Tamara, Author at The Workout Mama

MuTu System 12 Week Online Program Review

September 25, 2014 by Tamara 15 Comments

This is not a sponsored review. I purchased the MuTu System 12 Week Online 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 comission. Thank you for helping to support this blog and our family.

UPDATE JANUARY 2018 :MUTU System has launched a *BRAND NEW* program designed to flatten your tummy, stop annoying leakage, lose the weight you really wanna shift, heal your diastasis recti, feel fitter, healthier and sexier. The best bit is it takes 15 minutes a day! Since this post was written I have had another baby and wrote another post (with before and after pictures!) to share what I thought about the new program. Enjoy reading about my original experience with this program below.

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 this 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 or in yoga while on my mat, like in boat pose.

After having my babies I didn’t realize how greatly my body would be impacted and forever changed. I can remember teaching a yoga class 2 months after my son was born and showing a transition from lunge to side plank that just about took my breath away. I felt like my pelvic floor was ripping in half and had to drop down to my knees to recover.

Let me first say, being pregnant and giving birth is an amazing miracle and I am so thankful that both my babies were born healthy. For those of you reading this who are struggling with infertility my heart breaks for you and my prayer is that you will be able to experience the joy of being a parent in the future. Please know, I am not trying to tell a story of how hard pregnancy is or how horrible labor was at all but instead only want to convey that pregnancy does do some crazy things to your body.

It is so important to take care of yourself after giving birth. I strongly encourage anyone reading this who is thinking about becoming pregnant, currently pregnant, or just had a baby to allow your body time to heal. I love running, high impact exercises, and plyo workouts (think of exercises like squat jumps, burprees, and jumping lunges) but since Maisie was born (she is 17 weeks old today) I have not done any of those things. Eventually I will run and do burpees again but for now I am content with what I am able to accomplish with my body and that each day I am getting stronger and healthier.

ANATOMY OF THE ABS

If you have had a baby you might be one of the many women who have no idea that their abdominal muscles have separated and are still separated. Did you know that this could even happen? I had no idea until after I gave birth to Caden. As a personal trainer this was nothing I even learned about in my course work.

Take a look at the Rectus Abdominis both before and during pregnancy…

The Linea Alba, the connective tissue between the right and left half of the Rectus Abdominis, stretches to accommodate the growing baby. For some women the gap closes naturally on its own. For others the connective tissue has become overly stretched and aggravated that it does not heal properly which leaves the new mama with an unwanted belly bulge months and even years after her bundle of joy has arrived. And for a mama who has multiple pregnancies the gap can become noticeably wider each time.

This gap is known as Diastasis Recti.

YOU CAN HAVE A FLAT TUMMY

While I do have a small amount of diastasis recti I have found that in order to encourage my tummy to become flat I can’t just focus on abdominal work.

Why you ask?

Because it will not re-train the core and pelvic floor. Crunches, sit-ups, and various other abdominal exercises will only put increased internal pressure on the abdominal wall and 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.

The big question everyone asks is how do I do this?

Your body is a system. Everything works together. Muscles work together to support each other. So instead of only focusing on one part of the problem the entire system that supports your midsection needs to be addressed.

If you are looking for a way to heal, re-train, improve, and strengthen your core the MUTU System is the perfect program for you.

There are several programs available that focus on healing diastasis recti. I have looked into many of them. By far the best program that I have found and that I support is the MuTu System. The creator Wendy Powell is simply amazing. This program focuses on retraining the muscles in the body, healing the mommy tummy, and correcting the internal pressure.

You can get a free video with Wendy’s top 10 ab exercises by signing up on her website (top right corner).

The Mutu System offers several different programs, DVD + online training. I have the 12 week online program and love it! It never expires and I am currently doing it right now.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

In order to do this program you will need the following items:

I used 8 pound weights for this program. I would recommend starting off with 5 pounds if you haven’t been exercising consistently and also getting a heavier and lighter resistance band so you can make your workouts more challenging as you progress each week.

