Sample Workout Plans

"I know exercise is important for fat loss goals, but I don't know what kind or where to start!"

The cool (or uncool -- depending on how you look at it) thing about fat loss is that THE most important piece is the nutrition. It's dialing in the right balance, portions, and timing to manage blood sugar, cravings, hunger / satiety, balance hormones, help gut health, and be well-nourished enough to have plenty of energy. Yeah, it sounds like a lot but it is very possible ... even without counting calories or weighing yourself regularly, believe it or not.


But exercise IS an important piece, especially when we are looking to lose fat without damaging / lowering our metabolism.


CHECK OUT THIS VIDEOall about which kind of exercise is most important for fat loss goals and why.



THIS VIDEO gets into what HIIT is and why nearly everyone I speak to is going about it the wrong way.



AndTHIS LAST VIDEO answers a question that came up a lot on the socials last week about what types of group fitness classes -- if any -- "count" as strength training.


Now, what could it possibly look like if we were to pull it altogether? What if fat loss is a goal, but so is longevity and maybe there are some other types of activities or classes you want to include for fun while solo or with friends or your family? And I'm guessing you don't have all day to exercise, right? ;-)


Below are 3 SAMPLE Workout Schedules I put together to hopefully give you a few ideas. They are just samples, so make sure you take them with a grain of salt. If you're training for a race, you'll need more cardio time in here, of course. If you're currently sedentary but looking to change that, you'll want to start small ... maybe just some walks this week. This is not meant to overwhelm you or make you think you're doing it all wrong! We all have different needs and are at different places right now. But I do hope these help if you were wondering how a busy person with a demanding life who wants to also fit in the various types of exercise can start to pull it altogether.

If you feel like you've tried it all on your own and are ready to get some help with the nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle habits,HERE IS SOME INFORMATIONabout my 1-on-1 coaching program. Check it out and let me know if you'd like to chat more about it. You can hit 'reply' to this email and I will get back to you in a jiffy (is that still a thing people say?).

XO,
Tara

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??

Calories go WHERE???

If only we knew what parts of our day required the most energy / fuel / calories, maybe we could double down on the right areas to boost our metabolism!

Guess what? We do! Take a look ...

While calories (energy in vs. energy out) matter for body composition and health, it does not mean that calories need to be counted. By understanding how our body and metabolism work, you will be able to make more informed choices.


The calories that you take in from food and drinks are used to fuel these different parts of our metabolism as depicted in the chart above.


BMR takes the biggest slice and stands for Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the amount of energy you burn at rest, just keeping yourself alive.


NEAT means Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis and includes all movement you do that isn't your actual workouts. Things like standing, walking, cleaning, gardening, chasing after your kids, grandkids, or fur babies, etc.


EAT is Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, or the amount of calories you burn during workouts.


TEF stands for the Thermic Effect of Food and includes the amount of calories your body requires to eat, digest and assimilate your nutrients. Yup, eating burns calories.



What can you DO with this information? Double down on the most important parts!



You'll notice BMR and NEAT have the biggest influence over your metabolism. Here are some ways to focus your energy there:

• Strength train at least 3 days a week. While you will be requiring calories during your actual workout (EAT), adding muscle will increase your BMR because just having more muscle is calorically-demanding -- even at rest!

• Aim for at least 20-30g of protein with each meal. This does increase TEF, but also gives you the building blocks needed to put on muscle from your workouts, thereby hiking up your BMR.

• Take on some (more?) active hobbies. Go for walking meetings or phone calls when possible, stand up instead of sitting down, fidget, change positions often, basically, be more like a toddler. :-)

• Get cold! Shoot for a couple of minutes of being uncomfortably (but safely) cold, a couple times a week. Ideally you're shivering for much of this. The way our muscles contract all at once while we shiver adds quite a bit to our NEAT, and also ... stimulates a process by which our white adipose tissue (regular fat) becomes the more metabolically active brown adipose tissue. This brown adipose tissue (also known as BAT) burns significantly more calories at rest than "regular fat", increasing your BMR.

Bottom line, if fat loss is a goal, you will need to be taking in less energy via food and drinks than you are using up in order to achieve that goal. If you would like to be able to eat more calories and still be in this deficit, working on increasing your metabolism is the way to go!



