You are creating a new habit NOW....and now....and again now!

You're either creating new habits or reinforcing old ones every single day!

NOT working out is actually a habit. Yelling at your kids… a habit. Snacking at night, avoiding new situations like the plague, complaining to anyone who will listen, stopping at the drive-thru, your 3 PM coffee….all habits.


I'm not one to judge what your habits are. No way! I'm busy working on optimizing mine - and teaching you what I learned from years of coaching myself and others.


Here's what you need to know if you are actively pursuing something greater for yourself...


Your brain does not know the difference between a "bad" habit and a "good" one. It just likes to create systems (a.k.a. habits) for efficiency out of anything you do - or DON'T do - often.


The first time you walked, you had to try hard. Same thing went for brushing your teeth, tying your shoes, and your first commute to work.


The best part is that our brains can be 'rewired' at any time! You get to upgrade your habits whenever the heck you want to.


Here's how:


1) Keep doing the thing you want to become a habit. Understand that it will feel hard for a while, but eventually it WILL become second nature. You are in control here. Stick with it.


2) Celebrate every baby step towards your progress. Yes, it'll make you smile in the moment. But here's what's even better than that - your brain will start to associate your new habit with the feel-good hormones you get from the feeling of pride and hope. This is the best way to fast-track your way towards turning that action into a habit because our brain is always seeking out the things that leave us feeling good.

What’s one habit you’re currently working on?! I’d love to hear about it!

If you’d like to join my newsletter list, where I share healthified recipes, more video trainings on wellness and weight loss, and other tips and resources for you on your health journey, come on over! You’ll get an instant download of my favorite 3-day plant-based meal plan for losing body fat. It’s a great way to kick off some results or just get to experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen. Enjoy!

In good health,

Tara

30-second change to supercharge weight loss and health

Do you have a minute to dedicate to your goals?


How about half a minute?

I'm not going to tell you to give up soda or do lunges in your living room for 30-seconds - not today, anyway. ;-) Today, I want you to take a quick inventory of your self-talk. More specifically, I want you to hone in on negative self-talk.

So many times every single day I hear the following from women:

"I am lazy."
"I am out of shape."
"I can't…"
"It's too hard."
"I've never been able to…."

This negative self-talk does 2 things:

1) It makes your brain UNHAPPY, sending it on the hunt to find comfort as soon as possible. For most people I know, food and/or alcohol are quick fixes here. Comfort is a negative sum game. Meaning, your brain WILL get the comfort from somewhere if you've put yourself under attack.

2) It forces you to identify as the person you are feeling like you are. If you think it's too hard, it WILL feel too hard. If you think you're out of shape, you will collect plenty of evidence to prove you are "out of shape". From this place, are you making decisions and taking actions that will propel you forward towards your goals?

Nope.

Here's the 30-second trick…every time you catch yourself thinking or saying out loud something negative about you, your body, or your health, I want you to pause and replace that thought with something that's positive (or at least neutral).

This is what that looks like:

"Tara, you're so lazy! You've been sitting on the couch after work every single night this week."

Pause. Take a breath. Then say, "It's ok that you've sat on the couch because maybe you needed the rest. Now you can get up and go for the walk." (neutral)

OR...

"You're not lazy! Remember that time when you worked full-time and went to school full-time when 9 months pregnant?!" (positive)


It will feel really awkward at first. Then you might start to feel like you want to beat yourself up for the negative self-talk in the first place, but don't! Simply replacing the old thought by telling yourself the new thought right after will start to help you think differently.


When you think differently, you won't be self-sabotaging as often (hello full-pint ice cream Netflix nights!) and you'll be in a better state to gain momentum.


Change your brain, change your life! So, whaddya say?! Are you in?

Warm Apple Salad

Ready for a new side dish?

Warm Apple Salad
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 to 5 cups loosely packed spinach or spring mix salad blend
1 lemon, zested and juiced (separated)
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt to taste
¼ cup onion, chopped
4 apples, sliced
½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. Wash the greens and place in a large bowl.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the garlic into the lemon juice. Stir in the sea salt and lemon zest. Whisk in the olive oil until it’s emulsified into a vinaigrette.

3. Pour half the dressing over the spinach and toss well. 

4. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add in the onion, cooking until translucent and slightly caramelized, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add in the apples, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Toss in the pumpkin seeds to warm.