Mutu System also just released their own MUTU Kit Bag that contains a resistance band, loop + small ball. Everything you need to get going with our programs. You will only need to purchase your weights separately.

WHAT’S THE 12 WEEK ONLINE PROGRAM LIKE?

Watch this trailer for a detailed look at the 12 week online program…

To be honest, I was skeptical about this program. I mean it sounded great and all, but I really wasn’t expecting to be as challenged as I was or to make a huge difference in my body. Once I started, I couldn’t believe just how weak and unstable my body had become since being pregnant and giving birth. This program has really challenged me. The workouts are fast paced and take 20 minutes total. I love that each week builds off the last and that every exercise progresses just enough that you feel challenged but not enough that it seems impossible.

THE RESULTS

So I know everyone is really big on before and after pictures. Don’t get me wrong, I am as well and will be sharing my 4 Month Body After Baby Update next week pictures included. In case you missed it you can read my Body After Baby: 1 Month Postpartum Update.

I think the biggest benefit of this program, even bigger than how you look, is learning how to improve how your body functions and feels. From day 1 of this program I have noticed improvements in my body and what I am able to do. Lunges were not something I could do easily or comfortably during pregnancy and after giving birth, but a few weeks into the program when lunges were added I could do them. I am so happy!

The abdominal separation that I had after giving birth has been reduced by a finger width. Overall I am stronger and my balance is much better because I am rebuilding core strength and retraining the muscles of and relating directly with my pelvic floor. When I do the core exercises and stretches before bed I have noticed that I do not have to get up to pee 5 times at night because I am learning to relax overly tight muscles and retrain the weaker stabilizers like my glutes and transverse abdominus.

Update: To see my before and after pictures read Body After Baby: 4 Months Postpartum.

GET STARTED TODAY, 15% DISCOUNT CODE, & MUTUVATION 2014

Thank you Wendy for your creating this wonderful program! It has been such a blessing to me and I am excited to have been able to share how much I love the MuTu System with my readers.

If you are ready to invest in your health and re-train your core and pelvic floor you can get started today. That is the beauty of using a program that is all online!

UPDATE: Take a glance at the MUTU Store to purchase the online program. The 12 week online program cost is $147. Wendy, the creator of the MuTu System, was kind enough to offer a 15% off discount code to all readers of The Workout Mama.

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

If you live in LA, Houston, Chicago, or New York City you can join Wendy at MuTuVation. MuTuVation will inspire you to think, exercise, move and live in ways that will transform your well-being. If you are a mom this is for you. If you want to learn about the stuff you don’t understand about your body, the stuff you’d like to change about your body, what its OK to feel and look like after you’ve had babies, and whats not OK, and what you can do about it click the image below to find more details on MuTuVation. MuTuVation will be in Los Angeles on October 18th, Houston on October 20th, Chicago on October 22nd, and New York City on October 25th. All events will run from 9.30am until 4.30pm.

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, Personal, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Products Tagged With: Body After Baby, Diastasis Recti, Flat Tummy, Mutu System, MuTuVation

How I Convinced My Husband To Cloth Diaper Our Baby

June 17, 2014 by Tamara 11 Comments

If you had told me even a year before Caden was born that we would be cloth diapering him I would have laughed. I never thought this would be something I would be doing. We used disposables for the first few months of Caden life and while they were super convenient and easy to use we were spending so much money on diapers. As a family living on a very modest income I started rethinking my views on cloth diapering.

I began researching the benefits on cloth diapering, how much it would cost vs. how much our family would save, and all the ins and outs of exactly what I would be getting myself into if we decided to go the route of cloth diapers. I knew if I could create a solid presentation to my husband on the benefits of cloth diapering it would outweigh the initial upfront cost to purchase everything that would be needed.

