Strength-plus-10

Strength-plus-10 is all the rage.

Well, it has been for me. Haha!



I need time efficient and effective. And I really care about making sure I incorporate everything I need for a comprehensive fitness + overall health plan. So for the last several months I've been tacking 10 minutes onto the end of my strength training sessions as a way to ensure I'm getting more of what I need into my days. My strength training sessions usually don't take more than 30-40 minutes (including when I record them for Instagram) so for a total of 40-50 minutes, I'm able to check off a couple of things that really help me stay on top of my health goals.

Here are some of the things I've been adding:

• Steady state cardio. Adding 10 minutes here and there on top of specific cardio-focused days helps me with my VO2 max goal. I might hop on the bike, go for a quick power walk or dance to 3 high energy songs.

• HIIT. High intensity interval training is so beneficial to cardiovascular health and also improves our mitochondria and metabolic flexibility. The cool thing is it hardly takes any time! One or 2 10-minute sessions a week is great! I'll do intervals (push-rest-push) on the bike, sprints, or some heart-pumping exercise intervals like burpees or jumping jacks.

• Stretch / mobility work. I have a goal to stay bendy for as long as possible.

• Shoulder rehab (I currently have a torn labrum, bursitis and a bruised clavicle)

• Foam roll for circulation and to break up tight fascia.

• Acupressure mat for circulation, mood, recovery, stiff back or neck

• Red light therapy / infrared light therapy session for improved mitochondria, increased metabolic flexibility (fat burning), improved healing, mood, circadian rhythm, slower rate of "aging" (damage accumulation), aid in detoxification, blood sugar management, immune support, skin and wound healing. The list of benefits is LONG but I'm most interested for the metabolic health benefits. THIS is the one I have and love and that link will save you 41% off. No code needed. Discount won't show up until you actually add to cart. Not in the budget right now? I get it! Just get outside around sunrise + sunset each day for the same benefits. <3

• Yoga. Bendy thing again. ;-)

• Inversions for balance, fun, increased circulation to face / brain / scalp

• Low-EMF infrared sauna (though I'll usually do this longer than 10 minutes and just start my work day from there). It's wonderful for increasing detoxification through sweating, infrared exposure, metabolic health, mood, cardiovascular health and a staple in my weeks for sure.

• Cold exposure (though I'll usually do this shorter than 10 minutes)

Turning my strength training sessions (usually 4 per week) into strength-plus-10 sessions has been ridiculously helpful to me. If at all possible, give it a try! Use the extra 10 minutes for whatever your current goal is or switch it up based on what you / your body needs most that day.

XO,
Tara



P.S. The waitlist for the March round of TRANSFORM: Body + Mind will close one week from today! It's my 28-day metabolism-boosting course. Check out details here and hop on the waitlist while you still can if you're ready to have a different Summer and rest of your life.

Come tour our home gym with me!

Come on in! Just please leave your shoes at the door. ;-)

I'd love to take you on a little tour of our home gym today (actual tour below)! We don't have a full gym but what we do have works so well for us in the room that is also our home office. These options altogether only take up about half of our pretty small room! If you haven't seen our little corner in use, here's a glimpse.




Let's start with the things that I think are a great idea for almost everyone just starting out with some home equipment and then I'll share some of the bells + whistles we have (which is still far less than many people with full garage gyms and things ... but bells + whistles in that they are next level and not necessary for those just starting out). Sharing the exact links of what we have when I can but for things that are older or unavailable, I'm trying to get as close as possible for ya. 




Yoga mat


Adjustable dumbbells (pricey but wayyyy cheaper and a huge space saver as compared to buying these all as separate dumbbell sets)


Long, straight resistance bands (SO versatile)


Fabric loop resistance bands (fabulous for leg / glute day)


Empty toilet paper roll ... to do this with


Chair (for step ups, tricep dips...)



Those basics cover A LOT OF bases. We've also added to the arsenal over the years:



Long loop resistance band (great for assisted pullups, heavier upper body work, banded deadlifts, etc)


Lighter loop resistance bands (work well for increased range of motion like squat to standing abduction, shoulder and arm work...)


