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T-Tapp Tuesday–Lots of Goodies!

May 24th, 2011

SO much to share today!  :)

First of all, the meaty stuff–it will be a bit shorter and sweeter since there are a few other things I want to tell you about ( including the give-away!).

I posted a little while back about the importance of Ribs Up (shoulder/hip alignment).  Now I’m going to give you a little “try it out” to see what I mean.  We did this last night in our class.

First, get into the “plie stance”, feet shoulder width apart, toes out to 11 and 1 on the clock (if you have knee issues, bring the toes forward a bit).  Bend, tuck/curl that core (flatten lower back as if against a wall, pulling belly button to spine), lift ribs, knees out.

Now reach away with your arms, straight out from your shoulders, as if someone is pulling your arms out of their sockets–really r-e-a-c-h!   Turn your hands so they are facing forward, thumbs up.  Gently fold your fingers over, and gently stretch the thumb up.   Now reach away again.

Keep everything tight tight tight!   Stay very focused and lift your ribs a bit more.   You should feel some extra tightening in your triceps, lats, pecs, tummy area, and along the outside of hips and thighs!

You might not be totally connected kinetically to feel that on the first time.  Go ahead! Do it several times, focusing on a different muscle group each time!

Now you have a “hands on” (or is that “muscles on”?!) example of how keeping the ribs up can help you activate all the way from triceps to quads!  ;)

If you have a mirror, why not do a few moves in front of the mirror this week, specifically focusing on keeping ribs up and shoulders back in alignment with the hips?

More fun stuff!

PBS has put out a “sizzle reel” of what they’re going to be showing for their August fund-raising.  This is what I flew to Ft. Lauderdale for back in February!

You can click here to go to the YouTube clip, and if you pause it at about the 27 second mark, look to the right of the screen and you’ll see Marty in a blue shirt–and he has a perfect “heart” sweat mark on his shirt!  We teased him about “sweating hearts” because he loved T-Tapp so much! :)

(Do realize you will see everyone in workout gear, just to advise you! )

T-Tapp will be offering some tremendous deals for the PBS fundraiser, so see if your local station will be carrying this promo and you might be able to purchase T-Tapp products for a steal of a deal that won’t be available anywhere else!

Okay, now for the really fun stuff!

I am having a giveaway–actually I will have giveaways for the next FOUR weeks, leading up to my birthday in June! 

For this week, the prize is a Step Away the Inches dvd!

Now, how to enter!

1. Leave a comment and tell me which T-Tapp workout is your favorite (if you don’t T-Tapp yet, which one you would like to get).

2. Leave a comment each time you do a T-Tapp workout (yes, TappCore counts–at least 3 moves–so even you busy young mamas can enter! ;) )  Let me know what workout you did (or which moves!).

3. Tell others about the giveaway–FaceBook, Twitter, e-mail, blog, forum (if appropriate–don’t violate any forum rules!)  Let me know you did and post a link, if applicable (I don’t have FB, but I have friends who do! ;) )  You can do this up to 3 times a day if you so desire!

4. Practice the “exercise” I gave you for ribs up every day this week (you can take Sunday off).  On a workout day do it before you work out, and on off days do it at least once.  Post that you “did the Ribs Up Exercise”.

5. This one counts DOUBLE!   Tell me what you’d like me to address in future T-Tapp Tuesday posts.   If you have a big list (LOL!) just one entry per day on this one, please! :)

This giveaway will run until midnight Monday, May 30.  I will announce the winner next Tuesday as well as what the next giveaway is!

And Fabulous Family Friday will be back–Lord willing!–this Friday. 

Happy Tappin’!  ;)

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T-Tapp Tuesday–Reconnect with those Abs!

May 17th, 2011

If there is one area of the body that we as women stress the most about,  it has to be the abs/tummy area.

You’ll remember from a previous post, how trainer Webra Price-Douglas said we need to be kind to our tummies!  They bore us children, they digest our food, they help us with our immune system (80% of your immune system is in your gut–no kidding!).

I don’t expect my tummy to be absolutely flat–my goal is not to look like I never had children or like it did in my 20s!   However, I know my extra flab there is from a lot of stress eating and from not taking as good of care of myself with my eating.

As my belly has started to go down, it encourages me because it shows that I am metabolising better.  I had all the signs of metabolic syndrome starting.  I did not want to keep going down that track!

