Some of the worst cortisol advice online sounds very convincing...

If you’ve been waking up between 2-4. AM lately feeling simultaneously exhausted and annoyingly alert while craving carbs and side-eyeing anyone who chews food near you… your physiology may be trying to tell you something.


There’s a weird thing happening online right now where cortisol has become the villain for basically everything.

And listen… cortisol is important! If you've been here a while, you know it's a big part of what I help women with. But the conversation around it has gotten SO flattened lately, and it drives me a bit nuts.

I keep seeing women being told to avoid anything remotely stressful. No fasting. No cold exposure. No HIIT. No intense exercise. No pushing themselves physically. No discomfort ever. The female body is being talked about online like it’s this fragile little thing that can’t adapt to challenge without immediately falling apart hormonally, and that’s just not true.

The problem with that messaging is women then miss out on the benefits of these things too. Better insulin sensitivity. Better mitochondrial function. Better metabolic flexibility. Better resilience. Better body composition. Better energy. Better aging outcomes. We deserve those benefits too, don't we?! (Of course we do!) We just need to understand that female physiology is different and the application may need to be different.

Cold exposure is a perfect example. A protocol built around a 24-year-old guy named Bryce who listens to OptimizeBiohackingMaxxing podcast clips while dry scooping pre-workout and sleeping 5 hours a night maybeeee shouldn’t automatically become the protocol for a 47-year-old perimenopausal woman juggling stress, blood sugar swings, poor sleep, and three kids. 😂 (Seriously ... we know we get solid adaptations at a higher temperature for cold exposure than men's equivalent, and that's just 1 variable).

This is where nuance matters, and unfortunately, nuance is dying on the internet lately.

Especially now that people can type a prompt into AI and suddenly sound wildly confident while giving incomplete, wrong, or outdated information that sounds scientific enough to convince people they know what they’re talking about.



Ugh.

Women’s physiology done well is very, “it depends.” Cycle phase matters. Recovery matters. Blood sugar. Sleep. Overall stress load and capacity. Perimenopause / menopause changes things. Nutrient status matters. Nervous system state matters. A woman doing intense exercise sprinkled into her week while sleeping 8 hours, eating enough protein, recovering well, and supporting blood sugar is very different physiologically than someone running on caffeine until 2 PM, under-eating calories and carbs, sleeping 5 hours, and watching the news 8 times a day.

Cortisol itself is not bad. Cortisol is a survival hormone. It helps regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, inflammation, energy production, wakefulness, circadian rhythm, and immune function. You actually WANT healthy cortisol. You want it elevated in the morning so you feel awake and functional and motivated to exist as a human being. Then ideally it gradually lowers throughout the day so the body feels safe enough to rest and recover later at night.

That daily rise-and-fall pattern is key.

When cortisol rhythm gets dysregulated for long enough, women often start noticing this cluster of symptoms that doesn’t always feel connected at first -- feeling exhausted but wired at the same time, waking up between 2-4 AM, crashing in the afternoons, anxiety that feels incredibly physical, feeling overstimulated by normal life, shallow breathing, poor stress tolerance, cravings, worsening PMS, belly fat that seem impossible to budge, brain fog, heart palpitations, feeling on edge constantly, workouts feeling harder to recover from, and this general sense of their body not responding the way it used to.

One of the biggest things women miss here is how connected cortisol is to blood sugar.

When blood sugar drops too low, cortisol helps bring it back up because your brain needs glucose to survive. So if someone is under-eating, skipping meals, overtraining, living on caffeine, chronically stressed, not sleeping enough, or constantly riding that adrenaline-wave energy, cortisol may stay elevated more often because the body perceives instability.

This is also part of why cortisol gets tied into insulin resistance, prediabetes, PCOS, and abdominal fat storage. The body becomes more likely to store energy centrally when it perceives stress, unpredictability, or resource instability over time.

Something else that gets missed a lot is how much cortisol impacts fluid balance + vascular function. This is a big reason women under chronic stress start feeling puffy, swollen, inflamed, or like their body composition changed overnight. Cortisol interacts with aldosterone (which regulates sodium + water retention), blood vessel tone, circulation, and endothelial permeability — basically how easily fluid shifts in and out of tissues. When stress is prolonged, you can end up with more fluid being pushed into tissues instead of staying properly regulated in the bloodstream, which shows up as morning face puffiness, tighter rings during walks, abdominal bloating, and that 'soft / inflamed' feeling after poor sleep, travel, intense training, or higher sodium meals. And a lot of women mistake that as fat gain — but physiologically, it’s often stress chemistry + inflammation + recovery debt showing up as temporary fluid redistribution. This is also where a lot of “detox” behaviors backfire (over-restricting food, dehydration, over-exercising, trying to sweat everything out), because the body responds better to stability and adequate recovery than more stress.

And cortisol sits pretty high up in the hormone cascade, meaning it influences a LOT downstream. Thyroid function. Sex hormones. Blood sugar regulation. Inflammation. Sleep quality. Appetite regulation. This is why women often feel like everything is suddenly off at once.



And hardly any healthcare professionals will actually connect all the dots across all systems holistically, because that's not how they were trained and that's not how the system is set up.

I had a functional doctor once tell me my cortisol was higher than she had ever seen in anyone before. Not exactly the achievement badge I was hoping to collect... EVER. 😂 Looking back though, it made complete sense. I was overtraining, under-recovering, running on adrenaline, living in chronic stress, working overnights in a clinical setting, blood sugar all over the place, constantly pushing, constantly “on,” constantly in go-mode.

At the time I was also dealing with PCOS (PMOS), insulin resistance, prediabetes, and hypothyroidism — all of which I’ve since naturally reversed to the point that I no longer meet diagnostic criteria for any of them.

But it required understanding physiology differently! And doing things counter to what the professionals said. It wasn't just eat less and move more. It wasn't just “reduce stress.” It wasn't a blanket, "balance your hormones" thing. 

I had to understand circadian rhythm, actual recovery, blood sugar regulation, nervous system state, breathing patterns, muscle mass, stress adaptation, sleep quality, and how women’s physiology responds to different inputs on a cellular level.

One of the most interesting rabbit holes in all of this is breathing and CO2 tolerance.

Most people think oxygen issues are about oxygen. A lot of the time they’re actually about carbon dioxide tolerance. CO2 helps release oxygen from hemoglobin into tissues. When people chronically over-breathe — which is incredibly common in stress and anxiety states — they can blow off too much CO2, which may contribute to feelings of air hunger, anxiety, dizziness, panic sensations, poor exercise tolerance, and poor stress resilience.

This is where the BOLT test can help. It’s a simple and accessible way to look at CO2 tolerance and breathing efficiency. It's not used as a diagnosis, but as another window into nervous system patterns and stress physiology. I shared about how to do that here in this post.

Nervous system regulation is another thing that gets turned into vague internet fluff lately when it’s actually deeply physiological. It doesn't mean, "just be calm all the time." I mean, what?! Doesn't make sense and not possible anyway (have you seen .... things?!)

Nervous system regulation is breathing patterns. Blood sugar stability. Vagal tone. Sleep timing. Light exposure. Recovery. Safety signals. How the brain interprets stress. Whether the body feels like it’s constantly preparing for threat. And if your body responds appropriately -- fight or flight when someone nearly crashes into you on the highway, but back to calm within a few minutes. THAT is nervous system regulation. Appropriate and adaptive.

And interestingly enough, short intentional stressors can often LOWER baseline cortisol over time when appropriately dosed. This is the entire concept of hormesis and adaptation. Strategic stress with adequate recovery often makes the system more resilient, not less.

Strength training can improve stress resilience. Cold exposure can improve immune resilience. Intervals can improve insulin sensitivity and metabolic flexibility. And more.



(This was oversimplified b/c geez ... I can be so freaking long-winded!)



The goal isn’t removing all stress from life. The goal is improving adaptability. That’s a very different conversation.

Now… testing. This part gets complicated because cortisol fluctuates naturally throughout the day, so a single blood draw only captures one moment in time. Salivary testing can sometimes show rhythm patterns more clearly across the day, but results can still be influenced by sleep, illness, caffeine, medications, stress, cycle phase, timing, and lifestyle variables. Urine testing may add additional context in some cases, but none of these are perfect.

And unfortunately, some functional testing isn’t always covered by insurance because it exists outside standard conventional care models.

This is also why symptoms and patterns matter so much. I’ve seen women with so-called-normal cortisol labs who were very clearly physiologically struggling. And I’ve seen women improve massively not by removing every stressor from life, but by improving recovery, blood sugar regulation, sleep, nervous system flexibility, muscle mass, resilience, and overall metabolic health.

So what actually helps here is usually unsexy consistency. Make sure you’re actually eating enough overall — especially protein at most meals (roughly 30–40g is a helpful anchor for a lot of women). No steep calorie deficits. Don’t let the day turn into caffeine + adrenaline + “I forgot to eat until 3 PM” if you’re already waking at night or feeling wired / tired. Build muscle a few times per week so your body has a reason to improve glucose handling and stop behaving like it’s in scarcity mode. Walk daily, especially after meals if you can, because it’s one of the easiest ways to improve blood sugar without stressing your system more. Get morning light fairly early in the day to help anchor your circadian rhythm. And protect sleep like it’s the ginormous foundation it is — because under-recovered women just keep digging the hole deeper. The goal is reducing the constant physiological noise so your body can stop acting like it’s under threat all the time.


Some women also find a few well-chosen support tools helpful during higher-stress seasons — just as a buffer while the foundation improves. Things like magnesium glycinate for sleep and recovery, L-theanine for smoothing the caffeine/stress response, or ashwagandha to help modulate a chronically elevated stress load can be supportive in the background. The goal is never to rely on supplements instead of physiology — it’s to give the system a little more breathing room while the bigger pieces (food, sleep, muscle, stress, recovery) are getting back in place.

This whole space — women’s physiology, metabolism, cortisol, body composition, stress adaptation, hormones, behavior patterns, nervous system regulation — is basically my Roman Empire. I love this stuff so much because when women finally understand WHY their body has been responding the way it has, everything starts making more sense and there’s so much less fear around it. Plus, they start to trust that their body has actually been on their side the whole time and that allows the most beautiful progress.

