Cancer, metabolic health and financial trade offs

We have lots to discuss today!

I'm not sure if you've been catching the headlines (I'm not much of a mainstream media fan, but browsing the headlines can help me keep a pulse on trends), but with Kate Middleton's recent cancer announcement plus the recent realization that 1/3 of colon cancer diagnoses are now in people under the age of 40, there have been daily articles talking about how cancer is now coming for younger and healthier people. Many such articles spoke to the 'mystery' of it all but is it really a mystery?




Look, we don't have FULL control of our environments, there are certain genetic mutations that increase risk, and we don't yet know all the things as it relates to cancer. And if you've been getting my newsletters for any length of time you know I'm never about doom and gloom. So let me set the stage as to why I think it's no mystery at all that cancer is on the rise amongst younger and 'healthier' people so that we can move forward and connect the dots with what it is we're always trying to do 'round here: improve metabolic health and longevity odds.




If someone were to ask me to do my best to create an environment that would increase cancer risk and rates, I'd tell them this:

• Make people afraid of the sun

• Keep humans indoors almost all the time

• Make them sedentary and even if they workout, make them sedentary outside of their workout times

• Have them skimp on sleep

• Ask them to have lots of artificial light ... especially in the evenings and night

• Spray their food with lots of synthetic pesticides

• Practice monocrop farming so the soil (and therefore produce) becomes depleted of micronutrients such as magnesium so that DNA repair is blunted

• Increase air + water pollution

• Have ultra-processed food be mainstream and more affordable / accessible than real food

• Sell cosmetic, hygiene and cleaning products that contain multiple toxins

• Stir up daily controversy and expose humans to more fear, terror and anger than they have evolved to process through any form of media possible

• Teach people to eat every couple of hours with plenty of processed carbs to help increase insulin resistance

• Make alcohol intake a frequent + common thing

• Limit lymphatic drainage with underwire bras and hardly any time sweating

• Create habits and vices that lead people to eating right before bed

• Increase consumption of plastics (like from melting To Go coffee cup liners and lids, tea bags, food storage, TV dinners)

• Increase EMFs

This would surely increase oncogenic (cancerous) growth PLUS take out many of the protective measures we have for our body to identify said oncogenic growth at the earliest of cell division and allow our immune system to take care of it. More cancer started, less cancer taken out. 



Obviously no one would want this but I write to prove a point ... we have created an environment that is sure to increase cancer potential, yet we (as a collective, maybe not you or I) are shocked that it's happening. The conditions I've listed out above are the unfortunate reality for the vast majority of us .. at least a significant portion of it is.




I promised not all doom + gloom and I'm about to deliver.




MOST of that is in control. MOST of that can be turned around at any age or stage. And get this! The same changes we'd make to increase the odds (that's all we can ask for) in our favor against cancer are the changes we'd make to improve metabolic health at the root, achieve sustainable fat loss, improve blood pressure, blood sugar, slow the aging process, etc.




In case you haven't read it or it's been awhile, the action plan I have laid out in my Metabolism-Boosting Starter Pack would be excellent steps.




Now let's talk finances.




Someone responded to a story I posted last week on Instagram sharing about a waffle I sent in to school with our son. Short version: they were having a pancake party in his class. We always send in our own food with ingredients we feel more comfortable with. I had these pancakes in the freezer and we went with that. He loved it! Our kids are very aware of the choices we make and know SO much about their bodies, it's mind-blowing. No fear around food. Just knowledge. 



So someone responded to that story and said something along the lines of, "Ya know not everyone can afford that." And she's right! It's a topic I speak on often on social, here on my newsletter, on blogs, etc. It's one reason why volunteering and giving back is a big part of my business and always will be. And it's something I wanted to talk about here today as well.



Those waffles are expensive. The high protein pasta we buy is expensive. The organic produce, free range eggs .... it's so darn expensive! Groceries in general have gone up considerably in the last couple of years as is and unfortunately in our society if you want items without extra pesticides or inflammatory ingredients, it costs more.



