SPARK!

I'm not the only person who almost falls asleep in my chair after lunch, right? Not that its very comforting to know, but there have been days that I've had to actually fake like I needed to grab a supply so I could get up and walk around and not doze off while cleaning teeth! (I'm a good hygienist... dont judge!). But those days are in the PAST! :-)

Now, I drink my SPARK each afternoon and am quite alert! Totally focused and ready to take care of my patients. Or kids. Or dog... whoever :-)

There are 9 great flavors but I am extremely partial to fruit punch, pink lemonade and watermelon! And it makes me feel so much better than my old "fix" of mountain dew which is FULL of sugar and super acidic. Again, dont judge. I know that I'm a hygienist... I know mountain dew is TERRIBLE for your teeth. Yes, i brushed after drinking it! Unfortunately, while i could get rid of the sugar and acid, I had a much tougher time ridding my WAIST LINE of its effects.

But spark is only 45 calories, NO sugar and 21 vitamins and minerals! There is NO crash and it does NOT make you jittery! It is by far Advocare's #1 seller and I totally see why!

I order mine in a canister (b/c its cheaper that way!) but it also comes in handy packets for on the go. Either way, you can check it out HERE.

And dont forget that advocare offers a membership (similar to a Sams membership). Its a one time $79 fee and you get a membership kit that includes $50 worth of spark and slam (their on the go 5oz energy drink... Jeff loves those for taking with him to school and drink before going for a run) and you get a 20%-40% discount for LIFE! No minimum orders! You can order once a week, once a year, etc... Its a great deal! You can learn more about that HERE.

If you're interested in a sample, let me know and I'll be happy to send some your way :-)

Happy Spark-ing!

Biggest Loser winner testimonial and pics!

Advocare is doing an AWESOME give away again! Another biggest loser competition... and the winner will get $1000 cash! 2nd runner up gets $400 and 3rd place will win $200!!! With summer coming and longer days and bathing suit season, there is NO better time to start working on getting HEALTHIER and feeling your best. We will ALL need more energy as we take advantage of the warmer weather :-)

The challenge is a great way to get started but Advocare has tons of GREAT nutritional supplements! When I'm not on a challenge, I take daily the coreplex with iron (great for us women who dont get quite enough protein), omegaplex for a healthy heart (and hair and nails!) and catalyst to maintain my tiny bit of muscle ;-) And of course spark each day to keep me from falling asleep at 3pm (what IS it with the afternoons? I need a toddler nap schedule! haha)

 I wanted to share our winner from this last Biggest Loser Competition from January: Sheila Moore.
She ended up winning some cash and losing some serious weight! She was kind enough to share her before and after pictures and her story...

 I took the before pics the first day of the challenge (Jan 7th I think) and after on Feb 1st. The after pics were just after I worked out and my face is red ha. I think my beginning weight was 169 and ended was 154. 

Anyway so a little about my weight. In high school I joined weight watchers and lost 50 pounds which put me at 120. By the end of college in 2007 I weighed almost 190!! I had lost some weight since then and have been between 150-170 the past few years. I have decided that 2013 is going to be my best year ever and started researching health things. My mom had two different types of cancer, one being breast, that she was diagnosed with in her late thirties. I read several articles that link a drastically reduced breast cancer risk with routine exercise and maintaining weight. I have been working out 6 days a week since Jan 1st and am going to try to maintain around 140 pounds when I get there. Since the challenge I have been following weight watchers, doing the Brazil butt lift workout, and taking Catalyst. I have continued to lose weight and feel great. Oh and I don't have my before and after measurements :( I took the before measurements and wrote them on the only paper I could find in the bathroom which was a receipt. Of course I accidentally threw away the receipt sometime during the 24 days. 

                                                BEFORE  (Jan 7th)                                        AFTER  (Feb 1st)

I've gotta tell you, I seriously admire Sheila's willingness to share her story and her before and after pics... but why wouldnt she want to... she's looking (and feeling) AWESOME! My favorite part of her story is that she chose advocare after researching lots of health "things". Its great to know that for people who care about what they are putting into their body and who are looking not to just lose weight but be HEALTHY, that so many choose advocare!

Here are the contest details

Advocare also does kind of like a sam's membership thing where you can pay $79 and get $50 worth of free spark and slam (energy drinks) AND get a minimum of 20% off for LIFE. NO minimum orders. So I cant say enough about how great of a deal that is... plus, it sets you up to be able to make some money by sharing your own story, should you choose!

If you're interested in the challenge, you can shop HERE.

Or if you'd like to do the membership, you can sign up HERE.

If you'd like to read more about my favorite products, you can do so HERE.