Speaking of progress, I have a membership called The Metabolic Edge. I open it once a month only. Enrollment is officially open today and tomorrow, and this is exactly the kind of work we do inside.

The Metabolic Edge is my membership community for women who are tired of trying to piece together random health advice from 42 different people online and want one place where things actually connect. Workouts. Meals. Metabolism. Fat loss. Perimenopause. Cortisol. Nutrition. Blood sugar. Nervous system regulation. Mindset. Real-life consistency. It all works together because your body works together.

And one of the things women tell me over and over inside is that it finally feels manageable.

We're not doing overwhelm 'round here, ok? Ok! We're not obsessive. Indulgences are encouraged. So are real, healthy, VIBRANT results.

Most women inside are 35-60+ and they’re rebuilding trust with their bodies again. They want energy back. They want strength back. They want to stop feeling like they’re fighting themselves all day. They want workouts that build instead of deplete and can be done in 30-40 minutes. They want food to feel simpler. They want to understand what’s happening physiologically instead of blaming themselves constantly.

And they want support while they’re doing it.

That’s what this space is! You can join for $59 / month, no contract, cancel anytime, and start wherever feels most helpful for you. Doors close tomorrow night. Would love to have you inside! LEARN MORE AND JOIN HERE. <3



Stay wild + well,

Tara

P.S. In case you missed it:

My (maybe controversial?) take on how to improve the healthcare system


Update: I'll be taking my exam next month to become a Certified Menopause Practitioner through The Menopause Society and holy wow ... it's quite the monster of a vetting process to get this certification. I'm deep in studying daaaaaily and cannot WAIT to be able to serve the peri / menopause women even better. Fingers crossed!

P.P.S. Things I'm loving lately:

I love that a 6-minute session with my Pulsetto (discounted affiliate link) improves my vagal tone and helps bring me back to a parasympathetic state. It's not a necessity! There are lots of ways to do this for free (humming / singing / chanting and more), but having this device is very much appreciated and utilized. As someone who leans very sympathetically-dominant, I'll take all the help I can get!



Hear me out, this is very specific: 5 minutes of grounding and sunshine in a dress. Being barefoot on my grass, getting some vitamin D, a little sun on my legs, and not having to choose a top AND bottom to wear... sometimes it really is the little things, ya know?



L-theanine. I like taking this with coffee for a less jittery experience. It can help with nervous system regulation, cortisol, and sleep too. Just a heads up: some people develop WILD dreams or nightmares while taking this and if it's so vivid that it's troubling, you may want to consider stopping. Also, I'm loving it but that doesn't mean it's great for you. Check with your provider first.

You didn't become sensitive, your histamine threshold changed

We've got a BIG topic today, so buckle up. I didn't set out to make this a dissertation (yikes), but I can't help myself when there are dots to connect and not many people connecting them, it's practically involuntary for me.



So many women (especially those of us over 40) are walking around collecting symptoms that don’t look related on paper, but feel obviously connected in real life. Skin reacting to jewelry. Random waves of anxiety that show up with no reasonable story attached. Sleep that keeps being interrupted. Bodies and faces feeling puffy, reactive. A nervous system that just… stays on.  Asthma, eczema, seasonal allergies, hives, motion sickness. Dermatographia (where your skin basically writes back when you scratch it). Ringing ears that randomly flare. Dermatitis that seems to come out of nowhere. Even hyperemesis gravidarum during pregnancy has emerging mast cell / histamine discussions around it.



Histamine sits in the middle of a lot of that. It’s stored in mast cells, and those cells live everywhere you don’t think about until they start acting up — skin, gut lining, lungs, blood vessels, brain tissue. So when they release, it doesn’t show up in one neat category. It shows up as itching, flushing, hives, headaches, congestion, heart rate changes, dizziness, mood shifts, sleep disruption, food reactions. Sometimes all at once, which is where people start feeling like their body changed overnight.


I walked through the full breakdown in a short video here — think of it like a 9-minute podcast you can just listen to while doing other things. Then come back here for the deeper layer, because I wanted to expand on the treatment side in a more detailed way for those of you who like to really understand what’s going on.


Isn't that wild? If you haven't watched or listened yet, you won't get the context of the rest of this newsletter alright? STOP. COLLABORATE. AND LISTEN. Ice is back with my brand new invention ...



I digress (if you got the reference, we should be friends in real life).



Ok, so picking up from there (seriously, did you watch / listen? Most of the info you want is there). I want to get into what actually tends to help support these pathways in real life, beyond just trying to eliminate trigger foods or shrink the list of what you can tolerate. Of course this is all dependent on the individual. No medical advice here, just information to help you chat with your healthcare provider.



Quercetin often comes up here because it helps stabilize mast cells so they don’t release histamine as easily. Typical supplemental ranges sit around 250–500 mg once or twice daily depending on tolerance and formulation. Bromelain often pairs with it in the 200–500 mg range, partly because it supports inflammatory signaling modulation and helps quercetin absorption. Vitamin C in the 500–1000 mg range plays into histamine breakdown pathways and also lowers oxidative stress that tends to amplify reactivity. Magnesium glycinate around 200–400 mg at night supports nervous system regulation, which indirectly lowers mast cell reactivity by shifting baseline stress signaling. Vitamin B6 in P5P form, often 10–25 mg, supports DAO enzyme function in the gut.



Some people also experiment with nettle leaf or DAO enzyme support taken with higher histamine meals, especially when food patterns are obvious. And some notice shifts when alcohol is temporarily reduced, leftovers are minimized, or fresh-cooked food becomes more of a baseline for a while just to see what the system is doing underneath.


And in more complex mast cell cases, some healthcare providers may discuss mast cell stabilizers like cromolyn sodium as part of the treatment conversation.


There’s also the H1 and H2 blocker layer. Some women end up using both, sometimes daily, because symptom relief is real in the short term. H1 targets histamine receptors involved in things like itching, sneezing, skin reactions, and some neurological symptoms (ex: Alegra). H2 is more involved in gastric acid pathways and can influence digestive symptoms and systemic load indirectly (ex: Pepcid). They can absolutely help in certain windows. BUT a few words of caution: histamine itself is also part of normal physiology — involved in wakefulness, stomach acid production, immune signaling, learning, and memory. So long-term suppression without understanding why histamine is elevated in the first place can shift the conversation away from root drivers like gut integrity, hormone fluctuations, stress load, or nutrient depletion.


There are also observational studies and pharmacology discussions around long-term anticholinergic antihistamine exposure and cognitive risk signals (dementia) in certain populations. Another reason why I, personally, would not be interested in long-term H1 blockers + H2 blockers. To me, this becomes more of a “What is the system doing?” question rather than a “How do I shut this down forever?” situation.



Labs can sometimes add pieces of the puzzle. Plasma histamine, tryptase, DAO activity, 24-hour urine histamine metabolites, inflammatory markers, nutrient panels, hormone testing across cycle timing, sometimes gut testing depending on symptoms. MCAS workups or specialist evaluation in more complex presentations. But even when labs are “normal,” symptoms can still be very telling because histamine and mast cell behavior are dynamic, not static snapshots. This is where clinical pattern recognition becomes the thing that actually moves understanding forward — timing across the cycle, triggers, load stacking, response patterns, what shows up together.



A lot of what I see clinically is the body adapting to a higher background load. Stress signals, environmental exposures, ultra-processed food patterns, alcohol, sleep disruption, constant notifications, inflammation, and lower recovery capacity all stacking. Trauma history can play a role, too, because the nervous system and immune system constantly communicate with each other. Mast cells don’t exist in isolation from that. They respond to it. And over time, the threshold for activation can shift.



Anyway, this is the rabbit hole I’ve been in for a while, both personally and clinically, because once you see how interconnected it is, it all starts making a heck of a lot more sense.



If you want support with this in a more personalized way, this is exactly the kind of thing I work through with clients 1:1. We look at the full picture — body composition goals, health goals, labs when they’re available, daily life stress load, schedule, recovery capacity, and what your actual season of life looks like right now. Then I coach you through nutrition, training, lifestyle, mindset, and all the in-between pieces that tend to matter just as much as the plan itself. And we get you to where you wanna go -- that's kind of whole the point, right? ;-)


If you want to apply for 1:1 coaching, you can do that here. I’ll be in touch after you apply so we can see timing, availability, and whether it’s a good fit on both sides. I don’t always have openings, but spots do open up as clients graduate, so it tends to ebb and flow a bit.


And if 1:1 isn’t in the cards right now, mark your calendar for May 26th (next week!) — I’ll be opening doors for The Metabolic Edge for a short window. It’s my membership for women who want to support metabolic health, body composition, strength, and longevity in a way that actually fits their realistic life. Inside you’ll find workouts, meals, a full library of workshops (think Netflix-style), guest experts, and live coaching calls + Q&As with little ol' me. Most women inside are 35–60+, so wherever you’re starting from, you’re in good company. It's $59 / month, cancel yourself from the dashboard anytime, no contracts.



Stay wild + well,
Tara

P.S. In case you missed it:

PCOS has a new name!

Tongue position dictating your abs??

Making a home cable machine out of bathroom trash

P.P.S. What I'm loving:

Our countertop, homemade "allergy medicine" — this video is old (and SO cute, right??) and we are still making this


My Lumebox (43% off with this special link) — We use it every day for countless reasons, but specific to this newsletter's topic, red light therapy can help here by working upstream on what makes the body so reactive in the first place, not just the histamine itself. It supports mitochondria (your cells’ energy production), which can lower oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling — and mast cells tend to calm down when the cellular environment is less stressed. It also improves microcirculation and nitric oxide signaling, which can help symptoms like flushing, puffiness, headaches, and that warm, reactive feeling in the skin and vessels. It can also shift the nervous system slightly toward a more parasympathetic state, where mast cells are generally less likely to overreact. And if you're like me and your body it a sensitive little witch and overreacts to everything (like bug bites), this helps there too. It's not a magic cure, but a helpful tool for sure!