5. Add the onion-apple-pumpkin seed mixture to the spinach. Add the rest of the vinaigrette and more salt if desired. Serve and enjoy!



In good health,
Tara


P.S. I have just 1 (but I can be talked into 2) spots left for 1-on-1 coaching in June. If you are interested in learning more, you are welcome to schedule a free 15-minute call. We'll chat about your goals and what you need and find out if it's the right fit for us to work together.


P.P.S. If you prefer to check out some details - including the cost - on your own first, I totally get that! I'm the same way. ;-) Check out my 1-on-1 virtual coaching package here.

The scale is making you GAIN weight!

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! ;-)

Greek-Inspired Veggie Balls with Avocado Tzatziki Sauce

Hey guys,

If you are anything like me, having a recipe that doubles-triples-quadruples as a variety of food types (snack, main dish, side dish, appetizer…) feels like a best-kept secret. This recipe has the potential to be that for you, too. Try it out and let me know what you think!

This recipe is plant-based / vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, no added sugar, egg-free, soy-free…but NOT free of flavor! ;-)

Oh, and the tzatziki sauce is really versatile as well.

Greek-Inspired Veggie-Balls with Avocado Tzatziki Sauce 
Makes 6-8 servings 

For the Veggie-Balls: 

16 oz. lentils, cooked 
3/4 cup onion, finely diced (set aside a little for the sauce) 
2 cloves minced garlic 
1 tsp dried oregano 
½ tsp cumin 
1 tsp coriander 
½ tbsp lemon zest 
1 tsp sea salt 
Ground pepper, to taste 

For the Tzatziki: 

1 ripe avocado 
1 medium minced cucumber, seeds removed. 2 garlic cloves 
1-2 tbsp diced onion 
2 tbsp lemon juice 
1 tbsp fresh dill (if using dried, use ½ tbsp) Sea salt and pepper 

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Mix together the veggie ball ingredients. Form into 2-inch balls, and place them on a baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes. 

3. When it’s time to serve, put all the tzatziki sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until creamy. 

4. Serve and enjoy! 



In good health,
Tara

P.S. If plant-based and gluten free meals are your thing, make sure you grab my FREE 3-day Meal Plan for Losing Body Fat. Not only will you be working on those health & body goals, but you’ll get an arsenal of new recipes to try at the same time!

FAT LOSS and Meal Timing

Fat loss - when the heck should I eat?

It's a common misconception that we need to be eating a million times a day in order to increase our metabolism and burn more fat.


First of all, let's talk about who is looking to burn more fat? If you are looking to lose weight or even just "tone up"…you're looking to decrease the excess fat you have on your body. 


Watch my latest live video (or just listen - you don't need to see my face) as I get into how to tap into your fat stores to use them up as energy. We're discussing meal timing (when and how often) and we nerd out on what insulin is and the role it plays in fat storage and fat loss. It's a pretty unknown concept to most. Definitely worth the 35 minutes if fat loss is on your agenda!


Here's a quick summary:


1) Insulin is a fat-storage hormone that helps us carry sugar into our cells to use as energy. Whatever we don't use gets stored as fat to use at a later time.


2) If insulin remains elevated, our bodies remain in fat storage mode and do not switch over to fat burning mode.


3) Lowering insulin is what allows us to switch over to fat burning mode. We can lower our insulin by focusing on nutrition upgrades and timing our meals properly (hint: eating every 2 hours will not allow your insulin levels to come down for you to enter fat-burning mode).



Watch or listen to the video for lots more details and for the 3 tips I share at the end so you can get going on your fat loss goals right away!!

In good health,

Tara

P.S. If you’d like a (FREE) 3-day meal plan designed to help you with WHAT to eat and WHEN to eat for healthy fat loss, you can grab that right here! Enjoy!

Your goals are set. Now what?!?

Don't wait for motivation to 'strike'!

Have you ever entered a new year (like right now) with tons of great intention, motivation, and a list of things you want to magically change about yourself or your routines?  And then something derails your progress a day, a week, or a month in?  Or you're making so many changes at once it becomes impossible to get them all straight?

I've been there!  In fact, I'm the queen of lists and dreaming big and taking on wayyy more than I can manage (sanely, anyway).