(Let me insert here that I do not go by BMI.  Trainer Michelle Barbuto is nowhere near fat nor obese by a loooonnggg shot, yet her BMI says she is!)

Staying consistent is the first key! :)

Secondly, following the curl your core advice from Michelle (can be found here) is paramount.

Third, keep those ribs UP!  This helps with the shoulder/hip alignment Michelle talks about in the aforementioned post.  Try it right now (yes, I see you slouching at your computer!)  Sit tall.  Bring your ribs up out of your tummy, and your shoulders automatically go back without feeling like you are standing at “atten-TION!” :)  Now push your hands into your thighs just a little bit and push the ribs up a bit more–while pulling lats down. 

What about floorwork? Don’t we need to do sit-ups and crunches to lose off the tummy?

No!

I did very little floorwork with T-Tapp until 2 1/2 years after I started.  I did Hit the Floor Softer and Hit the Floor, as well as LadyBug Floor several times, but although it helped, I still didn’t get fantastic results.

And there’s a reason for that!

You first need to “connect” with those abs.  Remember, T-Tapp is about neurokinetic or “mind-to-muscle” connections.   If your abs aren’t “connected”, when you do the floor moves, you may certainly burn some fat off there, but you will not strengthen the muscle.  You could actually end up with a hard, round tummy! 

And most people, if not neurokinetically connected, will end up using their back and leg muscles instead of their abs, which defeats the purpose entirely!

Organs in Place (OIP) is a move you should do daily–even twice daily.  Just before your workout and just before bed are good times, although really, anytime is fine!   You aren’t really moving your organs so much as pushing the muscles back to where they’re supposed to go (gravity kind of pulls things “south”!).  And by pushing on the muscle, you help it stay tight throughout the moves.  Think of it as a natural girdle!  ;)

Once you feel you have the hang of OIP and can feel some strengthening of those muscles, you can add in Half Frogs (HF).  If you have a hard time keeping your core curled on the floor (see Michelle’s post linked above), then use a small handtowel. Roll it up and place it just below the tailbone–it is forming a “wedge” to help you tuck/curl your core and flatten your lower back against the floor.  You must keep it flattened against the floor while doing floor moves! (Except OIP).   As you do the Half Frogs, both as you bring your knees in and when you bring them out, push your knees as if you were doing it in thick mud.   Think to push your thighs away from each other, then to pull them towards each other.   At the same time, think to tuck/tighten/curl core to keep that back flat. 

There is a link for Organs in Place and Half Frogs on the Try Before You Buy Section here.  (You may want to view that without family in the background, as the lady is in workout shorts and a cropped workout top.) 

If you are uncomfortable doing the Half Frogs, you will still get results with Organs in Place. 

What if you have a hard time getting down or up from the floor?

You can do them standing!

I had posted this link  a few posts ago where Teresa did a short video clip for My Fox Atlanta awhile back.  In it she does the “Mitten Chop Box”.  It’s a tweak on the original Box from Basic Workout.   It is a phenomenal tweak, and I do it all the time now with my classes!  I also do it a few times a day here and there (a visit to the bathroom is a good time to “sneak” it in! ;)  )

As you reconnect with your abs, they will get stronger and continue to form that natural “girdle” and cinch in.   You will be amazed how much better you can curl your core throughout your workouts, translating into even more fat burning and inch loss!

Be forewarned–often as the muscles cinch in, that pushes the fat up and out—meaning you may have what is called a “fat shift”.  I experienced it when my lower abs lost quite a bit…only to gain at my waist and have a muffin!!!  It took awhile, but with focusing on my core, and eventually adding floorwork (as I connected with my abs), it has whittled down quite a bit.

Now, about the floorwork…yes, I eventually added it back in.  However, for a little over a year, I have done very little floorwork other than OIP, Half Frogs and a few other moves.   When I did start floorwork regularly (about 2 years ago) I started with a dvd called Critter Crunch.  It’s a master class style workout filmed at Safety Harbor 2007.  I split it up over two days (it’s a long one!) and although it doesn’t go quickly like a “workout”, I definitely felt it in my abs the next day!  I basically did it three times over a six day period of time (doing it over 2 days), and could really tell a difference in my mind-to-ab connection!

