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T-Tapp Tuesday–First Key to the Proven Formula for Success

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

Remember the three keys to the Proven Formula for Success in T-Tapp?

1. Proper Form

2. Isometric Contraction

3. Consistency

We’re going to look at #1 today.

Now let me say right away–form is progressive! There really is no such thing as perfect form (well, maybe for Teresa herself! )

Focusing on form is good. Obsessing about form is not!

Form is important to protect your joints and back, to encourage the “unkinking” of the neurokinetic “hose” and getting the messages more efficiently from brain to body. It is also important for inch loss as well as lymphatic pumping. Now, just moving around will get you some of those benefits, but attention to your form while doing T-Tapp will maximize success in ALL those areas.

Teresa developed T-Tapp to help cancer patients, especially to help with lymphatic drainage. Those who used T-Tapp during chemotherapy and radiation were better able to tolerate it and the side effects were often reduced. That is pretty amazing in and of itself!

Add to that that you can tone and tighten and lose inches in the process–well, it is truly a mind-body WELLNESS workout!

Okay, so what about this form?!

First and foremost–toes forward.

“Oh come ON!” You say? You thought I was going to start off with THE tip of the week to make those inches just melt into oblivion?!

Well, I am! I’m starting with the foundation and that is the T-Tapp stance! I studied Primary Back Stretch yesterday, and I have 2 pages of notes just on that move! That doesn’t include what I underlined in Fit and Fabulous and the other notes I received from my mentor!

If you take the time to set up properly, you will be surprised at how much that affects every move. It might even be to your benefit to pause the dvd between each move and get set up properly again before going on. And mirrors are a good idea, too–I use my picture window glass!

Really the first step would be how far apart your feet should be. Teresa shows a tip by putting the heel of one foot in the instep of the other, then pivoting on the ball joint to get the other foot out. You want to be right under your hip ball joint–not where you think your hips are in space! Those of us with extra on the hips often think of “outside all this extra flesh”. That is not where your hip ball joints are!

The new tip Teresa is promoting now is to take a “mitten hand”–think of your hand in a mitten with the thumb stretched out. Not 150% stretched out, just stretch it out! Now place that between the insteps of your feet. It will probably be a tad narrower than the foot-to-the-instep method (unless you have small feet), and that’s okay. But if for flexibility reasons the shorter stance is hard right now, go back to foot-to-instep-and-pivot-out.

The idea is that you should not be too wide. The narrower stance protects your back and helps you get more ab activation when you push out your knees.

Keep the toes forward–they may even feel “pigeon-toed”, but that’s okay. Most of us walk like ducks with one or both feet straying out! Whenever I watch people walk I have a hard time keeping myself from going up to give them a “tip of the day”!

Okay, toes are forward, you have them at the right width apart–now bend your knees. For an idea of bending your knees, put your toes up against a baseboard in your home and bend your knees until they touch the wall. Uh-huh! THAT far! To be honest, I have a hard time keeping them bent that far all the time, but I am getting better! Again, you start with your point of flexibility, but most of us err on the side of not bending enough! However, if you happen to be one of those who are very flexible, you must be careful to not bend to where your knees are past your toes. That will injure your knees!

Bending the knee helps engage the whole thigh muscle vs. just half of it. It also makes it much easier to tuck your buns and curl your core better.

That’s the next step. Put one hand on your back at the lower lumbar area. Now put your other hand in front at the belly button area. Using your hands to “assist”, push the abs back and your back flat (of course use your muscles, too!). “No kidney bean” shape! You are pulling your abs up and back or “belly button to spine”.

If that is hard for you to visualize, think of what you have to do to flatten your back against a wall or floor. Go try it (you will probably have to bring your feet out a bit to make room for the buns!). Pull the abs up and in while also using your glutes (bun muscles) to tuck under gently. Flatten your back as much as possible to eliminate all airspace between your lower back and the wall (or floor). Uh-huh! THAT much!

Next step, lift ribs. Just think to lift your breastbone to the ceiling, pulling your ribcage out of your tummy. This will automatically help shift your shoulders back in alignment with your hips.

Now rotate hands so the thumbs are pointing to the side or back walls (according to your flexibility) and j-a-z-z those fingers! Really reach and stretch the fingers apart to help activate muscles and also to help neurokinetic transmission to the ends of those fingers.

Final step–push knees out. Don’t roll out your ankles to do this! You may have trouble keeping your feet flat at first, and that’s okay, just don’t roll ankles out. As you develop ankle strength, you will be able to push knees out and keep the feet flat.

An advanced tweak is to press the big ball joint of your foot down to help stabilize the ankle. Newbies sometimes can’t do this without also shifting weight to the big toe. You should be able to press big ball joint (BBJ) and still raise and lower your big toe. If you can’t do this, don’t stress. You’re not ready for it. Just watch your ankles don’t roll out.

Pushing the knees out engages that lower tummy–feel it tighten?

Just stand there. I dare you! Within 60 seconds you should be feeling warm!

That’s the stance you should be in for most of the T-Tapp exercises! This puts your knees, hips, spine and shoulders into proper alignment, which gives you benefits just by standing there! It helps muscular balance and takes stress off your joints, helping them to work together as they were designed to. With improved muscle balance you can avoid injury.

You also have more room for your internal organs to function optimally.

You can practice this stance fairly unobtrusively while standing in line at the bank (long skirts help!) or waiting in line at the grocery store. You can practice good alignment while driving, too! Think to curl your core and press lower back into the seat. Lift ribs. Hang onto your steering wheel underhanded, rolling shoulders back and activating your lats.

Actually, by practicing these concepts of form throughout the day, you will be retraining your muscles, and that will enhance your ability to keep form during workouts! You will actually get benefits from holding good postural alignment all day long!

In my studies, I came across this jewel about posture, specifically the seeming epidemic of a forward anterior tilt (pelvic area tilted forward):

“The stability of this area is governed by many muscles, including the internal/external obliques, the lats, the transversus abdominus, and the deep muscles on the spine called the multifidus. Tightness or instability of any of these can cause shifting of the ribcage, which can then translate to a shift at the pelvis.”

