Connect the Dots Ginger | Becky Allen

Friday, September 19, 2014

Yesterdays Little Adventure


Many of you saw the picture I posted on FB yesterday about me being in the hospital, yep the stinking hospital! Well here is the whole story!

Collin woke me up around 5:30am to feed and I got up to nurse him. As I sat up I had this sharp pain in my back and front, and actually going through me. It felt like I had a rod going through my body from my right sacrum to my lower abdomen. I fed Collin and just dealt with it. I went to the bathroom thinking it might be gas and tried to rub my belly. That didn't help. When I got back in bed I started shaking, violently and the pain became more intense. I called Matt and had him come home from work. I went and got in a scorching hot bath for about an hour, with the jets on to help massage the pain out. It didn't work.

We decided, since my sacrum was involved and doesn't really hold my adjustments very well that we should go to my chiropractor to see if it was just my hip severely out. We showed up without an appointment at 8:30 and they got me in as fast as possible. I was right that my hip was really out of place. The way I was getting up to nurse Collin was just not a good way for my body. So they readjusted me and got me back to normal. But I still had lower abdominal pain.

So we then decided to go to my Ob/GYN to check for an eptoptic pregnancy. In the car between the Chiropractor and my OB I started getting super hot! I had still be shaking and now had dizziness and nausea. I had just started my first cycle this month and the numbers were kind of adding up. Again we went there and they squeezed me in. (All the while Matt had both boys in the car! Such a trooper!) I got in there and they took my temp and I was 102.4. I saw the OB and he check me and no pregnancy but based off the exam and the fever he advised me to go to the ER now for possible appendicitis.

So off to the ER we went. They again checked my temp and it was holding strong at 102.4. I got back to my little suite and and was told I wasn't allowed to drink anymore water then the waiting began. Doc came in and did a small exam. He said I will need a CT scan to check the appendix to see if it is in fact inflamed. He said that in the past when people came in with my symptoms that they just went straight in for surgery but not anymore. They might not know exactly what the appendix is for but they try to keep it in you if they can.

So I got my lovely IV, ( I hate needles and IV. They make me squirm!) Along with anti-neasea and pain relief drugs. And shortly after that they had me drink this lovely HUGE 32 oz orange drink that tasted like tang and had to wait at least an hour before I could have the CT scan. Matt took the boys to the cafeteria and I got some rest while they were gone cause the small dose of morphine knocked me out! After Matt got back we called a friend to help with Mason. She came and picked him up and so we just had Collin with us and he just slept the rest of the time. Not sure if he got some of the morphine or not but he was so good. (He usually is!)

Finally it was time for the scan and then more waiting as we waited for the results. Doc came in and said that I looked normal. All the organs look fine and they couldn't see what was causing the pain. He said, "Well, we know what it isn't." He advised me to go home and rest and if it got any worse to come back in. I was told to take some Ibuprofen. While I was in the hospital my fever went away and by the time we got home though it was back in full force!

I told Matt that if I have to go back for them not to give me any morphine because we don't know if that helped reduce the size of my appendix if that truly was the problem or not. Anyhew we picked up Mason and a friend brought us dinner, so nice of her and I rested the rest of the night. I woke up completely soaked in sweat 3 times during the night. Matt even changed the pillow case because it was so soaked. I think my high fever finally broke around 4am.

Today I still have lower abdominal pain but it isn't as bad as yesterday. I feel week and just out of it. Even if it wasn't appendicitis it was something. I wouldn't have had that high of a fever for nothing. (I don't know the last time I ever had a fever that hight!) Oh, the doc did say that my white blood count was high so my body is fighting something. So I am taking it easy today. Probably won't do the ab workouts for the next few days to let that get better. I have a nice little bruise where the IV was, plus where they did the first stick for the IV that didn't work. I am keeping an eye on it and how I feel. I pray it doesn't get any worse. But I sure would love to know what caused it or what not. I have changed my eating (way more healthy) and am doing a different workout but I seriously doubt that that is what caused me to spike a seriously high fever!

It was not that respiratory thing that is going around. I have no cough, or breathing issues. It was purely lower abdominal pain! So there is the story. My little adventure!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

My PiYo Review and Results!

Day 60 has come and gone for me on PiYo already! First off, that was a fast 60 days. Secondly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! PiYo is fairly easy to follow! There are really only a few moves that I really struggled with but with time I was able to figure out what modifications I should make that fit me.

Example: I used Yoga blocks instead of a chair to get a further stretch and to learn how to use more upper body strength for some of the moves like 3 point balance Crouching crow. It is a little scary on the blocks though because they wobble with me and are not stable so make sure you have a good strong foundation of your own balance before you go for a harder modification!

