Why I Am Loving My Personalized VitaminPacks From Persona

Disclosure: I received this product for free from Moms Meet to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

I didn’t even know personalized vitamin packs were a thing until this year. I saw an ad early in March and thought it was a really cool idea but didn’t think much about it after that. To be honest I wasn’t ready to spend a ton of money on vitamins. One of the amazing things about having a blog is getting the opportunity to review products and programs. In October, I jumped at the chance when approached with an opportunity to review Persona VitaminPacks.

Persona is a personalized, high-quality supplement subscription service that delivers your packs to your doorstep every 28 days. To start using this service I was asked to take a 5 minute assessment on Persona and based on my answers my personalized VitaminPacks were created. You are asked to select three areas that you want to focus on in your overall health. I picked fitness, sleep, and immunity.

I was also able to have a video chat with, Gabby, a Persona nutritionist. I love how this is part of the service you can take advantage of when ordering Persona VitaminPacks. She was fantastic and answered all the questions I had about the vitamins and made me feel really comfortable with the safety of the supplements. I always want to make sure my supplements have been third party tested so I was glad to hear that Persona takes this very seriously. Persona’s supplements are all produced in FDA certified facilities and the ingredients are verified.

When talking with Gabby we also discussed how Persona is very concerned about potential drug interactions and how this can impact the supplements you take. I think it is so awesome that they have a drug-nutrient interaction database that allows you to check for interactions with Persona vitamins or supplements and any medications you are taking. And if you still aren’t sure you able to call, chat, or email their team for further clarification.

Sleep this year has been rough. I was so worried for Josh, especially early on in the pandemic, when he would go to work that it was hard for me to fall asleep especially on nights that he was at the fire station. And then that became my new sleep pattern for months. I was sleeping but once I woke up to pee or for anything else it was super hard for me to get back to sleep. I knew that sleep would be a great way to gauge how well the supplements were working for me.

My vitamins arrived on my doorstep within days of ordering and came in a super cute box. They even included face masks. I totally thought that was a sweet gesture and we appreciated the extra masks in our house. Along with the vitamins came a supplement fact sheet and a personalized list of what exactly I would be taking each morning and night.

So now to discuss if these vitamins made any difference in my overall health and life and the answer is a BIG YES. Also, not sure if this is just me, but does anyone else get super excited and giddy when you see your name printed on items?

Persona VitaminPacks are just so convenient. In the morning I drink a large glass of room temperature water, eat my breakfast, and take my morning vitamins. I love that I am not having to sort and organize multiple bottles of supplements and everything is already packaged together. This has allowed me to be more consistent with my supplement routine.

I could cry tears of happiness because these vitamins have restored my sleep. My first night I took them I slept so well. And have slept so much better this entire month. I wake up to pee and I am able to fall right back asleep, some nights I don’t even wake up to pee until close to morning.

I have always been a super light sleeper so I am typically the one who goes to check on the kids when they wake up sporadically in the middle of the night. My first week on my vitamins I remember waking up because Josh was coming back into bed because our youngest couldn’t find his star lights. Josh is a deep sleeper and I was shocked I didn’t wake up. Thank you Persona vitamins! I have gotten many 8 hour nights of sleep in the last few weeks and feel like a new person.

Another bonus that I noticed while taking these is that my period was not as heavy. My best guess would be due to Vitamin K and A but I am not 100% sure so don’t hold me to that.

I am planning to continue with these vitamins and can’t wait to see the results of how my sleep continues to improve. The sound sleep program is a three phase program that starts with 3mg of Melatonin and Persona’s Herbal Rest blend and then the Melatonin is reduced to 300 mcg. The goal at the end of the program is to be able to enjoy a restful night sleep but your body will be making Melatonin on it’s own. You can read more details below if you are interested.

I am so pleased with my experience and truly believe these are worth the money and investment into your own health. I highly recommend Persona VitaminPacks and would love for you to try them too! Thank you to Persona for offering my readers a #PersonaPack discount to receive 30% off for 2 months.

I will keep you posted on my continued efforts to improve my sleep and how my #PersonaPack is helping.

Share

MomNurse Academy Review

Hi everyone! Today I am sharing my review of the MomNurse Academy and a discount code. As always I want to be transparent anytime I do a review. I was gifted this course in exchange for my feedback. I am not receiving any commission for this review or for sales of this product.