In other words, keeping ribs lifted helps keep the tummy muscles engaged and the pelvis in alignment, which helps all the way down:

“A pelvic tilt will most certainly cause the muscles of the lower limb to compensate. Its not always easy to tell what caused what, but usually one will find an internally rotated femur accompanying a forward pelvic tilt. Simply put, this is when the knee starts to turn inward during standing, walking, squatting, etc. “

I wrote this on a forum post:

“In other words, keeping the thoracic cage (chest area) in alignment, ribs lifted, tummy tight and core curled a bit, keeps the pelvis from tilting forward, which keeps the femur rotating more outward, which helps keep the knees from pronating, which….

“Well, you get the idea, right?!

“There is a REASON for the foundation laid in T-Tapp, folks! We get all focused on “Should I bump it up a notch and do Tempo 2? Should I do short workouts in between full workouts?” and “Maybe I need to cut calories (or carbs or fats or whatevers!)” and really, what we MUST do, is just focus on the foundation FIRST!”

So when I say you really must lay this foundation, you now see why it is so important!

Here is a quote on proper form by Dantheman from the forum:

“Proper Form: Its a challenge for everyone regardless of size, shape or fitness level. And its always a moving target. As you progress with your understanding of the Workout, become familiar and recognize you body and muscle groups, acquire new strength and flexibility, your level of Personal Max increases. This progression changes your execution ability (Personal Max)for each move. “

There are many, many tips on form, in Teresa’s book, (if you buy the book by calling the office, you get a 30% discount on whatever else you purchase right then!), the dvds, and on the forums (especially the Must Read Threads). In all honesty, most form issues stem back from something in the initial stance not being right. It’s like practicing piano. When I teach a young beginner, they are playing with one hand. They memorize variations of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Then they learn it with the left hand. Finally the day comes when they put both hands together! But it’s a challenge! Coordination flees, it seems and the hands that knew what to do separately all of a sudden can’t find the keys!

After some practice, it’s a cinch, then comes the next challenge–playing chords with one hand while playing Mary Had a Little Lamb with the other! Again, the hands feel uncoordinated, with one hand trying to play the other’s part. It’s a challenge to the brain! More practice, and that becomes easy, too. Now comes another test! Right hand melody, left hand Alberti Bass! Oh, NO!

It makes for some fun moments at the piano, as well as some frustrating ones!

Do you see the correlation? You can stand perfectly in T-Tapp stance….until it’s time to move! LOL!

After awhile you get Primary Back Stretch down. Whew!

Now she wants you to turn the feet out at shoulder width? And go up and down WHILE doing arm moves?!!

Again, attention to form–to her cues–will help you “practice” this move getting your “coordination” together (and making sure your legs don’t do the arms part or vice-versa! LOL!). Then you’ll learn the next move to the point of perfection where you are right now. Then the next.

Then you’ll go to a clinic and find maybe you weren’t bending enough. Or you were doing okay but now your max has changed! New tweaks, an “a-ha” of how something is supposed to feel. It’s all a beautiful progression of form.

And someday, you’ll be able to play a beautiful “Bach Minuet” with your body!

It takes time, some of us may take more than others. But patience is the key and consistency (another post in two weeks!).

Set up the foundation. If you’re not seeing the inch loss you need, and you don’t have serious health issues or hormones totally out of whack that need addressed, see if you can get a mirrror to use during your workout. One lady on the forums bought an inexpensive mirror she props against the wall and slides under her bed when not in use.

Or you could use a picture window or sliding glass door you can see yourself in….even a small mirror placed against the wall where you can see your feet and maybe your knees. Someone who understands the stance could check how deeply your knees are bent.

Clinics or working with a trainer is great, but a mirror and some attention to form while you’re working out can yield good results, too! After all, you might be doing great while at the clinic due to all the extra cues and slower pace, but at home you could be unbending the knees more or losing your tuck/curl.

This is why the trainers often will admonish someone not seeing results to go back to the Instructionals. MORE has an excellent instructional, in my opinion! Another good resource is Total Workout Super Slow. No, it’s not one you’ll want to do every day! And it only goes through Airplanes. But it’s still a good one. I split it over several days to help teach a friend the moves from BWO+ when my Instructionals were loaned out, and she felt it did a good job for preparing her for BWO+!

Right now there is a “sweet deal” that includes the book, Fit and Fabulous in Fifteen Minutes, Total Workout Super Slow, and LadyBug workout (which is advanced, so you should be familiar with TWO first). It’s $55 this week only for Valentine’s Day!

And the book has a 30% coupon to use at a later time, too!

I wouldn’t necessarily suggest this combo for someone totally new to T-Tapp, but if you have been Tapping for awhile and want to challenge your form a bit, TWO SS is really a phenomenal “clinic in a box”! And LadyBug is a good one to throw into the mix–if you can survive T-Tapp Twist Double Dips!

I know no one likes to go back and read the “instruction manual”, but in T-Tapp, it’s to our benefit to do just that. I am finding new tidbits in my studies of Teresa’s book and just watching the dvds (another good thing to do to help you catch some of the tweaks you might not realize while you’re trying to do the workout–kind of like both hands together at the piano, you know!)

I’ll leave you with a powerful quote I found by Teresa on the forums, and a link to what I call THE print-out every T-Tapper should have in her notebook! It’s trainer Michelle Barbuto’s Curl the Core and Shoulder/Hip alignment post, and it’s powerful to practice at any time–not just during a workout!

“Wow, I’m impressed at how well everyone is maintaining their shoulder to hip linear alignment!

The “sweat down the back of the legs” is the lymphatic indicator revealing your form.”

~Teresa Tapp

Here is the link to the thread containing Michelle’s important Curl the Core Tips! (Her post is #30, at the bottom of the page.)

Until next week, Keep on Tappin’!

Tags: curl the core, proper form, spinal alignment, T-Tapp, t-tapp stance
Posted in T Tapp | 5 Comments »

T-Tapp Tuesday–The Power of Short Workouts

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

In my studies for my Certified Fitness Trainer exam, I’ve had to learn a lot about weight training. Now, my experience with a gym was limited to once about 30 years ago when I was the “friend” for “Bring a Friend Night”!

If I would have had to depend on going to a gym and doing weight training to get fit and lose weight/inches, I would not be where I am right now! I just didn’t have time for that, nor any inclination, either!