Downward dog split and with open hip is still my least favorite positions. I can't lift my leg very high, um cause I am having to do the splits while my head is hanging down and such, but I noticed that I was able to hold the pose longer each time I did it. (Which is in almost every workout!)

Favorite positions: Child's pose, cause it is a rest position. Pigeon has always been my fav too because it just stretches the IT band like nothing else. I could sit in that position all day long because it is that nice and wonderful. Even when I lean and stretch into it more it is more wonderful. And surprisingly I have really learned to love and see downward dog not as a hard position but truly as a rest position. Which it should be. I have learned to trust my body and put most of the weight on my legs and not on my shoulders and wrists. By shifting my body and making my legs hold more weight (meaning, I just ground my legs more and keep them tight and flexed) I can hold that position much longer and comfortably.
RESULTS:  CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY PICTURES! In the 60 days I did not lose any weight. I actually gained 1.7 lbs...in muscle. How do I know it was muscle, because I lost inches. Which means that I lost fat. I lost 8.5 inches to be exact! YEA! With that said, working out is hard. And even I hit a point where I wanted to do something different (check out the new Beachbody On Demand All Access Pass where you get access to over 40 FULL workout programs and bonus materials plus new workouts when they are released too!), but I had committed to doing this and only this for 60 days. Did I workout every day? No. I did miss some workouts and that obviously hindered my results. But I worked out most of the time and still got great results. And this is why I am moving on to 21 day fix. I have the workout stuff done but the eating is what I am having a hard time with.

How Hard is PiYo: I felt that PiYo was great for me because I was already used to most of the moves used in it. I did prenatal yoga for 30 weeks while pregnant and I often got to work one on one with my yoga instructor so she helped me know and get better with the positions. I have heard from other people that they are having a hard time with PiYo. You will sweat. Your arms will ache. You butt will burn and your core will hurt. Just because you aren't using weights doesn't mean you aren't burning a ton of calories! I promise you that if you listen to Chalene and do as she instructs you, you will get better. I know I am more flexible than I was before. I can't do the splits but I am able to stretch deeper at the end of workouts. It is just easier to fold over! My back no longer hurts and I know when I am using my core because it is stronger and I can feel it. I really do recommend this program to runners because it will help to lengthen and strengthen you hamstrings and core! I felt pretty good after my race, which I did not really run for training. I was doing this and I survived and felt strong finishing!
Oh Chalene, you're so funny!: I really loved all the inspirational things that Chalene says during the videos. Some of them just make me start to laugh and help get me past the discomfort I am feeling. Example: "Feel that! That's like an epidural. Your leg is as numb as an epidural. Ok let's get the feeling back in your leg! SQUAT!" "Best revenge on anyone is looking amazing!" and last "DROP IT LIKE ITS HOT!" (She says that a lot!) Oh and when you get child's pose you are supposed to say "Thank you!" Which you will do after awhile without even thinking of it because it just feels so good to rest!

Final thoughts: PiYo is great. It will help you tone up your arms and legs because you are using them doing mini squats a lot and holding up your own body weight. You will get more flexible too as long as you push yourself. It just takes some time to master the moves and I will honestly be using the workouts again in my rotation of workouts because they really are that great! My favs, Buns and Core!

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! Don't forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

Monday, September 15, 2014

September Week 2 Recap


Sick, Sick, Sick has been the name of the game here in the Allen household! The week started out great then Wednesday Mason was hit with a bug. He was sporting a fever (not sure what it went to, didn't check but high enough to register that he was pretty warm.) The we all started dropping like flies! Matt stayed home on Wednesday to help out so that I could try to quarantine him from Collin and such but that just made it possible for Matt to be sick by Friday with a fever. Oh and the quarantine didn't quite work. Collin got it too.

So Collin has been an awesome baby! He started sleeping through the night since 3 weeks old. So I have no right to complain. I am so thankful though that he sleeps at night because living like this everyday would be so hard. You mommas that don't get sleep, I remember that, from Mason and it isn't fun. You are so strong and powerful and I fully feel for you. I did get a little taste of lack of sleep though. Thursday night he was up every hour whining, fussing or crying. I totally understand. Being sick sucks, especially since we couldn't give him medicine for him like we can big brother. So Thursday night into Friday morning I only got about an hour combined of sleep that night. I ain't gonna lie, Friday sucked for me! And with Matt being sick and Mason still in recovery I was exhausted. Friday night was better but only got about 3 hours of sleep. By Saturday afternoon, we all crashed, expect for Matt and Mason, Collin and I slept from 3pm-7pm. We were all back in bed by 10pm to sleep for the night. Collin woke up early Sunday morn at 2:30 to feed and then was out agin till the morning.