Then I tackled Hit the Floor again.  My rule was, when I lost activation, that move was done.  I would just reset for the next move.  There were many moves where I only got two repetitions in!  But by following my “rule”, I eventually was able to work up to all ten repetitions without losing form!   That was in the summer of 2009, and in February 2010, when I took an online class, the trainer had us adding in just a few floor moves, but because I had more muscle activation, those moves added to my regular routine helped me finally start to really burn that muffin off.  It had been slowly coming off, but that seemed to really kickstart it!

Right now, since I am training to be a trainer, my main focus has to be on the Total Workout.  But I still add in OIP and Half Frogs, and recently I’ve added the new Mitten Chop Box.  And I’m confident that I’m going to see continued results!

So can you lose off the tummy without doing 100 sit-ups and thousands of crunches?

Yes you CAN!

Happy Tappin’!

P.S.  Next week I will host a give-away—so do come back and check it out! :)

P.P.S.  If you notice any offensive ads, please let Homeschoolblogger know.  We have no control over them, and aren’t really happy about them, but we’re hoping whatever HSB is working on will make them a bit less “in your face”!   Here is the page that lists different e-mail addresses so you can let them know immediately when you notice an offensive ad.  Thank you!

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Stay Tuned–T-Tapp Tuesday Coming Right Up!

May 17th, 2011

Last week was a bit crazy–mother/daughter banquets, starting a new diet–diet?!  Well, really more a way of eating for now!

I teach music lessons today but have a great post on abs planned for later (probably evening)–so stay tuned!  :)

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One Year Later…..

May 4th, 2011

I can’t help but think that I was driving home a year ago.  That at about 11:00, Jessica called me, telling me Mom sounded funny.

That 10 minutes later, as I entered her apartment, I knew she was gone.

So many firsts, and the hardest ones were Christmas and her birthday, just 2 weeks ago.  We never know, do we, how short our time might be?

Many people ask me what I’m doing for Mother’s Day.   My beautiful daughters will make me a wonderful, yummy lunch and lemon meringue pie….which my mom also loved.

And I will remember her, and try to write down what I remember that isn’t written down already, and try to live by a quote I read by Crystal Paine:

“Don’t let another priceless moment slip through your fingers because
you are ‘too busy’. While you have the time, take the time.”

I miss her….her messages are still on my answering machine.  And I wear her ring nearly every time I leave the house.

God has been so good, to encourage my heart (like sending cards from Heaven!) , giving me a Scripture or quote to comfort me, and to hold me when I cry.

And the greatest Mother’s Day gift I could receive, is if you would read this post from a year ago, and make time for your mom.

Please do.

You’ll be so very glad you did.

HUGS to you and your mom, from me.

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T-Tapp Tuesday–More on Those Lats!

May 3rd, 2011

Well, a month later I am finally finishing tips to keep the ribs up during the rest of Basic Workout Plus (BWO+)!

First I want to share a tip I found on the forums  (remember how encouraging and helpful I said they are?) that helps you focus on lat engagement.  This was posted by ayj on the forums:

So, what it is think squeezing an imaginary pencil between your shoulder blades without using your shoulders, while in the whole time your lower back is tight trying to help too (your tummy and upper abs will be tight too). Maintain this squeeze on the imaginey pencil the whole time during the work out, I am sure I will not be able to do 45 mins this… This will certainly burn back fat and tone and tighten the abs.

The trick is to not squeeze the shoulder blades together and be overinvasive that way!

Now, how about the rest of BWO+–how do the lats/ribs up figure in to the last 4 moves?

We’ll pick up where we left off–ready for The Box!

I had posted this before, but this clip from Fox Atlanta shows the Mitten Chop Box, which gives a new twist adding to muscle activation–and especially helping to get those ribs UP!   When you’re doing the regular Box in BWO+, as you’re pushing in the hips with those thumbs, get those elbows back and lift the ribs/set lats.  Just like PBS, as you go over to a flat back, really try to balance a beach ball on your back, pulling tummy up and into the spine.  Tighten the buns and press the breastbone to the floor to help get ribs up and lats engaged.  As you pulse there, use tummy muscles–not the back!–to do the pulse.  NO momentum!

Then when you do the side tilts, again, push in with those thumbs to activate the arms and lift the ribs as you tilt.  Think of breastbone to the ceiling now.   We’re trying to elongate the rib to hip area–making room for the organs and helping cinch in the waist!