***If you'd like to get the ball rolling on your health + body goals, join us inside the 7-Day Kickstart. We start Monday, January 24th, but enrollment ends THIS THURSDAY, the 20th. It's not a quick fix, just us spending the first week of the rest of your life together. MORE INFO HERE.***


XO,
Tara

It's October ... let's save money on supplements and all the (healthy) things!

Welcome to October....

...this month, I've decided to dedicate to money-saving, lower cost, and free tips, tricks, ideas, and practices that are most influential for those on a health or body transformation journey. Sometimes we can get caught up drooling over the latest gadgets, holistic clinics, treatments, and docs, and expensive technology and lose sight of how much we DO have available to use for free or low cost. In addition, for those who already spend a significant portion of their budget on healthy groceries or supplements, I will be sharing some ways that I know of -- and use -- to help shave some money off. Every little bit helps, right?!



CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO where I share 7 (really 8) tips to save money on supplements. Whether you’re a supplement freak or a vitamin newbie, these tips should help you form a plan around shaving a lil cash-eesh 💰off your bill.


Of course, supplementation is highly individualized and we all have various goals, priorities, starting places, conditions, deficiencies, incomes, and situations. So ... you do you. And run it by a trusted healthcare provider first. 😉





And while we're at it, let's talk about 3 FREE (or superrrrrrr low-cost) ways to turn back the clocks on our cells. I'm sharing 3 powerful ways here in THIS VIDEO.





Happy saving and happy living,
Tara

How much CO2 can you tolerate?

How well can you tolerate carbon dioxide (CO2)?

Just because we don’t HAVE to think about breathing doesn’t mean we shouldn’t. It doesn’t mean our breathing depth, cadence, or method (nasal / oral) is optimal on autopilot, either.


Our breath is one of the most beautiful things about us as we can take it over at any point when we’re conscious and utilize it to tap into other areas in our body that we don’t otherwise have access to (like our heart rate and variability, blood pressure, mood, immune response, nitric oxide production, feeling of calm and well-being, levels of arousal and alertness, microbiome constituents, recovery time, sleep quality, hormone balance, jaw development, sinus health, etc. Check out this quick video to learn a new tool ... how to test and challenge your CO2 tolerance.


Pretty freaking amazing, if you ask me!


That video was up in my instagram stories a few weeks ago as a reply to a question I was asked. Thought it would be helpful to share it with you here as well, in case you missed it over there.


Training our diaphragm, ventilations, and respirations is such an important piece of the puzzle that is optimizing. For endurance and adventure, for mood stability, for cardiovascular health, for respiratory illnesses — for every facet of life — I want to breathe well. 😤💪🏼.


Do you plan on testing and tracking your CO2 tolerance over time as a marker of health?



XO,
Tara



P.S. How are you doing with those peach recipes from last week? Hope you're loving them! Today I wanted to continue the summer recipe party with some CHERRY favorites. Mmmmm. Feel free to let me know what you think of these. Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated. :-)

Ever feel deprived?

Have you ever felt deprived around food?

HERE'S THE REASON ... and how to start to move away from feeling that way so you can get on with your merry self and goals. :-)



As always, if you are in need of some help, simply hit "reply" to this email and let me know where you're struggling.



Happy day,
Tara

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

"Do you eat before you workout?"

"Tara, do you eat before you workout?"

I got this excellent question recently on instagram. Here's my 1-minute video response. :-)



Everyone is different! Play around with meal timing around your workouts — or just in general — to find out what you feel best with.



For me, I used to feel awful working out while fasted. I also used to have PCOS, insulin resistance, and prediabetes. I was a metabolic mess!! So, feeling cr*ppy while working out fasted was one of the things that tipped me off to being “off”.



As I became healthier, more metabolically flexible, and more fat-adapted (no, I’m not keto), I started noticing I could do more and more intense exercise without fueling up first. Truth is, we all have sooooooo much fuel already on our bodies as stored body fat. Even if I’m lean, there’s no reason to “need” to eat before a workout.