I can't stand that! I can't wait for that to change. Everyone deserves to eat real, healthy, nutritious food if they so desire. I've sent out the "How to save money on groceries newsletters" and made the posts and I plan to continue that kind of content weaved in. That being said, I wanted to point out a few things that we, personally, do to help.



I'm grateful that we can and do splurge on pricey waffles as occasional treats for the kids. I know not everyone can and that makes me sad. Also, we save money in other ways.



After being as sick as I used to be and seeing first-hand how important food quality was in me reversing all of my chronic conditions, we've decided to make health prevention (including groceries) a higher percentage of our budget. 


I don't buy alcohol or coffee shop coffees (well, rarely).
I don't purchase expensive clothing, purses, jewelry, sunglasses.
I DIY when I can (make dry shampoo, dishwasher detergent, repair clothing, cook and bake -- often from scratch).
I started gardening on a larger scale last year.
Certain food items we simply never buy (jam is coming to mind ... I make it with organic fruit and chia seeds. I buy the organic fruit in bulk in the frozen section and chia seeds in bulk as well. I'm making this jam for pennies on the dollar compared to store-bought and it's quick, easy and delicious).



Also ... life is nice + full these days and I can't Susie Homemaker everything! So the above also exists alongside the more convenient health options like boxes of Simple Mills cupcake mix for the days when I need to whip up a fast dessert for last minute company and some done-for-me fermented sauerkraut that I just have to struggle to open but otherwise not put an ounce of work into and non-toxic deoderant that shows up at my doorstep after I just "add to cart". Healthy convenience is expensive.



Everyone's financial situation is different. I'm not implying that everyone has the same resources to even reallocate funds as much as I wish that situation was different. But in case any of the above helps shed some light on how one family on a budget incorporates both convenience and elbow grease into their overall plan for better health, I figured I'd share.



I'm asked fairly often on social media to share more: share the things we have on hand and buy, the things we use, the things we make and recipes, etc. So whether it's free, low cost or more of an investment, I'm happy to share. When we are being consumers of content (me too -- anyone's content), I think our job is is to take the things that apply to you and feel good and leave the things that don't. It's such an important skill for managing overall stress, too!




Leaving you off with my tried-and-true, so-easy-I-can-hardly-call-it-a-recipe, Chia Jam Recipe:

1. Add a bunch (1, 2, 3 cups) of frozen fruit of choice (strawberries have been the go-to lately) to a saucepan and heat on stovetop medium heat.

2. As the berries start to soften, use a potato masher to squish. It should become mostly liquid with just some chunkier pieces of the skins of the fruit. At this point, take off the heat and mash one last time.

3. Add chia seeds -- I eyeball it because you really can't mess this up but probably about 1-2 T per cup of fruit -- and stir. Let sit to cool down and jam will thicken too.

4. Once fully cool, place in a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze into ice cube trays and pop out and store cubes in freezer-safe bag so you can transfer just what you're going to use to the fridge a day or so in advance.

If you're a visual person, the second slide in my "Recipes" highlight on instagram shows me making blueberry chia jam. Not the Recipes 2 highlight, just "Recipes". You'll have to scroll over a bit to find it.




Hope you have an awesome week!



XO,
Tara



P.S. If you need some help with your health and / or body composition goals, there are 2 ways we can work together:



1. The next round of my 28-day metabolism-boosting course, TRANSFORM: Body + Mind, will be starting next month! Make sure you're on the waitlist to be kept in the know and to receive the special discount code when enrollment begins.

2. I offer 1-on-1 coaching as well. It's a very high touch point kind of coaching program (we're diving into your labs, custom workouts, custom nutrition, tons of accountability -aka I'm bothering you pretty often. LOL). So, spots are limited. I do have people graduating out of the program often. Fill out the interested list if, well, you're interested. We'll chat more and I can give you an idea on when a spot will be available for you.

FIVE books you need on your shelf

I will never declutter my bookshelf.

Ok, I mean occasionally I might donate or giveaway some books but it's just not going to be a category I can be "minimal" in. I love books. Audiobooks are great and make a lot of sense for commutes and walks but there's just something about an actual book with its smell and page-turning rituals and ....




