Connect the Dots Ginger | Becky Allen

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Full Body HIIT Workout

Need a good fast High Intensity Interval Training workout? Check this out! This will do the trick for you! 

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Water Kefir

Have you ever heard of kefir? I am sure you have. There is a brand at the grocery store that is a dairy product. Have you ever tried it?

Did you know that you can make your own kefir at home? Yep. There is milk kefir, like the Lifeaway brand, and water kefir. I have tried both and don't really like the milk kefir. It is tolerable but the water was so much better! Water kefir tastes like a carbonated drink. And you can flavor it to whatever you want. So it is a healthy naturally carbonated drink that actually tastes good.

What is water kefir? Water kefir is fermented water. You use grains (not really grains but that is what they are referred to as) which are a live bacteria that you add to sugar water and let it ferment for 24-48 hours. The bacteria feed off of the sugar and replace it with natural fructose. The drink becomes sweet but not like normal sugar. You strain the grains before you drink it up and you can use them again in your next batch of kefir water. It is really quite cool! My friend has a jar of kefir fermenting, one in the fridge ready to drink and a new one just started. So she has some every single day.

So why would kefir be good for your body? You know that Activia commercial where they say that Activia will help with bloating, and irregularity. Well, the yogurt has live bacterias in it and they help keep your insides moving. Our bodies naturally have bacteria in our gut for this purpose, but sometimes we need a little extra push. So now instead of spending $4 for a pack of Activia or Lifeaway Kefir you can make your own. A packet of water kefir grains is $17 and they are reusable! (they can die so you do have to take care of them. Think of them as a new pet in a way!) You can get the grains here!

You also need a strainer and some mason jars, and coffee filters and a rubber band to keep the bugs out since it is sugar water, while it is fermenting. So start up isn't that bad and you won't have to buy Activia or other kefir like products again.

Check out this video on how easy it is to make and use. But this is one thing I am, and have been for a while, seriously thinking about starting.


QOTD: Would you ever make your own kefir water? 

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Happy Cinco De Mayo


I LOVE Cinco De Mayo! It is my excuse that, I HAVE TO EAT MEXICAN FOOD! Why not! So I thought that I would share my skinny enchiladas with you! A couple of weeks ago I added a Green Enchilada Recipe. Well I made a red enchilada recipe and kind of did my own things with it and they turned out AMAZING! I had the chicken and salsa cooking while I was teaching and everyone who came in raved about how amazing my house smelled. When I just said it was chicken with a jar of salsa on it they were amazing at how good it smelled.

Skinny Red Enchiladas: 
1 lb chicken tenders -about 8 tenders
1- 12 ounce jar of red salsa. Not chunky - I like Trader Joe's variety
1/2 cup greek yogurt (I use 2%-22g protein per cup yogurt. It's thicker. Fage or TJ's.)
medium splash of chicken broth
8 small corn tortillas
1/4-1/2 cup cheddar cheese

In a crockpot add chicken and jar of salsa. Cook on high for 2.5-3 hours until the chicken is falling apart. If frozen chicken cook for 3 hours on high.

Remove chicken, leaving as much salsa in the crockpot as possible. Shred chicken. Set aside. Add greek yogurt directly to crock pot and add splash of chicken broth to help thin out the salsa. Stir together. (Don't need a blender just whisk together right in the crockpot.)

Grab a 9x13 inch pan and coat the bottom of the pan with some red salsa mixture. Warm up your corn tortillas in the microwave or steam for just a little while on the stove to soften them enough that they are pliable. Add 1-2 table spoons of chicken to tortilla and roll up. Place in your 9x13 pan. Continue until all tortillas are rolled up. Pour the remaining red salsa mixture over the enchiladas. Top with cheese. You don't need a lot of cheese.

Cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melted.

Side with Lime flavored rice and black beans.

Lime and Cilantro Flavored Rice: 
1 cup of rice (brown, jasmine whatever you eat. We like brown)
2 cups of water
1/4 tsp salt
2 - juice from 2 limes
2 Tablespoon or more of Chopped Cilantro (depending how much you want!)

Add all ingredients except for the juice of 1 lime to your rice cooker and cook. Or cook covered up on your stove until the liquid is gone.

Once cooked through, squeeze the juice of remaining lime over the top and fluff with a fork!

SO EASY! ENJOY and Happy Cinco De Mayo!

