Tasneem Bhatia - Super Woman Rx: Unlock the Secrets to Lasting Health, Your Perfect Weight, Energy, and Passion with Dr. Tazs Power Type Plans

This book is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. The information given here is designed to help you make informed decisions about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for any treatment that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, we urge you to seek competent medical help.

The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and fitness. The exercise and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your doctor. As with all exercise and dietary programs, you should get your doctors approval before beginning.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.

Internet addresses and telephone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

2017 by Tasneem Bhatia, MD

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Note: The page numbers listed below refer to the print edition of this book.

Photo credits: Mitch Mandel/Rodale Images (pages 260 bottom and 272 bottom); Thom MacDonald/Rodale Images (page 272 top); Matt Rainey/Rodale Images (page 273 bottom); Photodisk (page 307); and Beth Bischoff (all remaining image)

Illustration credits: 123RF (page 41) and Peter Hermes Furian/123RF (page 43)

Book design by Christina Gaugler

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

ISBN 9781623368586 hardcover
ISBN 9781623368593 e-book

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To the original Super Womanmy momand a super woman to bemy daughter, Rania. Thank you, Mom; you have created a legacy that you may not still understand. Rania, I cannot wait to see what you will doyou picked the title of this book and you make me laugh and feel so very proud every day.

BEEP... BEEP... BEEP!

That cannot be my alarm. I swear I just went to bed.

The clock says 5 a.m., so thats a yes, and once Ive opened my eyes, the race is on.

Remember the first Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve? In one scene, Superman flies around the earth so fast that he is able to reverse its orbit and turn back time to save Lois Lane. My mornings have a similar race-around-the-earth feel to them. Thankfully, what looks like a complete flurry is really a finely tuned morning routine that meets my needs and sends my familyand meout the door energized and happy. Heres how it goes.

I carefully crawl out of bed and navigate the obstacle course that is my bedroom (often, I have nighttime visitors: my 8-year-old son Kubby and my daughter, Rania, 9, plus the stuffed animal family that comes with them). Once Im safely in the hallway, I stumble downstairs (this takes 30 seconds) and boil water in the kettle for my must-have morning tea (2 to 3 minutes). While thats happening, I decide if its a food prep or a workout day (I alternate). Based on my decision, I either throw on my workout clothes or pull out the cutting board, knife, veggies, and fruit and do some extra-healthy-food prep work to keep my familyand myselfstocked for easy grab-and-go noshing (5 minutes)but first, my precious tea. Its my own concoction made from a regular Lipton black tea bag steeped with cinnamon sticks, raw ginger, and cardamom (the additions help my digestive system). Id love to sip my morning drink luxuriously with my feet propped upha!but on a work and school day thats just a fantasy. Instead, I guzzle tea from the hot mug and head to our exercise room for 30 to 40 minutes. My workouts consist of a variety of exercisesfrom cardio on our elliptical or spin bike to strength training, Pilates, and/or yoga. I switch it up according to my energy levels, with 10 minutes or so of meditation tacked on at the end. If its a food prep day, Ill spend my time washing and cutting fruits and veggies, packing lunches and snacks for all of us, and prepping for dinner. If theres any time left, Ill get in a few yoga poses, or at least seek a few minutes of peace by reading a page from one of my favorite inspirational books, meditating, journaling, or praying.

By six oclock, the second alarm goes off (this ones in my head). Its time to wake the kids, get breakfast on the table, shower, dress, check homework, sign sports or field-trip forms, resolve Girl Scout issues, leave lists for the after-school nanny, deal with my daughters hair drama, find any missing clothing and/or shoes, get the kids out the door for school, and send a very grumpy non-morning-person husband off to work.

By now it is around seven. I eat my breakfast, usually a green power smoothie with added protein (see ), and take my supplementsomega-3s, a B-complex, collagen, evening primrose oil, and a small dose of thyroid hormone. I check my calendar for the day, answer work e-mails, make a to-do list, jump in the car and fight Atlanta traffic for 20 to 30 minutes, and make it to work to see you. My days are filled with many women just like you and me who strive to manage and balance all the moving pieces of our lives like plate-spinning Chinese acrobats.

Phew.

And thats just the first couple hours of the day.

Heres the thing: While my morning routine might sound like a recipe for boiling over, a formula for a meltdown, or an invitation to a nervous breakdownits anything but.

I wake up energized and happy, I arrive at work full of passion and excitement, and I come home at night feeling content and fulfilled. I love my life, and I thrive each and every day!

Im often asked how I do it allwith two young children, a husband who works full time, my own full-time practice, my work teaching residents at Emory University, and a host of other roles. Ive been told on more than one occasion that I must be some sort of super woman, but I know that Im no different than any other woman. So how do I do it? Ive discovered and harnessed an amazing source of super powers inside myselfsuper powers available to you, too. All of us have caches of dormant powers just waiting for the right mixture of activating practices, strategies, and ingredientsall tailored to us!