Oil Wells–yep!  You can keep ribs up here, too!  Again, as you go to a flat back, follow all the tips for PBS, only instead of pressing thumbs into hips to activate arms, now you are hooking the thumbs to pull while pressing the insides of the hands together to create the leverage isometrics.  Then as you “reach through” for Oil Wells do not hunch up your shoulders or release your lats!  Continue to keep shoulders back (by using the lats) while reaching through.

After you roll up and have your hands above, recheck your form–bend knees, tuck/curl core, lift ribs, push knees out–then pulse your hands above.

T-Tapp Twist—ahhhh!  The move you love to hate!  We love how it blasts hip pads and cinches in the waist, but we just hate to do it!  It is really tough, especially in the beginning!

Try this on in a chair, first.  That will help you get the lower body isolated without having to think so much about it!  Toes forward, knees over ankles and knees also straight out from hips.  Press the feet lightly into the floor (keeping KLT!), and sit tall.  You can still slightly tuck the tail under and curl your core.  Now lift ribs!

Press your hands together–lower hand pressing up, upper hand pressing down–at about your chin, elbows out to the sides.  Slowly lower your hands, and somewhere between the collarbone and the chest, you will feel your lats kick in.  Find that point for you.  Now, as you press those hands against each other, lift ribs a bit more.  Try to keep that activation as you execute the T-Tapp Twist move–left for two counts, then right, thinking back elbow stays up shoulder level at all times (to protect the back) and ribs up, ribs up, ribs UP!

Pause here, then tilt over to your right side, reach for the back leg of the chair, but don’t focus on how far down you can go.  Keep those hips planted in the chair, keep your tummy tight, push your left knee out a bit to help stabilize your hips, and only go as far as you can without losing that tummy activation.

Press hands together a bit more to help initiate the roll-up from the tummy.  As you get to count 3 or 4 to get all the way to the top, press and lift ribs.  When you are doing this standing, this is also a good point to square the hips again to the front (they tend to drift a little!).

Pressing the hands together helps keep the arms, tummy and lats activated!   

Now try it going to the other side, then try it without the chair! ;)

Pull the Weeds–just like PBS and other flat back moves, press that breastbone to the ceiling and pretend a string is going along your body helping to pull the vertabra apart.  As you pull the elbows forward (like a scarecrow), don’t hunch!  Tighten those lats!

Finally–Hoedowns!   Oh, here is a GREAT one to keep those ribs lifted!

Get into position–toes forward, bend knees, curl core, ribs up and push knees out.  Shift over to one foot, get the other ready to lift touch.  Put hands in front, elbows bent, palms up and slowly open out to the sides.  Really tighten those mitten hands–no mushy mittens!  That will help tighten the upper back–and you got it!  The lats!

 Now as you actually lift and touch the leg, keep thinking to lift the ribs–and keep the mitten hands tight!  It’s easy to get all focused on what the lower body is doing and collapse the ribs and core!

Keep that form through the second side on the second set!  Don’t collapse!

You DID it!  :D

So keep those ribs up and–Happy Tappin’!

(Just a note about the Green Smoothie Challenge–it will be available until May 16, and it is now $59.95.  My understanding is it will go up in price each week, so if you’re still thinking about it, you might want to grab it soon! )

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Workout Wednesday–Even Better Reasons to T-Tapp!

April 27th, 2011

I know I’ve posted here and there about the benefits you just can’t “measure”, that I’ve “gained” from T-Tapp.  Things like fewer visits to the chiropractor (once every 2-3 months vs. 2-3 times a month!), sleeping better, better stamina, helping with hormonal balance, lump disappearing….

Inch loss is usually what “reels us in” with T-Tapp.  We hear a great story about someone like Charlotte Siems, mom of 12, who loses over 100 lbs. and 9 sizes and we’re “hooked”!

I know the book says “lose up to two sizes in four weeks”, but remember, it’s not a guarantee!  (By the way, Teresa did not pick the book title!  But “Comprehensive Compound Muscle Movement with Isometric Contraction and Activation at Both Insertion Points” wouldn’t sell too many books now, would it?! ;) )

Some people get frustrated because they don’t think they’re losing as fast as they should (or would like).   I’ve been there, too!   And so has Charlotte–in fact, I think nearly everyone I know of has a time of little-to-no inch loss that threatens to discourage us. 

