Sara Codd, Strength & Nutrition Coach

Where are all my fall girlies at? 🍂☕️🕯️

Its still hot af outside but I’ve been soaking up the crisp mornings lately.

Something about September just feels like a fresh start and a chance to refine how we’re taking care of ourselves.

And as I move into the last two months of pregnancy this couldn’t be more true.

Simultaneously trying to set things up for when bb makes his arrival and also soak in every last moment of life before bb with just B, Mulli and I.

Happy September, my loves! I hope this month brings loads of self-care and enjoyable routine for you all ✌🏽

Mindful Maintenance is officially open for enrolment! 🎉

Here’s what’s included:

✅ Weekly educational modules on calculating maintenance macros, flexible tracking, nutrition periodization, overcoming all-or-nothing mentality & more

✅ Visual PDF guides, checklists & resources to support your learning

✅ Biofeedback & macro tracker to help you track your progress

✅ Bi-weekly group calls with live Q&A sessions (all your questions answered)

✅ WhatsApp group for on-demand accountability & support

This 8-week program kicks off on August 26th!
$299 paid in full or 2 monthly payments of $150.

We haven’t done a group program for a few years now and we are SO excited to support ya’ll in crushing your maintenance phases and setting you up for a solid foundation of success in any future fat loss phases.

Spots are limited, sign up closes August 12th.

Comment 👉🏽 MINDFUL 👈🏽 to receive the details directly to your DMs!

July in 10 ☀️

A chaotic and beautiful month of travel, friendship, love and new chapters!

Grateful for the adventures but also so happy to be back home, moving into our new house and finding some routine for August as we get closer to bb Williamson making his arrival.

✨ I’ve got 3 coaching spots opening for August start dates, as well as our Mindful Maintenance program that kicks off August 19.

This will be the LAST opportunity to work with me until the new year! So if you’ve been on the fence, let’s get after it 🙌🏽

Comment 👊🏼 below and I’ll send you all the deets!

Here’s to some quiet moments & enjoying the little things in August 😍

There’s a flaw in the system...

The online space loves to pin “flexible dieting” and “food quality” against each other, with each side claiming that one is better than the other when it comes to changing body composition and improving health.

But the reality is, both sides are important.

It’s hard to argue the fact that whole, less processed foods contain higher nutrient value and more physical health benefits than those that are highly processed.

And on the flip side, science time and time again supports the theory that calories in vs. calories out is king when it comes to changing our body composition and specifically, losing weight.

BOTH are an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to making long term progress with your nutrition and feeling good both inside and out.

⏭ Swipe for a mindset shift to help balance the two

For me personally, navigating this intersection looks like:
> Having a higher protein, whole food breakfast vs. protein powder based oatmeals/pancakes etc.
> Aiming for 2/3 of my main meals to have whole food, high quality carbs like potatoes, quinoa, rice blends etc.
> Including pastries, ice cream or “treats” that I truly enjoy on a regular basis
> Aiming to get some sort of vegetable at every meal + snack
> Cooking most of our meals at home + making our own variations of all my fave take out foods
> Going through phases of tracking strictly, tracking flexibly and not tracking
> Enjoying a Diet Coke on the regular

Everyone’s version of this is going to look a little different, but this is where I’ve found my sweet spot to be! Hope these inspire you ✌🏼

Raise your hand if you’re finding this balance for yourself right now 🙋🏼‍♀️ 🙋🏼‍♀️

coming october 2024 💜

We can’t wait to meet you lil nugget!

You’re missing out if you haven’t been tuning in to this season of the pod 🔥

I might be a bit biased, but and I have been having a blast recording these episodes and doing things a bit different this season!

SWIPE to see some of our recent (and my personal fave) episodes.

One of them being the one we did on grief - which Nicola actually got to submit for an assignment in her master’s program 🤓

Now grief isn’t something we typically think of when we’re talking about our wellness journeys.

But if you’ve ever looked back on a previous version of yourself - be it a previous body composition, physical ability or lifestyle, and found yourself wishing you had that again...

Perhaps grief is part of what you’re feeling.