I was just telling a friend today that I'm going to start another challenge soon and she said "why? you're already tiny?". First off, thats nice, but as we all know, clothes hide a multitude of sins ;-) But secondly, and most importantly, I've been eating JUNK lately (chocolate easter bunnies just MUST be in my belly!) and i love the challenge because it gently cleanses my system and then allows for max uptake of the best vitamins and minerals around! I feel better than ever, have more energy and as a bi product, yes, i usually lose some weight (and have NO issues keeping it off b/c it truly boosts your metabolism!). So I'm looking forward to getting started next week...

Who else is IN?!

How Stella Got her Groove Back (link and giveaway)

And by "Stella", I mean Mommy's all over the place...

I spoke a while ago about how I tried Advocare's 24 day challenge last summer and finally got back to my pre-baby weight. YAY! Well, because I love so many of their products, I decided to do the "membership" where I paid $79 and got 20% off all the products.

But then I started having friends ask me how i've gotten so "tiny" (their words, NOT mine) again. Flattering as this may be, whats more exciting is that I KNOW that because of advocare, I'm not only down a couple of pants sizes, I'm healthy! That is a GREAT feeling!

I wanted to share this with a blog friend/mentor of mine, Valerie Plowman over at Chronicles of a Babywise Mom and asked if she would be interested in doing a product review of a couple of my favorite products, and she agreed!

So today, she wrote up a product review about the meal replacement shakes and SPARK, their energy drink. And I thought it would be a perfect time to share a tiny bit about my favorite products, as well!!!

SPARK is hands down my favorite advocare product. With 21 vitamins and minerals and 120g of caffeine, it is the perfect way to start a morning or get through that afternoon "lull" after lunch. Its SO much healthier than any sports drink or soft drink. Fruit punch is my favorite but it comes in lots of great flavors!

For my sweet tooth, i love the Advocare Snack Bars. I have a serious love for chocolate and this helps meet that need but gives me lots of good protein, which most women are pretty deficient in.

Rehydrate  is my favorite drink for re-hydrating after a good workout. My husband drinks it after his long runs (he's training for a marathon) and if my kids have been sick and are not drinking well, I prefer this to keep their electrolytes balanced. This is perfect for teens who are into sports who tend to drink Gatorade or some other drink... Rehydrate has vitamins and minerals that they do not! Again, there are several flavors.

O2 Gold Advanced is Jeff's FAVORITE product. As I said, he is training for a marathon that he is running Presidents Day Weekend. He has ran several 1/2ers but this is his first whole. The O2 Gold helps facilitate oxygen uptake in the body thereby increasing oxygenation to the cells. AKA: its easier to breathe during exercise ;-) He notices a marked difference when he takes it.

Meal Replacement Shakes are a perfect, easy way to start the morning! So many of us moms skip breakfast, but its vital to get our metabolism started! But lots of mom's skip it because they dont have a lot of time.  These shakes are a perfect 1:1 carb/protein combo so you have sustainable energy. There are several yummy flavors, but since i'm a chocolate girl I love chocolate or mocha (yumm... coffee!). Eating whole foods is very important and I would never recommend that anyone replace more than one meal a day (like some diet programs do) but this can simplify life for one meal, anyways.

And i love the 24 Day Challenge Bundle! It is what helped me to make better food choices and as a result, lose 2 pants sizes! It is not a diet that you do for 24 days. It is a gentle cleanse followed by world class nutrition in the form of vitamins and minerals that helps jumpstart a lifestyle!!! Combined with healthy food choices, I have felt better than ever!

There are lots of other products that i love and use daily. Catalyst, probiotics, omegaplex and coreplex to name a few :-) So you can see why its been so beneficial for me to do the membership!!!
HERE is a link to check out any of the 5 lines that advocare has!

And HERE is a link if you are interested in the membership (there are NO minimum orders or auto shipments... its as simple as paying the $79 and getting 20% off for LIFE. period.)

I am so appreciative of Valerie for being willing to do a product review!
Any of the links above take you directly to my microsite and if anyone wants more information or if you have questions, please feel free to email me at forddygirl@yahoo.com

Lastly, I am doing a giveaway on Val's blog. A FREE BOX OF SPARK (your choice of flavor) will be given away today! So head on over to her blog and enter to win!

New Years Resolution Help! (Plus and Awesome incentive!!!)

I'm super excited about this BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

*Read ALL THE WAY TO THE END for a second incentive~!!!

My friend, Emily, is hosting a New Year/New You Biggest Loser Competition!!! 

Most of us make it a yearly goal to lose weight, be healthier and fit into some old clothes. The problem is that most of us dont really have a defined WAY to make sure those goals happen! So, I have a solution!