Workout bench with back extension (flat, incline work, decline work, preacher curls, back extensions, glute-focused back extensions, hip thrusts, dips ...)


Airdyne bike (pricey and ours is an older model from a friend but ... assault bikes are SO spicy and perfect for low impact, indoor, high intensity interval training)


Tire to flip ... we acquired this old, big, HEAVY tire and keep it tucked off to the side of our backyard. 


Pull-up bar and rings


Jayflex hyperbell bar  -- they recently gifted this to me and we're LOVING it. It's helping me get over how much I've been missing barbells in these past 4 years since I stopped working out in a gym setting and started doing home workouts only. Basically, it turns a pair of dumbbells (even adjustable dumbbells) into a "barbell". They gave me a discount code to share. Use code TARA_ALLEN_HEALTH15 for 15% off.


Kettlebell (kettlebell swings, kettlebell flows, outdoor workouts, I travel with ours sometimes ... very versatile)


Medicine ball (med ball slams, upper body, ab work, full body...)


Swiss ball (abs, alternative seating option, balance, hip openers...)


Bosu ball (incline work, stability and balance...)


Battle ropes (then gave them away b/c we got the wrong ones, so maybe we'll get the right ones soon)


We're always rearranging and it's not the most aesthetically pleasing space at this time but it has everything we need and then some to help us achieve and maintain all of our fitness goals.


Check it out here



Hope you found this helpful!



XO,
Tara


P.S. If you missed out on this January round of TRANSFORM: Body + Mind -- my 28-day metabolism-boosting course -- the waitlist is now open for the March round. Hop on it if you want to stay in the know and receive a discount code when enrollment begins.


P.P.S. If you're looking for custom help ... with body composition goals, health goals, lab work, custom workouts and nutrition guidance and tons of accountability, check out more on 1:1 coaching. Spots are limited and not always available, but clients graduate out of program often and spots then open up, ;-)

New some new workout ideas?

Your future called ... and it's SO proud of how strong you are.

That's from all the progressively overloading workouts AND sleep / nourishment / rest you've been giving it. ;-)



Now maybe this is a reality for you right now. You know you're progressing with your workouts and have an awesome plan for the rest that you're implementing or starting to implement. Or maybe you're on the waitlist for TRANSFORM: Body + Mind and will have soooo much confidence and clarity around all of this very soon. But if you're not yet strength training or you've been kind of bopping around and counting group exercise or Peleton-with-weights classes as strength training, this email is for you in particular.



Progressive overloading is the way we strength train when we have fat loss, muscle-building, or "toning up" goals. Once we've reached all of the goals and just want to maintain our strength and body composition, we have more flexibility to be able to bop around to various workouts because it doesn't take as much of a stimulus to maintain as it does to achieve those goals. It takes consistency to maintain! But there is more flexibility to the approach.



I'm going to assume for the rest of this email that you have fat loss, muscle-building, or "toning up" goals. Here's how to approach the strength training part of the puzzle if that's the case:

• Have a solid, 1-week plan that targets all major muscle groups in the various ways they need to be targeted and in the various planes of motion and angles -- you'll likely need help with this, it's coming below ;-)

• Use a resistance, reps, and sets that make at least the last few reps of each exercise feel HARD to complete. That's important. Write that down. What exercise? How much weight? How many reps? How many sets?

• Repeat the same workouts week after week for 8-16 or so weeks before changing it up to a different set of workouts BUT, make it spicier over time. Meaning, add resistance as you can, reps, or even sets over time.

In case you need a week's worth of workouts to get you started, you can use some of mine! This is a 4-day a week plan and covers all the major muscle groups. Because someone will ask ;-) core is sneakily baked into ALL of my programming so I gotcha covered there too. Do them on any 4 days a week that you'd like, just avoid doing similar muscle groups on back-to-back days (like don't do upper 1 today and upper 2 tomorrow. Not enough rest there for recovery + progress).


