Ever think, "I'm ALWAYS putting myself LAST!"?? I'd like to invite you to think of that in a different way. Now, I'll warn you, THIS VIDEO is a bit tough love (with an emphasis on love). So if you're already having a day, maybe watch this one later. ;-)
I'd love to hear your thoughts! Let me know if this resonates at all.
Happy day,
Tara
And let me add ... it doesn't have to be weight / fat loss. Sub any other health goal.
Oh, and one more thing ;-) .... when I say weight / fat loss, I am hardly EVER talking about looks here. Sometimes our brains do this thing where they make short-cuts (read: assumptions) because it's a conditioned response. So many people equate weight loss to looks exclusively and therefore you might mistake my information or videos for being 'one of them'. I'll tell you what ... our looks are the LEAST interesting thing about us, in my opinion. But that doesn't mean we can't talk about weight or fat loss. Some people seek out those goals to optimizer their health, feel vibrant, have more energy, etc. It's all about the way we FEEL so we can show up as the best version of ourselves.
So, I challenge you to notice where you might have these pre-judgments happening. Do you tune out weight loss because you're so sick of diet culture and assume it's all about a quest to "get skinny"? I hear ya! But that's N E V E R what you're going to get here with me, FYI. ;-)
Last week, I discussed some big lessons that were missing from my childhood education and how they are such important aspects of our humanness. Try to lose weight, optimize health, flourish inside your relationships, or achieve ANY goal without this knowledge and I bet it feels like an uphill battle.
The best news is that as adults, we get to learn about this stuff now ... and teach the next generation!
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO RIGHT HERE.
Any questions? Need to vent? Wanna chat? Email me: Tara@TaraAllenHealth.com
Happy day,
Coach Tara
P.S. Want to meet my small business team?
I have a new client who recently asked this question. She loved the sound of my program and my coaching style, but was concerned that because she has a longer journey ahead of her than most (not really - it's a lifelong process for all of us, but it feels longer to her), that maybe my approach / lifestyle change just won't do the trick.
There's ONLY ONE way to lose weight / body fat. That's it. We name it different things, but it's actually incredibly simple (not easy). Let me explain in this video.
Whether you or I ever work together or not, if weight / fat loss is a goal of yours, please make sure you keep in mind that it always boils down to the same science. And that science can only be adhered to when all of the obstacles to change are removed and our brains are rewired to be on our team this time around. This is why my coaching is SO much more than the customized nutrition portions and customized fitness routine that I give each client. That's the simple stuff. But we dive deep into the rest.
If you know anyone looking to lose some body fat as a part of their plan to uplevel their health and lives, please share this with them. We can all overcome obstacles with the right tools and the right attitude. It's 2021 ... time we step up and take back the control to better our lives in whatever ways we'd like.
And if YOU are interested in securing a spot in my 1-on-1 coaching program, hit 'reply' to this email and I'll discuss next steps with you. Spots are always limited, as I'm very hands-on with my clients and would never overbook myself and interfere with that type of service. However, I have clients graduating often, so maybe you'll be next!?!
Health + peace,
Tara
Some of us say we have certain goals, but don't actually know what it might entail to achieve said goals.
Some of us want what we want... while being comfortable the whole time and having an otherwise 'easy' life.
And others.... others do it differently. People who are successful at reaching their goals understand what it will take and they're willing to put in the work, even when no one is watching.
CHECK OUT THIS WEEK'S VIDEO for more about how most people end up inadvertently running away from their goals and how you can do exactly the opposite to finally make progress on yours.
XO,
Tara
P.S. Have you decided to end 2020 with some positivity? Maybe you are looking to get a bit leaner and healthier? Maybe you'd like to stop feeling so out of control around food and cravings? Maybe you want to finally commit to a home-based exercise program customized just for YOU.
And maybe you want ALL OF THE ABOVE (yeah....dream big!)
Did you know this is what I do for a living? I help all different kinds of people get from where they are right now to where they want to go. How? Through very targeted nutrition (never restrictive and always with room for FUN foods + drinks), a customized workout routine that can be followed from anywhere, and lots and lots of COACHING to get through the obstacles that derail most people -- time management, meal prep ideas, motivation, emotional eating, and lack of confidence that can make us feel less-than. If you've ever been curious about my 1-on-1 coaching program or would like to see details like the cost and some client before + afters, check it out!
