Connect the Dots Ginger | Becky Allen

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

FREE Swag Just For Being Healthier


As I was putting everything away I got a special delivery from Beachbody! Every year that I drink Shakeology I get a special Thank you!! Last year I got a special shaker cup with a golden scoop. This year it is a HUGE! Golden Canister for storing my Shakeology in! Wonder what it will be next year? 

You guys hear me talk about Shakeology all the time. I really do love it because I know I'm getting the good stuff in me and that it is simple and fast to make (perfect for me as a busy mom of 3!) but honestly when we started getting it two and a half years ago I was at my last straw with trying to lose weight. We were paying 2 mortgages and didn't have the extra money to spend. Collin was a couple months old and I didn't want to go through the whole weight loss process again and had thought about doing weight loss surgery just to help me and make it easier but then my friend Janet said, "try this!" And I fell in love with it! We figured out that it would save us money ordering Shakeology in the long run by not eating out as much and not buying any more junk food and I felt at the time and still feel that it is my secret weapon to helping control those nasty cravings for sweets and treats because I can finally say no to them. No more binge eating. No more hiding junk food in the house. No more secret trips to the store for a doughnut. I found the one piece in the puzzle that made it possible for me to finally have control with my eating! 

Having tried Shakeology yet? 



TRY OUT THE NEW CLEAN WEEK! Comes with 7 Samples of Shakeology either Vegan or Original Flavors, PLUS get a week access to BEACHBODY ON DEMAND EXCLUSIVE Clean Week Workouts to help you get familiar with the streaming services and start moving! Plus me as your coach! 


Clean Week 7 Day Kit: Original Flavors Option 

Clean Week 7 Day Kit: VEGAN Flavor Option

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, February 27, 2017

Does Breastfeeding Help With Postpartum Weight loss?

One of the first things I try to tell newly expectant moms when they mention breastfeeding and weight loss is...it might not work. I know, big bubble I just burst for so many of you. But...for me. I have had 3 babies now. Breastfed all 3 of them. Never pumped. Never supplemented with bottle. We are talking 24/7 boobs on call type of breastfeeding. And I did not lose 1 single pound because of breastfeeding. The only weight I lost was the first big drop after having the baby, and only about 13 pounds. After that 0. From breastfeeding. What I learned about 10 months in after having Mason is, in order for my body to lose weight, I have to buckle down with diet like, get really serious and cut the crap from my eating. I started working with a nutritionist when Mason was 10 months old and from that point on for the next 6 months, I lost 40 pounds. With Collin, again, it wasn't until I cleaned up my diet that I started to lose weight. So I knew, with Elyse. I would have to just start out ASAP after I had her, eating better and making better choices in the kitchen! So glad I did because I am currently sitting at 21 pounds weight loss since I had her. And half of that weight is from me working hard to work it off.

For some women though, yes they lose weight while nursing. My sister in law did with all 5 of her babies. And before I had my babies I would often joke that it didn't matter how much I gained while pregnant. I was just going to be part of the Allen Weight loss Plan of breastfeeding.
Here are some reasons why breastfeeding can be so beneficial to you and your baby.

1) You do burn 300-500 calories a day breastfeeding and producing milk. But remember because you are breastfeeding you might feel more hungry. Make sure you are snacking on healthy snacks and stay away from processed foods or junk foods. Even when they are calling to you! If you are following a Beachbody Program and the color coded containers system, I recommend that you bump up into the next higher calorie bracket since you are burning an additional 300-500 calories a day. I also, if I have to have it, will add an additional yellow container into my allotment to give me that fast burning calories that my body is requesting for.

2) Be sure to use both breasts each time you feed. to keep up a good milk supply you want to stimulate both breasts to make more milk. It's a good idea, even as the babies get older and they show a preference to a breast, that you still try to nurse on both breasts. Also starting on the opposite breast you started with last time. With all 3 babies my right breast is what I call my milker. That sucker produced like nothing else. But my left one not as well. But I still try to get a feeding done on both each and every time.
3) Stress and craziness around you will not make your milk supply low. There are plenty of women with stressful lives and even with poor nutrition that produce perfect amounts of milk for their babies. Low milk supply is generally caused by poor breastfeeding management (not feeding often enough) poor latch, or hormone issues with mom. If you have any concerns about the amount of milk your baby is getting be sure to talk to your babies pediatrician.