Anyway, here are some (in no particular order) I've enjoyed a ton in recent months or years that I'd venture to say will be life-changing for you. (And no, I'm not being asked or paid to say this. HAHA!)


1. Lifespan: Why we age and why we don't have to by David Sinclair

He talks about how aging itself can be considered a disease and what's currently going on behind the scenes in the research world. The first country to boldly declare aging a disease will benefit from a flock of researchers that will travel there because "diseases" get a ton of grant money. 

2. Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia

What really is causing almost all non-accident related deaths, what can we do about it, how do we measure if what we're doing is working?

3. A Healthier Home: The Room-by-Room Guide to Make Any Space A Little Less Toxic by Shawna Holman

If you're on a journey to reduce toxins in various rooms and areas of your life, this reference book is incredible! Not meant to be read all the way through, but to be skipped around, dog-eared and really USE, it's full of goodness (and many, many money-saving, DIY ideas)

4. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor

Your mind will be blown by how tied our breathing is to so many ailments: energy, metabolism, illness, crooked teeth, brain fog, cavities, kids' bed wetting, etc. If you're on a breathwork kick or want to be but haven't been motivated enough to start a practice yet, this is the book for you.

5. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success -- How we learn to fulfill our potential by Carol Dwek

Everything has potential to be improved, including whether or not we think that everything has potential to be improved. Be ready to think about thinking in a whole new way and watch how it integrates into all areas of your life.



Happy reading,
Tara



P.S. The cart opens tomorrow for the March round of TRANSFORM: Body + Mind -- my 28-day metabolism-boosting course! I'll be sending you a couple of emails while enrollment is open in case you'd like to join us. Then it'll be back to random health, fitness, nutrition fat loss, mindset, longevity business as usual after that. ;-) I really appreciate you being here and part of this community! 

How many carbs for weight loss / fat loss goals?

Carbs are controversial.

"Cut them out to lose weight. But then that messes with your thyroid and doesn't that affect weight loss?"



Let's chat ...



Carbohydrates are 1 of the 3 macronutrients we eat (the other 2 being protein and fat). They are ALL important and all behave a bit differently in our body. 



Carbohydrates and fat are predominantly used up as fuel for energy. Whatever extra we take in that's not used up will be stored as fat. This is a GREAT thing as it allows us to then use up some of our storage to be able to sleep without having to wake up to eat, to go several hours between meals, and allowed our ancestors to go long periods of time without eating during a famine.



Protein can be used as fuel if absolutely necessary, but isn't what our body prefers to do and isn't what happens for the most part. Protein is mostly used as building blocks to MAKE things (like muscle, collagen in our skin, etc.).



So back to carbs. We don't have much storage capacity for carbs but nearly limitless storage capacity for fat (our fat cells can both multiply as well as increase in size, individually). When we take in carbs, it appears in our bloodstream as it makes its way to the places that need it. If we have adequate muscle mass and challenge our muscles frequently through something like strength training, we would have depleted some of the glycogen (carb storage) in them so some of the carbs we just onboarded will go there so our muscles are topped off and ready for our next workout. Our brain uses some 'carbs' for fuel. Fun fact: our brain actually uses up quite a lot of our total energy every day! Our liver can store some glycogen (stored carbs) too. If those places were already full -- maybe because we're sedentary or eat too many carbs for our needs -- or if we onboarded more than we had available storage space for, the rest will be stored as fat.



So, if fat loss is a goal, getting your carb strategy dialed in IS really important. You'll also want to make sure you have your fat and protein strategy dialed in. I believe this shouldn't come with obsessive macro or calorie tracking. I'm always thinking about mental health and lifestyle enjoyment as well as physical health and I hope you are too!



But today's note is about carbs so let's get back to it.



Since too many carbs is definitely not a good idea for someone with fat loss goals, then should you just cut out ALL carbs to super-charge results?



NO! Not if you ask me. And since you did ask me :-P ....


Cutting out all carbs might be a great idea for some people sometimes as it can be an important part of their medical treatment plan (epilepsy, brain injury, etc.), but even then it's often not a permanent solution. For MOST people MOST of the time, cutting out all carbs will move you further away from your goals in the long run.