If you're having some guilt thinking about investing into your health, consider this: My top priorities are family, health, and career. When I do a quick audit of my calendar and finances, these 3 priorities are VERY much reflected as such. Is health a priority of yours as well? Does your calendar and budgeting reflect this yet? If not, it may be time to reconsider whether or not it's a true priority.
Whether you and I ever end up working together or not, I look forward to the day when you email me back and tell me you've moved your health to a top 3 priority spot. I know you deserve it. And I know you're here to love others for a long time and do great things ... that deserves your health as well!
If you'd like to chat about how you can be well on your way towards your goals long before we pop the bubbly and say au revoir to 2020, you can sign up for a free call so we can make sure it's the right fit before moving forward. :-)
We all want it. Our brain SEEKS it out. And yet, we're barking up the wrong tree when it comes to fat loss.
The answer isn't NOT to look for instant gratification on your fat loss / health journey. The answer also is not to look for instant gratification where the science tells us it's simply not possible.
So where SHOULD we be seeking out instant gratification?
LET ME TELL YOU!
Any questions? I'm a comment away. ;-) Happy Monday, you guys!
XO,
Tara
Money is tight for many people right now…
...and yet, more than ever we are reminded that we need to take our health into our own hands! We cannot wait for insurance companies to catch up with true health care, unfortunately. The time is now!
How are my longest clients managing to continue to pay me monthly for our important nutrition, fitness, and health coaching work during this current financial crisis?
I was curious. So I asked them. :-)
And the responses were pretty awesome! Maybe you have been looking for a sign that it's time to take the next step towards feeling INCREDIBLE and vibrant and fit and sexy. Maybe you've felt some guilt (as we do sometimes) about how to make room for a coach like me in your budget.
Or maybe it's just not in the cards for you and I to ever work together but you'd like to hear a few ideas about saving money in 2020 anyway!
Whatever the reasons that pique your interest, CHECK OUT THE VIDEO RIGHT HERE.
And if you think you're worth the $157 / month for a year so that you can feel fabulous and healthy indefinitely, here are the details of my customized, virtual (yay) coaching program. Simply hit reply to this email if you'd like to schedule a (free) time to chat some more.
XO,
Tara
P.S. Attn: MOMS…
I was recently interviewed for this piece about motherhood lessons. "Inner Beauty" is where you can find my response, but check out the whole article. It's such a beautifully written, thoughtful article.
Link: https://circlearound.com/post/15-moms-share-what-motherhood-has-taught-them
I had this client once, I'll call her "Mary". Mary was really excited to be starting fresh on her health journey after years of feeling out of control with food. She tried all the diets and they all ended the same way for her - with a week-long binge after all that restriction. Mary found my instagram page after seeing a comment of mine on a mutual friend's post. Funny how things work out, isn't it?
But anyway.... Mary told me more about her story on her initial phone consultation. She mentioned that she had a certain, specific weight loss goal in mind. In fact, she told me that she weighed herself every morning despite the fact that it usually ruined her day. When I dug in there a bit, we discovered that by focusing on the scale weight, even normal day-to-day fluctuations would derail her progress. If the scale hadn't moved (or went up), she often moped around for the rest of the day. She made very different food choices because of her frustration and lack of self-confidence for the rest of the day.
Thankfully Mary became a client and agreed to slowly shift her focus away from the scale and onto her bigger goals: feeling athletic again and having more energy to get her through the day. Why was that the thing that changed Mary's trajectory? Well, they had nothing to do with the scale. The scale could be up, down, the same, or in the garbage and as long as she was focused on "feeling like an athlete again" (her words) and taking actions that brought her better energy, then she had something to keep her going.
Is this something that might help you? CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO for more!
I'm here if you need me.
XO,
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.
Some people need help with the information, of course, but most people know enough to get them to their goals. So how come the plan you create in the morning falls by the wayside at 8 PM when you're overwhelmed and need a break? How come you can't seem to stick to an exercise routine for more than a week at a time?
It's your VCR.
Let me explain. You have been trying to take valuable information and plans (nutrition, fitness) that are on a DVD ... and play them inside your VCR. (For you young folks, VCRs are the machines that played videotapes and became extinct around the time the dinosaurs say goodbye).
