Health Archives - Page 2 of 8

The Night America Woke Up to COVID-19

March 11, 2020 by Tamara Leave a Comment

In the span of 30 minutes tonight after President Trump gave an address on the coronavirus, actor Tom Hanks announced himself and wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for COVID-19. This was followed by basketball player Rudy Gobert’s testing positive for COVID-19 and the NBA announcing an indefinite suspension for the rest of season. I was just about to publish this post when I saw the U.S. Department of State has issued a Global Level 3 Health Advisory and is now telling US citizens to reconsider travel abroad due to the global impact of COVID-19.

I have been closely following this story since mid January. Lately I have felt like I am living in a movie with an unbelievable plot. From the first whistle blower in China, Dr. Li Wenliang, being diagnosed and dying of the virus and to citizen journalists Chen Qiushi and Fang Bin going missing after sharing videos from hospitals in Wuhan these men, along with many more reporters, deserve the entire worlds thanks and gratitude. If not for them the world would not have known about this virus or its severity.

In the United States testing is still widely unavailable. Without mass testing capacity there is limited data available to show where the virus is spreading and how many people have it. I live in Arizona, population 7.172 million, and at the time of this post being published we have tested 100 people. At this point we all need to assume that it is rapidly moving among all our communities. The lack of testing and limiting testing criteria shouldn’t have happened. Crucial time was wasted.

Tonight proves to all Americans who have not been paying attention or brushing this off as “just the flu” that this needs to be taken seriously. The United States has recently started exporting cases to other countries which means that the virus has been active and undetected in multiple cities for several weeks.

Two weeks ago the world started seeing a large number of cases that were linked to recent travel from Italy. Today Italy reported 2,313 new cases and 196 new deaths. In total Italy has reported 12,462 cases, 827 deaths, with 1,028 in serious condition and 1,045 recovered. Scientists have been saying that the United States is two weeks behind Italy in regards to virus spread.

If you have not started preparing you need to. The CDC recommends having a two week supply of water/food and extra prescription medication. Social distancing is going to be something we hear for awhile. No more handshakes, cover your coughs and sneezes, don’t go out when you are sick, and stay home as much as you can. Now is not the time to panic. Make a plan and start getting prepared. There is only so much at this time that we can control. If you feel anxious start making a list of what you can control now. I will have a follow up post to help with this soon.

Know that you have a voice. Be positive and be kind but speak up. We need to hear how our local governments are trying to flatten the curve. Use your voice to encourage and use your voice to inform others. We need to hear from first responders and healthcare workers at the front lines of this pandemic. And yes, it is officially a pandemic as of today, the World Health Organization finally made the announcement this morning.

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who has been diagnosed and to their loved ones. Stay safe!

Filed Under: Health, Personal Tagged With: COVID-19

What Happened When I Eliminated Eggs, Sugar, & Caffeine For 28 Days

March 5, 2019 by Tamara Leave a Comment

This post could have easily been titled “I Gained 15 Pounds in 2018” because I did. Towards the end of 2018 between numerous bought of sickness that spread like wildfire throughout our home and the ridiculous amounts of baking I did over the holidays I discovered I had gained 15 pounds after ringing in the New Year.

I was actually fairly surprised because I didn’t really feel heavier. I honestly hadn’t even been paying attention to how I looked in the mirror. When you have 4 kids time management becomes very important. I could probably win a gold medal at this point for how fast I can go to the bathroom, change a diaper, and get myself and all the kids dressed ;).

In February I knew I wanted to overhaul how I was fueling my body and also commit to exercise more consistently each week. So here is what I started doing.

WHAT I ELIMINATED FROM MY DIET

I eliminated 3 main things from my diet that I knew weren’t helping me. Eggs. Added Sugar. Caffeine.

Eggs

I had been so good about staying away from eggs the last few years but slowly in 2018 I attempted to eat them again, mainly by baking cookies and cake. I discovered several years ago through an elimination diet that eggs gave me severe skin rashes and swollen eyes. In fact the day after I took my before picture that I am using in this post I developed the most horrible all over body hives and swollen eyes I have ever had in my entire life. I had to go to the doctor and was prescribed steroids because they were so bad.