Carbohydrate-rich foods are often full of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients ... many we know about but others that are sure to come out in the future. Meaning, there are probably lots of important nutrients we're getting through carb-rich foods that we aren't even aware of yet (so couldn't even think about just trying to replace in a supplement or something). Think: fruit, veggies, beans, certain fermented foods ...


Carbs taste great and most people who cut them out entirely end up feeling deprived and / or end up fearing them or losing control around them from time-to-time. We want a healthy relationship with food and our body.


Many carbohydrate foods are high in fiber, and that helps us to blunt the blood sugar spike, help us feel satiated, feed our microbiome, and aid in detoxification by keeping us more regular in the bathroom.


Going too low carb can inhibit thyroid function (making it harder to lose excess body fat), impact mood and interfere with sleep, due to the role it plays in certain neurotransmitter production.


If we don't consume carbs through our food, our body will convert some energy over to a form of carbs. So basically, no one ever actually goes without carbs. You either eat 'em or you make 'em.


And plus ... avocado toast is too tasty to be off the table!


So, how much is enough but not too much if your goal is fat loss (or "toning up")?


I recommend a baseline of 2 intentional carb servings per day for everyone. That means that's the floor. Start there. If you're very active, have a lot of muscle, are a man, are a tall woman, have hypothryoidism or elevated cortisol ... you will likely need to add at least another intentional carb serving. Maybe even more. Please note this is *highly* individualized! We're talking about fuel here. Some of you are 4-cylinder cars parked in your driveway all day. Some of you are gas-guzzlers drag racing almost all day. Wildly different gas budgets, right?? Similarly, carb intake needs will vary A LOT depending on your specific situation.



"What the heck is an intentional carb serving?"



I call them intentional carbs, well, intentionally. The reason is with this macro aware approach (rather than macro tracking), we're not thinking about your side of broccoli with dinner that had a couple of grams of carbs or your piece of cheese or handful of nuts that did too. When I say intentional carb serving, I mean you're sitting down to an actual serving of carbs. You're having a piece of bread, a piece of fruit, some beans and corn, a potato, a half a cup of pasta, etc. You can think of this as being about 25-35 grams of net carbohydrates at a sitting. Net carbs = total carbs minus fiber.


To avoid blood sugar spikes (which is something to be mindful of if you have fat loss goals or even just health optimization goals), you're going to want to have these servings of intentional carbs inside of a meal that also has plenty of protein, fat and fiber. 


So in summary ... have the bun with the burger and veggies. But maybe save the fries to have with another meal. At least most of the time. ;-)



XO,
Tara



P.S. If you haven't yet signed up for a previous round of TRANSFORM: Body + Mind, make sure you hop on the waitlist for the September round. We cover nutrition balance and fat loss in so much detail! 


P.P.S. I told you I'd update you on TRANSFORM: 1:1, so here goes: it's ready and the first group will be onboarding the rest of THIS week! Spots are always super limited with 1-on-1 coaching as it is customized to your unique needs, goals, injuries, health history, and a very high touch program with tons of accountability baked in, but the good news is I have current clients who were already working with me who are continually graduating out of their program. So if you are interested in 1-on-1 coaching, hop on the interested list! I'll reach out and provide some insight about availability and potential timing as well as answer any questions you may have. :-)

I like rollercoasters but not THIS kind

Could blood sugar imbalances be the reason for your ...

• weight loss resistance

• cravings

• energy crashes

• moodiness

• frequent illness / infections

I'd argue that it's very likely if you're experiencing one or more of the above. It's even more likely if you also have ...

• elevated Hgb A1c

• elevated blood pressure

• elevated blood sugar / insulin

• elevated triglycerides, Apo B, and / or LDL

• PCOS

Since the connection between poor blood sugar management and health / disease risk is a bit more known, I'm focusing on the connection with weight / fat gain and weight loss / fat loss resistance today.


In order to do that, I'd like to share a little more about the hormone called insulin and its important role in our body.