4) Exercise won't affect your milk supply. I tell moms getting back into exercise to listen to their body, when they are getting back into exercise. It is a change and often what causes a reduced supply is that the mom is not getting enough food and/or water to compensate what is being burned during your workout. This is where the tricky part is. You do not want to reduce your caloric intake. Again, you burn 300-500 extra calories making milk. If you are burning too many calories then your milk supply will dip. As long as you are eating enough calories you will be just fine! Combine that with a healthy diet and you will safely lose weight.

5) Slow and steady wins the race. Don't expect to drop 20 pounds in 1 or 2 months while breastfeeding. Keeping that balance of eating right and exercising is a fine line. I am aiming for 1-2 pounds a week of weight loss to keep my milk supply at its best.
While nursing really isn't the "quick fix"  to get back to your pre-baby body like some of us had hoped, it does burn calories and pairing it with a healthy lifestyle and balanced nutrition plan, it can help you slim down to your pre-pregnancy weight more quickly, than if you didn't. Remember it is quality of calories that counts. So ditch the junk food, processed foods and sweets and treats.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here . You'll get a FREE COPY of my CLEAN EATING GUIDE to help you get started NOW to connect the dots to your health, fitness and life! Plus join my FREE private group to give you that daily motivation to stay on track! Don't forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK.

Friday, February 24, 2017

How Bad Do You Really Want It?


It doesn't matter how big or small your goals are. If you want to reach your goals it all comes down to one little question...How bad do you really want it? This is the deciding factor to if you will reach your goals. If you want it bad enough you will do everything in your power to get it. Think back to one of the biggest things you ever wanted. A new car. A new job. House. Race. Losing weight. If you decided, put in the time and the effort you made it happen. This one choice is going to have a HUGE impact on connecting the dots to your daily fitness goals, which work to reach your health goals all while still being a busy mom and taking care of your family but making it work for you!

With 4 days left of the month, how close are you to reaching your goals that you set at the beginning of the month? Are you doing something right now to help you get one step closer to your goals? What can you do starting right now to get you back on track?
If you need help or want help reaching your goals. JOIN ME in March with my EXCLUSIVE group. It is all about goal setting. Goal getting. Turning up the focus to what you really want to achieve and making small obtainable goals so you can work towards a bigger one over time!

If you truly want change to happen with your body or nutrition you have to put in the work and work for it!



Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here . You'll get a FREE COPY of my CLEAN EATING GUIDE to help you get started NOW to connect the dots to your health, fitness and life! Plus join my FREE private group to give you that daily motivation to stay on track! Don't forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK.


Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Be A #GoalDigger in March


It's time to announce the theme for my EXCLUSIVE GROUP in MARCH! I decided on the theme name at the beginning of February so it has been stewing for awhile now. I have been listening to the book NO EXCUSES by Brian Tracy which has really helped get me in the mindset too on making me reach my goals even more! And really when we drop excuses and make it a goal to reach our goals we ultimately become a GOAL DIGGER! 

The #1 reason why things don't happen in our lives is that we make reason not to do them. EXCUSES. If you want to change something about your life you just have to do it. Figure out your goal or what you want to accomplish, what you can do to reach it, then make a deadline on when you want it done by and then do something every day that gets you one step closer to your goal.

I have struggled with reaching goals in the past. I would brainstorm an keep them inside and "hope" that I reached them. But the action part o fit really never happened. UNIL I started to write down my goals. Making them tangible. Having them in front of me and using them to drive myself to do what I have to do to reach them IS KEY to me wanting and striving to work hard each day and do what I know I need to do.