If you or your significant other is on the fence about cloth diapering check out why Josh and I decided to take the plunge. There are lots of good reasons why cloth diapering might be the way to go for your family but I know it is not for everyone and that is ok. Read to the end to see the basics you need to get started.

COST OF DISPOSABLES VS. CLOTH

During Caden’s first month of life we used 287 disposable diapers. We were changing him every 1-2 hours during this time. Because newborns need to be changed so often I am glad that we didn’t start cloth diapering him until he was a few months old. To be honest I probably would have gone slightly crazy trying to keep up with the laundry. We will wait to cloth diaper our newborn daughter until she is a few weeks old just to make it easier on us.

Disposables: Let’s assume that you decided to buy your diapers from Amazon.com and you picked Huggies Little Snugglers Diapers to cover your newborns bum. For a box that contains 88 disposables you are paying $24.99 which equals out to $0.28 a diaper. And let’s also assume you are going to be using on average 60 diapers a week. Every month you would be spending around $66 for diapers and over two years this adds up to grand total of $1600!

Cloth: If you have ever looked into cloth diapering or currently cloth diaper your child you know how much one type of cloth diaper can differ from the next in price. So depending on what type of diaper and brand you buy your cost could vary greatly from mine. We spent $350 to build our stash of 24 diapers and to also buy several accessories. Over the last year we have added a few items that I feel were a must to make the process a little easier, so as of today our grand total spent is probably more around $500. Next week I will be covering my favorite cloth diaper brands, how much they cost, and why I love them.

PEE, POO, AND EWWW

Changing a babies diaper is not the worst thing in the world but at times it is not the most pleasant. While the ease and convenience of disposables diapers is wonderful I can honestly say that once you get into the routine of dealing with pee and poo in a cloth diaper it is really not so bad. Yes it does take a tad bit longer to clean up but I think it is worth a few extra minutes to save over $1000. I will be covering more on how we handle the poo in a later post. But I will say that because I was exclusively breastfeeding Caden until he was 6 months old we could treat all the diapers the same. Everything could go straight into the washing machine, poo and all (I know it sounds gross but trust me the breastfed baby poo washes away and does not leave a trace on your washer or diapers). This made cloth diapering an easier sell because we didn’t have to worry about rinsing anything off into the toilet for the first several months.

HEALTH CONCERNS WITH DISPOSABLE DIAPERS

As a parent and someone who has become increasingly interested over the years in products that are placed or come in contact with the body I think this is an important subject to bring up. The more research I began doing on this topic the more I realized that I had no clue as to what goes into these products to make them do the things they do.

Dioxin: Most disposable diapers are treated with chlorine and the byproduct left behind from this treatment is dioxins. If you look up dioxin in the dictionary here is what you will find…

a highly toxic compound produced as a byproduct in some manufacturing processes, notably herbicide production and paper bleaching. It is a serious and persistent environmental pollutant.

Dioxins are carcinogens, and while they can be found on diapers they are also found on sanitary pads and tampons. But to put things in perspective, a 2002 study that analyzed dioxin levels in four types of diapers didn’t find the most potent known dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) in any of the diapers tested. So while this could be considered good news, the fact remains that your baby might be exposed to minuscule amounts while wearing diapers.

Sodium Polyacrylate: If you have ever seen a disposable diaper explode you have seen the beads of the super-absorbent material that has been used in diapers since the 1980s to make them wonderfully pee-absorbent. sodium polyacrylate, absorbs 300 times its weight in tap water via osmosis. Some claim that this can cause skin irritations and allergic reactions. Sodium polyacrylate was removed from tampons in the 1980s after links to toxic shock syndrome, but it is still debated among experts if this is truly the cause for TSS or if women were wearing their tampons for days at a time causing a rich breeding ground for bacteria.

There are other suggestions that disposables diapers have been linked to increased asthma rates and also contribute to male infertility. I am no scientist and have not seen a study that can prove these claims but thought I would mention them so you know the health concerns parents have against putting their child in a disposable diaper.