Upper Body 1

Lower Body 1

Upper Body 2

Lower Body 2


If you plan to sign up for the January round of TRANSFORM: Body + Mind, keep an eye out. I will be offering an EARLY Black Friday deal -- early access to the whole course! Enrollment will open and close before Black Friday (I don't want to be in launch mode on actual Black Friday -- I'll be decorating the house with the fam and making our traditional Christmas loops). You will then have a full progressively overloading workout routine in there as well as optional meal plans, fun recipe collections, and other resources in case you hate cooking or are always on the run, cycle synching, menopause, pregnancy, postpartum, men / andropause, and breastfeeding considerations. Those are just some of the resources. It's really a whole COURSE and that's the true magic of it. ;-) You can check out more details right here.

Hope you enjoy those workouts!!


XO,
Tara

So you want to work out from home?

Minimalist Home Gym?

We went from working out at the gym 3.5 years ago to it being shut down in the middle of March 2020. We had a few things at home -- I used to workout from home when my husband travelled for work and it was just the kids and I. But we did NOT have a lot and have purposely decided to keep things pretty light (no pun intended) even though we've been solely working out from home now for all this time. We could always head back to the gym and we certainly will one day (I miss the heck out of the barbells and heavier weights!) but for now we're in this nice routine and saving a bit of time with it. I've also come to really enjoy the kids hanging around as I workout. They used to just know I went super early to the gym and came home. Now they see me plan my workouts, challenge myself, and they like to join me too!




I'm asked fairly often on instagram (where I share my workouts often on my feed but even more up in stories) if I'm doing workouts at the gym and just showing home workout options for people. It seems that many people are surprised that one could accomplish what they need to without tons of equipment. But you can!  And of course this is one of the things we dive deep into in week 2 (fitness week) of TRANSFORM: Body + Mind -- my 28-day metabolism-boosting course. So if you've taken that course or you will be joining us in September, you'll know exactly how to make it work with even less equipment.




You could start with body weight, use things around the house, check out Craigslist or Facebook Marketeplace for people getting rid of exercise equipment for free or cheap. That being said, if you'd like to build a small, minimalist-type home gym like we have to reach your goals a bit better, here's what I recommend you consider getting:



1) A pair of adjustable dumbbells. While they are pricier than 1 standard pair of dumbbells, adjustable dumbbells are really many-in-one. Ours were a gift from a friend and have no brand name on them, but they seem very similar to these.



2) Straight, long resistance bands. These can be used for all kinds of exercises. These are the ones I have. Grab an empty toilet paper roll too so you can make your own 'cable machine' like I talk about in this post.



3) Thick, loop resistance bands for some spicy leg work! If you follow my workouts at all you'll see I use them ALLLLL the time. They stay in place well and don't flip or slide. The ones I use are from a brand that no longer exists but they're almost identical to these ones.



4) A yoga mat ... and a little corner of your home that you can dedicate to fitness, if possible. If not possible, then a place you can convert into a fitness area within a couple of minutes so it doesn't feel like a hurdle to gettin' 'er done. I have no specific yoga mat recommendations ... you should be able to find one pretty easily with a quick search.



That's a pretty awesome start! You can get a lot done and make a lot of progress on metabolism / muscle-building / "toning up" / fat loss goals with those items.



Happy August,
Tara

Need some new progressively overloaded workouts?

Your future called ... and it's SO proud of how strong you are.

That's from all the progressively overloading workouts AND sleep / nourishment / rest you've been giving it. ;-)



Now maybe this is a reality for you right now. You know you're progressing with your workouts and have an awesome plan for the rest that you're implementing or starting to implement. Or maybe you're on the waitlist for TRANSFORM: Body + Mind and will have soooo much confidence and clarity around all of this very soon. But if you're not yet strength training or you've been kind of bopping around and counting group exercise or Peleton-with-weights classes as strength training, this email is for you in particular.



Progressive overloading is the way we strength train when we have fat loss, muscle-building, or "toning up" goals. Once we've reach all of the goals and just want to maintain our strength and body composition, we have more flexibility to be able to bop around to various workouts because it doesn't take as much of a stimulus to maintain as it does to achieve those goals. It takes consistency to maintain! But there is more flexibility to the approach.



