 100% liquid egg whites. The opinions and text are all mine.

I can't believe it was April when we shared our last Ladder Workout Challenge and Banana-Blueberry Oatmeal Recipe! I feel like I say it all the time but time FLIES! We're back with a new workout and new recipe! Let's start with the workout...

This style of workout is tabata style. Tabata training is a great way to get your heart rate up quickly and then recover. You will do each exercise for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds. There are four circuits and if you repeat each one eight times this is a 32-minute workout. If you can't make it through eight rounds of each circuit, start with just doing four rounds for a 16-minute workout. This is your workout so you choose how you want to complete it. Make sure you push yourself but also use proper form. Safety first!

Most of the exercises you already know how to do but below are a few explanations if you need a little guidance.

Burpees:

1. Squat with your hands on the ground in front of you
2. Kick your feet back into plank position
3. Do a push-up (if you are up for the challenge!)
4. Quickly return to the squat position
5. Jump as high as you can as you stand back up

Jump Squat:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
2. Lower into a squat position
3. Jump quickly straight up into the air
4. When you land, lower back into the squat position
5. Land quietly and softly

Planks (also check out this post!):

1. Get into push-up position. Lower onto your elbows.
2. With your knees and arms around shoulder-width apart hold this position as long as possible with good form.
3. Your shoulders should be in line with your elbows.
4. Engage your core by drawing your stomach in, careful not to sag or bend your bottom.

Now that you've worked up an appetite, it's time for a post-workout meal to help you recover! After my workouts, I always stretch and eat! I threw this shake together with things that we already had in our pantry! We always have AllWhites 100% liquid egg whites on hand because we use them for scrambled eggs, baking, and for adding to protein shakes! AllWhites are a convenient, fat-free, cholesterol-free and low-calorie source of lean protein. They are very convenient to use when you don't want or need to use whole eggs. The best part is that they are pasteurized for safety so you CAN use them uncooked (in protein shakes, for example!).

Brownie Batter Protein Shake

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 3 Tbsp AllWhites® 100% liquid egg whites
• 1/2 cup water or unsweetened almond milk
• Stevia or sweetener of your choice

Directions: Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend. Enjoy! :)

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Ready for a fun giveaway that, if you win, will get you set up with a personal smoothie blender AND a SPIbelt running belt?! All you have to do is comment on this post to win. Let us know how you use liquid egg whites or how you plan on incorporating them into your meals.

** Open to US citizens only - 18 or older. Open to men and women. Winner will be selected using random.org. Leave your comment by 11:59 EST on September 1, 2017 in order to be eligible.

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A Letter To My Parents

These things have been on my mind a lot lately and I've been wanting to write this post for a long time! I figured with school starting back for many people, now would be the best time. I'm not saying that I had perfect parents (no one is a perfect parent!) growing up but they were pretty close!

As an adult now, these are the things I'm most thankful for:

• Thank you for not pressuring us to get all A's.

You understood the fact that the grade doesn't always reflect what we learned. You didn't want us failing but you also didn't put pressure on us to get "perfect" grades.

• Thank you for not pressuring us to get perfect attendance.

Some of my favorite memories happened when we were with family during school days. Some of those family members are no longer with us and I am so thankful that I have these memories to hold onto. Nothing can take those memories from me and I can guarantee you that I learned more with them than I would have at school.

• Thank you for making us work when we were 2 (ummm I mean 15). ;-)

From helping on the farm to washing windows at church to help pay to go on a mission trip to working after school, we learned something at every "job". We've been working since we could walk, some of it we even put on ourselves like the Sunshine Cleaning Service and (surprise) we had a monthly "family" newsletter (I wonder where my writing came from?).

• Thank you for making us pay for our own car insurance.

Although sometimes I felt like I was just working to pay for insurance it helped reinforce the fact that nothing is free. To those of you reading this that are thinking we had fancy cars...trust me, we didn't.

• Thank you for teaching us the value of a dollar.

I think I've already shared my cash box story. I also remember receiving used movies for Christmas. And tons of hand-me-downs.

• Thank you for not letting us grow up too fast.

We weren't allowed to shave, wear makeup, date, etc. until a certain age. Although some exceptions were made I'm glad boundaries were set.

• Thank you for not buying us a toy every time we went somewhere.

I actually don't even remember going anywhere that would sell toys. Did we ever even go to Toys R Us? I don't think I've ever been in that store.

• Thank you for not taking us shopping every weekend.

See point above, I don't remember ever going shopping as a kid and I'm thankful for that. My memories consist of playing outside (swimming, running around, playing kick the can) and spending time with family.

• Thank you for not letting us grow up in front of the TV.

We did watch TV, usually as a family. I remember Saved by the Bell and Home Improvement the most.

• Thank you for following through with your punishments.

If you said we were grounded, we were grounded. Following through with what you said you were going to do make us actually realize there were consequences, although we weren't happy at the time.

• Thank you for not carrying "what everyone else's" mom or dad was doing.

This taught us to not care what other people thought about us once we got older. I may have taken that to the extreme but I believe it's a good trait to have if I do say so myself.

• Thank you for never trying to "keep up with the Joneses".

I don't know what kind of house or cars my friends' parents had, I just remember playing with my friends. You didn't raise us to care about what someone had or didn't have. You never made comments about other families. You never tried to outdo anyone.

Dad - I'm glad I'm like you. I get my extreme shyness, work ethic, not caring what anyone thinks of me, and my sense of adventure from you. I'm proud of you for all that you have accomplished. I'm thankful that you got us up each morning, made sure we were getting ready for school and then went and worked outside all day in the Georgia heat (and cold). What I'm most proud of is you hiking over 1,800 miles on the Appalachian Trail, when you were in your 60s and after having open heart surgery. You wanted to do that since 1972 when you were in the Marines (Oohrah!) and never gave up on that dream.

Mom - I'm glad I'm like you. I get my work ethic, love of family, and generosity from you. I'm proud for all that you have accomplished. You NEVER quit working, which is a good and bad thing. I'm also very glad that you had us stay with your mom and dad growing up. We learned so much from them. You took care of your parents (along with other family members) without question when the time came. You give people a place to stay who need it. You look for the best in people. Did I mention you never quit working? I think you have 3 jobs right now?

In general, thank you for not being so hard on us. You didn't let us get away with not trying but you also didn't expect perfection in every single thing about our lives. I'd say you did a pretty good job on me and "the favorite" daughter, Ashley. :-)