This tea. I keep it on hand always. I just don't steep in the tea bag itself (want to avoid the microplastics), so I rip open the bags, pour into this, and then steep. It helps me a TON with water retention. This tea supports a few of the systems sitting underneath histamine load, especially liver processing and fluid balance. Your liver helps break down histamine and estrogen metabolites, so anything that gently supports bile flow and clearance can make a difference in how backed up things feel. It also has a mild diuretic effect, which is why some people notice less puffiness or that heavy, fluid-y feeling in their face or hands. And the bitter compounds can lightly support digestion and gut movement, which ties back into how well histamine from food gets handled. It’s just helping your body clear and process what’s already there a little more efficiently.


Keeping Uno and conversation starter cards on our table. The amount of spontaneous fun and laughter that has happened over meals just because it was right in front of us is pretty wild. Highly recommend making a game or cards a part of your "center piece" too!

Low ferritin isn't always an iron supplementation issue

Low ferritin is one of those things where people usually go, “I’ll just take iron,” and move on… while the body is trying to coordinate a bunch of systems at once in the background.

I recorded a quick 3-ish minute video on this here. More context below if you want to go full send nerd with. me on it.

Ferritin is your storage form of iron, but it’s not really just a lab value. It reflects how iron is being absorbed, stored, and used across things like thyroid function, oxygen delivery, energy production, and neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.

When it’s low, it rarely shows up as one distinct symptom. It’s more like a cluster that doesn’t feel connected at first. Low energy that doesn’t match sleep. Feeling cold when everyone else is fine. Hair shedding that shows up in the shower and makes you pause for a second. Workouts feeling harder than they used to. Pale skin, darker under-eyes. That general 'something is off!' feeling.

The thyroid piece is a big one that gets missed.

Iron is needed to convert T4 into T3, the active thyroid hormone that actually drives metabolic output. So when ferritin is low, that conversion slows down, and everything can feel like it’s running in a lower gear. This is why someone can have a “normal” TSH and still feel very not normal.

And then it’s not as simple as just taking iron.

There’s a hormone called hepcidin that controls absorption. If it’s high, you absorb less iron no matter what you’re taking. It goes up with inflammation, stress, infections, and sometimes even frequent iron dosing. So you can be doing everything “right” and still feel like nothing is changing.

That’s part of why alternate-day dosing has been getting more attention in research. For some people, spacing iron every other day may allow hepcidin to drop in between doses, which can improve absorption. That’s something to talk through with a provider.

Absorption itself is also not just about the supplement. Stomach acid matters. Gut health matters. Inflammation matters. Even things like SIBO or low-grade gut irritation can reduce iron absorption without obvious digestive symptoms showing up.

Iron also doesn’t exist in isolation once it’s in the body.

Copper is involved in transport. Vitamin A helps mobilize stored iron. B vitamins are needed for red blood cell formation. Protein supports transport and overall metabolic function. So iron can technically be present, but still not really functioning well if those other pieces are off.

Stress layers into this too (but of course it does!). When stress is high for a long time, digestion changes, absorption changes, and the body shifts resources away from storage and repair. Ferritin starts reflecting that overall state more than just intake.

Now the part that confuses people the most: high ferritin with normal or low iron...

Ferritin goes up in two very different scenarios, and they get mixed all the time. One is true iron overload situations where storage is actually high. But the more common one in practice is inflammation-driven ferritin.

Ferritin is also an acute phase reactant, meaning it rises when the body is dealing with inflammation, infection, stress, or immune activation. So you can have high ferritin but low serum iron or low-normal iron because the body is basically holding onto iron and not letting it circulate or be used properly.

That’s why symptoms still matter a lot here. The system can look fine or even high on paper while functional iron availability is actually lowww.

I saw this recently with a client who had been taking iron for months with basically no change. A few things were happening together — gut irritation affecting absorption, coffee timing interfering with uptake, and a stressful season that had shifted digestion and appetite without her really noticing. None of it was a huge deal individually, but enough small things stacking created a bottleneck. Once we adjusted the system around the iron instead of just focusing on iron itself, things finally started moving and her hypothryoidism-like symptoms improved 90%.

And that’s usually what this ends up being -- a handful of small inputs that no one is putting together.

A full iron panel usually includes ferritin, serum iron, TIBC, transferrin saturation, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. So you’re looking at storage, circulating iron, transport capacity, and oxygen-carrying output. This helps show whether iron is low, not being absorbed, not being transported well, stuck in storage, or whether the system has been under enough strain that blood markers are starting to reflect it too.

This is educational only and not medical advice — just context so you can have a more informed conversation with your provider.

This whole space — women’s physiology, a fire metabolism, sexy labs, training, nutrition, all the weird under-the-surface stuff that actually explains what’s going on — is my Roman Empire. I think about it a lot. Probably more than is normal. But also… it kind of explains everything.

I’m really glad you’re here!

And stay tuned until next week because we’re going into a hot button topic, especially for the perimenopause / menopause crowd. It’s one of those things that gets oversimplified online, and the nuance is where everything actually changes.

This is the kind of thing I spend a lot of time doing with clients — putting all the pieces together so it’s not one person talking nutrition, another talking fitness, another giving health advice that doesn’t always line up. It becomes one streamlined plan that actually fits the body in front of us and your LIFE, which is where things finally start to make sense and why it's so successful!  If you want support like that, you can apply for 1:1 coaching here. I’ll be in touch after you apply to talk through timing and see if it’s a good fit on both sides.

And if 1:1 isn’t the right next step for you right now, there’s also The Metabolic Edge — my monthly membership community — reopening for June enrollment on May 26th. It’s $59/month, and you can cancel anytime. Inside, it’s a mix of workouts, meals, workshops, guest experts, and coaching calls, plus a community of women who are all working on the same thing -- feeling better in their bodies and actually following through on their goals.



Stay wild + well,
Tara



P.S. In case you missed it ...


This post about abs


And this one on how I finally got my head right and reversed 4 chronic conditions



P.P.S. Things I'm loving lately


NMN -- have taken for about 7 years now. Originally got into it through the NAD+ / cellular energy research rabbit hole, and it’s one of the few things that just stayed in my stack because of how it supports energy metabolism at the cellular level and helps offset age-related decline. This one is tasteless and 3rd party tested.


These electrolytes. I get an adequate amount of sodium through my diet usually so unless it's a sauna or otherwise extra sweaty day, I need more of the other electrolytes and less sodium in order to keep my water retention at bay (I'm a big retainer of water if I'm not careful). These are my fav. for the not-super-sweaty days. Great ingredient quality and I love the taste, so it helps me drink more water. Haha.


Spa, classical, and dinner jazz music.  I don't care WHAT I'm doing, if I want to romanticize the heck out of my life in that moment, I throw on one of those and immediately all my problems disappear. I mean, not really, but you understand. Try it! When you shower or do skincare, when you cook or clean or drive. Lmk what you think.

The BINGE isn't the start. It's the end of a sequence.

I know this pattern really well!


There have been plenty of nights where I felt a little fried, a little disconnected, a lot overwhelmed, and food felt like the only thing that would actually bring me back into my body.


You sit down, start eating, and within minutes you feel more here. More settled. Like your system finally drops its shoulders.


And then the other side of it hits. That uncomfortable “why did I do that again” feeling. Too full, slightly irritated, and confused because...  part of it actually worked?!?


That’s the annoying truth about emotional eating. It works.  That’s why it keeps happening! When you eat — especially a larger, more continuous amount of food — your stomach physically stretches. That stretch activates mechanoreceptors in the stomach wall. Those receptors send signals up through the vagus nerve to your brain.


The vagus nerve is basically your body’s internal group chat between your gut and your brain. It’s constantly helping regulate heart rate, digestion, inflammation, and overall state.


So when those stretch signals fire, your brain receives a very clear message ... "Things are okay down here."



Here are a few of the ways I work with this with clients AT THE MOMENT of the binge:



Long-exhale breathing (2–5 minutes). Inhale through your nose, then extend your exhale slowly through your mouth. The longer exhale shifts vagal activity and moves your system out of that wired, activated state. Most people notice their shoulders drop or their jaw soften before they even realize anything changed.


Humming or low tone vocalization. A steady hum creates vibration through your throat and chest, which sits directly along vagus nerve pathways. It sounds simple, almost too simple, but it feeds sensory input back into the nervous system that supports regulation.


Cold water on the face (30–60 seconds). This triggers what’s called the dive reflex. Cold exposure around the face sends a signal to slow heart rate and shift toward parasympathetic activity. It’s one of the fastest ways to interrupt that “I need something right now” feeling before it escalates.


Short walk (5–10 minutes). Movement plus changing visual input helps your brain process and discharge built-up cognitive load. It’s not about burning anything off. It’s about giving your system a different sensory pattern so it can exit the loop it was stuck in.


Firm pressure or containment. This could be a weighted blanket, leaning your back into a wall, or even hugging something firm. Pressure gives your body proprioceptive input — basically a “held” signal — which is often what people are unconsciously looking for with food.


A structured earlier meal. A real meal with protein, carbs, and enough volume changes the baseline your system is running on. If your body isn’t starting the day with enough input, it will look for it later in less predictable ways.


All of these work because they give your body another route into the same thing it was already trying to do: shift its state.



Everything I just walked through is most effective right before the urge becomes fully formed. That moment where you feel off, slightly disconnected, and your brain starts narrowing into “I need something.”  That window is where you still have flexibility.


Once the pattern fully takes over, you’re basically just trying to interrupt a system already in motion.  So the real leverage point is earlier than that. How your day is structured—your meals, your stress load, your transitions, your recovery moments—sets the conditions for whether that urge builds in the first place.

I recorded a full breakdown (6 minutes) that pulls all of this together for you — what’s happening in your body before the urge, why food works so reliably, and how to actually start shifting it earlier in the sequence instead of reacting at the end of it.

Watch it here

🧠 IF YOU WANT DEEPER SUPPORT

A few messages I’ve gotten from 1:1 clients while we were working through this:



“I literally just stopped mid-pizza roll and was like… wait, I’m not even hungry, I’m just overstimulated 😭 I sat on the floor for 3 minutes instead of eating and that alone has changed my entire evenings."  — A.M.


“I don’t know how to explain this without sounding coo coo but I stopped blaming myself for all the night eating because I can literally SEE what’s happening in my day now. I mean, I can predict it coming a mile away now. That has to be part of why the weight is dropping faster this time. I’m just pissed it took me this long, lol.” — L.S.