I'm going to assume for the rest of this email that you have fat loss, muscle-building, or "toning up" goals. Here's how to approach the strength training part of the puzzle if that's the case:

• Have a solid, 1-week plan that targets all major muscle groups in the various ways they need to be targeted and in the various planes of motion and angles -- you'll likely need help with this, it's coming below ;-)

• Use a resistance, reps, and sets that make at least the last few reps of each exercise feel HARD to complete. That's important. Write that down. What exercise? How much weight? How many reps? How many sets?

• Repeat the same workouts week after week for 8-16 or so weeks before changing it up to a different set of workouts BUT, make it spicier over time. Meaning, add resistance as you can, reps, or even sets over time.
  

In case you need a week's worth of workouts to get you started, you can use some of mine! This is a 4-day a week plan and covers all the major muscle groups. Because someone will ask ;-) core is sneakily baked into ALL of my programming so I gotcha covered there too. Do them on any 4 days a week that you'd like, just avoid doing similar muscle groups on back-to-back days (like upper 1 today and upper 2 tomorrow. Not enough rest there for recovery + progress).


Upper Body 1

Lower Body 1

Upper Body 2

Lower Body 2


If you will be signing up for this March round of TRANSFORM: Body + Mind (cart is open NOW!), keep in mind you'll have a full progressively overloading workout routine in there as well as optional meal plans, fun recipe collections, and other resources in case you hate cooking or are always on the run, cycle synching, menopause, pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding considerations. Those are just some of the resources. It's really a whole COURSE and that's the real power of it. ;-) You can check out more details right here.

Hope you enjoy those workouts!!


XO,
Tara

Get your first pullup: progressions

Are pull-ups one of your fitness goals?

I posted a reel on instagram last week detailing what steps to take to work your way up to your first pull-up. I had over 100 people save this reel just within a half hour or so, which is A LOT for my little slice of social media real estate. That -- and the comments -- tell me this is a BIG goal for many of you.



So, I decided I wanted to share it with you here too in case you missed it -- but with more detail I wasn't able to share on that reel. How often should you do these practice exercises? Which days? How much rest? Any other considerations? How long will it take before you're showing off your new skills on every playground, horizontal bar or ledge you come across?



It's all here in this 3-minute video. 



I've been pretty obsessed with pull-ups since an elementary school gym teacher told me "Most girls and women can't do pull-ups" after I wanted to have a go at it and he just wanted to give zeros to all the girls across the board. :-/ And if you have that fire in you too, I hope this helps!



If pull-ups are not something you ever care about trying or are doing lots of already, maybe you'll enjoy this one about how to determine whether your strength workout is 'effective' or not.



XO,
Tara



P.S. The cart opens in 4 weeks for the next round of TRANSFORM: Body + Mind, my 28-day metabolism-boosting course. This course teaches you about deep health and how your metabolism works so you can incorporate more choices into your lifestyle that allow you to achieve your goals without dieting or feeling confused. This approach is not really out there yet (which is CRAZY to me!), but is such a powerful approach as it allows us to chase our health goals and body goals at the same time and without obsessively tracking a freaking thing. Just learning. Your only job is to learn. Anyway, it's been pretty life-changing for those who have done the previous rounds. That's not easy for me to say b/c it feels weird, but that's what THEY are saying.


If you're not happy with where things are at and feel like there's got to be a better way, it's because there IS. I'd love to teach it to you. Hop on the waitlist now so you'll be notified when the cart opens and get a discount code.

Are you strength training effectively?

Strength training is important.

The end.




Just kidding. But not really. Strength training really IS important for every single person. It helps with fat loss, muscle-building, and "toning up". It helps boost metabolism so we can take in an appropriate amount of food and fully nourish ourselves. It helps make us more insulin sensitive so we can (hopefully) prevent type 2 diabetes and other diseases with blood sugar causes (like atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's, etc.). Strength training also helps us ... build strength. ;-) This is super important b/c we can expect to lose muscle mass and strength year after year as we age. Having the right proactive plan (with strength training at the top of that plan), is important to delay and slow down those changes. We also know that muscle is an endocrine organ because of the way it sends out molecules that "talk to" other cells and tissues. It's our greatest longevity and anti-aging defense.