Insulin can be thought of like Uber drivers for your carbs / sugar intake. The more carbs / sugar around, the more drivers (insulin) get released from the pancreas to deal with it. Insulin picks up the carbs / sugar and drives it to a few places. First, it'll go to our muscles. But if our muscles are full of glycogen already (we haven't strength trained recently or don't have much muscle mass), it'll be driven to our liver. Our liver can hold a small amount of carb / sugar storage (glycogen). If it's full already (happens when you take in more than you use up), then whatever is leftover will be stored as fat.


Insulin is a GOOD thing as it allows us to avoid letting too much sugar hang out in our blood and cause damage and rather gives us the chance to use it up as fuel. The (VERY common) problem has become that we weren't educated on how to fuel ourselves properly and so most people are way overdoing the carbohydrates. Overdoing carbs over time means insulin is working overtime and becomes a bit less effective.


For a while -- and this is the sometimes decades long period in time where people are getting sick but don't yet know it -- insulin just gets cranked out more. More insulin keeps your blood sugar in check. Because your blood sugar may be in check, doctors may tell you your bloodwork is fine. What's often happening though is insulin resistance. Eventually, your insulin doing double and triple duty tires out and can't keep up with your blood sugar. THIS is when you might start to see changes in your bloodwork. It can show up as prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, cholesterol issues, non-alcohol fatty liver disease, frequent illness / infections.


But let's step back a minute. During all of those years or decades spent overusing insulin, our body usually still gives us some red flags. Excess body fat or fat loss resistance is often one of the first signs. Others include energy and mood dips, cravings, getting hangry ... ever, and hunger / fullness cues that are very out of whack.


Now you might say, "Tara, if it's really important not to overdue the carbs / sugar, maybe I should cut it all out?" And to that I'd say, "Don't!" Here's why. Our body uses "carbs" whether we eat them or not. If you go keto and stop eating them, your body will just manufacture its own through a process called gluconeogenesis. Doing that all the time can be pretty taxing on your body, dial up inflammation, down-regulate your thyroid (making fat loss harder eventually), and interfere with certain neuromodulators that assist with sleep and happy moods.


So when it comes to carbs, a moderate approach is really pretty darn important. Get enough, but not too much. 


"Great! WTH does that mean?"


I gotchu ;-)


Here are some things to start to implement so you can get to a happy place with your blood sugar and insulin:

1. Eat PFF at every meal. Protein, fat, fiber. These help to blunt blood sugar response and keep you nice and satisfied between meals -- which is important because we need some downtime between meals to allow insulin to come back down AND allow us to enter fat-burning mode most effectively.

2. Eat intentional carbs according to your needs. This won't be 10g carbs per day, but it's likely also not 300g carbs per day. You don't need to track every morsel of food, but plan to have a serving of carbs, on purpose, at 2-3 meals and not all day everyday,

3. Strength train 3-4 x per week. Muscles are like dry sponges that soak up some additional sugar out of our blood. Basically, the more muscle you have, the more storage room you have for carbs without it being stored as fat.

4. Movement. This isn't exercise, but rather how much you move your body outside of exercise and can have a big impact on helping to manage blood sugar. Move around more in general or be more targeted by taking a little walk or having a dance party after meals.

5. Sleep. When we're not sleeping enough, our blood sugar balance is thrown off even if all other things stay equal.

Of course there's more ... and we cover it all in detail in TRANSFORM: Body + Mind ... but these are some of the biggest needle-movers to get started with.



Before I let you go, I have to address the, "Isn't fat loss just a matter of being in a calorie deficit?" people out there. ;-) Kinda yes but kinda no.


Taking in slightly less energy than you're using up is how our body turns to our stored body fat to use it up as fuel (that's how it's "lost"). However, getting that equation to be in our favor for fat loss requires some blood sugar stability (otherwise your hunger and cravings alone will make it nearly impossible to be in a deficit for any real progress).


But also (and this is not as well-known), we can kinda lose excess body fat or really lose body fat. The most effective way to lose body fat also requires we get a handle on our blood sugar and insulin. Insulin is a storage hormone. If it's always elevated, body fat loss isn't being maximized ... even in a deficit. What this means is less weight will be lost or the same amount of weight will be lost, but less of it will be from body fat and more of it can come from things we don't want to lose, like muscle.