OUTTAKE:

Monday, May 4, 2015

Overweight And Exercise

We all have to start somewhere. Right? Did you wake up this morning and think, it is time for a change! I need to change? I don't want to be like this anymore. Now what do I do? Exercise is hard. It doesn't matter if you are a size 0 or a size 24. Exercise does take work and effort.
~2010. Picking my hubs up after a deployment and surprising him with all the work I did to lose 35 lbs!~
Here are a few pointers to think about as you begin this new journey in your life style change. YES! LIFE STYLE CHANGE! This is not an easy battle. It will take time, it should take time. There are no quick fixes to losing weight. There are no pills, special drinks or wraps that will accomplish the results that last. It is a total mindset. How can she say this. She is overweight and hasn't been able to keep the weight off herself. Why listen to Becky. Because I have been there. I am there. But I have also lost the weight. I lost 40 lbs and not just once I have done it a couple of times. I learned to eat right and what my body wanted and needed. I have also fallen off the wagon and I trying to climb back in. I am just like you who has dieted, tried pills, drinks, HCG, meal plans, starvation, Atkins, I have tried it all! 
~Hard work and dedication to exercise and eating right and her is what I looked like. I will be here again! I AM WORTH IT!~
The one thing that worked? Eating right and exercise. When I finally started to eat right the weight just fell off. I didn't even have to workout for an hour or 2 a day. I was doing 30 minutes of exercise and the weight just fell off. Well if it is so easy... IT IS NOT EASY! It takes work and a total commitment and I'm human. I really like ice cream, sweets, candy, cookies, pasta. I mean I really like them. I lose sight of what I really need to be doing. And I am worth more than that. I know I am. And it isn't about being SKINNY. I want to be HEALTHY. I want to be able to run more easily. I want to be at a healthier weight when I get pregnant again so that when I do gain weight through the pregnancy I am not pushing 300 lbs. That scares the crap out of me. And that is just more work to do in the end. So today, eating better. Shakeology so that I know I am getting my super foods that I need. More veggies. Exercise. I can and I WILL do this. WE CAN DO THIS! 

~3 months into my nutritionist given plan and I lost 20 lbs by this point. Time and dedication! That is all it takes!~

Let me know if you want to join my Facebook group to become the healthiest version of you!

Friday, May 1, 2015

Body Dysmorphic Disorder


I mentioned this in a previous post that I was having some serious body dysmorphia. Here is what it is. *Please know I have not been clinically diagnosed with this disorder but it is a real thing. I have been like this before.* Basically is is body shamming of your own body. Where you spend a substantial amount of time a day thinking about the flaws of your body and how to hid or improve them. You see your body in a negative light regardless of how it really is. You can't see yourself correctly. I feel like I am looking in a fun house mirror right now and I have been trying to avoid the mirror at all costs.

Since the miscarriage I have been so disappointed with my belly size. It has been a constant reminder of what is not growing in there any more. My scale was broken so I couldn't be obsessed with my weight, which is a good thing but nothing fits me right anymore.

Before going to the gym I have been changing my shirts multiple times trying to find one that would "hide" my belly more so I wouldn't look as bad as I think I do. None of my pants fit and all my shirts are too tight in the belly and I don't want to wear my maternity shirts anymore because I can't handle it.

I spoke with a counselor the other day on the phone because I needed to speak with one and her first question, "How are you feeling?" "FAT" is how I responded. Seriously the first thing out of my mouth was be belittling my body.

I have been like this before and I learned to love my body for me. Seriously. I do love my body. It has done amazing things. I have done a 1/2 marathon. Trained for a 10 miler. I have carried and birthed 2 healthy boys. I have nursed for 27 months now (not all in a row of course.) It is amazing but I am not happy with the shape of my body and how I look. People have been telling me, "It's ok. You were pregnant. It is going to take time to get back to normal." But what do you do when you can't fit anything? Yoga pants everyday? Yep, cause that is all that fits. And skirts.

It is not ok to hate your body. We all have flaws. And it is ok. I will forever have stretch marks from when I gained weight too fast before I even had any kids. On the flip side, I have a killer smile that I LOVE! I have a fun loving personality and I love teaching. So now that I recognize that I have a problem with how I have been looking at myself it is time to turn it around and do something about it!

One thing that I do know, is that if I am truly so displeased with my body shape than I can do something about it. Exercise. And eating better. That will help my body shed the weight but it will take work. And that is exactly what I need right now. I need some busy work to get me to lose this weight. It's ok to want to make yourself healthy but to do it in a healthy manner. Hating yourself and feeling completely disgusted with how you look is not healthy. You can talk to someone, you can talk to me and we can work through it together.

Goals:
~Speak with a counselor to work through my miscarriage.
~Drink Shakeology everyday to get my superfood that my body needs to help me be as healthy as possible!
~Exercise 4-5 days a week. 2 days on cardio and 2 days on strength training specifically.
~Make smart eating choices. Smaller appropriate portions and eat more veggies.

If you want to join me in my journey to a healthy you, please let me know! I can start up a private Facebook group and we can do this TOGETHER! Email me at connectthedotsginger@gmail.com or comment below!


QOTD: Have you ever felt like this? Not happy with something about you? What did you do to overcome the feelings?
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