In the grief episode - we peel back the layers of emotion that accompany the transformation of our bodies, identities, and lives.

And while grief is often considered a negative and painful experience, it also holds enormous transformative potential as it compels us to reassess our values, identities and who we are in the face of change.

Check out season 4 of the Your Favourite F-Word podcast on Spotify, iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts!

If you listened to the grief episode I’m curious - did it resonate? Let us know your thoughts👇🏽👇🏽

This might be an unpopular opinion but...
I’m really fu***ng exhausted of talking about fat loss.

It’s true, many of our clients come to us with goals of changing how their body looks - often which involves gaining muscle and losing fat.

And I fu***ng love helping clients reach these goals in ways that are sustainable and maintainable for them
(and often improving their relationship with food along the way).

But so much of the content that does well in this space is centred around fat loss.

And it’s sending the message that as women especially, the only goal that’s worthy of our time is losing weight.

Friends, you are capable of SO MUCH more than that.

More than a snatched waist, more than a “dump truck”, more than food & cardio solely as a means to a certain body composition.

Your movement and nutrition can be a catalyst for huge changes in your daily life, mental health and overall well-being.

Focusing on developing habits, building strength and learning about yourself is worth your time and effort at every single phase of your journey, not only if you’re trying to change how you look.

Don’t forget this ✌🏽

This one might ruffle some feathers...

But the evidence base does not support collagen for those wanting to gain muscle.

And the outcomes regarding skin health, joint health and gut health are moderate at best.

It IS a protein, and if you’re eating higher protein with majority of it coming from complete sources - go ahead and count it towards your protein intake.

But it is not an adequate replacement for higher quality proteins.

Whey, casein, pea or a plant blend are all better options when it comes to protein supplementation.

Collagen has very small amounts of amino acids compared to most protein sources, and it’s severely lacking in the essential amino acids required to support muscle protein synthesis and muscle recovery.

tldr; Take collagen if you want, but don’t replace your high quality protein supplement with it if your goals are to build or maintain muscle!

If you found this helpful - share it with someone who needs to hear this! 🙌🏼

PMID: 35042187
PMID: 34605901
PMID: 37432180
PMID: 35639457

It feels really weird to be in place where I’m moving + eating for overall health, when for as long as I can remember I’ve been cycling through phases of performance goals, competing in crossfit, and chasing body comp change.

It’s even weirder when I think about how I have no plans of pursuing any of those goals in the near future.

Like this isn’t just a “maintenance phase” that’s getting me ready for another cut or a push in performance.

It’s literally just me living my life and trying to be as happy and healthy as I can.

The majority of conversations in this space are geared towards either improving your performance or sport, or changing how you look.

And now that neither of those goals are at the forefront right now, it can be easy to fall into that “what’s the point” mentality.

But when I drown out the noise that’s constantly telling me I need to be chasing MORE, it’s really easy to see how these things add value to my life in any stage.

FEELING good is at the core of me being able to show up for my clients, my business, my partner, my friends and truly enjoy the seemingly “small” moments.

I’ve absolutely loved playing around with different recipes, having slower mornings where I’m not rushed to get 1000 things done, taking Mulli for long walks instead of the gym some days, and really just focusing on being present.

And I’m still focusing on gaining muscle mass and maintaining some of my skills and conditioning so I can continue feeling good and having options for fitness as I get older, but there’s just not that constant pressure anymore.

It’s weird, but also… freeing?

Anyone else going through this right now??

If you are, I encourage you to ask yourself - how does movement + nutrition fuel your lifestyle OUTSIDE of how you look or perform?

POV: you’ve been wrapped up the days activities, forgot snacks and now you need a quick meal that also aligns with your goals

Raise your hand if you’ve been here 🙋🏼‍♀️

Many of our clients are busy professionals and/or parents who are often eating out for work, social occasions or needing to grab quick options when on the go.

One of the first things we like to do with these clients is help them identify their “food spots”.

When life’s in fast-forward mode, and you’re just trying to keep up, it’s super easy to grab whatever’s quickest and closest for your meals.

And more often than not, these choices fall within your food radius - the area of town where you spend most of your time (near your home + work usually).

