The Fasting Way

Fasting is all the rage right now.

In fact, it's been said that "intermittent fasting" is the most common dietary plan in the United States at this time. So, is that a good thing? A bad thing? HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS.


Fasting it over-utilized as a fat loss tool, in my opinion, but underutilized as a health tool. While fat loss can occur if restricting the feeding window leads to less eating overall, many people who do not heal the relationship they have with food, understand how much and what kinds of food their body requires for their goals, and deal with things like emotional eating, etc. will not find much success until they address those things.


Do you purposely extend your natural overnight fasts by tacking on a few extra hours up front and on the back end too?


XO,
Tara


P.S. Ignore the fact that I got a haircut mid-video but edited the clips together like no time had passed. :-P Ya gotta fit things in when you can, right??

Are you a longevity nerd like me??

Do you geek out on all things health?

Me too! But... sometimes it feels like a never-ending mountain to climb with all of the recommendations and goals we have, right?



Where to begin? I discuss this in my latest (3 min.) video.



We’re never too advanced for the foundations! And the foundations (like nutrition, exercise, sleep, mindset ...) will be your biggest needle-movers! It’s why these things come first in my 1-on-1 coaching program ... with the Longevity Phase of the program at the end. 😉



But what if you’re already doing the foundations well and CONSISTENTLY? You’ve conquered healthy body composition goals, you move your body daily, you have a great relationship with food and your body, you’re sleeping well, and you have noticed a shift in your mindset / emotional resilience ....?



What’s next??


Well, the foundations forever! Seriously. 😜 And then some fun, more detail-oriented longevity-focused habits, tweaks, and experiences.



I talk up on my stories on Instagram a lot about breathwork, meditation, supplements, hot / cold, fasting, dry brushing, oil pulling, homemade charcoal toothpaste, natural products, mTOR, AMPK, mitochondrial health, grounding, 4th phase water, autophagy, apoptosis, circadian rhythm setting, etc. If that’s your jam too, set aside an hour or two each day to watch my stories. (Kidding! But they CAN get long sometimes. 😂😂)



And while I will be sticking to a lot of the foundations on my social media pages and right here in my newsletter because I believe strongly that it’s what is most helpful and most necessary, if you want me to include some more of this content here as well, let me know with a quick reply!



Please note: I do not represent any other brand but my own at this time. None of my posts or stories are sponsored. Could that change in the future? Maybe! But it will have to feel just right as a partnership for me to agree to it and so far, I haven’t had that feeling with any of the offers. 🤷‍♀️



So ... foundations first and most. Then room for the cherries on top. ;-). That's my take. What's yours?



XO,
Tara

Anxiety + your breath

Anxiety + your breath.

What is the connection, if any? Recorded a quick video about this on a recent run. So, don't mind my own breathlessness ;-) and CHECK OUT THE VIDEO HERE.



Our breath signals things to our brain, and our state of mind alters our breath. We have “top down” feedback loops as well as “bottom up”. Pretty incredible, intricate systems that are constantly working to try to keep us in a state of homeostasis.



What this means is that not only can anxiety change our breathing, but the way we breathe can also INDUCE or REDUCE feelings of anxiety. 🤯



Generally speaking, we want to be
1️⃣ breathing more slowly (less breaths per minute),
2️⃣ more deeply (we are rewarded with better gas exchange due to increased blood perfusion towards the bottom of our lungs), and
3️⃣ nasally (in AND out through our nose).



Just because we can breathe continuously on autopilot (thank you, nervous system 🙏🏼), it doesn’t mean that’s optimal. Taking a minute or 2 (or 5 or 10) a day to practice breathing is all you need to start to be more intentional and feel confident in this powerful tool you’ll have at-the-ready in times of need.



Do you have a breathwork practice? If not, do you plan to start playing with ventilation and respiration?