DISPOSABLES DIAPERS COULD STILL BE USED

What? Didn’t you just tell us the health concerns behind disposables? Yes I did. I think as a consumer of any product, especially products you are going to use for your child, it is important to take a little time and research what you are planning on using. But I also was aware that cloth diapering wasn’t always going to work for everyone who watches Caden (including Josh and myself at times) or during special circumstances. So I told Josh we could still use disposables but we would try to mainly use cloth and see what happened. I think having a general plan is a great idea anytime you are trying something new. At first we tried to cloth diaper Caden at night. But over a few weeks the smell from his hemp insert started to reek. Like make your eyes water when we would change him in the morning. So to solve that problem we put Caden in disposables at bedtime each night. Disposables are also great to use if your little ones get sick with a stomach bug or if you are planning in being away from home for a long stretch of time.

ECO-FRIENDLY

While some will cite the added use of water used in washing cloth diapers as an environmental concern no less important than our ever filling landfills, it is important to note that a great deal of water is used to produce disposable diapers too. In addition disposable diapers contain petroleum-based ingredients, also a non-renewable resource. Many studies have proven that disposable diapers negatively impact the environment both in the production and disposal after use.

CLOTH DIAPER LAYETTE

If you have decided to take the plunge or are leaning that way here is what you can plan on buying to get you started. I will cover these items in more detail in the following weeks. This overview should give you a basic idea of what you will need. Depending on when you decide you will be cloth diapering your little one you can always include some of these items on your baby shower registry. Also check Craigslist too! I know it sounds weird but you can find lots of great deals on cloth diapers and accessories.

24 – 36 Diapers (I will be discussing my favorite types and brands next week)
Additional Inserts: these will add additional absorbency to your diapers and help prevent leaks
Wet Bag or Pail Liner: waterproof bag where you will store your diapers between washes
On The Go Wet Bag: waterproof bag for storing your dirty diapers when you are on the go
Cloth Wipes
Wipe Spray
Diaper Sprayer: attaches to your toilet to help remove solid waste
Detergent

There you have it! Those are the main ways that I convinced Josh, and myself, that we should cloth diaper our baby. The biggest selling point was the cost difference overtime between disposables vs. cloth. Now that we have Maisie we will be saving even more money because we already have everything we need to cloth diaper.

Do you cloth diaper or have you wanted to try? Why or why not?

If there is any other health, fitness, nutrition, mommy related product you would like me to investigate let me know. Chances are good I have already researched it and would be happy to share my thoughts and what I have learned with you.

Filed Under: Health, My Family Tagged With: Cloth Diapering

Maisie’s Birth Story

June 4, 2014 by Tamara 17 Comments

I am so incredibly excited to share our sweet Maisie girl’s birth story today on the blog. Having our little girl here has filled our hearts with more love and given us a joy that we didn’t know was possible. It feels like my heart has expanded to double it’s normal size.

I will try and do a follow up post soon with the differences between Caden and Maisie’s birth and post delivery because there are several that even surprised me. Time is already moving so quickly and I am happy to have been able to write down her birth story before I forgot the little details. Honestly, it is crazy what you can forget in even a week, but her story is here and it is typed up – which is what matters. Enjoy…

On the afternoon of Tuesday May 27th, I had my 39 week appointment with my OB, Dr. Brass, at 5:45pm. Before I continue telling this story, if you are local and looking for someone to deliver your baby or are wanting to get pregnant I highly recommend her. She is just awesome and I am so thankful she was able to deliver Caden and Maisie.

Caden came with me to the appointment and we listened to little sisters heart and measured mommy’s tummy. I had a vaginal check to see how far dilated I was and was a little disappointed that I was only 1cm dilated. I had fully expected to have had the baby by 39 weeks, so to hear that there had been little change in my cervix wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear.