Added Sugar

The amount of sugar I was consuming was ridiculous. The American Heart Association recommends the maximum amount of added sugars women should have each day is 25 grams or 6 teaspoons. Most days I was consuming well over this amount. For the month of February I used this recommendation and only ate natural sugars. Meaning no candy, juices, cookies, cakes, breads, pancakes, etc…but instead more fruits and I used maple syrup as a sweetener.

Caffeine

Hi. My name is Tamara and I am an iced tea addict. I love iced tea. I don’t drink coffee or soda but I would take a China Mist iced tea anytime of day. I had been having a really hard time falling asleep the last few months even though I was so tired. So I ditched the tea and focused on drinking more water.

WHAT I HAVE BEEN EATING

When I first wake up I drink a glass of room temperature water. Then for breakfast I have a smoothie with spinach, frozen dark cherries, banana, avocado, chia seeds, water, and a scoop of this protein powder. For lunch and dinner I have either chicken, salmon, or tri-tip with lots of vegetables which is usually a salad or a sweet potato with avocado. I just discovered this dressing and love it.

For snacks I have been making a fruit parfait with siggis yogurt, the Fitnessista amazeballs, or more fruit. Each week I have been trying to drink at least 3 green juices. I am also drinking about a gallon of water daily and making way more trips to the bathroom ;).

MY EXERCISE PLAN

I will be sharing more on this in the next two weeks but I wanted to have a plan to follow because I am always more successful when I have one. I decided to sign up for one month of Gina’s Home Workout Warrior Live plan. I am so glad I did! It came with 5 days of workouts each week and a meal plan. I haven’t really been following the meal plan because of eliminating eggs but it was still worth it. I have 1 more week to go before I am finished. I started this plan on Monday February 11.

THE RESULTS

I feel so much better overall. I am so happy with how I am eating now and that I started exercising more consistently again. I don’t normally weigh myself but I decided I should in February and I lost 6 pounds. I went from 150 and now I am 144.

Before & After Eliminating Eggs, Added Sugar, and Caffeine

I think it is so important whenever you do make a change like this to track also how your body feels, not just how you look. My periods had been off the chart lately with cramping and heavier bleeding and this month it was so much better! My skin also didn’t break out before my period either which was so amazing. I am sleeping better and have so much more energy. My head hits the pillow lately and I am out. I sometimes even fall asleep before my husband shockingly. And he makes sleeping look like an olympic event by how quickly he can fall asleep.

So there you have it! This was an honest look into the start of my fitness/wellness journey for this year. I love the accountability this blog has provided for me during other times in my life and knew I wanted to connect back to this space again for this reason. I am off to get to sleep because I will be up soon enough to exercise and spend time in the bible before the kids wake up. Thanks for reading :).

Filed Under: Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Personal Tagged With: 2019 Fitness/Wellness Update

The MUTU System Program Review

March 5, 2018 by Tamara Leave a Comment

This is not a sponsored review. I purchased the MUTU System Program with my own money and have not been compensated for this post. I highly recommend this program and because I loved it so much I became an affiliate. This means that if you purchase this product from my links I will earn a small commission Thank you for helping to support this blog and our family.

Several weeks ago my kids asked me to come and jump on the trampoline with them in the backyard. This is something I do occasionally and actually enjoy doing. On this beautiful Arizona breezy afternoon I was showing my kids a few of my cool moves, in reality I was only jumping and attempting to do the splits in the air, when I landed I realized that my pants were slightly damp. Not really thinking anything of it I continued to bounce with childlike abandon and as I did my bladder continued to slowly release itself. I knew then it was time to call it quits when my son asked what had happened to my grey leggings and quickly climbed down the ladder of the trampoline to go inside and change my pants.

And that moment is when I realized that while I had been exercising since giving birth to baby #3 I had also slacked off in recent months on focusing on training my core and pelvic floor muscles. I knew it was time to log back into my MUTU account and refocus my training on these muscle groups. Since I have had success in the past with the MUTU System program I was confident that I could cure my weak and leaky bladder and be able to bounce confidently on the trampoline with my kids again.