If you want help mapping your version of this and actually understanding what’s happening in your system (not just generic advice), you can apply for coaching here. I’ll reach out soon to discuss fit and next availability.


Stay wild + well,
Tara



P.S. In case you missed it:


This post on lab work

This post on midlife crises (kind of)

This post on plantar fasciitis



P.P.S. Things I'm loving lately (emotional eating-specific tools):


Pulsetto (vagus nerve stimulation tool that can replace using excess food for that same signal)


Cold face plunge (just grab a big ol' bowl and fill with ice / cold water


Adjustable dumbbells (natural dopamine training)


Spring weather making the outside more enticing

Your body is not impressed by your fasting window

Our body gets efficient FAST!

It learns patterns and starts organizing itself around them — hunger, energy, output, even how it allocates resources day to day.

Fasting is one of the clearest places you can see this happen.

Most days, I naturally land in a 12–14 hour fasting window. Sometimes it’s closer to 15 depending on dinner, schedules, life. It doesn’t feel stressful because it’s supported on the other side. I still get 3 full, spaced-out meals in my eating window—real protein, carbs, fats, fiber, enough total intake that my body isn’t compensating later.

That daily rhythm becomes baseline. The body adapts to it. Hunger lines up. Energy stabilizes around it. It stops feeling like a “stimulus” and becomes just how things are.

This is where the concept of metabolic stressor vs metabolic signal matters.

A metabolic stressor is something the body sees repeatedly. It learns it, predicts it, and reduces the response over time to conserve energy. But a metabolic signal is something that breaks that prediction slightly. It creates a different kind of response because the system isn’t fully adapted to it yet.

At a cellular level, this is where things like AMPK activation, mitophagy, glycogen depletion, and shifts in nutrient sensing pathways come into play. When energy availability drops beyond the usual pattern, cells shift into more of a “resource prioritization” state. They use stored fuel, increasing fat oxidation, clean-up processes and temporarily changing how energy is allocated.

That’s part of why an occasional longer fast can be useful.


O-C-C-A-S-I-O-N-A-L

It creates a clear signal. For me, that could be a 24-hour fast, plus or minus, done occasionally — not on a schedule, but pulsed in. I can make sure when sleep has been pretty solid, stress isn't through the roof, and I’m already well-fed before I do this.

But I don’t do very long fasts daily.

When that becomes routine, instead of a clean signal, it becomes cumulative stress load — higher cortisol response, lower recovery capacity, and diminishing returns. No thanks!

So the way I think about it is simple. A daily 12–14 hour fast supports metabolic stability and routine clean-up. An occasional longer fast creates a stronger signal and a "deeper clean", if you will.



We all practice fasting overnight and in between meals. What's your current routine looking like?

If you’ve ever felt like all of this is too much to think about, confusing, or just not realistic for real life, The Metabolic Edge would be perfect for you! It's my complete method with all the support and guidance you need, and community to carry you through. Enrollment for May is open now. Hit reply if you have questions -- I don’t want you to miss out on the whole month of May and the goals we'll be crushing together inside.

Excited for your future,
Tara

Your "healthy routine" is the problem

If you’re doing the work and still not seeing your body shift, there’s a reason for that.

There’s a lot of talk right now about nervous system regulation, and somehow it’s turned into staying calm all the time. THAT'S NOT WHAT REGULATION IS! Ahhhhhhh. Ok, sorry to yell. That's just my passion leaking out.

Regulation is range. It’s being able to ramp up when you train, think, respond, deal with life… and then come back down when it’s over. That shift is the real skill.

Same thing with cortisol.

Cortisol has been getting absolutely dragged online lately, and most (I'd say 99%) of what I see about it is off. We don’t want your cortisol timing, peaks, or rhythm to be dysfunctional. But somehow that turned into “don’t do hard workouts, don’t get cold, don’t go more than 3 hours b/w meals, don’t stress your body or you’ll spike cortisol and store belly fat.” That leap is wild and just .... isn’t real.

It’s like noticing that doing strength training 6 hours a day, 7 days a week would break your body down… and then deciding strength training itself is the problem. Nope. Dose matters.

Cortisol rises in the morning so you wake up. It rises when you train so you can perform. It rises when life demands something from you so you can meet it. Then it comes back down. That rise and fall is the point. THAT is healthy.

Your body is built for stress. Not constant stress, but dosed stress. On purpose.

Heavy weights that require something from you. Getting out of breath on purpose. Going 12+ hours overnight without food so your body shifts fuel sources. Cold exposure so your system has to generate heat. Heat so your body has to cool itself down. That all raises cortisol and requires your body to respond.

That response is the training.

One of the ways you build a healthier cortisol rhythm is actually by doing things that temporarily raise cortisol on purpose… and then coming back down. You create the spike, your body does what it’s designed to do, and then you return to baseline. Over time, that becomes a skill — rising when it should, clearing when it should, not getting stuck in fight or flight.



You talking like an a$$hole to yourself all day everyday? That's cortisol that stays and never leaves. Not good. You overextending yourself and never setting any boundaries with your unstable family members? That's cortisol that stays and never leaves. You being in a calorie deficit since the last episode of Saved by the Bell aired? Yup ... cortisol that has taken up permanent residence.



Those things are not good. And if you ignore those and instead try to micromanage cortisol by never sprinting or shivering another day in your life, you will continue to be stressed 24/7 but now also have to add "weak, frail, fatigued with worsening lab work and a softer body" to the mix ... especially if you're in the over 40 crowd like me!

Resilience comes from handling stressors and coming back down from them. That’s where metabolism becomes more flexible too. It's also where energy starts to feel more stable.

A lot of people are building their entire routine around avoiding stress, and then wondering why nothing changes. Comfort doesn’t create adaptation. Challenge does. Then recovery and rest lock it in.

The rhythm is the whole thing.

We're not chasing perpetual calm. A body that can handle load, respond, and come back to center without friction is the real goal.

This is also a big part of what I go into inside The Metabolic Edge. This is why today, tomorrow, the next day… the women inside are seeing their results compound in real time. And with summer coming, those compounding results are turning into confidence right on time for the long days ahead.



May enrollment for The Metabolic Edge will be here next week! Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 28th if you want in on the method that has changed 1000+ women's bodies and lives (I canNOT believe I have served that many women ... pinch me!!!).


Overthinking your health (in a good way),
Tara

Reality isn't fixed -- you just think it is

I’ve been experimenting with something that feels like bending reality lately.



So obviously, I HAD to tell you about it.



Quantum physics says particles exist in every possible state until we observe them. That blows my brain! Multiple realities are out there in front of us at once, but we only ever experience the one we’re tuned into. Attention, focus, even the energy you put into your day is the dial that matches you to one version of life over another.

I’ve started testing this in small, ridiculously specific ways. When I slow down a hip hinge and feel my glutes firing totally differently, it changes how my whole workout feels. When I really notice my posture at my desk, soften my face, lower my shoulders, open my chest, the next hour flows ... differently!



My sleep feels more restorative when I honor the body’s rhythm instead of racing past it. If I pay attention to how my first sip of coffee actually tastes, it changes the way the morning lands. Every little nudge in my own awareness is tuning me to a different reality -- one that apparently already exists and is just waiting for me to match it.


I’ve also been experimenting with applying this to business opportunities. When I tune my focus and energy toward a specific project or connection, I start noticing doors I didn’t see before — emails that get answered, calls that click differently, ideas that fit better, offers coming through — all aligning with the version of success I’m matching to that day.

I've also been deep-diving on optimism and loving the interaction between these two. Most people think optimism is smiles and denial of stress. But, it's really this stubborn, disciplined act of training attention and energy toward a version of our life that feels alive, strong, and awake. I do love the woo, but biology backs this up too ... the Reticular Activating System, our brain’s filter for what we notice and focus on, is actually shaping what we see, feel, and experience. It's the reason we buy a bright blue Jeep and then start seeing bright blue Jeeps EVERYwhere. Or, we decide so-and-so must hate us and now everything they say and do seems to back that up.




I’m obsessed with tracking these tiny shifts because they are reshaping everything — energy levels, excitement, boldness, mindset, how I feel in my own skin. It's this glorious experiment that's spiritual, physics, biology, and human focus all mixing together in ways I can see, feel, and measure. It's free, always around, and ours for the taking.



There could be a placebo effect overlapping here as well, but hey, I'm ok with that!

Wanna join me? Start with one minute today ... notice a thought that drags your energy down and reframe it, just for that minute. Watch how it ripples. Because your reality is always listening and adjusting.




Stay wild + well,
Tara

I wish I didn't see this ... because now I have to change it

So I’m sitting down to write today’s blog post and I’m like… bump the other topics. The people need to know this!

I’ve been tracking my sleep pretty closely lately and WOW. The difference is not subtle.

On nights I eat after dinner—nothing crazy, just a little something like veggies and hummus mixed with salsa—my REM sleep drops. Consistently! Like 20 minutes gone.

Same exact amount of hours in bed. Same wake-up time. And yet a completely different sleep quality.

This matters, because more REM sleep means better brain recovery, better mood, better memory, better hormone regulation… all things we as women 40+ could really use more of.

And listen, I’ve read the science. I get the physiology. Digestion, blood sugar, all of it. But seeing your own data basically call you out like this is a different story. Haha.

I usually stop eating after dinner. But this might be the thing that makes me stick to that just a little bit more often.... since my body is over here keeping receipts.

I posted a reel breaking down my new watch data here last week if you missed it and want to see exactly what I’m looking at.

So if you’ve been feeling off even when you’re technically doing 'everything right'… this might be one of those things flying under your radar too!


Stay wild + well,
Tara


P.S. We just started a new workout program in The Metabolic Edge and the feedback has been incredible so far. TME is a (virtual) metabolic studio for women 35-60+ who want to get leaner, stronger, and healthier without the restrictive dieting. Workouts, food, group coaching calls, guest speakers. But my FAV part is the community of women sharing their tips, wins, questions, and cheering each other on. If you need support + guidance, come join us!