My latest Workshop Wednesday video was all about how choose where to focus and how to not rely on feeling motivated to do so. The truth is, successful people are no more motivated than you or I.  Successful people just implement a plan that involves taking action regardless of motivation being present or not.  The specific tactic I get into in the video is called The Domino Effect. If you have been nerding out on goals and creating new habits lately, you're going to want to check out this video!

Happy New Year!

In good health and holiday cheer,

Tara

THRIVING this Holiday Season: Part 2, FITNESS

Ready to THRIVE?

What are you waiting for?!  


If you celebrate Christmas, then today is a very special day for you. Merry Christmas! If you are reading this in real time as it showed up on my site, right now I am probably taking too many blurry pictures of my children as I choke back tears as I remember "how little" they were last year at this time. I'm emotional. I cry over everything.  :-)  


But, chances are you are reading this at another time.  Maybe it's Tuesday night now or Wednesday morning. Regardless of whether or not you celebrate Christmas, you might be thinking ahead to more parties this week as New Years approaches quickly. If you thought that I was going to tell you right now to avoid alllll cocktails, cookies, and pie…you thought wrong.  I want you to enjoy yourself…with intention!  And, I want you to feel as though you're not "off the wagon".


One way to allow all of the merriment to happen and also not feel like you've tossed away all hope at any of your health goals is to keep (or re-establish) an exercise routine right now. Before I lose you here, I'm not talking about going from nothing to 60-minute workouts!  How about 5 minutes today?  How about 10 tomorrow?  What can you do?  Let's start there.


In my latest Workshop Wednesday video, I shared a little bit about how to set goals in a completely new way (hint: behavioral over outcome), and also get into 7 ways to get your fitness in during the holiday season…and Winter in general.  There are unique hurdles that present themselves this time of year, but there are also unique opportunities!  


Here's a summary:


Tip 1: Commercial breaks.  During your favorite holiday movie, Netflix, or DVRed show, march in place or do dips on a chair.


Tip 2: Be creative.  Ten squats every time you go to the bathroom (yes, even at work) is that much more than you're already doing.


Tip 3: Festive decorations.  Bundle up for a walk or run as a different way to experience the beautiful lights this time of year.


Tip 4: Holiday fun run.  There is still time to sign up for a New Year's run or walk.  Be social and active at the same time.


Tip 5: Track your steps.  Use an app or wearable device to try to improve the number of steps you take.  Using those gifts cards or making returns at the mall?  Perfect!  Do a few extra laps.


Tip 6: Shoveling. You have to wait for Mother Nature to cooperate for this one, but take advantage when the white stuff gets here.


Tip 7: Winter FUN. Snow tubing, ice skating, sleigh-riding, skiing, snowboarding...


Which one of these is your favorite?  I'd love it if you hit "reply" to this email and let me know.  


In good health and holiday cheer,
Tara


P.S. If you want to catch the video, here it is!

Thriving this Holiday Season: Part 1, The Food

The holidays are upon us! If your life is anything like ours, you will have parties and gatherings and events everyday for the next week and a half. :-) It’s fun! And also, it can be tricky to manage any type of health goal with all the food, cookies, alcohol, and hot cocoa.

Check out my recent Workshop Wednesday video in which I shared my top tips for not just surviving, but actually THRIVING, during this festive time.

In good health and holiday cheer,

Tara

P.S. Stay tuned until next week when I share Thriving this Holiday Season, Part 2: Fitness.

Eliminate these 2 things to see near-immediate results!

You just want someone to tell you what to do sometimes...

I get it! I do.  If you've been reading my blogs for a while now, then you know that I believe in the, "If you bring a woman a fish, she'll eat for a day.  If you teach a woman to fish, she'll eat for a lifetime" approach. (That was paraphrased with a creative twist).  ;-)

However, I do really know what it's like to sometimes just want someone tell you what to do. When it's a week before a big holiday and 2 weeks before another big holiday and there's so much to do and what seems like an unlimited amount of parties with food and alcohol...

It can be hard to stay focused. It can be tricky to remember how to fish for yourself.