When I had originally purchased the program I had bought the online version which gave me access to any future updates. To my surprise the MUTU team had been hard at work creating and updating their already great program. I will go into more detail about the new program below but just know it is awesome and an amazing resource for women wanting to heal their core and pelvic floor.

In case you aren’t familiar with MUTU System here is a a brief look at how I discovered this gem of program and why you should look into too.

CAN I HAVE A FLAT TUMMY AFTER HAVING A BABY? OR AFTER 3 KIDS?

When I was nearing the end of my second pregnancy I started to research how I wanted to strengthen and allow my body to heal after childbirth. I knew going into my second pregnancy that my core just wasn’t the same as at had been since the birth of my first child. Planks in particular really caused me to struggle. I couldn’t figure out why I had this annoying cone shaped bulge in the middle of my torso whenever I would engage my core in planks. It was annoying, especially being a personal trainer and teaching group exercise classes. I wanted answers as to why this was happening and what I could do to stop it.

You can read more about my first experience with MUTU System HERE. But what I learned via MUTU was that I could have a flat tummy again even after 3 kids but only if I retrained my muscles that correct way. Crunches, sit-ups, and various other abdominal exercises weren’t going to give me my flat tummy back because these exercises put increased internal pressure on the abdominal wall. They will never allow you to achieve the tummy you want. No mom wants to have low back pain, an unstable core, a tummy that sticks out, and a pelvic floor that doesn’t work properly. Instead you must focus on adjusting your body’s alignment and stretch and strengthen your muscles to get a strong functioning core and pelvic floor. Enter the MUTU System 12 Week Online Program.

THE PROGRAM

The program contains step-by-step instructions and 20 minute-or-less workouts over 12 easy-to-follow Modules. Plus it’s online so you can watch from home on your computer or TV as well as download to your tablet or smartphone.

MUTU is for women with Diastasis Recti, given birth (both vaginally and via c-section), who’s kids aren’t babies anymore, accidental leakage (like myself), wanting to have a flatter stomach, lose weight, and even for pregnant women.

Every day you perform the 10 minute core training and at least 3 times a week there is a 20 minute workout. Easy peasy. The newly updated version does not use weights like the pervious program did. To be honest I wasn’t sure I how felt about there being no weighted exercises but after doing each workout and core training I can tell you I love the new updated program!

The other great thing about the update is the MUTU Connect community hub in the online portal. There is a dedicated MUTU team member available to help you answer any question you have or direct you to a person who can. After doing the program for two weeks I was a little surprised that there wasn’t more spoken instruction on the workout videos. Being a personal trainer I felt I needed more guidance especially with breathing cues. I went to the hub to write a suggestion to the MUTU team when I saw this…

That message was from Wendy Powell the MUTU program creator. MUTU takes your suggestions seriously and wants to make the program better for you!

THE RESULTS (AFTER 4 WEEKS)

Drumroll please….

Well before I share my before and after let me tell you what I did. I have currently not completed the program in its entirety as designed. But I have done each individual core training and workout intensive. The first week I did CORE 1 everyday and Intensive 1 four days, the second week I did CORE 2 everyday and Intensive 2 four days, and preceded in the same fashion for weeks 3 and 4.

So after 4 weeks here are my before and after images.

My pants also fit better and my size 6 jeans are starting to slip to the point I need to think about investing in a new size. Plus I just feel better. I am taking care of myself and focusing on making sure my insides are healed.

Oh and about the trampoline…I hadn’t bounced for the four weeks I was MUTUing (can I make this a verb?) and wanted to recheck to see if there was any improvement with my bladder leakage. I can safely say that if you want to come over to my house and bounce on the trampoline with me I won’t pee on you now.

GET STARTED TODAY & 15% DISCOUNT CODE

Ready to purchase the online program? The 12 week online program cost is $147. Use use my 15% off discount code: tamara15 for extra savings! Click HERE to get started today!

Go and checkout the MUTU System and use the discount code tamara15 to save on your order.

DISCLAIMER: The information provided on The Workout Mama is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to prescribe, diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is your responsibility to educate yourself and address any health or medical needs you may have with your physician. Please seek professional help when needed.

Filed Under: Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Products Tagged With: Body After Baby, Diastasis Recti, Flat Tummy, Leaky Bladder, Mutu System