You can lose weight ... and your body can function worse

This week I figured I’d switch things up and just talk to you on video instead of writing it all out. Maybe it's the push I need to actually start a youtube channel? LOL Who knows.


I’m walking through something I see a lot—how you can be losing fat but still feel kind of… off. I’ll break down what that actually looks like and why it matters, so you get the full picture, not just what the scale says.



WATCH HERE



If this resonated with you, just know there’s a place to get real, effective fat loss while actually supporting your body and health. Inside The Metabolic Edge, women see sustainable results—not just on the scale—but as part of a bigger picture that includes energy, strength, and resilience. Fat loss is one piece, and we focus on making sure it works with your body, not against it.



To great things ahead,
Tara

Cinnamon Buns and Confidence

When I was 13 and a half, I couldn’t wait. I wanted a job the moment I turned 14. So I got my working papers early and headed to the mall with a friend. Store after store, I asked if they’d hire me—and store after store, I heard “no.” Not hiring. Or ... too young, come back at 16.

Finally, at the last shop—a little cinnamon bun bakery—I had nothing left to lose. I blurted out, “Please! I love cinnamon. I’m literally chewing cinnamon gum right now!” The owner laughed and told me to come back on my 14th birthday to hand out samples.

When that day came, I showed up ready. The owner stepped away for a bit, and I watched Francine, a few years older, run the register. By the time he returned, I said, “I learned it ... just in case.” That audacity paid off. Soon I was trusted to manage the store, design holiday displays, help with the books and even hire and fire! That 13+-year-old me had no idea she was building one of the most important muscles I would ever need - confidence to figure things out as I went.

Fast forward to now—I’m in my own expansion phase after a very difficult, life-and-future-altering discovery over the past year and a half. I don’t know exactly what the full expansion will look like, and it’s humbling to admit that. But I’m leaning into the confidence of my 13.5-year-old self—not the kind that assumes I’m fully in control, but the opposite. The kind that trusts that even when I’m not in control, I’ll figure it out. I always do.


And you do too.

Here’s the thing—life, metabolism, and health work in much the same way.

There’s no magic moment when everything clicks. We don’t suddenly know enough, feel enough, or have all the answers to start. But audacity — taking that first step anyway — is how we expand. Think of your metabolism ... you can study it endlessly, but the moment you start exercising, adjusting your nutrition, or improving your sleep is the moment your body actually begins to adapt and improve. Your cells respond, your hormones shift, your energy begins to climb — and you didn’t need to “know it all” to start.

And just like in life, we expand in seasons. I’ve shrunk and stretched many times — becoming a mom, adjusting to a global pandemic and all that jazz, navigating family challenges. Each time, it felt like I had to pause, shrink, regroup. But every expansion began with a small audacious move, and often when I felt least ready.

So here’s your takeaway: maybe you’re at your own “last store” moment — the moment that feels scary, uncertain, or like you don’t have all the answers. Maybe it’s starting a new workout plan, trying a nutrition change, or committing to a health habit that feels intimidating. Maybe it’s a bigger life move entirely.

You don’t need to feel fully ready. You just need to start — and trust that expansion, growth, and learning will follow. Just like that girl in a mall chewing cinnamon gum, audacity is where transformation begins.

What’s the next step you’ve been waiting to take until you “feel motivated”? Maybe it’s time to start anyway.

Stay wild and well,
Tara

P.S. If you need guidance, customization, and someone who really understands fitness, nutrition, lifestyle, tight schedules, lab work — and can put it all together for you while supporting you through it so you’re not left piecing your health together on your own—we should probably discuss working together. Learn more and put your name on the interested list.

Whimsy is not optional

You ever notice how when things start to feel heavy, chaotic, or just… ugh, we shrink? We focus on the laundry, the bills, the appointments, the 'shoulds' that never end. We forget that we’re humans with imagination, curiosity, and this crazy-cool little spark that wants to play.

One of the best, lowest-lift ways I fight that shrinking is to add a little whimsical to my days. Tiny things that make me feel alive, silly, joyful, unexpected. The kind of things that make me stop and remember that life doesn’t have to feel so serious all the time.

Some of my favorite ideas (some I've done and do and others not yet):

• Carry googly eyes with you and stick them on random objects when the opportunity strikes.

• Play coffee shop music while you cook, even if you’re just making eggs.

• Air the house out for 15 minutes every day, even when it’s freezing. The difference in energy is wild.

• Candlelit showers. Tropical-themed baths with Epsom salt, ocean sounds, and a tropical drink.

• Weekly nail appointment with yourself — because even if you aren't going to salon, you can

• Take a class (or a free YouTube version) in cooking, ballet, salsa, guitar, drawing, whatever invigorates you.

• Write -- poetry, stories, journal

• Get a plant and give it a regal human name. Ms. Judy Moffet of Kingsington. Talk to it.

• Dress up just because. You own the clothes, why not?!

• Turn on the essential oil diffuser and pretend your apartment is a spa retreat.

• Take your coffee outside for 5 minutes of sun on your face. Bonus points if you do it barefoot.

• Natural-dye sprinkles on your yogurt or oatmeal.

• Pick up a new hobby or revisit an old one. Learn a sport, a skill, or just something silly like memorizing the fast part of the song you listened to on repeat in high school.

• Put your blanket in the dryer for 5 minutes before you cozy up to a show.

• Spend a day pretending you’re the main character in a rom-com and react accordingly. Bonus points if you also make it a no complaining day.

• Write a handwritten note, card, postcard or letter to someone.

• Invite friends over for a game night, a theme potluck, or make a fort for movie night.

• Sign up for something that makes you feel like an athlete again (or for the first time). Race, competition, team.

• Start a garden or grow a tiny thing that makes you smile on your windowsill.

• Grab a duck figurine and carry it in your purse. Take it out for photo ops anywhere, everywhere, for no reason at all.

• Look up a few dad/mom jokes and text them to people you love. Laughter truly is magic.

• Read 5 pages of a book every day. You know you wanna.

• Plan a fun 1:1 night with your spouse, partner, or kiddo.

• Pick one thing you’ve always wanted to learn more about and just start. Curiosity is a life force.

• Bedazzle an old flower pot, a boring pair of sneakers or shoes, or your phone case. This seems to be popular in the pre-teen girl population these days. They stole our high school style, so we can steal this from them.

• After your kids are ready for bed but before story time, grab a bunch of balled up socks and play dodgeball with them in their room. You will be finding them under their bed for weeks, but the belly laughs are worth it.

• Buy a pair of “dressy yoga” pants in a few colors and wear them with tanks, t-shirts, sweaters, blazers, button-downs — your new uniform, comfy year-round. Five stars. Highly recommend.
  
  

And if you feel called to add your own whimsical ritual, do it. Make it weird or playful or random. Life doesn’t have to feel heavy all the time, and when it does, we have to push back — remember who we were, who we are, and who we’re becoming. A little whimsy goes a surprisingly long way.

Go add some whimsy this week. You deserve it!


In googly eyes we trust,
Tara


P.S. If you already does some whimsical things or have ideas and wanna share, please feel free to leave a comment.

Your plan won't work ... unless your learn THIS skill first

I'm just gonna cut to the chase ...


If you’re consistent and not getting results, your plan is wrong (for you, your goals...).

If you’re inconsistent… you’ll never even know if your plan is right or wrong, because you don't have enough data yet to judge.

Most people jump straight to “just follow the plan, stick to it,” if someone is inconsistent and that’s ... WHACK. (Do we say that anymore? I'm saying it b/c it's the perfect fit here!) It's skipping the part nobody teaches ... the skill of change.



Yup, change is a skill.

It’s not about discipline or motivation. It’s about gathering evidence about yourself.

Examples ...


No one can tell me I’m not a mother. I birthed these kids, they exist, they scream, they interrupt me constantly (haha). That’s proof.


No one can tell me I’m not a lifter. I’ve lifted weights for most of my life, several times a week, rain or shine.
That’s proof.


No one can tell me I'm a world class ski jumper. I've never ski jumped a day in my life and if I gave it a go right now, I'd be taking up residence in the nearest trauma center for quite some time. No evidence to say I'm a great ski jumper.

We behave according to our identity.

If you want to be the kind of woman who:

• Actually prioritizes her bedtime

• Feels confident in her clothes without obsessing over every bite

• Has energy for workouts and life
  
  

…you can’t just decide it one day and make it happen. You have to collect the evidence first.

Pick one thing -- maybe sleep, maybe movement, maybe how you fuel yourself -- and stick with a baby version of it for a set period (2–4 weeks). This could mean going to bed 5 minutes earlier each day. Or taking a 5 minute walk. Or adding 10g of protein to your breakfast. Make it so small that you will do it whether you're motivated or not. Track your choices. That’s your proof starting to build.

Slowly, your brain starts whispering, “Oh…this is who I am.” You become the woman who sleeps, moves, or eats in a way that actually works for her. Soon, it will feel weird if you don't make those choices. Once that’s real, consistency stops being a struggle. You just do it. And if your plan is a solid one with the strategy and nuance you need, results show up like clockwork. And actually, it's guaranteed.

This is just one piece of the puzzle, but it’s huge. If you want more of these practical, counterintuitive, science-backed pieces of the skill of change, check out The Replay Lounge in The Metabolic Edge. Think Netflix for women’s health ... metabolism, hormones, longevity, body composition. Even this one piece alone is worth the price of admission.

Ok, you're up! Pick one thing this week and start gathering your evidence. And if you want, comment and tell me what you'll be gathering evidence about. I'd love to cheer you on.

Stay wild and welll,
Tara

A day in my life ...

I posted a clip from homeschooling one day last week and got a few DMs about my schedule and how I structure my days to “fit it all in.” So as I’m sitting down to write this newsletter for you, I thought, “Maybe other people are curious too?!” Or maybe not. This might be very boring. Haha! But I’m nosy sometimes too, so let’s do this…

First of all, as a mother and an entrepreneur, every day is different. Truly. Sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot. But this will give you a decent peek into how I structure and time block many of my weekdays.

My alarm is usually set for 5:52 or 6:00. Straight to the bathroom — floss, tongue scrape, brush. A quick 30-second skincare routine. Then right into workout clothes I laid out the night before (when pajamas go on, workout clothes get laid out).

