Once upon a time, I was a metabolic WRECK.
I had PCOS, prediabetes, insulin resistance, and hypothyroidism. Our infertility journey brought about tons of extra testing that let me know things like I was NEVER ovulating. My cycle was all over the place and I didn't feel well, despite living a seemingly "healthy" lifestyle.
But let's rewind to before I got diagnosed. (Warning: sensitive subject matter about infertility)
At some point I went from looking for answers to feeling so hopeless and desperate to become a mother that the focus became getting pregnant and no longer on my body or what was going wrong with it. It was quite a long and windy journey with all the interventions, tests, and heartbreaking outcomes. But then it worked! One of the rounds of IVF had been a success and we had our daughter, Magnolia. Fast forward a couple of years and more heartbreak but then another IVF success! Our son, Jagger.
I was just a whisper pregnant when I went back to the fertility specialist. She was going to graduate me out of her care and into the care of my OBGYN that day, except she was off. Her colleague knocked on the door and introduced herself instead, my file in her hand. "Hi Tara, I'm ______. Congrats on the pregnancy! I see you have PCOS so ....."
I'm not sure what she said after that because I was stuck on the whole PCOS thing. You see, I thought I had PCOS for years! I was studying all about women's health and hormones in grad school and everything seemed to fit with what I had been experiencing. But my doctor told me in no uncertain terms that I definitely did NOT have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome ... a condition affecting about 10% of women). So imagine my surprise when I realize that my doctor changed her mind about that at some point, diagnosed me, wrote it on my chart, but never told ME.
What followed was a visit with my OBGYN where I disclosed my new diagnosis and went for further testing only to find out I was also prediabetic already. Now prediabetes isn't something that happens overnight. Prediabetes comes after YEARS or DECADES of insulin resistance and is almost always preventable, manageable or reversible with nutrition and lifestyle choices.
Then I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism! My doctor said, "Tara, your body REALLY wants to be overweight!" (Insert eye roll)
When that doctor suggested meds for life and mentioned that there's nothing I can do to make things better on my own, I said, "Hold my beer." I mean not exactly those words but you get the idea. And I pulled together what I knew about the human body and metabolism from my education and filled in the holes with up-to-date and quality research. And then I got to work.
I started eating in a way to balance my blood sugar.
I tweaked my exercise routine to put on more muscle.
I wanted to prioritize sleep but was still in the toddler and newborn phases and breastfeeding 'round the clock so that had to wait.
I started paying attention to stress, toxins in my products and food, grounding, sunshine, gut health, heat and cold exposure.
I said, "If our behaviors can make certain conditions worse, then how is it possible that different choices can't make certain conditions better? Of course they can!" And I stayed focused on that ... and still am!
I made sure to see it as the challenge and opportunity that it was. I'm not a victim, I'm LUCKY. Imagine if my body let me get away with more? I would've abused it more I'm sure!
I can no longer be diagnosed with any of those conditions, but you better believe they're still on my radar! Those are my Achilles heels. If I'm not careful (and maybe even if I am! Time will tell), those conditions can definitely resurface again.
The thing about boosting our metabolism and optimizing our health is that it's hard, never-ending work. It's not a '30-day fix' or '6 weeks to a summer body'. There are no pause buttons when life gets busy or restart buttons you can press on Monday after an indulgent holiday weekend. But it is SO freaking rewarding to say, "I did that. I did that even while life was happening. I did that even though it was hard. I did that even while keeping indulgences in."
There's a lifelong confidence that comes from overcoming obstacles. If you're facing one right now, it might just be the thing that brings you an unfaltering inner glow one day ... the kind that only trusting yourself could really ever create.
Metabolism is everything about our body's functions. When it's not up to speed, anything can crumble. When anything crumbles, it won't be up to speed. It's. All. Connected.
If you're feeling frustrated that you have a long ways to go or tempted by your sister's Optavia weight loss, your friend's Ozempic results and your cousin's Weight Watchers journey that "works everytime" (except ... why does she keep having to go back if it worked???), I want you to know I get it. Those things ARE tempting. But they aren't real results (weight loss is just a proxy for fat loss + muscle gain, not the same) and they can also be incredibly dangerous and backfire on you.
Let's do a little exercise, ok?
Tell me, how would you like to feel for the rest of this week?
Now, what is ONE thing you can focus on for the rest of this week that will help you feel that way?
Maybe you want to feel energized so you go for a walk outside every morning.
Maybe you want to feel strong so you strength train 3 days this week.
Maybe you want to feel calm so you commit to journaling for 10 minutes every morning or night.
Whatever it is, pick ONE feeling. Then ONE (reasonable) action. And see it through. Watch your momentum soar by the end of the week.
You got this,
Tara
P.S. If you want to learn more about how your body works best and how to boost your metabolism to achieve your fat loss, muscle-building, or "toning up" goals, hop on the waitlist for the next round of my 28-day metabolism-boosting course, TRANSFORM: Body + Mind. We start next month.