I’ve written on The Dreaded Plateau and the importance of keeping track of the things you just can’t measure.

There is probably nothing more debilitating than constant pain.  I know I had hip pain off and on, and when it was “on” it was very hard to look at the bright side of life when it was at its worst.   I was beyond thrilled the day I realized I no longer had the semi-constant pain and soreness anymore!   I jumped out of our van after a 1 hour ride that usually left me stiff and about 10 steps later realized—I didn’t have to walk like an old woman for awhile until the hip loosened up!  Wow!  That was a milestone I still remember!

Even at that, though, it wasn’t the same as having the pain of Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Most who have it get put on drug after drug to help manage the pain and debilitative effects of RA.

But what if T-Tapp could help?  What if it could even help you decrease or completely get off the medications?

That’s what happened to 10 year veteran T-Tapper Lori French!   She is the featured Testimonial Tuesday this week, and she has a tremendous testimony of the power of T-Tapp!  Of course, again there are no “guarantees” that everyone will have the same results.  But even if you improved 25% or 50%–when it comes to pain and disability, that’s huge!

Please take a moment and read Lori’s testimonial.  I think you will find it very encouraging.   Especially the last two lines.

And don’t forget to make your own list of results of T-Tapp that you just can’t measure–here’s mine again, if you want to use it as a springboard for your own!

Have you noticed any benefits of T-Tapp beyond the tape measure or clothing sizes?   Please leave a comment and share!

Don’t forget!   May 1 the Green Smoothie Challenge starts–and downloads from the new workout, Senior Fit, will be a part of that!  One move each week plus a bonus one–hopefully this will be out on dvd sometime later this year (we’re all hoping!), but until then, you can get the moves through the downloads to “hold you over” until it comes out on dvd!

Remember–you get a $20 rebate to “spend” on more T-Tapp stuff!  ;)    You can click on the Green Smoothie Challenge icon on my sidebar for more info.

Happy Tappin’!

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T-Tapp Tuesday–Encouragement and Support

April 19th, 2011

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’!

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Workout Wednesday–KLT, NBT, BBJ?!

April 13th, 2011

What is all this alphabet soup?!

T-Tapp uses lots of acronymns!  If you don’t already have this bookmarked, it’s worth doing so!  It’s the T-Tapp Acronym list.

So what does all this mean?

“KLT” refers to “Knee Little Toe”.   When you set up the T-Tapp stance, you are:

1. Toes forward.  Outside edges of your feet (in your cross trainers!) parallel

2. Bend knees—deep if you can, but knees do not go past your toes.

3. Tuck buns and curl the core–pull belly button up and back to the spine.

4. Lift ribs, getting shoulders back into alignment with hips.

5. Push knees to little toes.  (KLT)

Now at first, you may only have the strength to push knees towards the middle toes–that’s your max for now and that is fine.   Your inner feet may come up off the floor a bit–again, that is okay!

If your ankles are bending outward, focus on middle toes until you have the ankle strength to not turn out while putting weight on the outside edges of your feet. 

It is important to bend and tuck/curl the core and lift ribs before pushing out the knees, so you have full activation from ALL the muscles in the lower back, which helps protect the knees and provides better stabilization for both the knees and ankles.  This helps build flexibility and strength in the medial and lateral muscle attachments at the knee.

You will not lessen the benefits of T-Tapp by “only” pushing to the middle toes vs. little toe.   Each person has different levels of strength and flexibility in their feet, ankles and knees, etc.  “Going to one’s max enables full fiber activation!  That’s why T-Tapp works for everyone, regardless of fitness level.”  (Teresa Tapp)

As you gain strength for your knees to push out, then you need to focus even more on optimal shoudler/hip/ankle linear alignment which also helps prevent the rollover of ankles.  Often rollover occurs not just from having your feet too close together but also from releasing the tucked buns/core.  And….as I said in an earlier post about “ribs up”–“Release of tucked buns/lumbar usually occurs when the shoulderes shift in front of hip…”   It all works together!  (These past two paragraphs are nearly verbatim from Teresa.  Didn’t want you to think I thought all that up! ;) )

So we have the KLT down….now what about NBT?

No Big Toe is taught in Step Away the Inches, but for use during the standing workouts, you shouldn’t try it until strength is built up in the knee and better neurokinetic connections at the feet.  