So how can you make sure you're utilizing this tool effectively and checking all the boxes?

• Strength train 2-5 (with 3-4 being a great target) times per week

• Length of time doesn't matter, nor does heart rate, breathlessness, how much you're sweating, or whether or not you're sore afterwards. Read that again. Most people think these metrics matter at least a little. They do not. Not for strength training.

• Make sure you're targeting all major muscle groups at least twice each week. So you can do 2 full body day sessions per week. Or an upper body push, an upper body pull, a lower body, and a full body session. Or 2 lower body days and 2 upper body days per week. Split it up however you'd like ideally with at least 1 day of rest for certain muscle groups in between (example, not doing 2 lower body days in a row).

• A good rule of thumb is to complete 8-12 reps of an exercise per set (2-4 sets work well in most cases). Use a resistance that feels HARD to complete the last few reps of each set or at least of the last set. If you do your 8-12 reps and feel like it was "too easy", you need to use more resistance next time.

• If you don't have access to heavier weights right now, change something else up so that the last few reps feels hard. This could mean adding extra reps, sets, or both. OR, you could slow down each individual rep a lot more (like you're in slow mo) so you're increasing TUT (Time Under Tension).

• Utilize progressive overloading. This means you are gradually increasing the challenge over time so your muscles adapt and strengthen. Repeat the same exercises / workouts for a while (blocks of 8-16 weeks of repeating the same workouts from week-to-week before changing them up are great!) Have a way to track what you're doing so you can slowly step it up in the weeks to come. Did bicep curls with 10 lbs weights, 3 sets of 8? In a couple of weeks, do 3 sets of 10. Then a couple of weeks later, increase to 12 lbs if you can.

• If you are a menstruating person, you can feel confident scaling workouts back as needed during luteal / menstrual phases and dialing them back up for follicular and ovulatory phases. Do this by tracking workouts from month to month so you can compare last month's follicular phase workouts to this month's follicular phase workouts, etc.

If you need help with program design (making sure each workout targets the right muscles in the right ways), here are a few options:



1) Join the TRANSFORM: Body + Mind waitlist for January. This is my 28-day metabolism-boosting course. You will learn all about nutrition for your goals, lifestyle factors you hadn't considered yet, how to keep indulgences in and still reach your goals, but also all about FITNESS. You will also get optional meal plans balanced for your goals and specific workouts to follow. PLUS, you'll get a free month inside The After Party afterwards ... my monthly membership / sequel to the course with more meal plans, workshops, and a complete strength training program for you.


2) Utilize my free workouts on Instagram. I post some on my feed like this one, but also share lots more about fitness in my stories and have several highlights with hundreds of complete workouts saved for you by type (lower body, arms + shoulders, full body, etc.).


3) Work with me 1:1 where I will give you customized nutrition and fitness guidance.


4) Hire another coach who will ensure your programming is complete and effective. There are lots of really qualified, smart, effective coaches out there and you should make sure you find one you resonate with!



In summary: strength training is important. You should do it. :-P



'Til next time,
Tara

6 pack abs: busting all the myths

How do you "get a 6-pack"? Is that even a worthwhile goal?

Watch or listen to this 13-minute video to find out:

• Is it a smart goal?

• How do people reach this goal?

• What role does nutrition play?

• If crunches aren't the best way to challenge your abs (they're not!), how DO you work 'em?

• Why your fat loss efforts are actually increasing your belly fat.

I spilled the beans in my instagram stories last week that I mayyyy be scheming on a way to give you access to the TRANSFORM: Body + Mind 28-day metabolism-boosting course before the next official round in January. Make sure you join the waitlist if you haven't yet to be in the loop.


That's it for today!