I personally am so driven by reaching my goals right now that I have become obsessed with it (in a good way!) Which is one of the things that Brian Tracy talks about in his book. When you are doing everything you can do, and are always thinking about your goals and how to achieve them and not just talk about them but do something about them you become a goal getter or in our case a GOAL DIGGER!
MARCH'S EXCLUSIVE GROUP WILL INCLUDE:
-Access to my EXCLUSIVE group with my exclusive content to help you reach your goals.
-Exercise program of your choice using unlimited online streaming for the WHOLE YEAR! Choose from over 40 full programs, and exclusive extras to help you find a program just right for you.
-30 day supply of your daily smoothie to help you get all your vitamins and minerals your body needs with super dense nutrition.
-Nutrition Plan that fits your lifestyle and still gets results! + Portion Control color coded containers!
-Weekly goal setting with my EXCLUSIVE Goal Setting Workbook to help you write down your goals, make a plan and achieve.
-30 day GUIDE to help you stay on track
-Daily motivation and accountability
-Support in private group and one on one from me
-Community Support- using #goaldigger and #TCTD on social media
-Weekly check-ins to check your progress
ALL TO HELP YOU REACH YOUR GOALS!

Are you ready to be a goal getter? SIGN UP NOW HERE or send me a message on FACEBOOK or an EMAIL so we can CHAT!

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here . You'll get a FREE COPY of my CLEAN EATING GUIDE to help you get started NOW to connect the dots to your health, fitness and life! Plus join my FREE private group to give you that daily motivation to stay on track! Don't forget to follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Make Your Workouts A Priority: 6 Tips to Stay Motivated!


The hubs joined me in my Plyometrics workout yesterday! Had to chase him upstairs to get a picture with him! 
I hear every day..."I can't find time to workout out!" 3-4 years ago, my workout routine was, get dressed, get my kid strapped in the car. Drive 15 minutes to my gym. Take my kid to the kid zone. Find a locker to stash my stuff. (Try to remember the combo on my lock!) Go out and find a machine or wait for a class to start. And sometimes at the beginning of the year, I would have to wait awhile for a machine to be open. Then exercise on the elliptical or treadmill. Then I would hang out at the gym to reach the 2.5 hour max limit for my kid to be in the kid zone because a) he loved it and would pitch a fit to leave and b) I am paying a lot of money for this gym membership, I need to get my monies worth! Get my stuff, pick up kid. Drive the 15 minutes home and get kid into bed because he was exhausted and then shower for myself. That right there is 3.5 hours. You are right! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THE GYM!

If you are having a hard time finding time to exercise. you might want to look at how you exercise first. Sit down and figure out exactly how long it takes you to go exercise. The prep process to actual exercise. Think about if what you are doing is working or if you need to change it. For me, being a busy mom of 3 kids, 2 kids home full time, the gym just wasn't working for me anymore so I switched to home workouts using Beachbody on Demand.

No matter how you want to exercise you have to make it a priority! Check out how I stay motivated to get my workouts in almost every day!

1) Schedule your workouts in to your day. Just like an appointment. Add in travel time too if you have to travel so that you physically see how much time it will take you to do your workout.

2) Remember WHY you wanted to start exercising. That driving force that made you get your gym membership or order that new workout. What brought you to that point that you decided you wanted to exercise every day.

3) Think about how good you feel after you finish your workout. At the end of a workout, especially a HARD one,  I love that BADASS feeling I feel of "WOW! I TOTALLY ROCKED THAT!"

4) Don't get frustrated if you struggle. Too many people go too hard in those first few workouts and they get super sore and then take days off to recover. Allow your time to grow and get used to the workouts you are doing. Trust yourself and the process.

5) Remember that this is a journey. That you will have times and days that you will slip up, or not follow your plan exactly. The goal though, is to get right back to it and keep trying. Never give up because some progress, is still progress!

6) Find a workout partner if you have to too, to help you stay motivated!

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, February 20, 2017

When Your Journey Becomes More Than About You

Yesterday, I was reminded that it just isn't your life that it being changed for the better. It's your whole family. From healthier meals on the table. Less eating out and to your kids doing exercise because they want to. Because it looks fun. Because it is what mom does. THIS is why I LOVE COACHING! I received this message from one of my challengers in my EXCLUSIVE 1:1 coaching group:

This is bigger than just you and your goals in the end. Not only is it life changing for you, but those who admire you, look up to you and learn from you.