No Big Toe is a progression.   Do not try doing this right away! 

Technically, it is getting the weight off big toe as well as lifting the big toe.  Eventually you will rebuild metatarsal strength to “lift” the arch and automatically be off big toe, without having to think so much about it.

CAUTION–if you have plantar fasciitis, do NOT do “NBT” until you have developed the strength and flexibility within the metatarsal and ankle muscle attachments.   It will cause you pain!

Lastly–BBJ? 

“Big Ball Joint”, meaning, lightly pressing down the Big Ball Joint behind the big toe, without pressing down big toe!   Now you know why it’s a progression!  :)

This will also assist in “twisting out from the hips”–meaning you “push knees out” by twisting out the femur, while pressing BBJ.

Do NOT do this until you can push knees past your little toes without lifting feet off the floor.  Then you know you have built the strength and flexibility in your knee, ankle, hip and metatarsal muscles and attachments. 

“T-Tapp is a physical therapy approach to fitness whereby each movement has specific applications to muscle attachments rather than the belly of the muscle…” 

Keeping the lats tight, knees bent deeper for a better tuck will help you keep the knees from going past your little toes–the isolated isometric contraction provides greater stabilization. 

We often want to progress quickly and try all the new tips and tweaks, hoping for faster sculpting and/or inch loss.   I hope through the information in this post (all credit to Teresa!) you can see the importance of “patience, grasshopper” while you rebuild strength and flexibility in your muscle attachments, for optimal inch loss, yes, but also for optimal health!

I’ll close with a wonderful quote by Teresa about all this:

“Remember there’s always a reason for each movement as well as sequence in application of T-Tapp technique.  T-Tapp is not just good form/bad form…it is the PROGRESSION or ‘Journey’ to optimize form.  Any time you go to your personal max you WILL get results…T-Tapp  is very individualistic yet this same ability enables it to be effective and safe for all ages and fitness levels…inside and out!”

Happy Tappin’!

(Just a note about the ads…apparently Homeschool Blogger is working on this to make them less “in your face”.    Please do not click on the ads at this time and be patient while the site is “Under Construction”!  Thank you!)

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Workout Wednesday–Find Those Lats!

April 6th, 2011

Just got back early in the morning yesterday from a wonderful time of visiting my dear friend (well, we decided we were twins separated at birth!) J. and her family in New England!  (Which is why you haven’t heard from me for last Friday or yesterday!)

We had some T-Tapp classes and I had a lot of fun and I hope everyone else did, too!

You hear about the lats in T-Tapp a LOT!  So where are they and how do you find them?

“Lats” refers to the latissimus dorsi.  You can click here  to see where your lats are located.    This is one area that is hard to get and keep activated until you have the mind-to-muscle connection.   One easy way to “wake up” a muscle is to tighten it, then poke it.   This work well for the inner thighs, right before you do Plies, and in The Box, this is partly what you are doing when you are pulling up and in and pressing in with your fingers.

But the lats are a bit harder to “poke at” while you’re in T-Tapp stance!  You could have a friend or husband or child poke there to help you feel it and tighten, but I have found some people will automatically tighten there but still not be aware of it.

Teresa showed us another way to find and engage the lats when we were at Ft. Lauderdale in February.

Stand with your back against a wall–bring your feet out just enough to be able to “curl the core” and flatten the lower lumbar against the wall.   Now bend your arms at the elbows, with the hands straight out in front of you.   Palms should be facing, thumbs on top.   Slowly open out the arms and somewhere close to or when the backs of your hands touch the wall, you should feel the lats kick in!  Remember to keep the core curled while doing this.

Now stand away from the wall, toes forward, bend knees, tuck/curl core, lift ribs and push knees out (T-Tapp stance).  Again, put hands in front as above, and slowly open arms out and keep lifting those ribs and you should be able to feel the lats again, but away from the wall!

“Ribs up” is a BIG KEY to this, so throughout the day, lift your ribs and “set the lats”.  That means just tighten them a bit—do not be overinvasive (yes, I’m talking to you Type A’s out there! ;) ).   This will help improve your posture tremendously!  You will also make more room for your organs.  

Charlotte Siems, the wonderful mama of 12  and T-Tapp Trainer who lost 10 sizes, said that when she won the 60 Day Challenge in 2007 and went to the Safety Harbor Retreat she asked Teresa what she could do for her tummy.