One thing doing this study has shown me, though, is how many people are conditioned to think that they must work out for 1 1/2 hours to do any good. I remember reading something our county Extension Homemakers office sent out that claimed you need 90 minutes of exercise to lose and 60 minutes to maintain!!! Oh, HELP!

THE GOOD NEWS?!

NO, YOU DON’T!!!

I think I could count on two fingers the times I worked out for 1 1/2 hours! Well, in the beginning it took me that long to do the short 15 minute Basic Workout Plus (BWO+) because I was doing it from the book! LOL!

But in all seriousness, I went back through my 4 years of records and 80% of my workouts were shorter ones.

Yes, you read that right!

EIGHTY percent were BWO+, Basic Tempo, MORE, SATI (Step Away The Inches), the Total Workout broken up or maybe Hit the Floor now and then. NONE of those are over 30 minutes, with most at 15-20!

For breaking up Total Workout (TWO), you can do one of three things:

1. Simply cut the reps down to 4.

You will be surprised how you can focus on form doing this! This is what I’m doing now to help prepare for teaching it. Takes about 30-40 minutes, depending on how long your water breaks are!

2. Split TWO over two days:

Day 1–PBS through Airplanes

Day 2–Do PBS, then Thread the Needle to the end

These each would take roughly 25 minutes.

3. Split TWO over three days:

Day 1–BWO+

Day 2–PBS, then Lunges through Airplanes (or Runner’s Stretch)

Day 3–PBS, then Thread the Needle to the end (or Arms to end)

These take 15-20 minutes each.

Obviously, you do not have to exercise 90 minutes daily to lose! In fact, that is a good way to overtrain and actually stall inch loss!

The beauty of T-Tapp is that it is doable–three big factors draw most people in:

1. NO jumping or stress on knees and joints

2. NO equipment needed

3. Can be done in 15 minutes a day!

Add to that that your body becomes its own resistance “machine”, so you never have to do more than 8 repetitions!

What more could you want?! All for a cost much cheaper than a gym or Curves, and you get unlimited help from the T-Tapp forums as well as the office! (Friendly help, too, I might add! )

You can take the T-Tapp form principles and apply them to sneaking moves in throughout the day and/or your favorite workouts other than T-Tapp, including walking.

How often did I work out? At the beginning it varied from 4-6 times per week. I would go for some spurts of 6 weekly, then life would happen and I might get in 4. But consistency is the main key–do something consistently!

In fact, Dan Wiley, a T-Tapp trainer, often posts that T-Tapp’s “proven formula” is based on three things:

1. Proper form (to your best ability)

2. Isometric contraction (tightening and going to your max–and that progresses,

too!)

3. Consistency!

If you have the first two but aren’t consistent, then you may not see the results you want!

And if you are consistent, but not focused, that also might not yield the results you seek!

The next three weeks I will be addressing each of these steps to the “proven formula”.

Lest you think I’m just some anomaly, that short workouts won’t work for everyone, let me direct you to three great posts on Charlotte Siems’ blog (you know, the mom of 12 who lost 9 sizes? And became a T-Tapp trainer in her spare time?! ):

http://charlottesiems.com/short-workouts-revisited-2#

http://charlottesiems.com/making-short-workouts-effective-part-ia-2

http://charlottesiems.com/making-short-workouts-effective-part-1a-p-s-2#

Until next week–Keep on Tappin’!

Tags: charlotte siems, consistency, effectiveness, short workouts, T-Tapp
Posted in T Tapp | 2 Comments »

T-Tapp Tuesday! Did I Diet?!

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Sorry I’m a bit late in the day here! Today was music teaching day so I’ve been busy between that and catching moments to work on 2 essays for my personal trainer certification!

So the big question–did I diet?

Big answer–NO!

I am not for deprivation diets of any sort. Even when I was a part of First Place, a Bible study weight loss program, I didn’t go below 1800 calories.

I am an emotional eater, and one thing I’ve learned is that any extreme focus on food, either avoiding certain foods or even eating more healthy foods, is counterproductive.

When I started T-Tapp, I weighed 175 lbs., which is exactly what I weighed before I had Isaiah….four months before! I had lost very little when he was born, and then regained 10 lbs. over the next few months. Nothing I did, even “being good” and not eating too many treats over the holidays, did anything to budge a single pound off. I had started working out with my routine again (core exercises from Peggy Brill’s The Core Program, light weight training, and rebounding) and again…not a single pound, inch, centimeter budged–nada.

Teresa often says if you have to focus on movement or diet, choose movement. You are at least moving lymph and expending some calories. You can diet and get small, but you cannot diet and get healthy or diet and build muscle. You must move to build muscle, tone up, and help move out the toxins you’ve stored in that fat!

In fact, T-Tapp advocates not focusing on food when you first start. I started T-Tapp in January 2007 (4 years ago tomorrow!), and I didn’t worry about anything food-wise until March. At that time, I was still nursing Isaiah completely, so I just focused on not eating as much bread and pasta (which I ate way too much of!). Although First Place advocated exchanges instead of calories, I still got tired of counting things. It did, however, show me how imbalanced my eating was!

Baby steps–that’s how I did it.

I started eating dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Then started eating a better chocolate (Endangered Species 72% dark, as a matter of fact!). After awhile, regular variety chocolate started tasting like wax! Even to this day, if I give in at the check-out and get a Milky Way (what I used to buy a LOT!), I eat a few bites, and wonder WHY did I even bother?! YUCK!

I started only having half a piece of bread at dinner instead of two. Still had butter on it, though! And sometimes homemade freezer jam, too!

Added more vegetables in my diet (still struggle with that one).

After a few years of T-Tapp, I learned about Dr. Diana Schwarzbein and The Schwarzbein Principle. I started eating that way as much as I could, and after a period of not losing for 2 months, started losing weight, inches and sizes! Unfortunately, life got in the way after a few months, and although I didn’t regain, my progress was more sporadic.

I hit an adrenal crash a year and a half ago by doing two no-no’s: I didn’t eat enough protein and I overdid it with exercise at the same time. If you don’t eat enough protein (and carbs–you need carbohydrates to synthesize protein AND to metabolize fat!), your body will catabolize itself (think “cannibalize”!). It must have amino acids and it will do all to keep circulation, respiration and digestion happening.