Leaving you off with an example of eating in this blood sugar balancing way. Read the caption of this instagram post for a few ideas.


XO,
Tara

Choosing a protein bar

It sure would be nice to be able to throw a bar into your purse for on-the-go, wouldn't it?

But how do you know you're picking one that isn't full of cr*p? And what if you want to make sure it's truly a protein bar that will help you reach your goals rather than a glorified candy bar?



Here are some of the biggies to think about when choosing a bar ...



1) Check the ingredients. If the list is longer than a CVS receipt or full of ingredients you've never heard of, put it back. Thankfully there are better options out there.


2) Does it really have enough protein? I'd argue that a bar with 5 or 6g of protein doesn't cut it for an adult-sized person. While this is a snack and not a whole meal, it should have at least 10g of protein, but preferably 12-15+.


3) Since blood sugar balance and satiety is important, making sure there's at least a little bit of fat in the bar is a good idea too. One with 5-10g would be ideal. In a perfect world, this fat isn't coming from industrial seed oils like sunflower, safflower, canola, etc., but just know with processed food it's pretty ubiquitous. I'd suggest trying to find one without but not beating yourself up if you end up consuming it every once in a while. What's most important is that you're eating mostly food you prepare at home so you know what ingredients are being used there. I have hope that more and more 'healthy' processed food companies will be swapping out those harmful oils for better versions (like coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil) soon.


4) Is this really a candy bar? I dunno. Have many carbs are in it? The best way to determine this is by figuring out the net carbs. Take the total carbs and subtract out the fiber. What's left? Is this higher than the actual protein content of the bar? Then you, my friend, are holding a glorified candy bar. It might be delicious! And in a pinch, it might be needed. But it's not ideal for your health or body goals to be consuming that on a regular basis.


Here are some bars that stand out amongst its peers (I have no affiliation with any of these brands)...

• Rav Rev Glo Bar in Creamy PB Sea Salt (that flavor is yummy, but I mention it more b/c their other flavors are higher in sugar and lower in protein). This is one I almost always have on hand!

• Kirkland

• IQbar

Hope this helps!


XO,
Tara

You're "doing everything right", right?

Sometimes it's not a lack of discipline that's derailing our progress, but misguided advice instead! Today I'm sharing 5 of the most common "healthy habits" I see people -- mostly women -- using for fat loss while getting no (or the exact opposite) results.

Next week — on Wednesday — the cart will be opening for the very first public launch of TRANSFORM: Body + Mind, my 28-day metabolism-boosting course. HOP ON THE WAITLIST NOW to reserve your spot and get a discount code when it's go time. ;-) 

XO,
Tara

The body trash-talk antithesis

When you watched the ball drop on January 1st (or fell asleep on the couch just beforehand like me), I bet you had at least a few ideas about how you wanted this year to go. Now that we're halfway through 2022, how's it going so far? What are you most proud of? What might you need some help with in the second half of the year?



I want to take you through a VERY quick, but VERY powerful exercise if you'll indulge me. Grab a piece of paper and pen. Yeah yeah, the notes section in your phone is fine too.



I want you to write down 5-10 things your body did for you within the last 24 hours. 

• Did you carry all the groceries into your house in one trip (b/c what kind of a psychopath takes more than 1 trip, anyway??)?

• Did you pick up your kids or grandkids?

• Did you go for a walk or exercise?

• Did you have a long commute on a standing-room-only train?

• Did you simply sleep while your immune "army" came through and saved the day by helping you heal + repair?

• Maybe you felt the beat of your fav. song when it came on Alexa and you realized that, in fact, your hips DON'T lie.

Write down the first 5-10 things that come to mind. If they're flowing, keep going! If you're stuck, think outside the box. But you're not done until there's at least 5 things written down. Because I said so. ;-)


The point of this exercise is simple: when we feel gratitude for our body -- even just a tiny bit -- it becomes harder to trash talk it. Less trash talk = less disrespectful behavior like over-restriction or over-indulgence.


LMK how it goes!