Next, I pour a big glass of water with electrolytes (usually a low-sodium one) and make some coffee. I’ll often use the red light while I sit down, take inventory of the day, and handle a little admin.

The kids get up and get themselves ready. Breakfast for them. A little chat time. I typically go for a walk, but lately I’ve been subbing that for quick morning sun and an indoor bike session because of these negative temps we’ve been having. Then I get Magnolia off to school. But not today. She was up a bit overnight with some bellyaches, and while she’s much better now, we played it safe and kept her home. Thankfully we don’t get sick often in this house, so even if we were overcautious today, it’s no biggie.

Shortly after that, it’s time for homeschooling Jagger. We have dedicated “school” time and tasks, but I consider learning to be constant, so homeschooling is never really done, if you know what I mean. We take breaks between tasks, projects, or subjects for fresh air and movement, and I’ll usually eat my breakfast during one of those breaks. I often start laundry, answer emails, and reply to clients during those pockets too.

When lessons are done, it’s time for my workout. On Wednesdays, we have conditioning, core + HIIT in The Metabolic Edge, and I love that I can just show up and do it without thinking about it. Sometimes I’ll film a clip or two for IG stories, but admittedly not often enough lately. I’m working on it. I think those 2.5 years of posting every single bit of every single workout left me still needing a break. I’m getting back there — just not sharing every detail of every workout ever again. Haha. That was a lot!

Quick shower, get ready. Six-minute makeup routine. Today was supposed to be a hair wash day, but I pushed it back and used dry shampoo to save time.

At 12:00, I taught a workshop on red light therapy inside The Metabolic Edge. We covered who it’s for, what it can do, what it can’t do, who should use caution, protocols — and I admitted to using it for something I can’t officially recommend to anyone else. We have a good time on our live events. When I don’t have workshops or Q+As, I usually have calls with clients, potential clients, or business meetings (brands, software, etc.). I try to keep 1–2 days per week free of calls for deep work / backend stuff. As a solopreneur, I'm doing my own bookkeeping, website design, all the stuff you see and don't see so I carve out some time for that too.

The rest of this part of my day is mostly work — but with mom life woven in. I’m still making food, chatting with kids, doing a quick house reset, helping where needed, flipping laundry, eating my own lunch, taking my supplements. I try for a quick nervous system break here. It could be 2 min of sun and breathing. Or grounding. Or using the vagus nerve stimulator for a 4 min. sesh. Or reading something. Work-wise, I’m doing client programming and check-ins (onboarding someone new this week), communicating with guest experts for The Metabolic Edge, and writing this newsletter.

I also have brand work today — contracts to review, a few photos to take, emails to return. I’ll fit in a quick study session soon. I’m sitting for an exam in June that will expand my scope and practice, and I’m SO excited about it. I’m gonna put a few minutes into a pitch deck this afternoon for something I invented and planning some upgrades — that part excites me and terrifies me. Lots of imposter syndrome popping up there, which feels like a good opportunity to practice kicking its butt.

And then there’s content. I try to weave Instagram stories in throughout the day as I can (is there something specific you love when I share? I’m always trying to keep things fresh, helpful, and maybe a little entertaining for you). I usually create a new reel or post daily, but since the one I tried to upload last night wouldn’t go through, I’ll probably just recreate it and try again later.

Depending on the day, in the late afternoon / early evening there might be appointments, activities, music lessons, etc., so I’ll put work down to play chauffeur or oversee if it’s happening here at the house. Ninety-five percent of the time, we have extra kids here. Our house has become the neighborhood hangout, and while it’s loud and chaotic, I kind of love it. “Remember when you wished for what you have right now?”

Today we had a tutor scheduled, but I canceled since we have a kiddo home sick. So I’ll work and mom straight through until about 5-ish, when I transition into mostly-just-mom mode. Homework help, finish laundry, dishes, make dinner, hang with the kids, straighten up. My husband gets home and joins in. I usually spend a few minutes before bedtime setting up and time blocking for the next day, then it’s kiddo bedtime routines and family stuff.

Once the kids are asleep, it’s adult time. We hang out and actually catch up. Maybe watch a show. We’ve been watching Homeland lately — old, but I never saw it before and it’s so good. Oh, and dandelion tea with a little lemon is definitely happening tonight.

Then wind-down mode for me. Magnesium glycinate. Alarm set. Workout clothes laid out. Phone on airplane mode. Heat turned down. Mouth tape on. Ideally it's 9:00, but realistically we’re not usually done with kid stuff until 9 or after, so lately bedtime has been more like 10:15 / 10:30.

I have tons of energy all day but am EXHAUSTED by nighttime — and that feels good. Without sleep, nutrition, exercise, and circadian rhythm support, I think I’d be wiped by 3 PM. Taking care of my mental and physical health is the only way I can even attempt to keep all these hats balanced at once.



If you made it all the way down here, you’re a champ. HA! I didn’t link anything I mentioned, but feel free to hit “reply” if you want more details on anything.

XO,
Tara

Colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer has been on everyone’s mind lately.

Two public figures gone in a short span of time will do that. I’ve had a lot of DMs. Some questions from clients. And with family history on my side, it hits close to home for me too.

I shared my full prevention stack over on Instagram (linked here) — everything from sleep and metabolic health to screening and certain types of training.

But today, I want to zoom in on one powerful, accessible, underutilized tool:

Fiber.

It’s not sexy. But it is foundational.

Fiber feeds your microbiome. Fermentation produces butyrate — a short-chain fatty acid that supports colon cell health. It improves insulin sensitivity, lowers inflammation, and supports detoxification pathways.

Fiber improves metabolic terrain. And terrain matters a lot!

Most women are wildly under-consuming it.

A general goal for most women is around 25–35g+ per day. Many women barely hit half of that.

Here are some high-fiber foods (with realistic servings):

• Basil seeds -- 2 T: 15g

• Lentils – 1 cup cooked: 15g

• Chia seeds – 2 Tbsp: 10g

• Raspberries – 1 cup: 8g

• Blackberries – 1 cup: 8g

• Avocado – 1/2 large: 7g

• Pear (with skin) – 1 medium: 5–6g

• Apple (with skin) – 1 medium: 4–5g

• Lentils – 1/2 cup cooked: 7-8g

• Black beans – 1/2 cup cooked: 7-8g

• Chickpeas – 1/2 cup cooked: 6g

• Ground flaxseed – 2 Tbsp: 4g

• Oats – 1/2 cup dry: 4g

• Quinoa – 1 cup cooked: 5g

• Sweet potato (with skin) – 1 medium: 4g

• Broccoli – 1 cup cooked: 5g

• Brussels sprouts – 1 cup cooked: 4g

• Artichoke – 1 medium: 6–7g

• Almonds – 1 oz (small handful): 3–4g

I have been screaming from the rooftops about basil seeds for a couple years now and I still feel like it’s a secret. Haha! Two tablespoons stirred into yogurt, blended into a smoothie, or soaked into a simple basil seed “pudding” can give you ~15 grams of fiber... half your daily needs! It looks like, tastes like, and behaves just like chia, but with more fiber. It’s one of the easiest metabolic upgrades out there! I’ll link the exact brand I use here.

Fiber isn’t just about digestion. It’s about blood sugar stability, inflammation control, hormonal balance, microbiome diversity, and long-term disease risk reduction.

Stay wild and well,
Tara

P.S. I currently have a client with Lynch syndrome. Cancer prevention is absolutely part of her plan.

I’m not my clients’ healthcare provider. But with my medical background, I’m able to guide them through the nutrition, fitness, lifestyle, mindset, scheduling, and accountability side of things.

And it’s not just for body recomposition goals (though we absolutely do that). More and more women are navigating symptoms, family histories, diagnoses, and uncertainty — and they need someone to fully support them in optimizing their body, mind, and life in a way that elevates vitality, joy, peace, and quality of life.

If that sounds like you, you can find more details here.

What does "healthy" mean to you?

Lately I’ve been thinking about how slippery the word healthy has become.

Everyone uses it. Almost no one defines it. And when they do, it usually gets reduced to one thing — labs, weight, discipline, or how put-together someone looks from the outside.

That’s never really worked for me. Here’s how I think about it for myself.

Healthy means three things:

One, you feel pretty good most days.
Two, you’re comfortable enough in your body that it’s not taking up constant mental space.
And three, your biomarkers — labs, blood pressure, resting heart rate, HRV — are doing well relative to you, your history, and your real life.

When those pieces line up, great. That’s the goal.

When one or more of them is off, I don’t see that as something being “wrong.” It's just information. A nudge to pay attention.

The question I ask next is, what could I adjust that would actually make my life feel easier or more enjoyable over time?

Because if a change adds stress, friction, or resentment, it usually doesn’t last — even if it looks good on paper.

Another thing I wish more people understood is timing. Once you make a change — eating a more solid breakfast, training differently, walking more, going to bed earlier — you need enough consistency before you decide whether it’s helping.


For most things, that’s about three to six weeks of being mostly consistent. Not perfect. Just mostly consistent. If that consistency isn’t there, the clock doesn’t keep running. It resets (because bodies need repetition to adapt).

What’s interesting is that the first signs things are "working" almost never show up as body composition changes.

If you’re waiting for the scale or visible fat loss to tell you whether you’re on the right track for a body recomp. goal, you’ll usually quit before you get there.

The early signs are more subtle...

Better energy in the afternoon.
Waking up a little less tired.
Cravings settling down.
Realizing you can go four hours between meals and feel fine.
Less puffiness.
Fewer aches.
Not getting taken out every time a virus goes around.

Those are the signals I look for first. That’s metabolic health shifting under the surface. Body composition usually follows once those are in place — not the other way around.

This is the lens I use.

Do you feel pretty good most days?
Do you feel great / good in your skin?
Are your numbers moving in a direction that makes sense for you?

If yes, we protect what’s working. If not, we adjust — carefully, realistically, and in a way you can live with. We pay attention, stay consistent long enough to actually learn something, and choose changes that don’t require you to disappear from your own life.

That’s what healthy looks like to me. I'm curious ... what does "healthy" look like to you?