Most “weight loss diets” have you cutting way back on one of the major macronutrients–protein, carbohydrates, or fats. Now, anything in excess is not good! But you shouldn’t cut way down on your complex carbohydrates. This is backed up by science, that your body needs some carbs to metabolize fat and synthesize protein. You need protein to build body tissues. You need good fats to help you stay full AND it is an essential ingredient for healthy skin and hair AND helps in transporting fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K–I always thought low-fat or non-fat milk fortified with vitamin D was a bit of a joke! You need the fat to synthesize the D!). Dietary fat also provides you with essential fatty acids which are needed for many bodily functions, including regulating your blood pressure.

Let’s take a typical scenario:

You go on a “diet”. You start losing weight and feel encouraged. After a little while, though, you hit the dreaded plateau. You then decide you need either a new diet, to lower your caloric intake, and/or exercise more. Sometimes, that works. Then you hit another plateau. Now it’s not working, so you conclude that diet is not working for you. You try another one. And the pattern repeats itself.

A very important thing you need to know is that a plateau is NOT a bad thing! Losing weight and inches is a good thing, but it is still a stress on your body. When you burn fat, remember fat stores toxins and hormones. So as you burn it off you are getting rid of that, but it may not feel so great! The body needs to regroup and rebalance after a period of loss.

What also happens, if you are not getting enough of the right ratio of nutrients, is that your body assumes it is in a famine. Now, in case you didn’t know, muscles burn more calories than fat. The body says, “We’re in a famine! GET RID OF THE MUSCLE AND HANG ON TO THE FAT! We’re going to need it for this famine!” Basically it resets your metabolism. Now 1500 calories no longer will “work” for weight loss. You need 1200. But what happens when the body resets for 1200 calories for maintenance? How low can you go?

My mom was anorexic. She never admitted it, but anyone who knew her could tell you that. I don’t know what started it, but for the past 20 years she had trained her body to quit eating enough. And it was quite obvious as her body ate itself up—she looked like a Holocaust victim.

You may say that’s not happening to you. Your scale tells you you’re losing body fat and not muscle mass. I had never figured out how standing on a scale is going to measure that. So I looked it up and found those type of scales use “Bioelectrical Impedance”. I’m going to quote from my trainer’s manual, “Fitness: The Complete Guide” from the International Sports Sciences Association (p. 346):

“Keep in mind that BIA devices were developed mostly for the population at large and use calculations and norms for the average person. In addition, recent scientific reviews of thes emethods indicate that they are unreliable.”

I would not rely on those to tell me I’m really not losing muscle mass! I don’t always fit into the “population at large’s” statistics!

The ISSA doesn’t condone any diet or eating plan that goes below 1200 calories unless for a medical reason that is closely monitored by a doctor. I personally believe even 1200 is low.

The big problem with low calorie diets or cutting out a nutrient (such as low carb) is that it is damaging your metabolism.

Breaking down, or catabolism, uses up your neurotransmitters, and actually releases “feel good” hormones. That is why people get “addicted” to exercise. Dieting can do the same thing. But there must be a building up phase, or anabolism, and typically that doesn’t feel as good. Someone whose metabolism is damaged may not feel bad symptoms until they stop the behavior that’s damaging. Then they feel worse, so they think, “I’m going back on my diet!” or “I’m going back to my workout routine! I felt much better before!”

The time of rebuilding can even mean weight gain. That is not what we want to hear! But you must be willing to go through this time of rebuilding if you want to be well in the long run.

Sure, some of these diets and eating plans make you feel great–for now. You may even have great results! (for now) Dr. Diana Schwarzbein is an endocrinologist who has been helping people get well, mainly through a way of eating, for 20 years. She firmly believes that many of the “degenerative diseases of aging” are really diseases of a damaged metabolism.

If you are interested in learning more about The Schwarzbein Principle, I have posted links at the end of this post I would advise you read the transition page first. Then go back and read through The Program tab to get an overview of the 5 steps.

I made a comment on my Fabulous Family Friday that if you don’t fuel your body well, you will be fooled by food! We think we’re doing the right thing–but face it–food is to fuel our bodies. Yes, it’s nice to have comfort and fellowship, but those are not to be food’s main purpose. If you are an emotional eater, going on a diet or doing something to decrease your appetite is not going to solve the underlying problem, and that form of idolatry may just find its way into another area of your life.

The flip-side of that is if you only eat when you’re hungry, you may also be fooled. If you have a damaged metabolism, you may well not be hungry when you should be.

Dr. Schwarzbein explains a lot of this in her excellent books. “The Schwarzbein Principle” is a good book giving you the basis of her program. “The Schwarzbein Principle II: The Transition“, is to me, the “textbook” explaining much of the whys and hows and helps you figure out where your metabolism is, all without being too technical. “The Program” gives a Reader’s Digest Condensed version of it all and gets right into the program itself. All three books have sample menu plans, and the first book even has a few recipes.

She has you eating 3 meals and 2 balanced snacks a day. That is interesting, because do you know what my trainer’s manual advocates for building muscle density? 5-6 smaller meals a day! With a balance of good fats, good carbs, veggies and protein!

The thing I love about SP is that it is doable. I am not doing it 100% right now, but just getting the basics of the balance of protein, good carbs, good fats and non-starchy veggies is a big help. When I was doing this last spring (during my Daniel Fast, I was careful to get plenty of protein from legumes and nuts, and to balance the meals according to SP) I started losing again and felt really good–mental clarity, less foggy brain, less hormonal issues, and even my eyesight cleared up!

Dr. Schwarzbein’s motto is:

“You have to eat well to build well and feel well, and you don’t lose weight to get healthy, you get healthy to lose weight!”

I say a hearty AMEN to that!

Your body has to perceive overall health and that it will be fueled well to release the fat. You may need to give it time to “believe you” that you’re not going to turn around and starve it–again! But once your metabolism heals, you will lose the excess fat in a way that is sane and healthy.

To date, after 4 years of T-Tapping, I have only lost at the most 38 pounds. I have regained about 9 since Mom died last May. But I kept losing inches even on fewer workouts over the summer!