While I was having my cervix checked Dr. Brass started explaining how she was going to try to encourage my body to keep the contractions I was feeling coming in more frequent and consistent intervals by doing a membrane strip (also known as a sweep). After she had finished checking me I asked if I needed to get in any particular position for her to be able perform the sweep and was told it was already done. I had hardly felt anything.

I left the office with some light spotting and was told that if my body was ready to go into labor the membrane sweep would help to get everything started. I was excited but also cautiously optimistic because I knew I could still be days or even a week away from having this baby.

Josh was on shift at the fire station and I had told Caden we would visit Daddy at work before we headed home. I was super eager to tell Josh what had happened during my appointment which made him even more excited that this baby might be coming very soon. Caden and I stayed at the station for about 40 minutes and left to come home.

While I was driving home I started to feeling a little achy and was very happy when I pulled into the driveway. I got Caden out of the car, carefully carried him upstairs, which at this point proved to be challenging because my back was hurting, and got him ready for bed.

By 7:30pm I was struggling to eat my dinner and had lost most of my appetite because my stomach wasn’t feeling that great. For the next hour I sat on our exercise ball, walked around the house, used a heating pad on my back, and visited the bathroom several times. I debated if I needed to call Josh at work and tell him that I thought my labor might have started but I kept putting it off thinking it could be a false alarm. I can’t tell you how many times during this pregnancy I thought I was or could be starting labor and I didn’t want him to come home from work until I knew it was the real thing. I decided to call him anyway just to let him know what was happening. During that phone call we decided to wait a hour and then I’d call him with an update.

By 9:30pm the contractions were coming in 5 minute intervals. I then called my Dad and told him that I thought I might be in labor and would call him in 30 minutes on whether he needed to come pick up Caden. I made the call to Josh – come home. While I waited I took a hot shower and was elated when I heard the garage door open because I knew at this point I was in labor and needed my husband.

When Josh came home he helped me get situated upstairs with the exercise ball and heating pad in our bathroom while he packed up the car and called my Dad asking him to come get Caden. I decided to take another shower and was lunging and squatting as the water poured down my back. I was sad when all the hot water was gone because it felt so amazing. I wrangled myself out of the bathroom and got dressed and was able to make it back downstairs. My Dad came shortly after and Caden was packed up into the car to spend the night with Grandpa and Grandma and we were off to the hospital.

The drive to the hospital was awful! I was so glad we didn’t wait much longer to leave the house. With each contraction I felt every tiny bump and dip in the road. Sitting was the last thing I wanted to be doing. Poor Josh had to listen to me scream and cry in pain during that car ride. I was praying that I would be far enough along that I would be admitted and not have to endure another ride in the car back home.

We checked in a little before 11pm and were quickly taken back to a triage room to be seen. I got into my hospital gown and was hooked up to the monitors. With every contraction I had to stand up and lean over the bed with my chest and head resting on a pillow while Josh pressed on my lower back. Although I could tell my contractions were getting closer, I was shocked to hear the nurse say they were 3 minutes apart.

The nurse did a vaginal check in between my contractions and told me I was 3 cm dilated! I was so ecstatic! The nurse went to call Dr. Brass but she said that I might be sent home to continue my labor unless my water broke. The thought of going home was disappointing but soon a new contraction hit which didn’t give me a lot of time to dwell on it.

Josh was pressing on my back as I stood in front of him leaning on the bed. With each contraction Josh would remind me to relax my shoulders, back, belly, and cervix. It sounds so funny but it really did help me to remember to breathe and let go of the tension I was holding in my muscles.

With another contraction coming on Josh went into his role as my own personal relaxation coach and when he reminded me to relax my cervix my water literally broke and gushed out all over the floor surrounding his feet. We both burst out laughing! It was so funny and the laughter did us both a world of good. As my water continued to gush out onto the floor Josh went to find the nurse. I was so happy because this meant we were staying and having this baby girl soon!

