Tamera Mowry-Housley has been a household name for more than 25 years—and during that time, the way we think about exercise, eating, and mental health has evolved drastically. The mother, actress, and host has changed, too, learning how to live her best life despite a challenging schedule.
“Eating well, taking care of yourself mentally and physically, is actually loving yourself,” Mowry-Housley tells Prevention.com. “We put so much focus, especially as moms and women, on taking care of other people, which I think we do innately. But at the same time, you can't forget about yourself.”
Wondering how the Sister, Sister star gets it all done? We did, too, so we asked her—and we managed to discover her favorite exercise (dancing, of course), healthy breakfast (it involves bacon and eggs), and self-care strategy (a classic bubble bath). Here are the diet, fitness, and mental health methods that Mowry-Housley swears by to look and feel her best.
She avoids dairy and gluten—except during a weekly cheat meal.
The mom of two thinks of food as “medicinal,” something that'll help her perform both at home and on set. “As a working mom, I need energy,” she says. “I know that if I eat mostly junk food and processed sugar, that's not going to give me the energy I need throughout the day.”
Finding the right diet hasn't been about addition or subtraction, though—it's about making room for everything she likes. “I'm the type of person who, if someone tells me not to eat [something], I will just go crazy, and I will fight it, and I'll be like, ‘Oh my God, I've got to have that!’” Mowry-Housley jokes. “I had to change my perception. Instead of saying, ‘I can't have that,’ or that foods are bad, I tell myself, ‘OK, let's think of balance.’”
Mowry-Housley doesn't follow a set diet; instead, she eats just to keep herself feeling good. “I feel better when I'm not eating dairy on the regular, and when I'm eating gluten-free,” she explains. “When you eat clean, I think your body works a little bit better. You have more clarity.”
She's not afraid to treat herself every so often, though. Once a week, usually on a Friday, she allows herself a cheat meal (not a cheat day) to avoid completely cutting out those delicious, not-super-healthy foods that she craves. “I eat whatever the heck I want,” she explains, all dairy and gluten restrictions cast aside. “And it feels good because I tame those urges.”
One of her absolute favorite meals is a genuinely healthy take on a bacon and egg breakfast sandwich. She spreads Vegenaise on a gluten-free English muffin, then tops it with turkey bacon and a fried egg and serves it alongside an apple. “It's heaven,” she promises. “You can cook your comfort foods in a healthier way.”
Between homemade meals, Mowry-Housley loves to keep whole foods on hand. Her go-to snack is a homemade trail mix that's surprisingly quick and easy to make. “I put popcorn, a little olive oil, salt, pepper, cashews, and some dark chocolate chips in there—bam! That's a great snack, and it fuels you.”
She exercises six days a week, no matter where she is.
“As I got older and had kids, working out felt more like a chore at first, whereas now it’s turned into self-care,” Mowry-Housley says. “I try—the keyword is try—to move my body six days a week, because it does help me mentally.”
Pre-COVID, the actress practiced high-intensity interval training (HIIT) at the gym. These days, since she doesn't have a home gym, she's turned to a variety of DIY and virtual options, including pilates, yoga, and walking.
“Walking is amazing,” says Mowry-Housley, who loves it for its physical and mental benefits. “We were quarantined for so long that going outside is a pleasure. You don't realize how much going outdoors is actually healing to the body.”
Mowry-Housley is also a big fan of Zumba, which she used to lose weight before her wedding in 2011. “I like to have fun when I work out, and that’s what drew me to Zumba in the first place,” she says. “You have to be crazy not to move when you hear those beats.”
Her must-haves for a home workout are pretty simple: “I always need a yoga mat, TheraBands, free weights, and an open space,” Mowry-Housley says. “If I want to do Zumba, I have room. If I want to do a stretch with some weights to get my heartbeat up a bit, I can. And with the TheraBands, I can do pilates or yoga moves with some resistance.”
Just like everyone else, she had some trouble finding home fitness gear when lockdown began—but now that she has the essentials, she can work out pretty much anywhere (including on the set of her new Hallmark movie). “With quarantine, people were forced out of our comfort zones, and we got a little bit more creative,” she says.
She schedules self-care in advance.
Being a working mother is tough, especially with young kids, so Mowry-Housley and her husband, journalist Adam Housley, split parenting duties evenly. “I thank God I have a husband who is very hands-on with our children,” she says. “He understands when I need a break, just like I understand when he needs a break.”
She swears by a simple routine that any mom can replicate: setting aside a bit of time for bubble baths, meditation, good books, TV meant for adults, or any combination of those pleasures, even if she only has 15 minutes to spare. Mowry-Housley even schedules me-time in advance when she's particularly busy, making it much easier to remember to relax.
“Self-care is important—I'm actually a better wife, I'm a better friend, I'm a better mother,” Mowry-Housley explains. “I had to learn that.”
The COVID-19 pandemic and 2020's social unrest haven't been easy on anyone's mental health, and the actress has gained a new appreciation for her network of family and friends this year. “I got to spend a little extra time with my husband and my children, and our bond was even stronger when I didn't know it could be,” she says. “But you miss your family away from home. I [just] saw my brother, Tahj, for the first time in six or seven months. We hugged each other, and we were so close to crying. We couldn't let go. Don't take family, friends, and life for granted.”
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Jake Smith
Jake Smith, an editorial fellow at Prevention, recently graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in magazine journalism and just started going to the gym. Let's be honest—he's probably scrolling through Twitter right now.