A “food spot” is a place (restaurant, store, cafe) within your food radius that aligns with your health and nutrition goals.

And identifying yours can help you create balanced, nutritious meals, even on your most hectic days.

Start by scouting your usual spots. Which grocery stores are closest to you? Which restaurants have nutrition information available? Where can you get a quick, high protein meal when you’re in a rush?

From there, you can take it a step further and identify specific menu items or grocery items that are aligned with your goals.

⏩ SWIPE to see some of my go-to food spots + items

Bonus for these that I can also pretty much guarantee that these options (or at least something similar) will be available near me wherever I am, including when I’m travelling.

It’s all about making your environment work for you, not against you.

What are some of your favorite food spots?

Let’s talk hormones 👇🏽

Optimizing hormone function has been a “trend” in social media over recent years, with many self-proclaimed “hormone specialists” telling us we need to stop lifting heavy, eliminate all “toxins” and perfectly sync our life to our cycles in order to have healthy hormones.

There’s no denying - proper menstrual function is crucial for overall well being (even for those not interested in having children).

Hormones such as estrogen and progesterone play large roles in our mental health, inflammation management, substrate metabolism, cholesterol levels, cardiovascular function and more.

But when we dive into the research and look at the active female population, maintaining optimal hormones isn’t about following trends.

And you can do a lot to support your hormones without having a 10 step morning routine, eliminating entire food groups or switching out every kitchen appliance.

It ain’t sexy, but energy availability is one of the biggest factors influencing our hormone function.

Being well fed has its benefits beyond helping you get strong AF 👊🏼

Join us for this deep dive episode where we unravel the ties between energy availability and menstrual health - and give you some evidence based takeaways for navigating your own cycle.

Whether you’re navigating your own menstrual cycle, coaching those who do, or sharing space with them, this episode is your must-listen guide to understanding and embracing a healthy menstrual cycle.

Meals don’t have to be boring in order to fit macros or be full of nutrients.

⏩ SAVE this post for your next meal prep!

One of my goals this year is to cook more meals at home and play around with making more of my own sauces, dressings, baking etc.

SWIPE for some of the recipes I’ll be making this week and next! 🔥

I don’t typically use recipes, I just scroll IG or cookbooks for inspo, take a look at the ingredient list and then throw s**t together based on my macros and preferences.

Sometimes it turns out and sometimes it doesn’t LOL.

But if you need a recipe - type any of these into the IG search bar and I’m sure a ton of different ones will pop up!

I personally love , and for inspo 😍

We do things differently here at Paradigm.

We’re biz owners and coaches (and we’ve also been the client), so we see the entire picture.

We recognize the importance of building relationships with our clients, so we keep a smaller roster in order to give you timely feedback, and truly get to know you as a human both inside and outside of the fitness/nutrition space.

You’re not just a number to us, we want to know YOU - what lights you up? What are your values? What is your family like + what roles do you play at home? What do you like to do for fun? What are you reading or listening to? All of it!

We recognize that everyone learns differently and communicates differently, so we’ve got options including text or voice memo messaging, and written or video check-in responses to help you get more out of the program.

We want to make sure coaching is a good fit on both ends, so we offer a complimentary discovery call to get to know you, discuss what you’re looking for in a coach and talk about what our coaching entails and how it might look for you if you decide to sign-up.

We recognize the importance of education, so we’ve got an online portal of resources to support your learning, and we direct you to the relevant resources based on what’s coming up for you personally.

Most importantly, we recognize that this journey looks different for everyone, and we’re here to support your process… while also encouraging you to hold yourself to high standards, follow through on the s**t you’ve said is important to you, and learn to enjoy the process + have some damn fun along the way!

January coaching spots are almost full!
Apply for 1-1 coaching at the 🔗 in our bio.

One of the most interesting findings from my Master’s research 👀

SWIPE&SAVE this one for later!

In 2022 I completed my Masters of Science, my research looked at menstrual dysfunction in female athletes.

This study in particular was different than most, as it looked at the changes in energy balance WITHIN a 24hr period, not just from day to day.

