You see, your metabolism is ALWAYS exactly what it needs to be. It's a survival thing. So if you don't require much fuel before you'd start to store it as excess fat, there's a reason for that.
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO if you've ever believed that your metabolism was broken... or even a little disheveled.
Questions? Comments? Need some help or guidance? I'm a simple email reply away. ;-)
Happy day,
Tara
Twenty twenty has been off to an interesting start, to say the least. And as we're pushed beyond the sharp edges of our comfort levels in what seems like ALL areas, we must choose to learn and grow from it all. Without that very deliberate and often tricky decision, we will merely wallow in self-pity and sorrow for others. Rather than wallow, let's let it in, feel it, and move through it.
Let's move to awareness.
Listening.
Action.
Hope.
Help.
Community.
Momentum.
Resilience.
Strength.
In all areas. In all we've been experiencing.
And if you know anything about me, you know I'm the biggest believer that everything starts with us. If we are taking care of our physical and mental health, we are able to focus on our needs and the needs of our family, friends, and community.
If we are energetic and vibrant and confident, our voices get a little louder. Our hobbies creep back in. Our family sees more smiles out of us. We stand up for what we believe in. If we are healthy and glowing, we can be better leaders, more productive, calm and kind. We can volunteer. We can take an extra few minutes to give the better answer to our kids' complicated questions. With greater health comes greater capacity - we can love all over others.
Today, I want to remind you of this one thing: taking care of your physical and mental health so you can be that elevated version of yourself is something you get to have power over right now.
So while some will say this is not the time to focus on you, I offer the opposite perspective. This is not the time to take the focus OFF of you as you are needed now more than ever, regardless of how that is showing up in your life. This year has rocked our worlds - every single one of us. I know you're needed. Whatever your role, do it with magic. And how can you be magic when you don't feel magical?
Upgrade your habits one by one.
Sleep, seriously. Please sleep.
Eat well, balanced, and not more than your body needs. Most of our chronic disease comes from excess.
Move your beautiful body.
And learn some tricks for dealing with stress. You might be 'Type A' like me or easily wound-up, but you can teach yourself to become much less reactive through mindfulness and breathing protocols. It's a change worth making. I promise.
If you need help with the specifics of any of this, let me know. I'm here to help YOU.
Peace + love,
Tara
P.S. Come say "hi" on Instagram. I was muted & listening for a week to stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter as I shared resources and many beautiful voices and perspectives of people of color. And now I'm back doing what I do best - focusing on healthy bodies and minds for everyone. I share my workouts, tips, recipes, and answer every single (appropriate) DM. I'd love to connect with you over there.
Is the scale making you GAIN weight and excess body fat?
You might be surprised to find out that this is, in fact, what's happening for many people - certainly most of the women I work with and speak to.
Check out my latest Workshop Wednesday video to learn how and why and what you can do instead.
And then, get rid of that dang scale if it is affecting you in this way too!
In good health,
Tara
P.S. If you are on a weight loss / fat loss / wellness journey, we should hang out more! Did you know that I share online workshops, recipes, and more tips to help you transform your body + life FOR FREE? Every week?! Join my email list to get in on this and receive a welcome gift immediately! ;-)
Check out my latest video in which I am asking you for help.
Weeds, and lawns, and organic landscaping…oh my!
Just another decision to make in the "real world". Another set of priorities to reconcile. This is life! We want our children to have a beautiful, lush lawn to run around on, get their fair share of grass stains on, play ball on, and take their obligatory prom pictures on. We want to have BBQs, cookouts, and fun with friends and family. We want to sit around the (baby) pool and under the shade while we take too many pictures on our kiddos.
AND, we want to do all of this without the use of industrial pesticides. No Monsanto. No Glyphosate. No thank you!
So, where does this leave us? What to do? This is a real question! Please weigh in and help us with our dilemma.
P.S. We live on Long Island (New York) and are open to both organic landscaping company recommendations and DIY options.
Thanks!
In good health amongst the weeds,
Tara
A letter to my kiddos on Mother's Day...
Dear Mags and Jags,
Tomorrow will be my fourth year as a mother on Mother's Day. I want you to know that I waited (im)patiently for you for a long time! I dreamed that you'd join us, Earthside, during so many long nights and even more days than I can recall.
My life no longer resembles the life I had prior to 3.5 years ago. I signed up for that. My career has drastically shifted, I have bags under my eyes, and my coffee is always cold by the time it reaches my lips. It's hard to feel like a bada$$ - in business, in life - with various bodily fluids gripping onto my shirt threads. There's 40,789 daily toddler questions and mysterious scratches on my face (didn't I just cut your nails?!) Date night now consists of squeezing in 10 minutes of Shark Tank on the DVR before the first nighttime feeding. That's right - hot dates over here in the Allen household. ;-)
Then….THEN….the sleepless nights!
Sleepless on Long Island.
Sleepless in Love.
I signed up for this.
Ugh. You know what? The sleepless nights are HARD, but they're also WONDERFUL. There, I said it. This does not mean I can't use this against you in the future, by the way. Certainly I should be able to squeeze an extra chore or 2 out of you both in the future, right? Here's the truth. I kinda, sorta cherish the sleepless nights. (Shh - don't tell Daddy!) There's something about the blanket of darkness and silence that calms my hyperactive monkey brain. As I nourish your body with mine, my soul is overflowing with joy. You see, I'm not counting the loads of laundry I didn't get to the day before or worrying about completing a client email in a few hours. I'm present. I breathe you in. There's this bond that's so overwhelmingly beautiful, it's bone-shattering (the other mamas will understand what I mean).
I signed up for this.
I literally signed up for all of this.
That first appointment I had with the fertility doc happened to fall on a hot summer day. This was helpful as my tears were camouflaged by the beads of sweat.
I signed the consent forms - all of them - for every procedure, test, poke & prod. I'd do it all again. Times a million.
I signed up to be your mama. I'm a lucky, lucky mama.
Now that we're all here, I promise to keep my feet on the ground and my eyes on the stars - thanking them for the dream-come-true. I'm not perfect (truly, I'm not!), but I promise to do my best - as humans do. I promise to love you AND YOUR MOTHER. You see, this business, the food I cook to nourish our family, the active lifestyle we lead…it's for you. It's for us. You deserve a mama that's here for you; a leading lady in your life ready to spring into action when needed or help support you through your childhood and adult challenges - changing careers, parenthood, filing for AARP. Did I mention that I plan on being here for a while? ;-)
M & J, tomorrow is Mother's Day. You are 1 & 3 years old. There may be a card for me, a brunch to celebrate me and the other special grand-mothers in your life, even a period of time in which you see me sit back for a few to take it all in. Let me tell you a secret… I won't be celebrating me. I'll be celebrating you. I'll be thanking my lucky stars and wondering what I did to deserve the best.
Magnolia and Jagger, though I prefer "mama", it ain't so bad being your "mother" on Mother's Day. Thanks for the title. Thanks for the moments. Thanks for the memories and laughter and hugs. I definitely signed up for this.
In Joy,
Mama