My name is Tara and I have been a member at 306 since December 2018. I joined with my daughter, Keela, as a way to spend time with her and get back into shape. I will be the first to admit that I was scared and intimidated as I had been active in the past, but not “crossfit active.” I am proud to attest that the morning of my first class, everyone was so supportive and accepting. They made me feel at home and as part of the 7 am Crossfit group.
I have always had a passion to help people take control of their eating habits and lifestyle choices. I have a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from the University of Saskatchewan and have extensive experience in the area of heart health, celiac, and thyroid related diseases. When I was in university, I was taught a simple concept – if calories burned exceeded the calories consumed, one would lose weight. I have learned from experience that this is not always the case as there are many factors that can affect weight loss, including hormones, thyroid, or medications. Unfortunately, when I was in my twenties, I found this out the hard way when I was struggling with infertility and diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). After being put on medication to manage this, I was blessed with two beautiful babies. When I entered my thirties, I noticed that I was rapidly gaining weight, despite restricting my calories. After more testing, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Syndrome. This is an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid and causes weight gain, tiredness, muscle and joint pain, and infertility. Managing these symptoms was exhausting until I developed a nutritional plan that worked for me.
On top of my own health issues, my husband, Kirk, had a heart attack in 2017. This was such a horrific event for our family and it forced us to take a look at our eating and lifestyle choices. One of the changes we made was to minimize the number of times in a month that we eat out and the amount of sodium that is in our diet. I also try to balance out sugar content and ensure that my daughter has enough nutrient dense snacks as she is very active in sports. Our son, Graydon, was diagnosed with celiac disease when he was four years old. This has also changed the way we cook and shop for groceries. I remember vividly standing in the grocery store in the gluten free/organic aisle after he was diagnosed and breaking down that whole process is so overwhelming. It has been 8 years now and we have our favourite products figured out but I still jump up and down in the grocery store when I find a new gluten free item!
As you can see, I have my own personal experience not only with weight loss but heart health and celiac disease. I want to share my knowledge, experiences, wins and losses with all of you to help you on your own health journey, whatever that may be. I am accepting new clients and would love to work with our members at 306 to help create an individualized eating plan that works for you! On April 1, I am starting out with a 30 Day Challenge that will help you lose weight and establish the eating habits that will keep you on the road to a healthier you! Stay tuned for further details!