The amazing thing is–I have lost 174 inches! And 8 sizes! (Well, probably regained one of those!) All I can say is muscle density is GREAT!

That is why I often say, “Weight doesn’t matter!” If you are gauging your success on how much “weight” you’ve lost, may I suggest a better way?

There is a place for losing weight, but the scales absolutely cannot be the measure of success of a way of eating or an exercise program.

You want overall good health–not just a thinner body.

You want more lean muscle mass–muscle density, not just less fat.

You want to do all you can to live a full life as long as God allows–not just exist as you get older.

To do that, you have to move (T-Tapp!) and you have to fuel your body well (for me, that’s Schwarzbein!)

Following are some links that you may find helpful!

May we strike the word “diet” from our vocabulary and just focus on healthy, balanced eating!

I want to end this rather lengthy post (!) with a quote by Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, from the page on the transition on her website:

In the healing phase your body will repair itself from the damage caused previously by years of poor nutrition and lifestyle habits. You always have higher insulin than adrenaline/cortisol levels during this phase because this is a rebuilding time.

It may seem as if you are in suspended animation during this phase because though you are healing, it doesn’t feel or seem that way. As you improve your habits, you are rebuilding your biochemicals at a much higher rate than you are using them up, and this causes you to feel tired and to gain fat weight.

During the healing phase you expose your current metabolism because your hormones will react to your new and improved nutrition and lifestyle habits and reflect their true state.

Unfortunately, your body will not start working efficiently the moment you improve your habits. As previously stated, you did not damage your metabolism overnight, and you will not heal it overnight. During the healing phase, you are still hormonally out of balance.

The more damaged your current metabolism is, the longer you will need to stay in the healing phase and the more fat your body produces. In fact, as your ratio of insulin to adrenaline/cortisol increases, your symptoms will worsen.

As awful as this may sound, this is your body’s only way to heal. So do not be put off by the healing phase–it is simply a reflection of the damage that came before it. Since insulin is a rebuilding hormone and adrenaline and cortisol are using up hormones, you can only heal from years of using up your biochemicals by rebuilding them– this means higher insulin to adrenaline/cortisol levels. Unfortunately, even though you begin to improve your habits, the damage has already been done by your previous poor habits. Therefore, you will not instantly reap the rewards of your better habits.

The Schwarzbein Principle homepage:

http://www.schwarzbeinprinciple.com/pgs/home.html

The page you MUST read about the transition (especially “The Healing Phase” about half-way down, where the above quote came from):

http://www.schwarzbeinprinciple.com/pgs/program/transitn_read_more.html

(In case anyone wonders, no, I have not done her GI testing. I can see it could be beneficial, but it is not necessary to “do” the Schwarzbein Program.)

A picture of 5 lbs. of fat and 5 lbs. of muscle so you can see how the same “weight” can take up less space!

http://cat_mania.tripod.com/fatmuscle.html

A thread on T-Tapp that I compiled a few years ago of many other threads which will convince you that “weight doesn’t matter”!

http://forum.t-tapp.com/showthread.php?63950-Weight-Doesn-t-Matter-Repeat-After-Me!

Another thread I started about a plateau not being a bad thing:

http://forum.t-tapp.com/showthread.php?69913-A-Plateau-Is-*Not*-Always-a-Bad-Thing!

Tags: diet, healthy eating, inch loss, schwarzbein, size loss, T-Tapp, weight loss
Posted in T Tapp | 7 Comments »

Deep Discount Tuesday!

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

T-Tapp offers a Deep Discount Tuesday the third Tuesday of every month, and today’s is a GREAT DEAL!

The T-Tapp Broom workout for only $20!!! (Regularly $39.95)

Click HERE to take advantage of this great deal, but only until midnight EST!

I love Broom because of the options! Using the broom helps you both use those lats as well as keep the shoulders back in alignment with the hips, both important for inch loss!

The MORE on this dvd is just three moves! Yes, 34 minutes for three moves! It is a clinic version and you will glean a lot of form tweaks from this part of it alone!

During the Broom Warm-Up there was an unexpected fire alarm! If you fast forward through that part, the warm-up is closer to 15 minutes.

Broom has options–and you know I love options!

If you’ve been thinking about getting Broom, this is an EXCELLENT deal!

Happy Tappin’ with your Broom!

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T-Tapp Tuesday!

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

I really need to get back to blogging on a regular basis here!

I decided in addition to posting on Fridays, I’m also going to post about T-Tapp on Tuesdays.

Of course I’ve posted about it before (just click the T-Tapp category!), about my results both health-wise and inch-wise.

I’ve not been as consistent since my mom died last spring. The amazing thing is, until the last few months, I really didn’t gain that much back! What T-Tapp has done to help my metabolism is amazing!

I remember when I started, just a year later I got into a funk in January. I did 3 short workouts weekly, and fought with the same 3/4 inch for the whole month! (Gain it, lose it, gain it back, lose it again, gain it back…)

Six months later (1 1/2 years into “tapping”), I had another 3-short-workouts-a-week month due to busyness, and I maintained!

That was obviously an improvement!

I can’t remember the next time I had a spurt like that–maybe a year or so later–I actually kept losing inches while doing 3 short workouts a week!

And now, barely getting 1-2 in (some weeks none) from May to October, I basically maintained!

You can’t keep doing that, of course, but what a testimony of the ability of this powerful workout to deliver–yes, truly, in just fifteen minutes a day! This is THE workout for busy mamas!

To date, I’ve lost 174 inches, 8 sizes (well, I probably gained one back since spring!) and only 29 pounds. The most I’ve lost pound-wise is 38 pounds, then I lost 7 inches and gained 7 pounds–no, I do not understand how that works other than muscle density is TREMENDOUS!

As you gain muscle (and you may put on 5 or more pounds of spinal muscle density the first few weeks of T-Tapp), that muscle burns more calories at rest. Fat burns no calories at rest! I firmly believe that is why I’ve been able to maintain on fewer workouts during this time.

I jokingly say I’m trading fat for muscle! Of course, it’s a matter of burning off the fat and building muscle. This is why if you hang around the T-Tapp forums at all, you will often see me say, “Weight Doesn’t Matter!” I realize if you are having knee or hip issues weight plays a part–but to just lose the weight without also building muscle means you are losing muscle mass–NOT what you want!