XO,
Tara



P.S. I’ll have 2 spots opening up for 1:1 coaching in March — first come, first serve. In coaching, we dive into everything from accountability and custom workouts to nutrition and lifestyle planning, helping you get truly unstuck and making sense of all your data so you know exactly what to tweak for real results. If that sounds like what you need, you can learn more and apply here.

Stubborn belly (visceral) fat explained

Ok, sooooo...


Visceral fat is the belly fat most people are actually worried about, even if they don’t know the term.

It’s not the soft, pinchable fat under the skin. It’s the deeper fat that wraps around your organs. And unlike subcutaneous fat, it’s metabolically active.

Which is why it’s such a pain.

Visceral fat releases inflammatory compounds, worsens insulin resistance, and is tightly linked to blood sugar issues, cardiovascular risk, and that stubborn midsection that seems to ignore your best efforts.

One thing that helps people feel less crazy is knowing this ... your body tends to defend visceral fat. So if you’ve ever thought, “Why is this the last place to change?” you’re not imagining it. Your biology is doing exactly what it thinks it’s supposed to do.

That’s also why “just eat less and move more” so often falls short here. It's not that energy in, energy out doesn't apply to your midsection (it still does!), but we are most effective when we learn how to communicate to our body that the fat there is ok to be used up as fuel in a deficit. We do this by sending your body multiple signals that it’s safe, supported, and doesn’t need to cling to that fat anymore.

Here are eight ways to do that, without breaking the laws of physics or your sanity.

1. High-intensity intervals
   You need brief intensity. Think 20–30 seconds of hard (sprint level) effort followed by recovery. Sprints, bike intervals, fast uphill walks. Aim for 1-3 short sessions per week, 5–15 minutes. This improves insulin sensitivity and targets visceral fat more effectively than steady-state cardio alone.
   
   

2. Strength training
   Muscle is metabolic leverage. Focus on big, boring, effective lifts: squats, hinges, presses, rows, carries. Three full-body or 2 upper / 2 lower sessions per week is plenty. The goal isn’t exhaustion, it’s building tissue that gives your body somewhere useful to send energy.
   
   

3. Protein + insulin management
   Visceral fat responds quickly to insulin spikes. Plan each meal around a solid protein source, then add fiber and carbs after. You don’t need to cut out carbs. You do need structure. If your plate starts with protein and fiber, your blood sugar stays calmer and visceral fat becomes easier to mobilize.
   
   

4. Sleep + circadian rhythm
   If sleep is off, belly fat fights back. Aim for 7–9 hours, consistent timing, and get morning light exposure. Even 10 minutes outside early in the day helps regulate cortisol. This is one of the least glamorous but most powerful levers you have.
   
   

5. Stress management
   Chronic stress tells your body to store energy. You don’t need to become a zen master (imagine?!). Just pick one daily nervous-system downshift: breathwork with a longer exhale than inhale, a slow walk, journaling, stretching, or five minutes alone without a screen. Lower cortisol changes where fat is stored.
   
   

6. Cold exposure + thermogenesis
   Cold is a metabolic signal. Cold showers, cold plunges, or simply spending time in cooler temperatures can increase energy expenditure and improve insulin sensitivity. Start small. Even 30–60 seconds at the end of a shower counts.
   
   

7. Gut health and fiber
   Fiber isn’t just about digestion. It affects blood sugar, insulin, and fat storage signals. Aim to add, not restrict. Beans, lentils, vegetables, berries, oats, basil seeds. If you struggle here, start with one fiber-rich food per day and build from there.
   
   

8. Red light therapy
   This is a nerdy add-on, not a necessity. Red and near-infrared light stimulate mitochondria inside cells, including fat cells. That makes stored fat more likely to be broken down into fatty acids. It doesn’t burn calories for you, but it can make stubborn areas more willing to release fat when paired with movement and a slight calorie deficit. Basically, a (slight) calorie deficit tells your body to burn stored energy, and signaling like this and the above can direct it towards using visceral / belly fat as that stored energy more willingly. This is the red light device I use for all the things -- face, scalp, belly, thyroid, injuries, scars, cramps, sore muscles, mood -- and is 43% off now with my link.
   
   

None of these work in isolation. Together, they change the internal environment of your body so visceral fat is no longer being aggressively protected. That’s when things start to shift.

If this kind of biology-first approach resonates, and if you want support putting this into practice without turning it into a full-time job, that’s what we do inside The Metabolic Edge. It’s where women learn how their bodies actually work, get all the tools and support, and get leaner, stronger, and more in control over time.

No extremes or fear tactics ... just smarter strategy.

Stay wild + well,
Tara

Why your "fitness over 40" plan is probably wrong

I see terrible advice for peri/menopausal women everywhere these days. Just last week I saw the IG page of a brand I like (not fitness-related at all) say that women over 40 shouldn’t do any intense exercise. And I GOL (gasped out loud) because NOOOOO.

They have a ton of followers, and I can’t stop thinking about all the women who might be worsening their health and disease risk because of this misinformation. Did the brand mean any harm? Absolutely not. I’ve had a few conversations with the founder, and I can confidently say they were just misinformed and passing along what they thought would resonate. But YIKES. Accuracy matters.

So let’s clear some stuff up. Here are three perimenopause myths that need to die, and what actually works.

1. Don’t do HIIT after 40.
   No. Just…no. Short bursts of high-intensity work are still your friend. They boost cardio, help with insulin sensitivity, and can even help your body composition. But don’t make it your main event. Strength training and daily movement are your foundation. Quick, survivable examples: 10–15 minutes on the bike, 1-minute sprints with walking breaks, or a 12-minute kettlebell circuit. Do it, feel badass, don’t die.

2. Hormones are “mean” and you’re doomed to gain weight.
   Yes, hormones are messy. Estrogen and progesterone fluctuations can shift fat to your belly and make fat loss slower. Sometimes they make you a bit insulin resistant — fancy science way of saying “carbs sometimes turn into drama.” You can feel it in bloating, energy dips, or when your jeans start passive-aggressively hinting they’re full. What actually works: lift 2–4x a week, hit 30g+ protein per meal, move daily, and time carbs around activity and sleep. Slower progress, yes. Impossible? No.

3. Pilates counts as strength training.
   I love Pilates — I even took a hot Pilates class recently and I am still sore in places I didn’t know existed. But here’s the deal: it doesn’t replace proper resistance training. After 40, muscle, bone density, and pelvic floor strength naturally decline. Pilates is the garnish; lifting is the main course. If you want a program built for women over 40 that hits muscle, bone, deep core, pelvic floor, and mobility, check out The Metabolic Edge — it literally covers all the stuff we actually want and need (plus is an entire community of women, workshops, meal guides, and everything you need to succeed with your fat loss and health goals!)
   
   
   

Perimenopause isn’t a curse. It's a challenge for sure, but with the right strategies, you (we) can feel strong, move better, and finally stop panicking over every birthday we have.

XO,
Tara


P.S. I'm 42. I fully expect some of you who are in your 50s and beyond are saying "Ok, Tara, you just wait." And ya know what? Fair! ;-) 

What if your “normal labs” are missing the real problem

I want to start the year with something inspirational, so we’re jumping straight into mitochondria because these tiny cell parts have the power to change your life or bring you to your knees. You decide.

And I mean that with love.

Let me tell you about a few clients I worked with this past year.

Client #1: A woman whose LDL and ApoB kept creeping up for no reason. She changed her diet. She worked out. She prayed. She did the thing where you stare at your lab results as if squinting changes numbers. Nothing. We addressed her mitochondrial function. Boom. She wasn’t “eating wrong.” Her LDL receptors were basically sitting around waiting for the energy to do their job. Once we supported her mitochondria, her labs shifted into the green zone and her cardiologist got off her back.

Client #2: A woman in perimenopause who thought she was losing her mind. Hot flashes. Irritability ... but more like ... RAGE. Two solid hours of sleep per night before waking. Mood swings galore. Everyone told her “welcome to midlife.” But when we worked together, we focused on mitochondria… and things improved gradually, but steadily.

Client #3: A woman gaining fat in places she swore didn’t exist last year. Her workouts were strong. Her meals were consistent. She was very disciplined. But she lost mitochondrial density + function as everyone does when it's not addressed. The machinery that burns fat was basically sending out of office emails.
We rebooted the system. Her body composition finally responded. First she noticed more energy (a perfect first sign of mitochondria coming online). Then her waist measurements started reflecting the progress.

Client #4: Joint pain all over. She assumed it was aging. Docs told her it was arthritis from "use + aging). I wondered if it was inflammation driven by mitochondrial distress and metabolic dysfunction. We worked on it. And worked on it some more. She's now able to tolerate all exercise except lunges, so we program around it and she enjoys her new pain-free routine.

Some women's blood pressure rises even though her lifestyle is "pristine".
Some women go gray faster than expected.
Some have the brain fog so thick they forget why they walked into the room.



Different symptoms. Same root. Once you learn to see the pattern, you can’t unsee it.

That’s why TRANSFORM works the way it does.

It’s not just macros and workouts. It’s not “drink water and walk” repackaged with better fonts.
It’s not “try harder this week and hope your nervous system cooperates.”

TRANSFORM is effective because we target mitochondrial function from every angle:

Your fuel.
Your food timing.
Your muscle.
Your nervous system.
Your sleep.
Your inflammation.
Your recovery.
Your circadian rhythm.
Your micronutrients.
Your stress signals.

We’re supporting the part of your body that decides whether your metabolism should burn fat for fuel and get lots of usable energy for your cells ... or use different pathways, not use up the excess fat, and not allow your cells to do their jobs properly due to an energy crisis

When women understand this… they stop thinking they’re the problem and realize their machinery was the problem. And machinery can be upgraded.

2026 is the year we do metabolism differently. We do health differently. We do us differently.

You don’t have to memorize biochemistry but you do have to stop assuming your symptoms are random and that you need different protocols for your different symptoms or goals.


Your health + body composition is a group project, and mitochondria are typically the bottleneck.

Stay wild + well,
Tara

P.S. Doors to TRANSFORM open this Friday, the 9th. Your mitochondria would like you to know they have big plans this year. The waitlist gets first access.