Teresa’s answer?

“Lift ribs, set lats.” 

Charlotte attested that it really helped with the tummy!

Teresa also has shared, especially in the LadyBug move and workout, that stretching that rib to hip really helps with hormonal balance.  But even if you don’t have LadyBug, you can incorporate this.

First of all, find and use your lats!   All throughout the day!  A great way to do this is while driving—hang onto the steering wheel underhanded, pull your belly button up and back to your spine, curl your core, ribs up.  Now, gently squeeze the hands on the steering wheel and tighten those lats!  Release, then tighten, release, tighten, release….etc. 

When you go over to a flat back in Primary Back Stretch, push those thumbs into your hips/back to really get those elbows up.   Pretend you have a beach ball balancing on your back!   Tighten the buns, pull that tummy up to your spine and engage the lats.  Press your breast bone to the floor to help as well.

Keeping ribs up during the head tilting and turning portions of the second half of PBS will also help.

Plies—ahhh!  May I confess to you that the first two sets are tough for me to keep my ribs up and lats set?!    Doing them slowly in front of a mirror is the best way to watch what is happening and get a feel for what “right” feels like as you’re seeing it in the mirror.   Hold the plie squat to really focus on ribs up, lats set throughout the Plie sequence.   A good tip on the Chest Press portions is to think “ribs up, ribs up, ribs up,” as your elbows come in, then “elbows up, elbows up, elbows up,” as your elbows go back out, to keep from dropping them below shoulder level.

Reach Scoops—here’s a great one for practicing that rib to hip stretch!   Get into position, making sure you are standing as between two panes of glass.  Tilt, keeping that alignment (not leaning back or forward).   Keep that belly button to spine at all times,  and as you reach up and inhale, reach down with the other arm, too.  Keep those ribs UP (think breastbone to ceiling) while stretching.  Now flip the palm and reach away as if someone else is pushing against that top hand to help keep the lats engaged.

Jazz Twist—you know what I’m going to say—ribs UP!  :)   Thinking ribs up right before you twist helps, as does really pushing with that thumb into the back of your hip.  Get that back elbow back, using the thumb to help press it back.   Initiate the move with your back shoulder, but use the lats on your reaching side to keep that shoulder from climbing towards your ears.  This is also a good move to do slowly in front of a mirror to check on your form, and doing it slowly helps you feel the muscles work!

I’ll share more tips to keep the lats engaged next week for the rest of the moves in BWO+.   Try these in your workouts this week as well as throughout the day, standing, walking, sitting (especially at the computer!) think, “Ribs UP, SET lats!”  and see if you don’t feel better!   You might even see a little trimming of the tummy, pec and bust measurements from getting those lats on board!  ;)

Until next week, happy Tappin’!

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T-Tapp Tuesday–Getting Discouraged? Keep It in Perspective!

March 29th, 2011

It happens to all of us.

We start off with some great results from T-Tapp, but then….things seem to slow way down or stop–and we still have a loonnnggg way to go!!!!

As a More-to-Lose, you can especially get discouraged when the inch loss falls off to practically nothing.   It hardly shows yet, and now it’s stopping!

What to do?

Well, first of all, remember that you may need to allow the body to regroup and rebalance.  Secondly, if your metabolism needs healing (and quite frankly, most of ours do!), you also may need to let the body regroup.  I’ve posted this before, but I’ll say it again–this page on Dr. Diana Schwarzbein’s website is worth a read–many times over!  It is about the healing phase and how sometimes things get a bit worse before they get better–but it’s all good if we stick with it!

But is it normal to seemingly slow way down on inch loss?

I guess I can’t say if it’s normal, but it does seem to be common!  Remember I’ve said before you don’t just lose lose lose lose and voila!  You’re at goal!

No, it’s a zig-zag type of pattern, actually.

Proof positive:

Here are my measurements from when I started.  Now, if you didn’t have as great of inch loss to start, let me remind you my son had been born nearly 4 months earlier and all I had lost from having him was 10 lbs.–which I gained back!!!  Not.one.inch.   Not.one.size.  Not.one.pound.

I’m going to post my weight, too, to show you yet again that–weight doesn’t really tell the story!

Week:

1–5 1/2″  175 lbs.

