Fit Mama Friday - Meet Tamara

Every Friday, I feature a Fit Mama story of how and why a fit, healthy, happy mama makes sure fitness is a priority in her life. You’ll be reading about all kinds of women and their stories. Some are single mothers, some are stay at home mothers, some are juggling more than one job on top of motherhood, but they’re all committed to living a fit and healthy lifestyle.

I hope as you’re getting ready for your weekend, you’ll be inspired to go out and get active after reading these kick-butt ladies’ stories!

Are you a Fit Mama? Want to see your story posted? Use the Contact Me link above to get in touch.

Meet Tamara

Tamara DeBlasio is a fellow ex-pat Aussie, living in Long Island with her husband Chris and their two adorable girls, Jessica, 5, and Ella, 3. Tamara is primarily a stay at home mama, but also works freelance as a makeup artist for her business Jesella Beauty, focusing on bridal makeup. (All you brides-to-be out there can check out her site here!). Tamara is in fantastic shape and makes it a priority to work out and stay fit.

You’re definitely a Fit Mama now – have you always been so into fitness?

When I was younger I was always competing in Cross Country, swimming, and Athletics (note: that’s Aussie for track and field!), but when I finished high school I just stopped. I didn’t even realize I was gaining weight until I saw some photos of me. I had put on about 30 lbs just from not exercising. Back then, I made a decision to get back to my healthy weight. I stopped eating carbs after 4pm and I would go out walking for an hour every day. It took me about a year and a half to get back down to a weight I was happy at, that I knew I could maintain. I have never regained the weight, and maintaining that is a huge motivation for me to exercise and eat healthy.

So you obviously had healthy habits already in place when you got pregnant. Did you continue working out during your pregnancies?

When I was pregnant with both my girls I took it easy in terms of impact, so I was mainly walking, using the elliptical, or the stationary bike. I did yoga as well, but I had to modify as my tummy got bigger. For both pregnancies, I gained 34 lbs and both girls were 8 lbs, 6 oz.

When were you able to get back to your regular exercise routine? Did you feel any pressure to lose baby weight, given you had worked hard in the past to accomplish a significant weight loss?

I had C-sections both times, so the recovery process was SO slow after they were born. It was so frustrating for me because all I wanted to do was work out. Having major surgery meant I was so limited to what I could do, for the first 6 weeks anyway. I started off with just walking a little until I got the okay from my doctor to work out again. Thankfully, breast-feeding helped me out a little with weight loss!

Most of my mum friends actually bounced back super quick after pregnancy, but the only pressure I felt to lose the baby weight was within myself. At my current weight, I feel comfortable and like the way I look. After having 2 kids, I’ve realized my body is definitely a ‘9 months to gain/9 months to lose’ type of body! I do go through stages of being a bit lackadaisical with my diet and end up gaining a couple of pounds. If I do gain it stresses me out, so I then re-evaluate my eating habits. I know that diet is the reason for any gain in weight, because I am so committed to working out.

What’s your workout schedule like? Is it hard to find time, being a stay at home mum?

I workout 6 days a week, mostly at the gym. Definitely the biggest challenge is just making the time. I have to workout in the mornings, or I am less likely to work out at all. When my girls are home sick, I still workout – I just use the elliptical or do a workout DVD, but I’m obviously at the beck and call of the girls, so I definitely have a few interruptions!

My husband travels quite a bit for work, so usually I will drop my oldest daughter Jessica at school and take Ella with me to the gym. One of the great things about my gym is they have a kids club/childcare area that has a climbing and play area, computers, drawing station etc, so both the girls think it’s so much fun going to the gym with mum! We also go to open family swim times, which is a great way for them to enjoy exercise.

What kind of exercise do you do at the gym?

I love cardio, so I’ll spend 30-40 minutes using the treadmill, elliptical, or bike. Then I do weights afterwards – one days arms, one day abs, one day legs. I also love doing classes! I do a class called Dance Jam which is my favorite, as well as Cardio Kickboxing, Yoga, and another class called 50/50 which is half cardio and half strength-training.

Do you feel differently about your body after pregnancy?

One of my major weak areas is my stomach. Having had 2 c-section surgeries, my stomach has never bounced back like I wanted it to. At the same time, I’ve had some digestive issues after Ella’s birth, which can contribute to some bloating. I’ve seen specialists who say there’s nothing physically wrong, so right now I’m seeing a nutritionist once a month to work out if there are any kinds of dietary sensitivities that might contribute. I have actually been asked by someone if I was pregnant because of my stomach – while I wasn’t pregnant! I think my stomach is a little more obvious because my figure is petite otherwise. That was hard to hear – it really bothered me.

I have to say, though, I would probably be more committed to really trying to work on my stomach, but we are currently trying for baby number 3, so I think I’ve probably not made such an issue of it because I know I’m going to have another baby and another surgery!

Why is it such an important priority for you to exercise?

As well as wanting to maintain my current weight and fitness level, my main motivation is being fit and healthy as a mother. I think it’s so important and it makes me feel good to be setting the right example as my girls grow up and face their own body challenges. Today my girls love going to the gym, going for walks and keeping active. They love to eat and eat almost everything. Also, since we are trying for a third baby, I definitely want to make sure I am at my fittest for another pregnancy.

It’s wonderful that you’ve maintained your fitness and weight loss through two pregnancies (and soon to be three!). Your girls must be really proud of you – thanks for being a Fit Mama, Tamara!

Below are photos of Tamara at work doing bridal makeup for her business Jesella Beauty. You can check out her website here: http://www.jesellabeauty.com

Fit Mama Friday – Meet Tamara

Meet Tamara

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