Pretty quickly after that I was soon walking with Josh from the triage room to the room where we would deliver our baby in. We also made a phone call to my mom telling her she should make her way to the hospital now. Once we arrived in the room the only thing I wanted was a birthing ball. I had another vaginal check and was dilated to 5cm. Compared to my labor with Caden this was progressing much, much faster.

My plan was to remain on my feet, sitting on the ball, or on all fours until I could deliver. I knew gravity was my friend and the more upright I could stay the better. As soon as the ball was brought in I planted myself near the edge of the bed and hunkered down leaning my upper body on a pillow and the mattress.

The contractions were coming very quickly and I would catch my breath only to feel the pressure and back breaking pain building up again. My Mom thankfully arrived at 1:30am to offer additional support and encouragement and soon after I remember the nurse saying that if I felt the urge to start to push or more pressure in my pelvic floor to let her know. I didn’t realize until that point that I actually was feeling more pressure and starting to feel the urge to push.

With the added pressure and more intense contractions it was time for another vaginal check. I hate these things. Not because they hurt but because the last place I want to be when I am in labor is on my back. I painfully climbed up into bed and assumed the position.

I was so happy and relieved when the nurse said I was dilated to 8cm. Hallelujah, praise Jesus! Since I was already on the bed I maneuvered myself onto all fours to ride out the remaining contractions before it was time to push. My upper body was flung over the birthing ball, Josh was behind me digging his elbows into my sacrum (I know this sounds painfully but the counter pressure was one of the only things making the contractions bearable), my mom was in front of me holding my hands and letting me know I was doing a great job and reminding me to breathe, and the nurse was on my right side monitoring the baby.

My OB was called during this time and once I knew she was on her way I started to give into the pain. Screams, tears, and whimpering about wanting to push and would someone please let me squat were the only things coming out of my mouth. Dr. Brass arrived quickly after this and when she walked into the room told me that I needed to calm down and try not to scream. The squat bar was setup quickly and the end of the bed was lowered.

My lower body was shaking so bad as I made my way into a squat. The pain and pressure were very intense during the contractions but at this point I knew we were going to be meeting our baby soon so it was easier to try and ride out the contractions than to fight them. At 2:30am I began pushing. As Dr. Brass applied back pressure against the baby’s head, Josh suited and gloved up to prepare to catch, and my Mom was by side as I started to do the most intense workout of my life. In six short minutes, at 2:36am, Maisie Elizabeth Buschel entered the world by being scooped up into her fathers arms and we were filled with an overwhelming amount of joy, thankfulness, and love.

Maisie and I cuddled while I delivered the placenta and was stitched up. I had very mild tearing this time and Dr. Brass said that Maisie looked much bigger than Caden. With my baby in my arms I was a happy mama. I don’t think I can ever fully explain the mix of emotions I have felt when my babies have been laid on my chest after their births. It is a mix of awe, amazement, relief, joy, and unconditional love. Babies truly are a miracle and I feel so blessed to have been able to experience this amazing process twice.

The time came for me to let the nurse borrow Maisie so she could be checked out. Imagine my surprise to hear that she was 8 lbs 9 oz., that was a much bigger baby to birth (Caden only weighed 6 lbs. 6oz.). Dr. Brass said that she could understand why I was screaming more this time, Maisie was 2 pounds larger.

I am so grateful that I again was able to have the birthing experience that I wanted. I was able to labor at home for several hours, arrived at the hospital just before my water broke, labored and delivered unmedicated, and had a great support system around me.

Maisie’s Birthday May 28, 2014 at 2:36am | Birth Weight 8 pounds 9 oz. | Length 21 in

Thank you again for all your sweet comments on the blog, Facebook, and Instagram. We have been enjoying the new routine of being a family of four and I am looking forward to sharing more photo’s and thoughts as the weeks progress.

xoxo, Tamara

PS…If you are new to the blog you can read about Caden’s birth HERE.

Filed Under: Maisie, Postpartum, Pregnancy Tagged With: Birth Story, Labor & Delivery