P.P.S. Yes, you can take it again. Many people do. Each round is different and there are new takeaways and deeper levels of implementation + momentum to be had. Returning TRANSFORMERS get 50% off. Just hit "reply" for your special link and code.

My 2026 word will cause some trouble this year. I picked it on purpose.

Every December I do this little ritual that makes me feel like I’m running a board meeting for my own life. Just me, a pen, something warm in a mug, comfy pajamas (obviously) and uncomfortable honesty.

I look at the whole year and ask myself ...

What actually worked.
What looked good but drained me.
What I kept doing out of habit, not alignment.
Where I hid.
Where I played small.
Where I surprised myself.
Where I thought I made no progress but actually made a ton.

I do this for life AND business. They bleed into each other too much not to.

On the life side, I ask things like ...

Did I move my body the way I want my future self to thank me for.
Did I stay present with my kids more often than I dissociated into my phone.
Did I create memories or just to-do lists (both, but the ratio could be better for sure!)
Did I do things that made me feel alive or mostly just responsible.
What pattens do I need to break or come off of autopilot to align with who I'm becoming.

On the business side, I ask ...

What content lit me up to create.
Which offers actually changed people and which ones I felt “meh” about.
What actions or offers changed the most lives.
What do my clients rave about unprompted and how can I do more of that.
What did I keep because it was safe, not because it was powerful.
Where did I over-deliver in ways that benefitted everyone and where did I do it in ways it cost me.
How can I simplify: offers, systems, routines.

This year, when I finished my little self-board-meeting, one word popped into my head for 2026 and refused to leave.

Audacious.

As in… I will have the audacity to ...

Raise my standards for my own health again.
Train + speak in a way that matches the woman I’m becoming.
Wear outfits that feel like my personality, not my imposter syndrome.
Try things and fail.
Make content that is weirder, smarter and funnier (to me) than what “does well on Instagram” on paper.
Show my actual brain when it comes to metabolism and mitochondria instead of diluting it so it’s more palatable and trendy.
Pitch myself for opportunities and rooms I have no business being in… yet.
Say no more often.
Build offers that feel like art and science, not just “products.”
Let my business look different than others' ... and even from its past renditions.
Lean harder into the peri / meno, midlife, longevity, metabolism nerd space.
Prioritize joy and creativity AS business strategies.
Let people see the behind-the-scenes of my evolutions as they unveil.
Allow for more unplugged-from-work time (no, my clients don't need me 364 days a year -- which is WILD to type, but it's what I've been doing. I haven't taken any full days off except Christmas for the last 5? 10? years. That will not be the case this year).

That’s the energy I’m bringing into 2026.

And because you’re here, I want you to know what you can expect from Tara Allen Health in this next chapter. I’m not burning everything down, but I AM rearranging the furniture.

Here’s what’s coming...

More story. Less lecture. I'll enjoy creating more, you'll get more out of it.
More “here’s how my brain actually works when I look at your symptoms and labs.”
More connecting the dots between metabolism, nervous system, hormones and longevity in a way that makes you feel relieved, not overwhelmed.
More sharing the experiments I’m running on myself in real time.
More behind-the-scenes of speaking, events, partnerships, continued education.
Deeper, nerdier teaching around mitochondria, perimenopause, blood sugar, mood and body composition… but in a way that feels like we’re sitting on my couch, not in a classroom.
Offers that are more focused and more powerful. Even more transformation.
Maybe I'll be able to reveal a HUGE secret I've been keeping from you. It involves the U.S. patent office. Time will tell. ;-) 

I want you to feel like you’re watching a really good character arc in a show… but the character is you. Because as I outgrow my shells like a hermit crab, I'm going to insist you do too.

I’m letting you in on my plans because I want you to start asking yourself a similar question ...

Where do I want to be more audacious next year?
With my health.
With my boundaries.
With my rest.
With my strength.
With the version of me I’m willing to become.

You do not have to have a perfect plan to start. You just have to be willing to admit you’re ready for something different.



Wishing you and your loved ones a happy + healthy, peaceful + growth-filled 2026!



XO,
Tara

P.S. TRANSFORM is starting very soon. Doors will open in about a week and a half. The waitlist gets first dibs and the best bonuses, so if you want to work with me in a focused way at the start of 2026, make sure you’re on it.

Want better hormones in 2026? Start here.

It's 2 days before Christmas ... if you celebrate. Still a packed time of year if you don't. How are you holding up? (I'm not asking rhetorical questions when I ask questions here. Please always feel free to hit "reply" and actually tell me!).



I have a working theory that a lot of women feel “broken” when, really, their nervous system is just tired of being on high alert 24/7.

Enter the vagus nerve. The main character in this story.

Think of it as the long, chatty nerve that runs from your brainstem down through your chest and into your gut. (Don't just think of it like that, that's exactly what it is. Haha!) It is constantly narrating your life. It decides if your body gets the memo that you’re safe, or if it should treat every text, email and raised eyebrow like a bear attack.

When vagal tone is strong, you get:

• feeling steady in your own skin

• easier digestion

• fewer random heart flutters

• a calmer baseline

• deeper sleep

• better recovery
  
  

When it is not strong, you get what most women in midlife describe to me:

• tight chest

• jumpy heart

• gut that overreacts to everything

• a brain that refuses to shut up at night

• a body that never fully relaxes
  
  

Here’s the part I love. Vagal tone is trainable. This is not “You are who you are.” This is learnable physiology.

The science-y version involves things like anti-inflammatory pathways, afferent fibers, heart rate variability. You do not need all that. You just need to know that strengthening this nerve changes how your whole body behaves.

Hormones. Metabolism. Mood. Recovery. Stress. Sleep. All better when the vagus nerve is strong.

Some of my favorite real life ways to support it:

Move your exhale. Make your exhale a little longer than your inhale. Five counts in, seven or eight out. Your heart rate will follow your breath like a toddler follows an older sibling.

Morning light. Step outside. Let your eyes see actual daylight (without sunglasses on). It gives your brain the “You’re alive, everything is fine” signal it desperately wants.

Walk like you’re a human, not a scrolling device. Swing your arms. Look far away once in a while. Especially after meals. Good for blood sugar, good for your vagus nerve, good for your mental health.

I have been using a device called Pulsetto. It's designed to stimulate the vagus nerve through gentle vibration on the neck. I put it on, breathe and let it help my system remember how to settle. It synchs to your phone and one "stress session", for example, lasts 4 minutes. I absolutely love it and notice a difference! Only annoying part is if you forget to wipe off the conductive gel (it comes with) after, your neck will get flakey. Haha. If you want to try it, you can use this link they gave me so you do not pay full price.

Cold on purpose. Short cold exposures are like tiny stress rehearsals. Your system learns how to rise and fall instead of staying stuck on “rise.” 

Sing or hum. This one surprises people. The vibration in your throat stimulates the vagus nerve. No Grammy-worthy skill required.

Grounding. Bare feet on actual earth helps discharge built-up electrical charge and often calms the nervous system in a way people can feel immediately. And yes… I know it is winter for most of us. Same here. You can still sneak in grounding by stepping outside barefoot for 15 or 60 seconds, using a grounding mat under your desk or sleeping on grounding sheets so you get the benefits while you sleep. Here's the grounding mat and sheets I use -- use code GWTARA for 10% off.

Heavy-ish strength training. Your nervous system learns that you can work hard and then return to calm. It builds confidence internally, not just physically.

Sauna or other heat. Heat exposure trains your stress response from a different angle. You learn intensity… then you learn recovery.

Red light therapy. This one doesn’t stimulate the vagus nerve directly, but it supports the whole environment the vagus nerve operates in. Red light improves mitochondrial function, lowers inflammation and helps your body shift into repair mode. And repair mode is exactly when the vagus nerve does its best work. I use Lumebox because it’s strong enough to be useful and portable enough to be realistic. (It's steeply discounted with my affiliate link -- sharing here).

Natural scents. Peppermint, lavender, orange peel. Even cracking open a fresh herb like rosemary. Your vagus nerve responds to olfactory stimulation because it’s tied to ancient threat vs. safety signaling. Certain scents literally soften stress response.

Chewing gum. You’re mechanically activating the same cranial nerve pathways involved in digestion. The body reads it as “Safe enough to eat,” which is a subtle downshift.

Gargling. It stimulates the muscles controlled by vagus-nerve-adjacent pathways. Try it for 20 seconds. It is weirdly therapeutic.

Laughing. Real laughing, not polite chuckles, is vagus nerve gold.

Rocking. Yes… like rocking in a chair or swaying side to side. Your nervous system is much simpler (and more primal) than you think.

A hobby that requires repetitive motion -- crocheting. Whittling. Watercolor. Kneading dough. Even brushing your kid’s hair. Repetitive motion quiets the sympathetic system.

Zero “productivity” music. Classical piano. Ocean sounds. Lo-fi beats. This works not because it’s relaxing… but because it nudges your system into a more organized rhythm.

This matters for metabolism and fat loss too!

If your nervous system thinks life is an emergency, your metabolism behaves like it’s in survival mode. It will not prioritize fat loss, muscle building, hormone balance or anything that's a long-term goal. It will prioritize “don’t die.”

Strengthen the vagus nerve and all those things become easier. You don’t have to push as hard because your body finally stops pushing back.

This is one of the reasons I include nervous system work in my coaching. It’s not extra. It’s not a trend. It’s foundational physiology. And when women learn this, they stop blaming themselves and start seeing real progress.

You’re never stuck... you just may not have been taught how your whole system works yet.


Wishing you a beautiful week of celebration, peace, reflection, or whatever the heck you truly want and need.


Happy holidays. Merry Christmas. I'm so grateful that you are here.


Stay wild + well,

Tara

P.S. TRANSFORM is opening again soon. I’m being completely honest… I don’t know exactly if or when the next round after this one will be because I’m giving myself permission to shake things up in 2026. It feels big and exciting. If you want my brain on your health this year, make sure you’re on the waitlist so you don’t miss this round.

P.P.S. What do we think of “stay wild + well”? I signed off a pretty monumental business email with that last week and I’m still deciding if it’s 'cringe' or exactly the kind of 'who cares, we get one life' energy I want more of in 2026. You’re welcome to tell me your vote… but ya know what? I just decided ... I’m keeping it in rotation!