XO,
Tara



P.S. Do you have fat loss, muscle-building, "toning up", or longevity goals? If so, you need to start getting my weekly newsletter. You can do that right here.

Sample Workout Plans

"I know exercise is important for fat loss goals, but I don't know what kind or where to start!"

The cool (or uncool -- depending on how you look at it) thing about fat loss is that THE most important piece is the nutrition. It's dialing in the right balance, portions, and timing to manage blood sugar, cravings, hunger / satiety, balance hormones, help gut health, and be well-nourished enough to have plenty of energy. Yeah, it sounds like a lot but it is very possible ... even without counting calories or weighing yourself regularly, believe it or not.


But exercise IS an important piece, especially when we are looking to lose fat without damaging / lowering our metabolism.


CHECK OUT THIS VIDEOall about which kind of exercise is most important for fat loss goals and why.



THIS VIDEO gets into what HIIT is and why nearly everyone I speak to is going about it the wrong way.



AndTHIS LAST VIDEO answers a question that came up a lot on the socials last week about what types of group fitness classes -- if any -- "count" as strength training.


Now, what could it possibly look like if we were to pull it altogether? What if fat loss is a goal, but so is longevity and maybe there are some other types of activities or classes you want to include for fun while solo or with friends or your family? And I'm guessing you don't have all day to exercise, right? ;-)


Below are 3 SAMPLE Workout Schedules I put together to hopefully give you a few ideas. They are just samples, so make sure you take them with a grain of salt. If you're training for a race, you'll need more cardio time in here, of course. If you're currently sedentary but looking to change that, you'll want to start small ... maybe just some walks this week. This is not meant to overwhelm you or make you think you're doing it all wrong! We all have different needs and are at different places right now. But I do hope these help if you were wondering how a busy person with a demanding life who wants to also fit in the various types of exercise can start to pull it altogether.

If you feel like you've tried it all on your own and are ready to get some help with the nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle habits,HERE IS SOME INFORMATIONabout my 1-on-1 coaching program. Check it out and let me know if you'd like to chat more about it. You can hit 'reply' to this email and I will get back to you in a jiffy (is that still a thing people say?).

XO,
Tara

Is Walking Enough?

"Tara, I walk (hike, run, bike) all the time. Isn't that enough for my exercise?"

Well, I took an extra long shower this morning. Can I skip brushing my teeth?




It's a joke, of course, but maybe sheds a little light into how different cardio and strength training can be. Just like showers and oral hygiene, they are both beneficial and have their place. However, one does not replace the other.



CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO I recorded live last week to learn about 11 big benefits of strength training...and what the heck 'strength training' really means, anyway.


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We are all in the same storm, but inside of very different boats.


I heard someone mention this recently and it's a beautiful way to sum up what's going on. There are lots of similarities to what we're all going through -- collectively -- right now. Very similar worries and hardships. Very similar silver linings, even, But not for everyone. We are not all in the same boat. And as such, we will be weathering the storm differently. It's our responsibility to look after our own boat, and lend a helping hand to fellow boaters when we can.


It also means we need to be relentless in the amount of grace we give each other and ourselves. Some people are doing all they can to just keep their boat afloat right now. Others might have some more emotional reserve to be able to tackle projects and goals (like starting a new fitness routine or reducing body fat once and for all). But please don't think you don't measure up if you do not have the bandwidth to take on anything extra these days. 


Take a few deep breaths, go to bed a half hour earlier tonight, or sneak away to your car or bathroom for 5 minutes today. Take care of your most basic needs - your mental health and emotional resilience. 


And if you do feel ready to tackle your health / body goals and are unsure of where to start, email me and I'll share a bunch of FREE resources I have put together. I run a business, yes, but building robust communities full of resources available to anyone in need is a BIG part of my mission.


Hit me up.
Tara@TaraAllenHealth

XO,
Tara

This fitness tip helped me heal my PCOS

This one way of working out has helped me heal...

It's simple. It's free. And it's SO effective if you have any issues with insulin resistance, blood sugar regulation, or inflammation.



Check out my latest Workshop Wednesday video as I share the tip and get into a little about the science of why this is so effective.