Today I'm sharing with you 2 things to eliminate (or greatly reduce) from your plate that will bring you near-immediate progress.  These tips are NOT easy - especially this time of year.  So, you get to choose when to use them.  Save these tools in your tool belt for the day after a particularly fun party.  :-)  Or, start immediately so you can get a bit of traction and energy before all of these events.  It's up to you!

The video is below. If you don't have time to watch or listen to the video for all of the details, here's the cliff notes:

1. Refined sugar
2. Refined flour

They are not doing you any favors for your health.  If they are soul food for you - as in, your soul is happy when you eat them - then by all means, keep some of it in!  But, choose intentionally. Be picky.  Save it for special foods and special occasions.  Watch how much better you feel when you do that!


In good health and holiday cheer,
Tara


P.S. 2019 is coming!  It's our year and we're coming for it.  One of the things that I do to give me a leg-up is keep my healthy habits in place.  If working out consistently or eating properly for my body type and goals weren't a habit, I wouldn't be able to accomplish a whole lot, to be honest. This took some time for me to establish.  And then, I had to figure it all out again post-babies. Things change.  But, the fact that I need my health, energy, and confidence in order to go after my dreams has never changed.  If you are looking to improve your health, energy, and/or confidence in the New Year so you can crush your goals…and your life, then I think you should! That's where the magic is.


I coach women through this transformation through nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle changes that bring great health, energy, confidence…and JOY!  Let me know (email me at Tara@TaraAllenHealth.com) if you are interested in chatting (free of charge) to discuss what some of your goals are.*

*Limited offer: This offer is available to the first 5 people that email me.

Coconut Macaroons

It’s the week before Christmas and the New Years celebrations are kicking off in 2 weeks. Some of us are all cookie-baked out. Is this you?! Do you need something different? This macaroon recipe has just 4 ingredients! You must try. :-)

Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:

·      2 large egg whites

·      ¼ cup honey

·      ¼ teaspoon sea salt

·      2½ cups unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

1. Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks with a hand blender.

2. Gently whisk in honey and salt.  Fold in coconut flakes.

3. Place bowl in fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

4. When ready to bake, Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Fill a melon baller with batter (firmly packed)

6. Release batter onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until macaroons are golden brown.

7.  Cool for at least an hour.  Serve and enjoy!

In good health and holiday cheer,

Tara

My virtual nutrition & fitness coaching program - behind-the-scenes

Hey guys,

I'm peeling the curtain back and taking you behind the scenes...

If you have heard me talking about my VIRTUAL, one-on-one nutrition and fitness coaching program, you may have wondered HOW it all works.


HOW do I deliver the habits and daily lessons?
HOW do the workouts work?
HOW do we stay in communication?
WHAT the heck does the software look like?


These are some of the questions I reveal in THIS VIDEO TUTORIAL in which I turn the camera onto my laptop and show you EXACTLY how it all works.  :-)

If you would like some more information about my program - Pioneer Nutrition and Fitness Coaching - check it out and hit 'reply' to this email with any of your questions.  I read and answer every single one myself.


Have a fabulous day and week!

In good health,
Tara

P.S. Here is that tutorial again:

Pistachio-Apple Bars

These Pistachio-Apple bars are amazing!

Magnolia and Jagger’s schools don’t allow nuts due to children’s allergies, so we rely a lot on nuts at home. These bars are the perfect after-school snack or dessert!

Pistachio-Apple Bars with Chia Seeds (Servings 14)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup cashew butter 

• 1/3 cup honey 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

• 1/2 teaspoon salt 

• 1 1/4 cups puffed rice

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 

• 1/4 cup finely chopped dried apple 

• 1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries 

• 1/3 cup chopped dry-roasted pistachios

• 1 teaspoon black chia seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. In a microwave safe bowl, mix cashew butter, honey, olive oil, vanilla, and salt. 

3. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute. 

4. In a separate bowl, combine puffed rice, oats, apple, cranberries, and pistachios. 

5. Pour cashew mixture over puffed rice mixture, and toss gently to combine. 

6. Press into an 11 x 7-inch, greased glass baking dish. 

7. Sprinkle the top with chia seeds, pressing down lightly to stick them to the mixture.

8. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool, slice, and enjoy!

How do these sound to you?

In good health,

Tara

P.S. You can totally reduce the honey to make these even healthier. I’ve made them with about 1/2 the amount for a lower glycemic version (because...PCOS) and they were delicious!