And the beautiful thing about T-Tapp is it rehabilitates your body from the inside out! So as you are doing T-Tapp, you are helping to rehab your knees, build muscle AND lose the weight/inches you need to!

My life has been so changed and touched by T-Tapp, that after praying and seeking God’s will, I’ve decided (with my husband’s blessing) to pursue being a T-Tapp Trainer. It’s a big shift for me–the foreign language major! Physiology and muscle kinesiology (big name for studying how muscles move! LOL!) were definitely not my forte in school!

The more I learn, though, the more and more amazed I am at how God designed our bodies–we truly are fearfully and wonderfully made!

This whole venture is only possible because of the gift of some money my mom had left. In a small way, it is a way to keep her memory alive and honor her, by using this to help others.

I am close to finishing my ISSA trainer test–have some written work to do! Ever try to write an essay on 6 major body joints, their functions, and exercises using them?! Yeah, me neither! But I’m doing it now!

My goal is to be done with the ISSA part by January 26–next week!–which is my four year anniversary from when I started T-Tapp. Who could have imagined 4 years ago that an exercise program would impact my life so much?!

After finishing the ISSA studies, I can then move on to mentoring–which is when I actually get to practice torturing tweaking my friends’ form!

I’m looking forward to helping others find the improved health, flexibility, function and yes, even inch loss, that I have experienced.

I would appreciate prayers as I come to mind, that I will do well in my “studies” and also that I would keep foremost the goal of doing this for the glory of God.

If you’ve not been to the T-Tapp homepage, you can click the link on my sidebar and it will open a a new window and take you to the store. For the homepage, click here.

A few posts you might find interesting on the T-Tapp forums:

Weight Doesn’t Matter–Repeat After Me!

A Plateau Is *Not* Always a Bad Thing!

Did I diet, you ask? Come back next week and I’ll share!

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Want to Get in Shape for Summer?

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

I am just finishing up an online class with T-Tapp trainer Lani Muelrath. She’s in the original Total Workout with Teresa!

I have to say this has been GREAT! It has helped me get back into consistency (January is always a slack-off month for me!), has helped me with better muscle activation, as well as maintaining a 2 pound weight loss! (That’s a lot for me–remember I have only lost 25 pounds total now in 3 years, yet I’ve lost 152 inches and 7 sizes! )

During this month, I haven’t dropped a size like I wanted, BUT—I dropped something else more exciting!

A lump under my arm! I had this lump that has been there for years, and in the past several years there was a harder lump within it. I have kept a close watch on it, and T-Tapp had reduced it by half, then another third last fall!

But last week, the small, hard pea sized lump was GONE!

THAT is better than losing a size!!!!

Lani has a separate forum for those of us taking the class, so we can ask questions, share frustrations and rejoice together over victories. She has a call once a week, and although I’m a visual learner, it’s been amazing how well Lani coaches over the phone! It’s great! And she has the calls recorded and up in the forum area, so if you can’t make the calls or want to relisten, you can.

You all know I’ve sung the praises of T-Tapp here! It has been the ONLY workout that works for me! Lani, as a head trainer, has been sharing some of her "secrets" with us on the Booty Camp, which takes things up a notch!

Sometimes it’s hard to get to an event with a trainer, and this would be a good option. No, she won’t be able to see you and critique you, but I am amazed at how someone will share a struggle with a move, and by asking a few key questions, she can offer advice that usually hits the mark!

Soooo…Lani is offering another online class for the month of May, called "Gams, Glutes, Abs and Arms 4 Summer"!

And she will be having some online videos of the extra moves she is adding in (that are non-T-Tapp)!

She has an earlybird special (or until the class fills up, and I guess she’s getting registrants already!), and if you can swing it, I would HIGHLY recommend you go for it!

Lani even offers a 3 month payment option, dividing it up to help out! (That’s how I did it for the Booty Camp! )

Before I post the link, I just want to say that I know we all have differing standards of what we consider "modest". That said, I don’t expect everyone to look like me. I will say you might want to preview the webpage before your children or husband is around, depending on your convictions.

When you know the cost of private sessions (or even clinics!) with a trainer, this is a really good bargain!

The Earlybird Special is just up until March 10 (or the class fills up first!), and if you decide to go for it, would you kindly put me down as a referral? I get "class credit"!

If you’re interested, click HERE!

And maybe I’ll "see" you in class! (I’ve been saying the family could eat more beans…..they are more healthy for them anyway! LOL!)

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Great Specials from T-Tapp!

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

T-Tapp is having some SUPER specials!

Here is Heather’s Special, which would be enough to get started–PLUS there is a one-time 30% coupon in the book you can send in for future purchases!

Here is another Heather’s Special—a bit more, but you get a couple more advanced workouts (LadyBug and Critter Crunch Floor–which is more of a clinic style, but lots of good tips!), and you still get the book, too!

If you are new to T-Tapp, I’m not sure how the second special works as you usually need to be in their database before you can purchase the more advanced workouts. If you’re interested, you could call and ask (their staff is super friendly and helpful!)

info@t-tapp.com

1-800-342-0717

There are also some super closeouts–most are VHS, but there is Basic Workout Plus and a combo of Basic Workout Plus and Step Away the Inches that are dvds with an old label. You can see them here.

If you choose the first special, and wonder where to start, you start with the Instructionals! First Instructional 1. Do that for at least a week (take one day off). When you can anticipate Teresa’s next words, you could move to the Basic Workout Plus portion for awhile. There is NO need to be in a hurry to learn everything!

You could also do Step Away the Inches to alternate. Let’s say, after a week or so of Instructional 1, you could do:

MWF–Basic Workout Plus

T/Th/ and S if you want–Step Away the Inches

That’s basically what I did for about 6 months and lost 4 sizes!

I would add their body brush for $10, if you’re already ordering. Skin brushing (along with dead sea salt baths and masks) has helped my skin tighten up, especially that belly! And my stretch marks have lightened quite a bit. Not to mention my skin is very soft!

I usually recommend MORE to start because of the slower pace, but this is a really good deal, and if you just remember these three things, you can do it with this set!

1. The Pause Button Is Your Friend! (You can take another water break or a longer one and no one will come and haul you off!)