If you've been feeling lately like something needs to change, you're not alone. So many women have been telling me lately that they're tired of the same patterns repeating. Tired of being confused AF about what to eat, when, how much. Tired of not having the energy to workout. Tired of feeling like their health is slipping. And tired of spending their days not feeling sexy + vibrant as they know, deep-down, is possible.



If you're nodding your head, THIS IS YOUR SIGN to learn how to finally stop doing weird things related to food and your body. When you know how you use and store different kinds of food, how to balance your plate, how to exercise without spinning your wheels, and how to tap into other practices that no diet has ever taught you about, you'll realize there's not that much that you can't accomplish with the right combo.



In September, I'll be taking another group through my 28-day course -- TRANSFORM: Body + Mind. I'd like to help you blow your own damn mind then. Whaddya think? Get more details and join the waitlist here. (Waitlist peeps will be getting a discount code when the cart opens.)



You can unlearn and learn SO much about your body in 28 days. It's enough to change your entire trajectory. Go make yourself a PFF breakfast (protein, fat, and fiber), think about it, and click the button below to join the waitlist if you're ready to put yourself first, finally.



XO,
Tara



P.S. Did you know that I send out a weekly newsletter with my top tips and resources around nutrition, exercise, metabolism, fat loss, mindset, longevity, and how to just feeling freaking amazing?? You can join the inbox party too —  right here.

Period Tawk / Cycle Synching

Let's talk about menstrual things ...

And if you are post-menopausal or someone who doesn't have a menstrual cycle, I'm getting to you guys too.



I've been chatting a lot on instagram lately about menstrual cycles and cycle synching because I decided to add a last-minute resource to TRANSFORM: Body + Mind all about it and since I'm trying to stay hip and share BTS (what the cool kids say for behind-the-scenes), I've been discussing it in my stories.



I also shared that I practice cycle synching related to fitness, nutrition, and some other lifestyle things too. That resource ended up being SIX PAGES because we women really are complicated, beautiful creatures! But I wanted to share a recap here with you in case you find it helpful.



HERE IS A QUICK RUN-DOWN of the 4 phases of our menstrual cycle. It's a bit more nuanced than that, actually. Technically speaking, we have 2 phases: follicular and luteal with our period and ovulation occurring within and overlapping with those 2 main phases. But it's much easier to think about it as 4 distinct phases when it comes to cycle synching, so that's how I'll be referring to it here.



During our period, it's often most natural to reduce workout intensity in the first few days but dial it back up towards the tail end as hormones and energy levels start to climb. Think about using slightly lower resistance but adding a few more reps to strength training workouts, reducing cardio pace, and incorporating longer rest intervals in a HIIT sesh. 


In the follicular phase, we are usually feeling stronger and can push the weights and pace a bit more. We tend to have more manageable hunger levels and can tolerate carbs and caffeine a bit more (more insulin sensitive).


During ovulation and the few days surrounding it, while we may notice PMS-like symptoms (such as mood changes and water retention), the surge in testosterone means we're usually at peak strength. This is a great time to lift heavier and maybe even go for a PR (personal record) if you're into that sorta thing. 


In the luteal phase, you'll likely notice a gradual drop off in energy and desire to be social. The same amount of tasks that you handled like a pro during your follicular phase might now seem extra overwhelming. As your energy dips, you can slightly decrease resistance and / or pace and / or increase rest time between sets as needed. We are slightly more insulin resistant in this phase and caffeine can trigger worsening PMS symptoms, so consider being extra intentional about eating enough carbs but NOT too much and cutting back on coffee or weaning to decaf during this phase. Metabolic rate is slightly elevated, so go ahead and nourish yourself well with PFF (protein, fat, and fiber) at every meal and carbs at 2ish meals per day. Most people need an afternoon snack as well.



What if you are post-menopausal or a man? Well, you have some more wiggle room! You can use some of these same strategies to cycle around just regular life. Feeling like pushing yourself more today? Go for it! Having a little less energy? Show up and be proud of just doing what you can and listening to your body.



That's it for now! Hope it helps you stay consistent but flexible as you act like a best friend to your body rather than a mean girl.