I'd love to hear from you...do you have any issues with inflammation or blood sugar regulation? Leave a comment below and let me know so I can be sure to create more content tailored to what you need. ;-)



XO,
Tara

The scale is making you GAIN weight!

Is the scale making you GAIN weight and excess body fat?


You might be surprised to find out that this is, in fact, what's happening for many people - certainly most of the women I work with and speak to.


Check out my latest Workshop Wednesday video to learn how and why and what you can do instead.


And then, get rid of that dang scale if it is affecting you in this way too!

In good health,

Tara

P.S. If you are on a weight loss / fat loss / wellness journey, we should hang out more! Did you know that I share online workshops, recipes, and more tips to help you transform your body + life FOR FREE? Every week?! Join my email list to get in on this and receive a welcome gift immediately! ;-)

Cardio vs. Resistance Training? Who wins?

Walks or squats?
The answer might surprise you.

If you are looking to get into a new workout routine - or any workout routine - you might be like so many other women that are unsure about where to start.


Walking is good, right?
Weight-lifting is en vogue these days.
What about the HIIT stuff I'm hearing so much about?
Just TELL me what to do, Tara! ;-)


Ok I gotcha.


Check out my latest Workshop Wednesday video - one of my shorter ones clocking in at 9 minutes - where I break it all down for you. My answer might surprise you.


The biggest takeaway here is that establishing a habit of exercising is THE most important first step. So choose something you can actually find enjoyment in and do that everyday for 5 minutes (or even 1 minute!) until it feels like it's part of your routine - the same way brushing your teeth twice a day stays in your schedule no matter how busy you are.

In good health,

Tara

P.S. If you’re on a health / fat loss journey, you may be interested in getting a weekly dose of health-inspired videos, tips, recipes, and hand-holding. And, you may love getting all of this delivered straight to your inbox…for FREE? I mean, right?!? ;-) If you’re ready for your own transformation and would like me to help you every step of the way, hop on over to my email list so I know where to send you my best resources. When you sign up right here, you’ll also get my FREE 3-Day Meal Plan for Losing Body Fat RIGHT AWAY. Let’s do this!

Another booty exercise from the couch...with guitars and nesting blocks?

"More booty exercises, more booty exercises…!!"

Alrighty, I heard your replies and I raise you…another home exercise you can add to the mix to target those glutes.  (Also, why does auto-correct want to change 'glutes' to 'flutes' every time??  I've never played the flute…or talked about playing the flute in my life). 


Watch this super-quick video of me doing this move using my couch.  If that's not a win-win, I don't know what is.  I also may bring a guitar and some nesting blocks into the mix.  You'll see.


Oh, and squeeze your butt cheeks together at the top. Happy booty-building!

In good health,

Tara

At-Home Booty Exercises

Ready to work your backside?

Well gee…that was really personal!  Sorry about that.  But not really ;-) because I hear from so many women about how they'd love to sneak in workouts at home and focus on toning up their boot-y!

So, I figured I'd share a few of my favorite moves in a super-duper-fast video demo (do you have 36 seconds?!).

Try these 2 exercises for your glutes.  Scale the reps and sets up or down depending on your current fitness level.  Add in a march-in-place warm-up and weave in a few sets of jumping jacks or stairs to turn up the heat.

In good health,

Tara

THRIVING this Holiday Season: Part 2, FITNESS

Ready to THRIVE?

What are you waiting for?!  


If you celebrate Christmas, then today is a very special day for you. Merry Christmas! If you are reading this in real time as it showed up on my site, right now I am probably taking too many blurry pictures of my children as I choke back tears as I remember "how little" they were last year at this time. I'm emotional. I cry over everything.  :-)  


But, chances are you are reading this at another time.  Maybe it's Tuesday night now or Wednesday morning. Regardless of whether or not you celebrate Christmas, you might be thinking ahead to more parties this week as New Years approaches quickly. If you thought that I was going to tell you right now to avoid alllll cocktails, cookies, and pie…you thought wrong.  I want you to enjoy yourself…with intention!  And, I want you to feel as though you're not "off the wagon".