2. You can do just 4 reps and still get results! (4 reps in good form are better than slogging through 8 just to say you did them!)

3. Tuck your buns (belly button to spine) and keep the muscles as tight as you can!

Oh, one more tip–on plies, you can just hold the plie squat while you learn the arms portion, or if going up and down wears you out! AND you can kick out between the sets! Remember rule #1!!!

The "Heather Specials" are good until June 25, 2009. You can always save your change! That’s how I originally bought the Total Workout and Step Away the Inches!

Remember the T-Tapp motto: Less Is More!

Finally, here is a link to a wonderful video montage of Charlotte Siems, mom of 12, who went from a 22W to a size 4 in less than two years! From Couch Potato to WOW! She is a real sweetie!

View Charlotte’s Video. (It takes Windows Media Player.)

Happy Tappin’!

Posted in T Tapp | 4 Comments »

More About T-Tapp

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

Since I’ve gotten lots of comments and questions about T-Tapp, I thought I’d share a little bit more!

The top workout I recommend is actually the MORE 4 in 1 (which is actually 5 workouts in 1 dvd!)

Here is the description from the store:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Product Description

The T-Tapp MORE Rehab Program was created for those who have MORE to lose, MORE health issues to overcome (frozen shoulders, bad backs, knee problems, arthritic conditions) or MORE birthday candles on the cake (degenerative spine and joint issues usually increase with time without proper movement). The pace is slower, repetitions are less and exercises are modified from the original Total Workout. T-Tapp MORE is designed to rebuild cardiac health, neuro-kinetic pathways and lymphatic function – as well as deliver body sculpting inch loss and weight loss. This program is excellent for spine and joint rehabilitation along with auto-immune disease such as Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue and Epstein Barr. With obesity at epidemic proportions in the United States, this program was designed to show everyone that we CAN be healthy and fit in less time (all workouts are less than 20 minutes) and without pain. This workout has been well received within the medical community as an important first step in rebuilding healthy blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol. The body CAN repair and rebuild if you move it… so move it with MORE and help your body help itself. Take the first step in rebuilding your health, wellness AND fitness with the T-Tapp MORE Rehab Program – you’ll get MORE results in LESS time!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The actual link to this workout is here. It is $69.95 not including tax or shipping. The reason I really, really like this workout is that it goes slower, focuses more on form with less reps. I started with the Total Workout (TWO) and Step Away the Inches (SATI), and although I did get results, I really feel MORE is a great starting place, because of the slower pace. There is a LOT to remember in T-Tapp! There is no music (which is good for me–music distracts me!!!), but Teresa will give little form reminders throughout the workout. You have a certain stance, you need to "curl the core" (think how you flatten your lower back against the floor while lying down) and lift ribs. THEN you do the exercises! LOL!

MORE has Instructional which is about 40 minutes, which teaches you the moves. Then there are tips for getting up from the floor, out of a chair and up and down stairs, specifically for people of size or people with knee issues. Then there is the actual workout menu, which is MORE straight through (about 20 minutes), Chair (10 minutes sitting down–believe me you will STILL SWEAT!!!), Broom–about 7 minutes, done with holding a broom across your shoulders, Step Away–about 9 minutes, with tips on walking in place as well as a few other moves. Once you understand the Step Away, if you start stepping when Teresa starts talking, it’s about 9 minutes. Otherwise you stand while she explains things. Then there is MORE From My Home To Yours, which is just Teresa in her living room doing a more advanced version of MORE–kind of takes it up a notch! It’s a bit over 20 minutes–I think around 23.

You can spend a LONG time just doing MORE! But we all like variety! I would encourage you to read this awesome post by a trainer Kirsten Tucker, that she recently posted on the T-Tapp forums:

How to Choose and Advance Through the T-Tapp Workouts

(You might need to register at the forums to be able to read this.)

Too many times we think we’re bored and want to move on, think we’ve got it, think we need more tummy work……Michelle Barbuto got her flat tummy after 6 kids with just the standing workouts–mainly Total Workout! When you start, you don’t understand. But as you progress, and get those "a-ha!" moments, you start to get it! You could realistically never need anything other than TWO!

You will never perfect everything–your body becomes its own resistance, and you will find you bring a new level of muscle awareness to your workouts! A year ago I was dismayed to find that I had a harder time with TWO than when I started! The trainers assured me that what I just shared with you was true! And I am experiencing it again with MORE–I was doing some of the Tempos (workouts that are more advanced–you need to own TWO first), before my crazy fall, and now I am sweating and shaking with MORE!

Okay, so let’s say you’ve had MORE awhile, or you’re really pretty fit, maybe you already work out regularly. Then you could get Total Workout, which is kind of the "meat and potatotes" of T-Tapp! And I would add either Step Away the Inches (a 25 minute step in place workout that also works upper body) or the Broom workout. Broom has options–I LOVE options! There is a clinic version of MORE–about 35 mintues for just 3 moves! Then there is a warm-up–about 15 minutes, 19 if you go through the fire drill! LOL! It was filmed live, so you go with the flow! Then there is a short 7 minute walking warm-up in case you don’t have SATI (Step Away the Inches). Broom walking workout 1 is about 15 minutes and Broom walking workout 2 is about 30 minutes. You are actually stepping in place with a broom across your shoulders (and sometimes in front!) with doing upper body moves with the broom. I LOVE this one! And there is now a set with Basic Workout Plus (BWO+) and Broom–that would be nice option, too! (BWO+ is the first 15 minutes of TWO).

Okay, how much time? Here are some breakdowns:

MORE 20-25 minutes (depending if you choose the original MORE or MORE From My Home)

BWO+ 15 minutes

SATI 25 minutes

Broom –depending on which one you pick–you’d want to at least warm up with Primary Back Stretch first (about a 4 minute move) then

Broom 1: 15 minutes

Broom 2: 30 minutes (or you could combine both for a 45 minute workout!)

Total Workout: 55 minutes

Teresa gives water breaks, and you are allowed to use the PAUSE button and take more if you need to! Sometimes I need to walk around a bit between certain points! (pant, pant, pant)

The optimal is to start off with the Instructionals–MORE has it, as well as TWO (there is "Instructional 1" for the BWO+ part, then Instructional 2 for the rest of TWO). There are "bootcamps" of 4-14 days to help establish neurokinetic connections from brain to body, and just to help know what you’re supposed to be doing! I will say for me, the Instructional for BWO+ moves a bit quickly, which is another reason I like MORE!

