Ageless Beauty: An Interview with 84-Year-Old Berei From the T-Tapp Office
by Charlotte Siems
If you’ve ever done a T-Tapp Total Workout, you probably noticed a cute little red-headed woman in the background. At the time that this workout was filmed, Berei Brandenstein was in her 70’s and she kept up with the best of them. As a More to Lose woman, struggling to get through the workout, I was always fascinated by her.
Once when I heard Berei was sick, I sent her a get-well card in care of the T-Tapp office. I wanted to tell her how much she had encouraged me on my weight loss journey. I would always think, “If Berei can do it, I can do it!”
I’ve seen Berei at various T-Tapp events in the years since, and I’m still fascinated by her. Girls, this woman will be 85 years old in August! Yet she has a sparkle in her eyes, she wears classy makeup, she has gorgeous red hair, and she exudes a quiet charm. I’ve always wanted to ask her about her secrets to youthfulness, and at the recent Beauty Bootcamp I got a chance to interview her. Here’s the scoop on Berei’s Beauty Secrets:
Q: What are your secrets for looking good at your age?
A: Eating well—lots of vegetables and fruit, depending on your blood type and what your body needs. And exercising. Berei exercised even before she found T-Tapp. See her story in Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes on page 25.
Don’t use soap. Berei uses Mary Kay products to cleanse her skin. Here’s the recipe for a masque she uses regularly:
Berei’s All-Natural Facial Masque
½ avocado
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 TB honey
Mash avocado, mix in lemon and honey to make a paste. Pat on face, leave on for 20-30 minutes. Wash off with warm water. Use an astringent afterwards if you wish. You can use this every day if you want to, but use at least once a week.
Berei uses an anti-aging Mary Kay moisturizer at night, and T-Tapp’s Skin Saver Face during the daytime. As far as makeup, she uses mostly eye makeup (I noticed some glamorous liquid eyeliner). Seeing Berei in person, you are struck by her beautiful, youthful skin!
Keep your interests alive. Keep up with current events through the news and newspaper, whatever your interests are.
Rib cage up. This keeps you standing straight up. (Note: I saw Berei in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in February for the Public Television filming. In January at the Beauty Bootcamp there was a noticeable difference in her waistline—from doing the new Brain/Body Fitness workout, which is similar to Senior Fit. And Teresa Tapp says she didn’t do it all that much due to Teresa’s hectic travel schedule!)
Think young. It’s all about attitude. Berei says she doesn’t want to be an old lady!
Now here’s the amazing part. Berei looked gorgeous (as usual) at the Beauty Bootcamp, and she was on stage with Teresa during some of the workouts. Then we found out that she had a heart attack—four weeks before the event!
In December, Berei was hospitalized for a very low blood count and was given an iron transfusion. This caused a heart attack, and she was in ICU for a week! They did a heart catheterization and other tests, but she had no blood clots, no damage to her heart and no stents put in.
She attributes her quick recovery and minimal damage to being a T-Tapper for twelve years. In fact, the doctors said her veins were better than theirs!
Berei’s final words for us? “Don’t think that just because you’ve got a few years on you, you can’t do T-Tapp—because Yes, You Can!”
Leave a comment (for Berei) below!
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 Charlotte Siems is a home-maker, home manager, T-Tapp Trainer, teacher, speaker and author. Her story of losing over 100 pounds with T-Tapp has encouraged thousands of people all over the world. She specializes in making home management and T-Tapp "doable" for real people and real life. She is happy to be a wife and mother of twelve children whom she has successfully taught at home for 25 years. |
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