Noticed how I haven't written about me. Well, I am not quite out of the woods yet. I doubled up on my Shakeology, (2 shakes a day) for 2 days just to give me a boost in my own immunity and to help boost Collin up too. I think it really did work. I only started to feel sick yesterday but it wasn't too bad. I have had a stuffed up nose, but never really had a fever and have felt fairly ok. (except for the sleeping thing.) I have been more physically exhausted more than anything. So no early Saturday run for me. Sleep was more important to me because I wasn't getting it. And workouts suffered this week too, because well, I was exhausted and dealing with my sick kiddos. (Nothing worse then having sick kids and seeing them suffer from it, that is what is really hard about being a parent. Not being able to help them when they need it.)

On the bright side, I might not have worked out, but I have been eating fairly clean. (I did go to a baby shower on Saturday and had some cake and other goodies but I watched what I ate and didn't overdo it) I haven't gained any weight. So I consider that a "good job Becky moment!"
OHHHHH! AND...I was just accepted as an Ambassador with FitFluential! "FitFluential is a nationwide network of highly influential fitness enthusiasts sharing their journey both online and offline through multiple social media platforms. Founded in April of 2011 by Kelly Olexa, FitFluential was designed to connect health and wellness brands with their ideal target market through customized, long-term experiential and contextual marketing campaigns. - See more at: http://fitfluential.com/about/

Workout Recap: 
 Sunday: rest
Monday: core
Tuesday: Drench
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: rest
Friday: rest
Saturday: REST

Goals for next week: 
1) Start my 21 Day Fix program, so I am a week ahead of everyone to actually offer my help an know what I am talking about. I am big on practice what you preach!
2) EAT CLEAN! Cut the crap out and eat what I need to.
3) Saturday morning run of 3.5 miles. Also try to schedule in 2 mid-week runs. Need to figure out that still! So I don't run at 5am. It really would be a great time, but should I wake Collin up and nurse him then go for a run??? I can't run being super full and Collin won't take a bottle for me to pump, and I don't want to pump and dump because he needs the milk from sleeping all night and not feeding during the night. My other option would be to run later at night and now that it is getting cooler that might be an option. But running later in the day is hard! Any ideas from other mother's out there??? Comment below!

Also I am still accepting requests to join my 21 Days To Great Private Facebook Group! If you need help taking that first step into a lifestyle change sign up below. If you don't know where to start with exercising or dieting, sign up below. If you just want to talk and share your ideas on how to lose weight. Let me know! I will send you an email and we can chat!

Thursday, September 11, 2014

9/11 - Never Forget


Today is a day of remembrance. A day to be thankful for the freedoms that we have. A day to know that we will stand up to terrorism. A day that I will never forget how many flags flew on the houses after the towers fell, after the Pentagon was damaged and the plane crashed that was meant for its target but taken down by those brave passengers, to show that WE ARE PROUD AMERICANS and we will not be silenced! We will not be brought down. We will mourn though for those lost. We will pray for the families still affected and we will never forget this day. Much like its predecessor Pearl Harbor this is a day that will always be remembered, even the smallest detail will be remembered. And it is our duty to teach our children and to help them remember and honor the memories and this day.
I wrote this on Facebook but thought I should do it here as well. I was eating breakfast with my roommates at Denny's and we were told by our server to come see the TV because a plane just went in to one of the Towers. We rushed home and watched both towers fall. All of us in shock about what happened and what was going to happen next. Then later that day, I still had to go to Marching Band practice. Coach sat us down to talk about what happened and having a moment of silence for all affected. During the moment of silence F-16's flew over head, freaking us all out silently since planes were not allowed to fly. It is amazing how one day can leave such a clear impression on you. Praying for the families of those who were lost and for those affected by this day 13 years ago.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

On To The Next

So I am in the finally countdown to PiYo. I only have 1 more week to go and I have finished it. I will have my full review coming up of it. So far what I have learned is that I can work out. Pushing play is the easy part. But the eating, that is where I really struggle. I not longer crave sugar and sweets, and salty foods but that doesn't mean I still don't like to eat them and find join in them. It has been one thing after another though with me, and I am finding an excuse to eating what I want to eat. this is the last time I will eat this, or why not? Are my current excuses. So what better way to kick the habit than finding a new fix. SO here comes my next project 21 Day Fix. This is the original program my coach recommend me but I was too scared to try it, because A) I didn't trust that I would follow it, and B) I made an excuse. I can't do that while nursing... WHY NOT! I know how many more calories to eat so I follow the appropriate guide for the calories I need. So here it is! My next project. I still plan on doing some PiYo training in it because I really loved some of the workouts. BUNS for sure and CORE is amazing too! 




What is 21 Day Fix?

21 Day Fix is a nutrition and fitness program that makes losing weight so simple, anyone can do it. Easy-to-follow portion control and 30-minute workouts take the guesswork out of losing weight to help you see results fast—up to 15 pounds in just 21 days! 