Curious about joining my 1:1 coaching group with daily motivation, accountability, support, tips, info and more? CLICK HERE to fill out this form and I'll contact you. I believe in talking to you before you make that leap with me as your coach to help you be more successful and achieve your goals! 

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.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

21 Day Fix: What To Expect For Workouts


Now that you are ready to get started with the 21 day fix and you know how the containers work and how to use them. It's time to get a little sneak peek into what the workouts are like!

21 Day Fix comes with 7 main workouts (Total Body Cardio Fix, Upper fix, Lower Fix, Pilates Fix, Cardio Fix, Dirty 30 and Yoga fix), 2 ultimate workouts (Barre Legs and Flat Abs Fix) and now 2 additional workouts that are only available on Beachbody On Demand (Cardio Core Fix and Dirty Dozen). The Daily schedule is:
My favorite workouts: Upper and Lower. Dirty 30 and Dirty Dozen are my next favorite. I STRUGGLE with the cardio workouts still. They challenge me which is GREAT! That's what you want. Something that still makes you work. Each workout has a modifier so it is perfect for beginners or someone coming back after an injury (or having a baby!) And there is plenty of room for growth. Don't think that just because this is good for beginners that advanced people won't get anything out of this because you will. The newer you are the lighter weights and less reps you will do in the minute. The more advanced you are, heavier weights and more reps you should do! But above all, no matter what level you are. Give it your all every time. Each workout is only 30 minutes long. That's it. And you will get a total body workout. You should be sweating by the end!

Want a little peek into some of the moves from the 21 Day Fix Workouts? Check out these videos. Each video is 1 minute or less! You can also view them and MORE at my YOUTUBE CHANNEL!















So you have seen all 3 posts now. You have seen the commercials on TV. Are you ready to get your hands on 21 day fix and finally get the results you deserve? Beachbody All Access Pass IS the way to go because you still get access to the workouts (plus ultimate upgrades), access to every other workout. Plus you get Shakeology and you still get the color coded containers! Plus you will get to work with me ONE ON ONE to help you reach your goals by using my private Facebook group with a community of women committed to their goals too, access to my tools, guides, and daily motivation support and accountability! CLICK HERE TO SIGN ME UP!

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!

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Choose What You Sacrifice To Reach Your Goals Or Risk Sacrificing Your Goals


It takes a lot of discipline to stick with a nutrition plan and daily exercise. I personally aim for 5-6 days a week because I know I am not perfect and life happens. It always happens. But there is still some sacrifice involved with deciding to live this lifestyle. But you have to look at the long term results. Are you really sacrificing?

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, February 13, 2017

Beginning Treadmill Interval Training

Some days it is just too cold outside to go running. To keep from getting bored on the treadmill you can do one of two things. First, use the personal TV on the machine, your phone or tablet to watching something or listen to your favorite personal development book so that you are working on yourself from the inside out to keep your brain occupied on something else. 

Secondly, do interval work. This keeps your body guessing and keeps your brain from losing focus. It also will test your endurance as it is a way to spike up your heart rate for short bursts of time then allow yourself to rest a little on the walking sections.


This is also good practice if you want to use this technique in a long distance race. Similar to the Galloway method of speed walking and sprinting for short periods of times. This training below is for beginners! 
You can adjust these speeds based on your current running level but the point it is to push yourself. Remember to listen to your body and if you have to skip an interval, then skip it but do as many as you can! 

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!

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Healthy Red Velvet Cupcakes

Source: Team Beachbody
Exclusively on Beachbody On Demand is the Healthy Red Velvet Cupcakes episode with step by step directions to make these amazing, dye free, vegan cupcakes, and yes, they are still red just without the dye! Wanna check it out and some of what BOD has to offer FREE 30 day Trial of Beachbody on demand to try it out, or UPGRADE to the Standalone ALL ACCESS PASS to get access to every workout program and exclusive content! Option to bundle the ALL ACCESS PASS with Shakeology too so you can get MAX RESULTS! Plus get me as your coach to help you reach your goals, WIN, WIN, WIN!

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!
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