And there were some interesting findings; the biggest being that menstrual dysfunction & associated hormonal disruption CAN occur even when athletes are consuming enough calories daily.

Our energy requirements vary greatly throughout the day, based on our activity levels, NEAT & even our menstrual cycle.

🔥this study showed us that spending time during the day in a negative energy balance (aka with less calories available than needed to carry out tasks & bodily functions) can negatively impact hormone & menstrual function.

EVEN WHEN TOTAL DAILY CALORIES ARE ADEQUATE

So what can we take from this?

💪🏽 First off, meal timing AND frequency BOTH matter.

In the study, athletes with the highest amount of time in negative energy balance were eating more frequently than those who spent less time in negative energy balance (and also were more likely to have dysfunction).

So eating regularly throughout the day AND ensuring that all your meals/snacks have an adequate amount of carbohydrates & overall calories is v important.

And if you’re not someone who can eat 6+ meals per day, good news - as long as your meals are large enough, you can still avoid huge dips in energy balance throughout the day without eating every couple hours.

💪🏽 Secondly, carbohydrate intake is CRUCIAL.

LH pulsatility, T3, & cortisol levels are regulated by brain glucose availability; extensive periods in an energy deficient state are likely to cause hormonal alterations.

💪🏽 And lastly, though we already knew this… eating enough is important for long-term health & well-being.

CALORIES ARE NOT JUST A MEANS TO A CERTAIN BODY COMPOSITION.

And if you have body composition goals, there are ways to achieve them without putting your long-term health at risk.

Hope ya’ll found this one as interesting as I did!

Questions, drop em’ below 👇🏽

Walking out of 2023 like ✌🏽❤️

So many amazing memories made, celebrations, lessons and growth this year. Grateful for every part of it.

Taking a lil IG break for the coming days as I go through my reflection and goal setting process for the new year.

For me personally, I find that all this posts this time of year can really cause me to fall into comparison mode and pull me away from truly recognizing my own wins and learnings from the year.

Not to mention seeing everyone else’s goals and perfectly curated reels can blur what’s actually important to me and distract me from setting aligned goals.

If you’re consuming content right now, remember that this is a highlight reel, and that you know yourself better than strangers on the internet.

Prioritize what’s important to you and say f**k it to the rest ✌🏽

Happy new year beautiful humans, looking forward to lots of growth and all the exciting plans we’ve got coming for you in 2024.

See ya in a few!

What if instead of following a meal plan, you learned how to eat for your body, your goals and your preferences?

Our 1:1 Nutrition & Lifestyle Coaching is designed to help you understand the what, why and how behind nutrition for YOUR lifestyle.

We focus on education: learning the foundations of nutrition and nutritional principles and more importantly, how they apply to your situation

We take a holistic approach: we look at biofeedback such as sleep, stress management, recovery, performance and mindset so that we have the full-picture and can help you develop lasting, supportive habits

We build relationships: we take the time to get to know YOU as a human, what makes you tick, what your real obstacles are, what you like to do for fun, what kind of communication and feedback you respond best to - so that we can make sure the strategies we’re implementing actually make sense for you

And most importantly, we have some fu***ng fun doing it!

I’ve got a few spots left for January start dates.

If you’re ready to make some gains, learn some s**t and follow through on some goals this year, I’d love to work with you!

Apply at the link in my bio 🔗

We live in a world of extremes.
And this time of year is no different as we’re plagued with opposing messages about how we’re supposed to feel + move through the holidays.

PS. You’re allowed to feel however you feel this time of year, don’t let anyone dismiss your experience.

And it’s okay if you’re not quite sure how to “enjoy the season” without feeling like you completely lose all mindfulness.

Truth is, the middle ground can be fu***ng messy.
And many times it’s “easier” for us to move to extremes than to exist in the gray area.

Like the 2 main messages in the nutrition & fitness space right now.... that tell us we need to choose between:

Wanting to feel good in our bodies & continue progressing towards our fitness goals through the holidays
OR
Not restricting ourselves & enjoying the season

Often it feels like we’re having to choose between the ✌🏼

Like it’s either/or.

But what if this season you let go of the need to label or fall into either camp?