I will also say that my bootcamps of 4 days have been as effective as the 14 day ones! After you finish, you take two days completely off, then don’t do a "full" workout more than every other day. If you do one every day, that is like another bootcamp and will eventually stall your results. Oh, and DO NOT MEASURE DURING A BOOTCAMP! Yes, I’m shouting! So many measure during a bootcamp, and you will have some swelling (some water retention for cooling the muscles) and inevitably that looks like you’ve gained! And for many of us, the period of time after a bootcamp was more telling on the measuring tape!

What is a "full" workout? Basically working out for 40 or more minutes. There are a few more advanced workouts considered "full" that are only 30 minutes, but you FEEL it, let me tell you! There are combinations to make a "full" workout, but without getting bogged down in all that to start with, as long as you don’t do longer workouts every single day, you’ll be okay!

And always, always take one day completely off, unless you’re in a bootcamp.

One of the concepts that is really tough to get through is that Less IS More! We want to do 2 hrs. of workouts to feel like we’ve done something! The thought that you "only" have to do maybe 15-20 minutes a day is…..well….revolutionary! And after tapping for two years, things have changed for me to where I can do 3 short workouts a week and maintain. I couldn’t do that to start with. Not that I want to maintain just yet!

Here is my workout schedule right now:

100 Inches!!!

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

I’ve mentioned T-Tapp from time to time. And there’s a link on the sidebar to their site! I’ve been "T-Tapping" for 2 years as of the end of January. I was in a Women’s Plus Size 22/24 (I just kept wearing my maternity jumpers, even though my son was almost 4 months old! )

I had tried different exercises–Core strengthening, Pregnancy Without Pounds, (and Mommy Without Pounds), rebounding and walking. I lost nothing! Nada, zip, zilch! It was very discouraging! I remember telling my husband, "Well, I’ll be fat, but at least I’ll be flexible!"

When a friend told me about T-Tapp, and how she lost inches rather quickly, I was all ears! Another friend loaned me her Basic Workout, I saved my change, and later started with the Total Workout and Step Away the Inches. For the first time in a l-o-n-g time, inches were coming off!

I had been in First Place, a Bible Study weight loss accountability program. But the problem is, it focuses on pounds. The scale does NOT tell the story! And focusing on not eating made it hard for me! I hate being on one eating plan and not able to eat with my family. We already eat a lot of whole foods, organic produce, home raised chicken, etc. When we have sweets, we make them and control the sugar in them. I did have a Milky Way habit, though!

Over the past two years I have seen the inches and sizes drop! I have seen wonderful health benefits as well. In fact, at this point, I really T-Tapp for the health benefits and inch loss is second! (A close second, mind you! ) I have a hard time fitting in the longer 50 minute workout, although I have done it. Most of my workouts have been the shorter ones–half an hour or less. The consistency of doing them 5-6 days a week has paid off!

Just a week ago, I hit the BIG mark of having lost 100 inches! WOO-HOO! AND 7 sizes! I am now in a size 10! I actually can take some things in to an 8, but my bottom half is definitely a 10!

Now to prove that weight doesn’t really matter–I have only lost 17 pounds! Muscle weighs more than fat, and if the inches are coming off but pounds aren’t as much, I have learned that you are building muscle and bone. And that is good weight! I do weigh occasionally, but I am no longer a slave to the scale. I got tired of it robbing me of my success! I have lost pounds before and nothing shows! But to lose inches and sizes–well, who cares what I weigh?! My husband hasn’t tried to pick me up much since he carried me over the threshhold almost 26 years ago!

I highly recommend T-Tapp–it is rehabilitative, it can work for any fitness level (don’t let it fool you–it is more difficult than it looks!). There are all kinds of workouts, but the "meat and potatoes" is the Basic Workout Plus or Total Workout. The Basic Workout, or BWO+, as it’s known, is the first 15 minutes of the Total. You can check out Teresa’s book Fit and Fabulous in Fifteen Minutes. It does have the moves well photographed, but it is hard to learn just from the book. You will learn how it came about and the theory behind it as well as testimonies–from all sizes. There are NOT just pics of skinny size 2 models, but real people!

Here are Try Before You Buy exercises–some are on video and others are print outs. Definitely check out Hoedowns (first video)–they are proven to lower blood sugar! And you definitely feel more alert after doing them! It is a coordination challenge–just do your best!

There are also free forums (you do need to register–it helps keep spammers out–but you would never have to post anything and can read lots of tips!) where the trainers and veteran tappers offer advice and help, as well as encouragement. I am convinced that I would not have been quite as consistent without the support there!

If you need to lose some inches, rehab some knees/hips/shoulders/whatever, or want to take your workouts up a notch, give it a try. I guarantee you it will help move the lymph like nothing you’ve ever tried, and you will feel better–and probably lose some inches, too! It is progressive, so you never "outgrow it" nor do you ever have to do more than 8 reps–your body becomes its own resistance, and you need about 4 sq. ft. of space to do it in! Very portable, too! I’ve done it in hotel rooms, outside our camper, and different areas of my home!

Oh, and I didn’t diet! I did give up my Milky Ways….I like Endangered Species dark chocolate now, and it’s "ruined" me! I can’t stand the usual variety of candy bars at the checkout now! I eat with my family, I don’t deprive myself. I do try to not overdo it on bread and sweets, and try for 2-4 veggies a day (lately it’s been a bit harder due to the craziness of life!). But other than that, no major changes and no "dieting"!

Here is a picture of me when I started T-Tapping–at a size 22/24 Women’s. The dress was the nicest one I fit into, and it was tight!

This was last October–down 90+ inches and size 12 misses:

I’ll have to get another taken and post it soon!

So there you go. Real people. Real results. T-Tapp.

No, I didn’t get paid for that! LOL! Seriously, check it out! It has worked like nothing before, and I’m going to keep on "tapping" and see about losing the rest of my extra inches!

Blessings!

Posted in T Tapp | 14 Comments »

A Gracefull Place