XO,
Tara


P.S. If you could use a meal plan that's already balanced with adequate amounts of protein, fat, and fiber in each meal plus carbs at 2 meals (a moderate carb approach), GRAB IT HERE. You'll get two, actually: a plant-based version and an omnivore version. Use the one you want or both if you'd like! Hope you enjoy.

Is it bedtime yet??

Sleep is boring.

I mean, most people enjoy sleep I think. They certainly enjoy the way they feel after they've gotten a a decent amount of shut eye. But the whole topic is so UNsexy.  It's not the new, promising tip we've never heard before that we crave. 



But it works. Annoyingly so.



How many less car accidents, fights with spouses, and "mom brain" moments would there be if everyone just got enough sleep every night? I'd argue a lot. 



But also ... sleep helps us make better choices, gives us energy to do things like exercise, cook, or even just take a nice walk during a work call. Quality sleep helps to balance our blood sugar, hormones, hunger, satiety, AND ramps up fat burning and muscle-building (which boosts metabolic rate).



Super annoying, right? Because that means in order to be the type of human you want to be in this world and make the type of progress you're after, you can't ignore your sleep habits.



So let's talk about a few of the biggest needle-movers:

1. Morning sun. Getting outside at close to sunrise as possible for about 10 minutes on a bright, sunny day and closer to 30 minutes on a cloudy day (without sunglasses!) is so powerful. Besides doing all kinds of other metabolism and mood magic, it shuts down melatonin production during the day (so you'll be more energized) and tells melatonin to start creeping back up closer to a reasonable bedtime. Not 2 AM when you finish episode 6 of the series, but the sleepiness will start to set in at a more natural time like 9 or 10.

2. Turn off bright, overhead lights a couple of hours before bed. Again, the bright light stop melatonin and asks it to return much later. So when you do this in the early part of the day, it's perfect. When you do this close to bedtime, you're shooting yourself in the foot.

3. No electronics before bed. Blah blah... you've heard this but it's worth repeating.

4. Sleep in a cool room.

5. No coffee within 8 hours of bedtime. I don't make the rules. I'm just a little messenger sent by your future self who really doesn't want to have trouble asleep or get lower quality sleep later tonight.

This week, I want you to focus most on number 1 as it's usually the most impactful and almost no one is doing this consistently. Will you do me a favor? Take a pic of your early morning view and tag me in it so I can see. It will help you stay on track and besides, I think everyone should know how important morning sun is even if we need to use a little FOMO to get there. ;-)



Most of you won't do this morning sun thing -- at least not consistently -- but for those who do, will you let me know how it goes after a week or two???



If fat loss, metabolism-boosting, and / or muscle-gaining is your thang, I cannot WAIT to share with you some details on what I've been working on! Check out TRANSFORM: Body + Mind deets and hop on the waitlist if it sounds like something you're interested in for the future.



Happy sunrise-chasing,
Tara

P.S. P.S. Last week I created a new, 3-day sample meal plan. It's balanced the PFF way ... with adequate protein, fat, and fiber at every meal and intentional carbs at some but not all meals. HERE IT IS. Enjoy!

Sample Workout Plans

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

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


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


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



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



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


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


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

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

XO,
Tara

Goodbye, curves!?

Bye bye, curves!? 

At least that's what she was afraid of when she asked me whether or not she's lose her shape as her fat loss journey continued.



Is there some truth to that? Yup! But there is also a bit that's in your control. CHECK OUT THIS QUICK (6 min.) VIDEO for all the curves + fat loss details.



Is this something you're concerned about as well? Let's chat about it so you feel more confident about your strategy. Shoot me an email - tara@taraallenhealth.com - to get right into my inbox. :-)



Happy day,
Tara

Weight loss and GOOGLE! Huh?!?!

What do Google and weight loss have to do with each other?

You many be thinking, "Nothing!" But hear me out. ;-)


In a recent video workshop, I talk about exactly this - both literally and metaphorically. It's worth the watch (or listen) if you have been feeling a lack of motivation or direction lately in your healthy / weight loss journey.

Come join me inside my FREE, private facebook group for women looking to lose weight in a healthy + sustainable way for more resources, recipes, and video trainings!

In good health,

Tara