And recognize the power of both/and.

Because you can feel good in your body AND enjoy the yourself & the season.

The two can exist at the same time, in fact, it’s what we help a ton of our clients with this time of year.

If that’s what you’re craving, a good place to start is by creating some self-awareness.

Tuning in with yourself & your bod, acknowledging how you’re feeling & where you may want to feel differently.

And then exploring what small changes you can make in order to feel more of that.

Examples may include:
🎄 setting minimums for movement but being flexible in the modalities
🎄 using a social calendar to plan out your nutrition strategies around events
🎄 taking a break from tracking macros + staying focused on protein & veg intake
🎄 continuing to track with a bit more flexibility in carb/fat intake
🎄 prioritizing quality sleep
🎄 continuing any supportive morning/bedtime routines
None of which need to be fancy or require a complete overhaul in your process.

Small steps + decisions add up.

And the middle ground can be a beautiful place to exist.

So start by asking yourself - how do I want to feel during & after this holiday season?

Then work backwards from there ✨

One of our best kept secrets when it comes to navigating your nutrition in social situations.
Is something we call the social profile.

⏩ SWIPE for what it is and how to use it!
and make sure to SAVE this for future reference

This is a great option to use in certain situations, but it's important to be mindful that it is not the most accurate.

If you have body composition or performance goals, you're most likely going to want to track as best as possible most of the time.

But for those special events, this is a great way to keep your tracking consistency and allow you to plan the rest of your day around it!

Drop your questions below and let me know if this is something you think would be helpful for you! 👇🏽

A Black Friday deal that benefits your health + well-being?

SIGN ME UP!

Save on 1:1 nutrition coaching, programming and personal training!

SWIPE for deets on our Black Friday coaching offers 🔥

If you want to...

➤ Be held accountable for & receive clear guidance toward your goals, while also being seen for your full humanity

➤ Feel supported in areas of your life both inside AND outside of fitness & nutrition

➤ Have alllllll the conversations on big ideas & big feelings

➤ Get curious about who you are and how fitness & nutrition play a role in your self-growth

➤ Truly uncover your core values & how to live in alignment with them in different seasons of life

➤ Build a strong sense of self, resilience, and self-efficacy

And get strong AF and have some fun while doing it, I'd love to work with you!

These promos are available to those who apply between now and December 1st. Start date can be any time in December.

🔗 in bio to apply.

Questions? Drop em below 👇🏼

My name is Sara, and I am not a “fitspo”. ⁣

I am not an “influencer”.⁣

I have a Masters of Science in Nutrition & Human Performance, with a thesis on Low Energy Availability and Menstrual Dysfunction.

I've been coaching in the fitness + nutrition space for nearly 10 years.

I believe in using evidenced-based tools to support my clients both in the gym & with their nutrition.

AND, I also believe in honouring the full humanity of each person that I work with, as well as my own.

💩 Most of the conversations in this space are black and white.
They are built on a platform of authority.
Of giving answers rather than asking questions.
Prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach as the gold standard.
And bypassing lived experiences, leaving no room for feelings or nuance to exist.

That's not what we're about round here.

As your coach, I believe in teaching you how to be adaptable, resilient, + accepting of the discomfort that comes from finding that middle ground.

I believe in, and hold space for:
science & feelings
strength & softness
action & ease
seriousness & playfulness
external support & looking inward

Because while the science + principles of nutrition and training might be "simple", humans surely are not. And the ways in which we apply this information are going to vary greatly depending on goals, circumstances and lived experience.

None of which is typically captured through a viral post or instagram reel.

So if you're here in my little corner of this online space, here's what you can expect from me:
✌🏼 evidence-based educational content on various nutrition + fitness topics
✌🏼 real life conversation around the nuances of how we apply the above in day to day life
✌🏼 bts of my own personal journey and stories from my client's experiences
✌🏼 sharing our various coaching offers + programs

And some recipes, workouts and just-for-fun content, because this s**t is supposed to be FUN, ya know?!