You have an old operating system and simply need an upgrade. It's a brain thing and it's been going on for years, if not decades! Once you make that upgrade to a DVD player, whichever DVD you choose to run will work.
(Yes, I totally get the fact that DVDs are a bit outdated as well, but I think it's an analogy that you guys will get.)
IN MY LATEST VIDEO, I got into the old operating system you have, the new one you need, and how to make the upgrade.
If your transformation starts with nutrition or fitness or both without addressing old patterns, habits, thoughts, connections... it won't stick. Band-aids only help when there's healing going on underneath.
Hit 'reply' to this email and let me know if you'd like to learn more about how to upgrade your operating system so you'll be able to stick to the changes you make going forward. :-)
Stay well,
Tara
It's true that we need comfort right now. In fact, without some comfort in our days, our brain will takeover and seek it out even against your will. Maybe you've seen this in action already? You had every intention to skip the pantry surfing after dark and workout, but instead you skipped the workout and devoured everything in the pantry in what seemed like a semi-conscious state.
Sound familiar? It's something you may be used to doing long before quarantine started. But certainly now it's heightened. Of course... we are worried, bored, stuck at home, not sure what lies ahead, stressed - it's a recipe for comfort-seeking.
But seeking comfort isn't as simple as that. Often, the way we choose to seek out comfort actually leads us to DIScomfort in the future. So, to find true comfort, we need a balance of some in-the-moment strategies that work in the here and now but don't deter from our future selves. AND, we need to do some things that might bring us a little discomfort right now for the sake of future comfort.
Let me explain in this live video I recorded last week on facebook.
Is this something you're dealing with? If so, I have tons of resources that I'd love to share with you. Hit 'reply' to this email and let's chat.
If you'd like to see a quick video sharing more of how I help people (including before and afters - even my own before & after!), check this out.
XO,
Tara
Here's what happened on social:
Dumbbell shoulder workout
Easter morning
Slow cooker lentil chili
Suitcase upper body workout
Salsa dancing - The Left Turn
Bodyweight legs + glutes
The weight of the world
Breathing + COVID-19
No jump HIIT workout
Quarantine Creativity
I'm excited to announce the launch of my Immune Support Meal Plan! I created this meal plan by focusing on balancing not just macros (protein, fats, and carbs), but also made sure that each day has plenty of zinc, selenium, and vitamins A, C, and E.
The plan happens to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian too. Oh, and I've worked leftovers in so you're not cooking 3 meals everyday.
You'll get 2 copies instantly - 1 regular one with all the mouth-watering pictures, and 1 text-only so you're not cursing me out as you run out of color ink. ;-)
What else do you get? The 7-day meal plan plus grocery list and all recipes.
So whether you're having trouble getting your hands on your usual immune-boosting supplements or just prefer to get the goods through tasty meals instead, this plan will have you covered.
Enjoy!
My Immunity Plan - Pandemic 2020 and beyond...
A few of you asked me over on social media what I'm doing to keep myself as healthy as possible during this time.
It's a fair question, even though what I'm doing might not necessarily be exactly what you need to be doing. And, even though there's not nearly enough research out yet about this virus to let us in on specificities.
But ya know what the best news is? It's never a bad idea to optimize your health, body, and immunity. So while I'm not obsessing over doing these things to prevent getting sick, I am focusing on making my health a priority now and moving forward.
Check out the video right here.
I'd love to hear from you. How's it going in your quarantine neck of the woods?
XO,
Tara
What's been happening on social?
Box O' Blocks Workout
Health-promoting responsibility to others?
Beginner vs. advanced resistance band workout
Home HIIT workout
Little Yellow Chair Workout
Kettlebell workout
Chocolate Protein Mug Cake Recipe
Shoulder workout
Stoics and a quarantine epiphany
Ok, so we're stuck at home for some time...and some time seems to be expanding. Some of us will cave to our fears and frustrations, others of us will feel them anyway (because we're human), but will start to look at how we can make the best of what we have. Build resilience. Get stronger in body + mind....
...and use it as an opportunity to lose some body fat?!
Wait. Stop please. I'd love to share with you my opinion about fat loss during this time. There are a few extra things to consider when talking about fat loss during an extra stressful time. Check out this video I did last week all about it.