Now, if tip top performance was the goal (a race, game, or competition), filling up my glycogen stores before said activity would give me a little bit of an edge. But in my daily strength training sessions, bike rides, runs, hikes, or HIIT ... it’s just not necessary.



Another important note: for the average person (not a pro / competitive athlete), protein timing isn’t nearly as important as people will have you believe. I don’t rush to get it in post-workout. I just make sure I get the amount of protein my body needs (about 80-105g per day) throughout the day in a variety of ways.



Second half of the video I’m showing you a pretty typical meal I break my overnight fast with.



Questions about protein, meal timing, metabolic flexibility, or ... whatever? Leave ‘em below!



XO,
Tara



P.S. Yes my lip is bleeding in this video. They were dry that day and happened to crack right before I shot this. Allllllll good. 😝 (You’d be surprised. People notice — and comment about — everything on social media! 🤣🤣).

Intuitive eaters vs. "fit pros"

Intuition? Scientific research? Which *should* be dictating our nutrition?



Both sides are a little wrong ... and a little right, in my opinion. Intuitive eating and the body positivity movement is BEAUTIFUL. And there’s much that can learned from scientific research and professionals on the other side of the spectrum. But until we can blend the two, we’re going to have a society full of people debating their way in the opposite direction of the deep health and vitality they’re actually after.


We learn. We practice. We build skills. And then we allow it to just become part of who we are. It gets more intuitive over time! Naturally. When we go at it with the right intentions in the first place.


It’s not a certain look you’re after. It’s the way you believe that look will make you feel (full of energy and life, confident, capable, strong, sexy). It allllll boils down to love and acceptance, if ya wanna get deep here. 😉 So if we skip the obsession with looks and focus on that health + vibrancy, we have this new North Star that never steers us wrong.


MORE ON THAT HERE.


XO,
Tara




P.S. If you need some help navigating this middle ground approach as you strive for optimal health, leave a comment below and let's chat about where you're at and where you'd like to go. :-)

Brain "reps"

What are "brain reps"?

Most people understand that in order to getting stronger physically, they will need to put in some work. Or, do the reps. No one is walking around saying they were born with a certain amount of strength and they can't improve it. That's silly, right?! We *know* strength can be improved in proportion to the amount you are challenging your muscles.



So why is it that many people think their mindset is fixed? Many people believe they were born with a low tolerance to be able to handle stress or a glass-half-empty attitude. But that's simply an underworked mind. Our mental and emotional strength + resilience will improve with 'more reps' just like our muscles do.




CHECK OUT THE LATEST VIDEO here (and please excuse the mention of Monday as this was recorded and shared with social media prior).




Why is this incredibly important? Well without mental and emotional strength + resilience, you will find yourself falling victim to any and all excuses, giving up easily, waiting for. motivation to show up, annoyed by the littlest things, seeking out vices (like extra food, alcohol, staying up too late) in an attempt to self-soothe, etc. Powerful stuff, right? It's the reason I focus so much on the the mindset piece with my clients. It's simply not addressed out there with other programs or coaches and it's why other things don't 'stick'.




Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear 'em!




Happy day,
Tara

You are too comfortable!

Are you too comfortable?

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

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?

What IS a portion of carbs? Protein? Fat?

Portion sizes can be confusing, right??

Even before you can implement balancing your meals and days with the right amount of portions that YOUR body needs to be at its best, you have to understand what a portion of each type of food actually IS.



I calculate customized portions for each of my clients based on many different factors. It's highly individualized and not a one-size-fits-all kinda thing AT ALL.



However, just starting to play around with being able to decipher portions is a great place to start! IN THIS VIDEO, I share 2 ways to do just that. One way for if you have a food label in front of you. And the other is for any other situation (home, restaurant, friend's house, vacation, etc.).



Did you find this helpful? I'd love to hear so I can consider that for future content. :-)



Happy day,
Tara

Testing my Blood Sugar...

IN THIS VIDEO I am doing something I only do every once in a while these days ... checking my blood sugar.



One of the ways I was able to reverse my PCOS and prediabetes was by testing my blood sugar very often several years ago when I first learned of my metabolic issues. In doing so, I was able to gather such useful information to help me figure out what my body needed (and what it didn't!) in order to optimize.