One way to allow all of the merriment to happen and also not feel like you've tossed away all hope at any of your health goals is to keep (or re-establish) an exercise routine right now. Before I lose you here, I'm not talking about going from nothing to 60-minute workouts!  How about 5 minutes today?  How about 10 tomorrow?  What can you do?  Let's start there.


In my latest Workshop Wednesday video, I shared a little bit about how to set goals in a completely new way (hint: behavioral over outcome), and also get into 7 ways to get your fitness in during the holiday season…and Winter in general.  There are unique hurdles that present themselves this time of year, but there are also unique opportunities!  


Here's a summary:


Tip 1: Commercial breaks.  During your favorite holiday movie, Netflix, or DVRed show, march in place or do dips on a chair.


Tip 2: Be creative.  Ten squats every time you go to the bathroom (yes, even at work) is that much more than you're already doing.


Tip 3: Festive decorations.  Bundle up for a walk or run as a different way to experience the beautiful lights this time of year.


Tip 4: Holiday fun run.  There is still time to sign up for a New Year's run or walk.  Be social and active at the same time.


Tip 5: Track your steps.  Use an app or wearable device to try to improve the number of steps you take.  Using those gifts cards or making returns at the mall?  Perfect!  Do a few extra laps.


Tip 6: Shoveling. You have to wait for Mother Nature to cooperate for this one, but take advantage when the white stuff gets here.


Tip 7: Winter FUN. Snow tubing, ice skating, sleigh-riding, skiing, snowboarding...


Which one of these is your favorite?  I'd love it if you hit "reply" to this email and let me know.  


In good health and holiday cheer,
Tara


P.S. If you want to catch the video, here it is!

Cut back your workout time!

Hey guys,

If we are friends on facebook, then you may already know that I do a weekly, live show on my business page on Wednesday mornings. In this “show”, I talk about something related to overall wellness, nutrition, and/or fitness…often talking about many somethings each week because sometimes I can’t shut up. It’s both a skill AND a flaw. ;-)

Anyway, in my latest live video, I talked about how you can cut your workout time by 2/3 and still get BETTER results. We get into time management and common excuses. We talk about fear how to gain momentum, and how to start working out at all if you haven’t started yet. I shared a rather, um, disturbing thing someone said to me that day in the gym locker room.

So, if you are either not working out at all (and want to be) OR feeling as though you have trouble fitting in your workouts or spinning your wheels in the gym, this video was made for you. :-)

Please tell a friend that may have told you recently that she wants to exercise, but can’t seem to find the time. You could be helping her in more ways than you might know.

In good health,

Tara

Fit As A Mother (the series) - A Doll

I'm back with another Fit As A Mother (time-lapsed) video for you guys.  These videos are meant to spark creativity and show that you can workout anywhere, anytime, with anything!

A big shout-out to Lucy, my daughter's well-loved purple doll in this video.  :-)

How do you like to workout?  What do you do to squeeze fitness in as a busy mom or working woman?  I'd love to hear about your routine or goals!

In good health,

Tara

Fit As A Mother (the series) - Board Books

Hey there,

Do you have a ton of board books laying around....well, pretty much EVERYwhere?! 

Yup!  Me too!

Besides reading them (duh!), I wondered what else I could do with these wonderful little collections of silly words and imagination.

Enter: The Fit As A Mother series.  :-)  

Try this workout!  Aim for 12 reps of each exercise; 3 circuits in total for a quick and effective full-body workout in the comfort of your home!

1. Side lunges
2. Reverse Lunges with a Front Slide
3. Mountain Climbers

In good health,

Tara

Fit As A Mother (the series) - MegaBlocks

No excuses, right?!

I know I'm in jeans here as I demonstrate some exercises, but that's just it.  Even if you don't have time to change clothes, you can sneak in a workout almost anytime and definitely anywhere!  Here are 3 exercises you can do with your kids' Megablocks.  :-)

How about you?  When are you getting your fitness in?

In good health,

Tara