Oh, and I created a (free) recipe book: 20 Healthy Quarantine Recipes for you guys. It's full of meals + snacks that require mostly non-perishable ingredients. Grab your copy (instant download) now!
XO,
Tara
Phew....It was a busy week on social media! (instagram):
Resistance Band Workout
Sock Workout
Blueberry Chia Jam Recipe
Banded Glute Workout
I don't like feeling helpless
Amazon Box Workout
Laundry Detergent Workout
A Poem from My Kids' Eyes
Couch Cushion Workout
Quarantine Nutrition
Body Weight Workout
Newsday: How we are making the best of our quarantine
Happy Monday!
Or should I say, "Happy 3.5 days until it's weekend mode"?!
If you're like many of the ladies I talk to, you might find yourself stuck in a weekday restriction / weekend indulgence cycle.
This is you if you recommit to a "plan" every Monday that's unmanageable enough to have you breaking up with said plan by week's end. Then one happy hour, a baby shower, and a big Sunday dinner leaves you feeling bloated and unhappy with your affinity to overdue it every. single. weekend.
Or maybe you're experiencing shorter cycles - daily cycles. You restrict most of the day only to find yourself out of control by the time the sun goes down.
There are many reasons for this happening and, thankfully, many tools we can put in place to be able to take back control. Side note: make sure you're popping inside my Facebook group, Healthy, Fit, & Strong with Tara Allen Health often so you don't miss any of these tools!
For today's purpose, I want to focus on one, important tool…MODERATION.
Moderation is a word we hear tossed around all the time and often think it's for those of us who are already at our goals, right? Like, can you possibly practice moderation AND STILL make more progress?
Yup!
In fact, you'll be making it much easier to reach your goals if you practice moderation.
Moderation in this case means allowing some "fun foods" into the mix on any day that ends in a "y" if you feel like it.
Moderation means no foods are off limits (unless, of course, it's an allergy or sensitivity that will make you feel like garbage - totally not worth it).
But just because something might be higher in calories, or more rich, or higher in carbs…it doesn't mean it should be shunned Monday through Thursday only for you to be left pining for it come Friday night. I see you chocolate, wine, chips and dip, ice cream...
Is there a way you can nourish your body and also allow a little flexibility for some things that you really enjoy?
If this is something you struggle with, you're like 90% of the people I know. ;-) Leave a comment below and let me know. I'd love to help you get to a place where you're not just comfortable with moderation, but you enjoy it and thrive with it.
In health + happiness,
Tara
Why is it that you can stick to your plan - or at least reasonable portion sizes - alllllll the way until about 8 PM?
Is there a magic switch that goes off at 8 PM that tells your brain to crave all the things?
Well yeah….kinda.
If you have been overeating - eating more than your body requires for fuel - it's likely that your brain is now on autopilot. You may tell yourself tonight is the night you'll eat nothing after dinner or munch on carrot sticks and hummus only to find your hand seemingly betraying you as it reaches for the chips and ice cream.
Here's the great news: Most of the day, you're not overeating. If someone put chips in front of you at 6 AM, you're probably going to push away the bowl. Do the chips taste any different at that time of day? Nope! But you are simply not in the habit of overeating, binge eating, or emotional eating at that time.
CHECK OUT MY LATEST VIDEO where I dive into this topic even more. Listen out for the 4 questions I mention towards the end that will help you stop your next overeating episode in its track.
This stuff takes practice…and patience, but it is absolutely possible to create new habits that will help you reach your goals.
Oh, and did you know your seasonal allergies may be related to your overeating? I explain that and more in this week's video.
In good health,
Tara
P.S. If you need some help in overcoming a long habit of overeating (or stress eating, emotional eating, binge eating…), let me know. I'd love to schedule a free phone consultation to chat about your goals and how I may be able to help you.
I currently have a beta tester's special going on in which you can receive health coaching, nutrition coaching, AND fitness coaching all for under $100 a month. It's a new program version that's not open to the public yet, so I need some testers for feedback and case studies. Hence, the extra-awesome pricing. ;-) But there are only a couple of spots available and we start very soon! So email me (Tara@TaraAllenHealth.com) and let's get you on a customized, NON-restrictive plan!