2–4 1/4″   170

3–1 3/4″  173

4–nada  172

5–gains cancelled losses  172

6–1/4″  171

7–1/4″   171

8–1″ (had gains that cancelled some losses)    171

My weight stayed the same for another EIGHT weeks before I finally saw 169!  And yes, it was a slooowww loss all the way along!

So 8 weeks, 13 inches.   Not a lot after those first few weeks.  After these initial 8 weeks, it was 7 weeks before I saw a 2 inch loss in one week again.  And that is pretty typical of my losses.  A few weeks here and there of 4 inch losses, but mostly 1-2 inch losses, with some weeks less than 1 and others–none or gains cancelled losses.

I already knew what I was doing before didn’t work.  I didn’t have time or money to join a class or a gym.  (Nor did I really want to!)   Running and jogging didn’t appeal, and I had been rebounding and jump roping all to no avail already!

What if I had given up in April when I had hardly seen any inch loss since the beginning of March?  Or even given up in March when after my initial inch loss things seemed to fall off?

I would still be a 22W, overweight and have exhausted adrenals!

I share these measurements to show that I do know what it’s like to have great success in the beginning, only to seem to fall off later.   I realize now that my body couldn’t have sustained 4-6 inches of loss every single week until they all came off!

I also want to point out that not all of those wonderful inches came off my torso area where I really wanted them to!   The inch loss there was much slower and now and then I might take an inch off the abs–very rarely though was it over 1/2 inch and many weeks it stayed the same.

Here is some wisdom from Dr. Schwarzbein which may help explain what is happening:

“When you overexercise, you raise adrenaline and cortisol levels. If adrenaline is higher than cortisol, you will use up fat, protein, and sugar biochemicals. If cortisol is higher than adrenaline, you may use up protein and sugar biochemicals, but store more fat around your midsection because cortisol causes a redistribution of fat from your arms and legs to your middle. Either way, you are destorying your metabolism. ”

                                                                                                                    (~The Transition, p. 386)

She is talking about overexercising, but think about it–most of us have extra belly fat and I would venture to say that most of who start as More-to-Lose also have gained weight due to stress.   (Less and Average-to-Lose can have this, too!)

So our arms and legs look great!  But….the belly just sits there!  ::bleh!::

Stress elevates cortisol which stores fat….in the belly area.  If you are overdoing it on exercise, or stressing your body by not eating enough of the protein and good fats you need to build muscle, or you’re not sleeping well (which affects hormones), then you may very well not see inch loss in the place you want to see it the most.

And let’s define “overexercising”.  For some, it’s working out at the gym 2 hours a day plus running plus the treadmill plus….well, you get the idea!  ;)  Those people are actually addicted to exercise just as I’m addicted to sugar!  Exercise releases endorphins or “feel good” hormones, and if they do less than their “routine”, they don’t get that “high”.  If you are in this category, please taper down as quickly as you can–but do taper–do not stop cold!

For others who are adrenal challenged, overexercising could be doing the Basic Workout Plus every day.   The first person I described would do okay on BWO+ daily (taking 1 day off), but the adrenal challenged person would crash.   She may need to try BWO+ every other day, maybe even just 2 days a week.

This is why you’ll often hear from T-Tappers:  “Listen to your body”!   It’s important to cultivate this as most of us have lost touch with that art.   I know it’s hard to figure out if you’re just wimping out on doing your workouts, procrastinating…or if you truly need to take a day off and rest.   

Don’t forget that doing just a few moves still keeps the lymph pumping and is beneficial.  Primary Back Stretch, T-Tapp Twist (at least the stretch) and Hoedowns are considered the Terrific Three.  Some days getting through part of PBS may be all you can handle!

Remember this is a journey–not a marathon!  Very few people really lose it fast and keep it off without damaging their metabolism.   Slow and steady win the race.

One of the ladies on the T-Tapp forums has a signature line quote that really hits it home:

“Focus on the process and the results will come.”

Another ladies’ signature line had this quote, which says the same thing in exercise lingo:

“Just take care of the workout, and the inches will take care of themselves.”

As much as we want to see results…let’s focus on the process–the workouts, the consistency–and the inches certainly will take care of themselves.

One inch at a time (or sometimes 1/4 inch at a time!).

Eventually they add up.

To 178 3/4  inches.

And 8 sizes.

And better health, stamina, energy and well-being.

A better life!

 

Keep on tappin’!  :D

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