I don't believe everyone needs to be checking their blood sugar regularly at home, but if you or someone you know is having signs of -- or diagnosed -- metabolic conditions, this might be a very helpful step for you to consider. I'm not a doc, so I have to tell you to check with your doctor first ;-) or simply purchase one over the counter and study up on it.



Metabolic conditions may include or show signs such as PCOS, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, hanger, intense sugar cravings, frequent night wakings (we often think it's because we need to pee, but it's common for it to be blood sugar fluctuations that actually wake us up. And once we're up, we feel the need to pee.)



Questions? Always happy to answer!



Happy day,
Tara

Fat Loss MUST be slow. Here's why.

Fat loss HAS to happen slowly. Here's why...

I know we want it to happen quickly. I know we hear things like, "I lost 5 pounds the first week of doing keto." and assume those 5 pounds came from rapid FAT loss (it doesn't). But there's actually a limit to the amount of body fat we can lose per day per person (it varies from person to person).



Restrict your energy intake more than that point and you'll be eating away at your muscles instead.... which will lower your metabolic rate. YUCK!



Here are 3 reasons fat loss MUST happen slowly.



As always, if you have any questions you can hit 'reply' to this email. I'm happy to help!



XO,
Tara



P.S. Check out these awesome client success stories squished inside of 27 seconds. ;-)

An ENJOYABLE health journey? Yup. For real.

It doesn't have to suck.

The journey, that is.



We don't have to be miserable "until _____". You've heard this before, right? Maybe you've even said this before?



I'll be happy when _______.
When I lose 20 pounds.
When I get that job.
When I get married.
When I get divorced.
When I have a baby.
When I can do a pull-up.

When everything is perfect.



But nothing is ever perfect and because we are these amazingly complex individuals who always have new goals on the horizon, it's important that we learn how to be happy now. How to enjoy the riiiiiiiide.




CHECK OUT THIS QUICK VIDEO for 3 ways you can make your health transformation journey more enjoyable right NOW.



I'm just BETTER when I'm enjoying myself. You too?



Hope you're making it a great week!



XO,
Tara

Controlling ONLY the controllable

Here's the biggest mistake I see people make on their health journey...

They focus on trying to control that which they can't, and hardly spend time controlling that which they CAN!



For example, no one can control what the scale will say and when. No one can control how your body will look at various stages of the process. And you certainly cannot control every bit of your moods, emotions, or motivation.



But that's totallyyyyyyy fine. Ya know why? Because those aren't the things that move the needle anyway. Stay in your lane, control ONLY what is controllable, and you'll get the results you are after.



CHECK OUT THE VIDEO below for more.



Hope you're having a great start to your week!



XO,
Tara

Coaching demo!

Tara + "Sara" ... a coaching conversation.

Today, "we" are demonstrating the S.T.E.A.R. Cycle that we chatted about in last week's newsletter. Don't worry if you don't know what I'm talking about -- I give a quick recap in THIS WEEK'S VIDEO.



Any questions? Want to run through a cycle or 2 with me as a sounding board? I'm here! Leave a comment below or email me at Tara@TaraAllenHealth.com :-)



Enjoy the day,
Tara

The S.T.E.A.R. Cycle

What if you had a trick to improve your MENTAL GAME so your health transformations would be more successful?

Enter.... The S.T.E.A.R Cycle. CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO to learn more about what it is. Stay tuned for next week's newsletter where I'll share a little role-play between "Sara" and me to show you how it plays out with old thought patterns and the new ones we're looking to replace them with.



Questions for me? Feel stuck? I'm an email reply away and will get back to you shortly. Tara@TaraAllenHealth.com



Happy day,
Tara

Does protein burn more calories?

Technically, it does! CHECK OUT THIS QUICK VIDEO where I explain the "Thermic Effect of Food" -- basically, how many calories it takes to digest each type of food we eat. You might be shocked at how different it is between the various macronutrients (fat, carbs, and protein).



And of course, if you have any questions or need some help with your own customized portions, I'm an email reply away. ;-)



Happy day
Tara