Whether you want to lose a few pounds before your next vacation or jump-start a bigger weight-loss goal, 21 Day Fix is the program for you. It’s simple, it’s fast, and it works. If you’re ready to get serious, 21 Day Fix can help you lose the weight. 


How does 21 Day Fix work? 

With the 21 Day Fix container system, you’ll learn how to create healthy portions simply and intuitively. It shows you how to eat whatever you want, in the right amounts, so you can reach your goals fast. No guesswork, and no calorie counting! 


The 21 Day Fix workouts are designed to burn a lot of calories in only 30 minutes. Any fitness level can do them. If you’re a beginner, follow the on-screen modifier. And if you’re an advanced exerciser looking to shed those last few pounds, dial up the intensity and challenge yourself to push harder. 



Why is 21 Day Fix effective?
Because it’s so simple! You don’t have to count calories, points, or log your food into diet software. With 21 Day Fix, everything is laid out for you. All you have to do is use the specially designed portion-control containers and do one 30-minute workout per day. Commit to it for 21 days, and you’re going to love your results.

What makes 21 Day Fix unique? 
It’s the only fitness and nutrition program that combines portion-control containers and world-class workouts. By placing equal emphasis on fitness and healthy portion control, 21 Day Fix can help anyone lose weight—and keep it off—in a way that’s simple and sustainable. Whether you want to lose 10 pounds or 100 pounds, you can do it with this program. 




Autumn Calabrese is your personal trainer
Autumn Calabrese is a celebrity fitness trainer, busy mom, and national-level bikini competitor. She came up with the idea of a portion-control container system after watching a client eat an entire 1,300-calorie salad in one sitting because it was “healthy.” Autumn realized that supersized portions were hurting her clients’ weight-loss success because they were eating too much without knowing it. So she developed portion-control containers to help people see how simple it is to eat the right amounts and lose weight easily. And as a single mother, Autumn understands how hard it can be to fit exercise and healthy eating into a jam-packed schedule. So she created short but effective workouts that take only 30 minutes a day, along with a simple eating plan that doesn’t require you to spend hours in the kitchen. 


What do I get in the 21 Day Fix?

Challenge Package:
  • 7 color-coded portion-control containers
  • Shakeology Shaker Cup
  • 6 easy-to-follow 30 minute workouts
  • 21 Day Fix Start Here quick start and workout guide
  • 21 Day Fix Eating Plan - Step-by-step nutrition guide that tells you exactly what to do.
  • 3 Day Quick Fix Guide, Autumn's secret weapon for fast weight loss
  • Dirty 30 bonus workouts 
  • 30-day trial to the Team Beachbody® Club. 
  • Shakeology- the best and healthiest meal of the day!

    BEST PART: IT IS ON SALE FOR THE REST OF SEPTEMBER! 

Do I need Equipment?
• Dumbbells or resistance bands (not included in the 21 Day Fix Essential Package). 

Is this good if I have a weigh loss deadline?
Yes, this is a great program and can help you lose weight fast.  If you commit to this program you can be feeling amazing for the big event.---FAMILY PICTURES for ME! I want to look great in them since they are going to be around for a long, long time!

Can I do the 21 Day Fix more than one time in a row?

Yes, you can do this for a one time workout and nutrition program or if you have not reached your goal weight then you can do it one time right after the other until you've reached your goal weight. Pictured below is from my fellow coach, Hazel, after 2 rounds of 21 Day fix. Real people! REAL RESULTS! 

Here are my results! I lost 20 pounds in just 5 months by following the 21 day fix program! 


Can I eat out at restaurants when I do the 21 Day Fix?
Yes, the Eating Plan includes a restaurant guide that shows you how to practice portion control at your favorite restaurants.

What does it mean when you say "no off-limit foods"?
The 21 Day Fix Eating Plan shows you how to incorporate treats (like chocolate!) into the plan . . . and you can still lose weight.

Is this too complicated for busy people?
No!  The 21 Day Fix takes out the guesswork so you don’t have to spend all day in the kitchen or the gym. Just follow the Eating Plan and do one 30-minute workout per day. That’s it. 

I don't know where to begin.
21 Day Fix shows you exactly what to do in order to lose weight. You’ll learn how to incorporate your favorite foods into a healthy, sustainable lifestyle that you actually enjoy. 

I want to do the 21 Day Fix and have support and accountability…now what?
Fill out the application below for a spot in my upcoming 21 Days to Great Challenge Group. Beginning September 22! Seriously, it's only 21 days! If you could get great results in just 21 days, would you do it?






Are you ready to start your journey? CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THIS APPLICATION TO JOIN MY NEXT CHALLENGE GROUP AND TO LET ME KNOW YOU WANT TO BEGIN! 
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