Fitness influencer Tammy Hembrow is reminding fans and followers that working out is as much about feeling good as it is about looking good. Hembrow, 29, shared a video of herself wearing two-piece workout outfits, using heavy dumbbells. “Remember we all start somewhere. For me training isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about the strength & mental gain I get from it. That strong feeling 🤌🏼🤌🏼 nothing quite like it. @womensbest creatine has always been a part of my journey & definitely has helped with my goals along the way,” she captioned the post. Here’s how Hembrow snapped back into shape after having two kids.
Hembrow fits her workouts around her family. “I honestly feel better when I get my workout in, less sluggish and I find it easier to keep up with my kids,” the mother-of-two tells Women’s Health. “Whether it’s a gym workout or HIIT home workout I always try to fit it in when I can. I will often do some workouts from my at home booty program – you only need dumbbells, or I will do a HIIT workout in the lounge room. I recently posted an at home HIIT workout on my YouTube channel. I did it in the process of moving house when I was really feeling the need for a pick-me-up. There was a lot going on that week and I was feeling it, I decided to film and post it on my channel to show how I can fit in a quick workout throughout your day.”
Hembrow had to fine-tune her diet to get enough protein. “For me lean protein like chicken breast, turkey and fish, really helps, but I find that with trying to build my booty I wasn’t consuming the amount of protein I needed so supplements like protein shakes helped too,” she tells Women’s Health. “But I didn’t supplement my meals with these, it was always a combination of both. I needed to eat lots to build that area so I also ate lots of complex carbohydrates like brown rice, oatmeal, potatoes and healthy fats. I eat every two to three hours. For breakfast I usually eat oats with Women’s Best protein powder. I always have protein shakes after my workouts and love to eat fish, chicken, turkey, beans and vegetables. I’ve been trying to cut back on meat lately which I have found difficult. I usually end my day with oats and protein again. Boring I know!”
Hembrow kept working out throughout her pregnancies. “What helped me bounce back is definitely how I ate and trained as I was pregnant,” Hembrow said. “I ate very clean, I had a lot of veggies, a lot of protein, and I tried to only limit my treats to the weekends, so during the weekdays I was eating clean all the time. What kept me going is how I wanted to look after the baby. I knew I wanted to get fit again after the baby, and be in the best shape I could be, so I wanted to make it easier for myself by staying active while I was pregnant.”
Hembrow wore a postpartum binder to help get back into shape again. “For about a week or so, I wore a postpartum binder — they gave me one at the hospital,” she says. “I definitely didn’t just snap back to my pre-baby body once I stepped out of the hospital, you still look pregnant when you step out of the hospital. I wasn’t in a rush or anything, but as soon as I got home I was eating clean, I was wearing the postpartum binder, and then I started working out about six weeks after the birth.”
Hembrow has learned to go with the flow since having children. “Being a mum and running a business is still a juggling act for me, I honestly just try my best to manage my time and plan but as a mom, you know that sometimes planning goes out the window,” she tells Women’s Best. “I’ve definitely learned not to beat myself up about failure. You can’t do everything right all the time, failing is a part of being a parent and a business owner. You learn from your mistakes and you’re often smarter from it. I guess you could say becoming a mum made me more resilient in my home life and business.”