I've got some really great stuff coming your way this weekend, if you've been thinking about coaching or programming, keep your eyes peeled 👀

And in the meantime, thanks for being here and supporting my vision, grateful for each and every one of you 🙌🏼

SAD GIRL SZN is in full swing 🫠

And if you're like and I, you definitely feel the effects of shorter days and less light during the colder months.

Whether you're struggling with SAD, or just feeling a case of the winter blues, SWIPE for some considerations on how to navigate it.

Some of these are first-line, evidence based therapies for diagnosed SAD, others work indirectly via improving mood + energy.

With clients right now, we're really working on leaning into routines like meal prep, consistent workout schedules and scheduled down-time in order to help support energy + motivation.

Some things that I'm doing for myself:

☀️ Getting outside for a walk every day

☀️ Committing to at least 4 movement sessions per week with flexibility in what I'm doing / the intensity

☀️ Keeping a consistent bedtime each night

☀️ Taking one full day off from work + the gym each week

☀️ Keeping my living space tidy (personally, this one impacts my mood a TON)

☀️ Setting boundaries around social situations

☀️ Going to therapy bi-weekly

Everyone is going to be a bit different, but these are strats that really help me feel grounded through this time of lower energy.

🎙Stay tuned for the podcast epi we recorded today diving into this topic in greater detail - coming out FRIDAY!

What's your go-to winter blue cure?! 👇🏽

Forever reliving this day through these photos 😍

We left on our honeymoon shortly after the wedding and then life has seemed like a s**t show ever since... I never actually did a full wedding recap post!

We chatted a bit about it in one of our recent podcasts, but it was literally the BEST day ever on so many levels.

There was a lot of stress in the weeks leading up but it all came together day of, and we couldn't have asked for a better day with all our favourite people.

Super grateful for all our wonderful vendors who made me feel amazing and made the day run smoothly:







And for officiating the most perfect ceremony.

And for the stunning florals, literally obsessed.

If you're in the midst of planning a wedding - the little s**t DOES NOT MATTER. I promise you. When the big day comes you'll just be happy to be there and celebrate with your person and all your friends and family!

Grateful for this life we’ve built 😘

If you hate meal prep, try this instead 👇🏽

While there’s a time and place for eating the same, plain meals every day of the week, most of the time we find a lot more enjoyment and consistency when we’re able to mix things up without adding a lot of extra stress.

Batch prepping is something we talk about a ton with our clients. Instead of prepping whole meals, you can set yourself up for success by cooking a few portions of each macro to combine with different veggies, flavours and textures throughout the week.

👉🏼 SWIPE for some batch prep examples

And if you need some meal insp, here’s some meals I’ve been loving lately:
👉🏼Spaghetti squash pad thai (pre-cook chicken, spaghetti squash + chop veggies)
👉🏼Breakfast scrambles (pre-cook sweet potatoes, chicken sausage + chop veggies)
👉🏼Taco burrito bowls (pre-cook sweet potatoes, ground turkey + chop veggies)
👉🏼Overnight oats with greek yogurt + granola on top (I prep a couple days of these at a time)
👉🏼Chickpea greek salad (pre-cook pasta, chicken thighs + chop veggies)

Work smarter, not harder, friends!

OCTOBER 👯‍♀️

I feel like I did nothing this month while simultaneously feeling like I have so much going on that I can’t catch up…

Just me? Someone plz explain this to me!

October was a month of (trying) to get back to some routines after the craziness of Sept / wedding / honeymoon.

Followed through on my sober October (minus one night at our bffs wedding) which felt really good, got back into therapy and started getting back to some regular training!

Some highlights:
💍 last wedding of the season celebrating &
🐶 Lots of puppy cuddles & enjoying the last of the warm weather
🏋️‍♀️ Halloween comp with my babe
🎙️ Got a few new podcast epis out with

Andddd that’s about it 😂

Ready to embrace hermit mode over November and get some s**t done!

A few exciting work projects on the horizon and starting to work with a new coach this month 🙌🏽

I’ve got 4 open coaching spots for nutrition clients open for November start dates and then will be closing things off until the new year. Hmu if you’re interested in crushing some goals together.

Hope y’all have a safe and spooky Halloween 👻