As with any endeavor in our lives, having some encouragement and support can make all the difference between sticking with it and fizzling out.
Whether reading the Bible through, setting aside time for prayer, getting up earlier, making time to visit Grandma in the nursing home, adding a new discipline or habit to our lives is not always easy to continue, once the excitement wantes. However good our intentions, it’s a part of God’s plan that accountability and fellowship be a part of what makes us successful.
T-Tapp is no different.
When I first started, there were a few ladies in my church that T-Tapped, but they were 1 1/2 hours away–not exactly conducive to getting together to work out regularly! I was pretty committed to exercising already and had stayed fairly consistent with my other routine, but, not seeing hardly any results certainly was discouraging. The only thing keeping me going was it was at least keeping me from gaining! But I didn’t enjoy it, had no one to ask questions about what I was doing, and at that point in my life, I didn’t have the resources nor the time to join an exercise class.
I started T-Tapp in late January of 2007, but didn’t find the forums until April. In June I joined the Habit Former’s Thread, which helped me stay accountable to do at least three workouts per week.
The T-Tapp forums are free, and they are a wealth of information as well as a HUGE part of my success! It was there that I asked questions, whined, vented, shared successes and, most importantly, met new friends! (We ate and/or stayed with several T-Tapp families on our trip East last fall!)
I know we are all time-crunched, and some feel they don’t have time for the forums. But when someone later says, “I didn’t have time for the forums” and then says, “I’m going to the gym”, I think…I’d much rather spend 15-30 minutes working out and then some time on the forums! 
In my experience, the people who did not visit the forums, even occasionally, have not stayed consistent. If they were able to find some other T-Tappers, that was a help. Sometimes visiting Charlotte’s blog or the testimonials and success stories has helped, but I firmly believe the forums have played a tremendous part in my success.
I have learned so much there–in fact, often a lot of what I share here I have learned or gleaned from the forums! Other times it might be my reading for my trainer certification or from clinics or the Safety Harbor Retreats.
If you’re not comfortable posting on public forums, you can at least lurk and learn a lot. (Btw, the forums are really state-of-the-art and now are about 99.9999999% troll free! Yeah!)
One thing ALL T-Tappers should read through are the….Must Read Threads! Some are older posts, but still chock full of good info.
If you have friends that T-Tapp or classes nearby, do take advantage of them as you are able. Having a buddy to work out with is great, or at least call each other to see if you’re keeping up on your intended workout schedule.
T-Tapp classes do cost (unless you have a trainer-in-training nearby who will gladly practice on you! LOL!), but I have felt every penny I have spend on clinics and classes has been money well spent. Save your change, try to squeeze a little out of grocery money, maybe start selling some crafts on Etsy….where there’s a will there’s a way!
Several trainers also offer online classes, usually lasting a month, and sometimes there is an option to include a video review, where you video yourself doing the workout, and either upload it to a private link to the instructor or send a dvd, then they will critique it and help you with form. By the way, I also would encourage you, in addition to doing some moves in front of a mirror, to video yourself doing a workout and then watch it yourself! You’ll be surprised at the things you catch!
I leave you with a few “goodies”!
First of all, T-Tapp is teaming up with the Green Smoothie Queen to bring you a special 6-Week Challenge starting May 1! You will be able to download 1 move each week (plus a bonus move) from the new Senior Fit (which hopefully will come out on dvd sometime). You will also get a green smoothie recipe (don’t turn your nose up–they are GOOD! Here is a blog post by the girls about when we started “going green”!
There will also be a green smoothie audio seminar to download each week, too–topics like:
- Importance of Greens and Fruits
- Making green smoothies
- Making green savories/soups/blended salads/juices
- Green Smoothie Tips for a Busy Family
- Using Green Smoothies for Detoxification
- Green Smoothies for Kids.
There will also be written tips coincide with the audio seminars each week, as well as written tips to go with the video downloads from Senior Fit, too!
How much? $49.95 AND you get a $20 T-Tapp instant rebate! You can click on the green T-Tapp 6 Week Challenge on the sidebar (the last thing on my sidebar!), which will take you to the T-Tapp Store for more details!
I have done Senior Fit both at Safety Harbor last fall and in February at the filming of the PBS special. It is a great workout–and not just for “seniors”! 
My other “goodie”–this one free!–is this video clip of the new tweaks on The Box on YouTube of Teresa on My Fox Atlanta’s T-Tapp Minute.
I have had several ladies in my classes tell me this really has helped me to connect with those abs! If you take a quick second and “cough” when you have your fingers pressing in, you will feel the muscles that are to be waking up and working in this move!
You can do this move throughout the day, apart from the workout. Let’s get connected–with those abs!
Anyone else going to spring for the Green Smoothie Challenge? If so, please leave me a comment–and during those 6 weeks we can encourage each other
Happy Tappin’!
Tags: encouragement, forums, green smoothie challenge, senior fit, support, T-Tapp