I recently shared my story about how Advocare's 24 day challenge brought me down from a size 9 back to a 6 and I hit my pre-first-pregnancy weight :-) Well, I'm serious about wanting others to experience the same great results and to feel like their "old self" again. 

Ready to join in the Biggest Loser Competition? Here's how it's going to work:

• Anyone who orders the 24 Day Challenge from me directly or my site is eligible to join us for the Biggest Loser Competition!
• You must START your Challenge on Monday Jan 7th
• Sometime between midnight and 11:59 PM EST on Jan 7th you must text me a picture of your start weight (with your full name in case I don't have you saved in my phone!). Just take a picture of your feet on the scale showing the number! You can facebook me or email me at forddygirl@yahoo.com for my cell number!
• Sometime between midnight and 11:59 PM on Jan 31st text me another picture of you on your scale showing your weight at the end of the challenge!
• The biggest loser based on PERCENTAGES will be the winner and Emily will personally send you a $100 check! Who wouldn't like to start of the new year with some extra cash???

If you've been thinking about doing the Challenge for awhile...This is a great opportunity to do it  :) If you've already done it and it's been 90 days you can do it again! Great way to continue on the path to meet your goals :)

Also (this goes without saying...) NONE of your results will be made public or shared with ANYONE else unless you choose to do so! I will not share the pictures you send me with ANYONE and will simply use them to put together a spread sheet to figure out the winner :)

I'm also excited about Advocare's new DVD workout series. Each workout is 24 minutes... who cant find 24 minutes in their day?!?!?! I love Jillian Michael's 30 day shred which is also about 25 minutes so it will be nice to have some variety of booty kickin DVD's!

You can watch a preview of the video here...the timing is PERFECT to order it before starting our challenges on Jan 7th!!! It will really give you an edge to being the WINNER!

What are YOUR goals for the new year??? Let's get a group together and have some big results for the 24 Day Challenge in Jan!!! I'm SUPER excited about it and can't wait to see who will join me and who will win the cash!!!!

If you're interested in purchasing a challenge I recommend to totally sign up for the membership first. I wish we'd done it and I encourage everyone to do it now b/c why not start saving money from Day 1??? And get enough free Spark to drink 2 a day for your challenge if you want??? It's a flat $79 fee to become a member and then you get 20% off for life and they send you $50 worth of free product! Once you sign up you get your own website and can start ordering from there right away!!! You can sign up for a membership by clicking HERE!!!

I also recommend doing the Challenge TOGETHER! Got a husband? Significant other? Room mate? While all of us doing it together is gonna be awesome...It just makes sense to do the Challenge with whomever you share your home with. You're gonna be eating better, why not have the whole family involved with that? Why not help each other stay on track and get awesome results together?

If you'd like to purchase a challenge without joining the membership you can do that by clicking HERE (I prefer the chocolate mocha shake, Jeff likes plain Chocolate!):

Since Emily did the challenge for nursing moms for her first challenge and Advocare doesn't sell a bundle package of that like they do for the legit challenge, she figured out how to bundle it herself! If you're wanting to get your body baby ready while trying to conceive, are pregnant, or are nursing you can purchase your version of the 24 Day Challenge by simply contacting me! (and yes, anyone wanting to do the nursing challenge can still totally be in our Biggest Loser Competition!).

SO, here's my EXTRA Incentive!!!
The winner of those who order through me will receive $50! 

PLUS! (yes, this is like an infomercial... haha... BUT WAIT, THERE's MORE!!! lol)...

My friend, Danielle (who is super passionate about health!) is offering an ADDITIONAL $50 to my winner!!

Think about those odds for a minute! If there are a total of say 25 people who do this together (between Emily, myself and 3 other distributors) you have a one in 25 chance of winning $200! That is MORE THAN THE COST OF THE CHALLENGE!!! You would MAKE money to lose weight! WOW!
But if 8 of those who do the challenge are people who order from me, you have a one in 8 chance of winning AT LEAST $100!!! Because Danielle and I are offering MY winner $50 each! Thats MORE than half of the cost!!! 

And remember, it will be based on PERCENTAGES!!! Not just lbs... so dont think that if you only have a few pounds to lose that you cant win... ANYONE can win... of ANY SIZE!

I also want to mention something that I think is so important regarding my challenge. I have NOT been the healthiest/most perfect eater. Ever. But the weight that I lost via this challenge, I have KEPT off. Meaning? While a lot of weight loss programs help you to lose water weight and you put it right back on, I truly lost FAT! I've not gained even half of a pound back! Thats a big deal, people. :-)

So, will you join the crew and jump in and DO SOMETHING about your resolution? I doubt that we will ever offer a total of $200 to winners again! So get on it already! Lets get HEALTHY! And look and feel great!