The MomNurse Academy was created by Dani Stringer. She has been a pediatric nurse practitioner for almost 10 years. Dani earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Arizona State University in 2009 followed by her master’s degree in nursing in 2010. She graduated as the youngest nurse practitioner in the country, which led to her college nickname KidNurse. You can find her amazing resources on pediatric health by visiting her blog KidNurse.org.

Fun fact: She was the very first provider who examined our son at our pediatric doctors office when he was just days old. She was warm, friendly, and made both Josh and I feel confident as new parents in our ability to take care of our son.

MomNurse Academy

The MomNurse Academy was designed to give moms confidence when they are taking care of sick children at home. After completing all the modules I can tell you that this course meets that goal.

With everything that is happening in the world right now with COVID-19 we are limiting our family’s exposure to others. Like many families we are only taking our children to the doctor if they absolutely need to be seen. After this course I have so much more confidence in my ability to determine if my children need to be seen by their health provider and also the best ways to offer supportive home care the next time they are sick.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started watching the videos but I can tell you I was blown away by what Dani has created. Wow. Really just wow. The website design is easy to navigate, it is aesthetically pleasing, and the video quality is top notch. The lessons in each module are engaging and full of great information to help moms navigate the best way to take care of their sick child.

As a mom of 4 kids I wasn’t sure how much of this course would be helpful for me. My oldest is almost eight years old and I felt like I had a good grasp on what warranted a phone call or a trip to the doctors office. But after taking the first module on fevers I realized just how much information I didn’t know.

What topics are covered and how long is each module?

Did you know that some reports have found that at least 20% of pediatric ER visits are because of fevers? Crazy, right? In the fever module Dani will teach you: the definition of fever, ranges of normal temperatures, what happens to your child’s body when they get a fever, how to properly take your child’s fever, when to give medicine, when to seek medical care, supportive at home care for fevers, and much more.

Fever is the first module covered in this course. The modules are meant to build off of each other so you have a baseline of knowledge before proceeding to the next. Here are all seven topics in order covered in this course.

  • Fever
  • Cold
  • Ear Infection
  • Sinus Infection
  • Eyes
  • Respiratory Distress
  • Dehydration

My favorites were fever, ear infection, sinus infection, and eyes. I learned new things in every module but these really stood out to me. I love learning about how the body works and found these modules fascinating. The anatomy images and charts combined with Dani’s engaging personality make these lessons fun and educational.

I have a much better understanding on what is going on in my child’s body when they get sick. In addition to the lectures by Dani, there are real life pictures and examples of what pediatric illnesses look like – so you know just what to look for.  While sad, it was extremely helpful and I am so glad this was included in the course.

The longest modules took me about 45 minutes to complete. The video lessons are broken down into short segments which make it easy to pause when needed and restart later. Each module begins and ends with a short quiz to help you see what you know and what you have learned.

You can become a MomNurse too!

This course would have never been something I purchased for our family. I am always hesitant to buy online courses because so much of the time they fail to offer the value I was expecting. Having now had the opportunity to explore and finish the MomNurse Academy I can tell you that is 100% worth the investment.

When you purchase this course you have the option to join the MomNurse Academy group on Facebook. This group is only open to those who have enrolled. Think of it as your own support group for any and all medical questions regarding your child. Dani posts words of encouragement often and you have the ability to connect with her and the other members in the group.

Dani has generously offered to give readers of this blog $100 off her MomNurse Academy. Click HERE to purchase and use discount code: workoutmama to save $100 and build your confidence when caring for your sick child at home.

When you purchase the MomNurse Academy you get 4+ hours of video courses with Dani, 48 evidence-based pediatric health lessons, a MomNurse tool kit that includes ebooks & interactive tools, plus access to the Facebook group.

Times are hard right now for many reasons. I would never recommend something to purchase unless I believed it would be beneficial and helpful to others. I truly believe the MomNurse Academy meets those qualifications and is a great resource.

As a mom of 4 kids under the age of seven I can tell you this course was super helpful for me. I feel more confident and empowered when it comes to taking care of my children the next time they get sick. This would also make an excellent baby shower gift for a new mama.

The MomNurse Academy isn’t meant to replace your pediatric provider. But it will train you to watch for important symptoms, treat at-home when you can, and think like a MomNurse with sound pediatric education at your service.

If you are ready to become a MomNurse, click HERE and use the discount code: workoutmama to take $100 of the purchase price.

Share

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

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
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 :).

Share