How to achieve ANY goal you have!

Do you want to lose weight? Do you wish you could eat better more consistently? Have you been putting off your workouts?

In the video below, I share everything you need to know to break down ANY goal you have into action steps and daily practices. I discuss The Habit Loop and The Cycle that you can apply to any area of your life that you’re looking to upgrade.

**Warning: The video gets wonky around minute 4 but then picks up around minute 7 or so. This was a livestream and my internet connection was poor. However, you don’t miss much at all (what the heck was I talking about for those 3 minutes, anyway?!?) and I believe you will gain so much from watching this if you are looking to achieve something in particular.

If you are not on my email list, hop on ASAP so you can receive the companion worksheet I mentioned that’s heading to an inbox near you on Tuesday, October 23, 2018. :-) Sign up right here!

In good health,

Tara

Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup

Hey guys,

I don’t know about you, but I’m a soup lover! Unfortunately, creamy soups with a dairy base don’t love me back these days. And while I’m not selling artwork at fancy galleries or able to knit beautiful sweaters to save my life, my creativity often shows up in the kitchen when I’m trying to make healthier versions of my childhood favorites so that my family and I can enjoy them.

This is a new recipe that was inspired by the first frosty, October morning here in NY recently. No joke - we had our air conditioner on one day and 3 days later, the heat! It’s been wild. In fact, the extra dose of vitamin C from this tomato soup won’t hurt either with all of the weather changes and school germs aloft. ;-)

Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

• 2 x 14.5 oz. cans fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup veggie broth or water
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 cup packed fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 can full fat coconut milk

Directions:

1. In a blender, stir together the tomatoes, broth or water, pepper, salt, basil, and oil.

2. Pour into a large pot.

3. Place on stovetop on medium heat.

4. Cook 5 minutes. Then, add in coconut milk and stir to combine.

5. Cook for about 5 more minutes.

4. Serve and enjoy!

In good health,

Tara

Why my virtual coaching program is 12 months!

Hey people!

Have you ever noticed the ridiculous claims some health and weight loss coaches make?

“Drop 20 pounds in 21 days!”

“Lose 3 pants sizes in a week!”

Blah, blah, blaaaaaaaaah.

Why are we drawn to such statements? Well, because we want to believe it’s true, even though we’re skeptical. The truth is, it doesn’t work that way. The other truth is, even if it DID work that way, when you when back to doing life after the week or 21 days, it would all. come. back (sometimes with interest).

My private, virtual coaching is a longer-term commitment at 12 months and I LOVE IT that way. It works. Check out this video to find out why. :-)

Happy weekend!

In good health,

Tara

When WILLPOWER has left the building!

Hey you...yeah you!  Remember that time that you held back on your anger so as to avoid a fight with your coworker / spouse / child and then dove headfirst into a box of donuts without coming up for air?  Yeah...that's willpower being used up.  YOU are not broken.  NO ONE has unlimited willpower!

Watch this video for more about willpower and for a tip that you can implement today to start making your willpower work more for you and achieve the goals that you've set out to achieve.

Hint: Goal-setting, habits, and practice are the key.  ;-)

In good health,

Tara

The 6 components of any successful weight loss program

The weight loss industry can be maddening!!

Am i right?!?

When you're looking for a coach or program to help you lose weight, you may be wondering what it is that you should be looking for.

Watch the video below to learn about the 6 components of any successful (sustainable!) weight loss program. Please do not go with something or someone that does not address all of these 6 pieces of the puzzle!

Here is some more information about my coaching program, Pioneer Fitness and Nutrition Coaching. 

In good health,

Tara

Weight Loss is More Than Calories In, Calories Out!

Hey there!

Have you ever experienced weight loss resistance?  You're counting calories, points, macros...and just NOT getting the results you think you should be?

Weight loss tends to be oversimplified most of the time when, in fact, there are A LOT of factors that go into who loses weight, when, how, why, how much, how fast, etc. 

In this video, I talk about 3 things having NOTHING to do with calories that can affect your weight and metabolism and give you clues into where you may want to focus your attention.

Now, if you are liking these videos, consider joining my private Facebook group where I share DAILY content to help those on their weight loss and health journey.  :-)  Yup - daily - for FREE!

Join us now!

In good health,

Tara