If you are a More to Lose T-Tapper, can I give you a high-five and then a hug?  A high-five for making the effort to move your body and improve your health.  A hug for encouragement on the long road to your goal.  I've said before that the challenge as a More to Lose person is the tendency to focus on how far you have to go, rather than how far you've come.  For me,  just getting out of the recliner and lacing up my shoes was a big change in habits, lifestyle and mindset.  Along the way I often had to take myself (and my thoughts) in hand to avoid wallowing in discouragement and impatience.

I wanted to reach my goal NOW.  But I knew I hadn't gotten in that shape overnight and I wasn't going to get out of it overnight either.  It takes a special brand of hope and perseverance to lose a large amount of weight and inches, but it is entirely doable one day at a time.  I kept myself motivated and encouraged by taking advantage of the support and friendship available on the T-Tapp forums, plus a healthy dose of reading success stories.    I had days of feeling like it would take forever (and now that I'm here it seems like it was quick). 

I have lived as a Less to Lose person for over two years now.  It took me a long time to call myself that.  It took me a long time for my mind to adjust to my smaller size and yes, sometimes I still feel fat.  I still have a hard time being in photos and videos, but I'm working on that.

I have a special respect and empathy for More to Lose T-Tappers because I lived it for many years.  You're in the right place with the right workout to feel better and change your life, and I salute you.  Lace up your shoes and push *play*!

AFTER losing 2 sizes

Size 22W to 6!

T-Tapp has been an important part of my life for nearly 3 1/2 years now, and there have been very few weeks in that time that I haven’t T-Tapped.  I was recently thinking about how I’ve managed to maintain my size 6 (despite gaining and losing 10 pounds or so, here and there).  Let me share a few tips to help you stay consistent over the long haul:

• Figure out what you can realistically fit into your schedule.  Gung-ho + hectic life = short-term gung-ho.  T-Tapp offers so many options for great short workouts that are perfect for busy lives.
• Take advantage of outside accountability and motivation for certain seasons.  On the T-Tapp forums you can find the Habit Formers forum, and on the General Discussion forum you can connect with one of the many accountability groups such as the new Baby Steps group.  An online class with a T-Tapp Trainer is a great way to sustain a focused effort for a season of time, and entering a contest such as the 60-Day Challenge is another way to inject motivation into your workout schedule.  Some Trainers offer customized workout schedules with accountability for a month.
• Realize that some is better than none.  Tell yourself “just Primary Back Stretch” and I bet you’ll do at least a little more.  The first ten minutes of BWO+ sure beats absolutely nothing.
• Be aware of your thoughts.  Just like thinking of a sour lemon makes your mouth water, thinking negative thoughts about an upcoming workout sets you up for dread and dislike.
• Mix up your workout schedule.  I enjoy variety and I think my body likes it, too.  For instance, instead of BWO+, do Basic Plus Tempo or Ladybug BWO+ or the BWO section of TWO, Tempo Arms or Tempo Torso.  MORE is always a favorite, so how about MORE Chair plus MORE Step Away or MORE Chair plus MORE Broom?
• If you really dread a workout, it is okay to skip it.  What?!  Isn’t this post about staying consistent?  Yes ma’am, this is an important tip to keep on keepin’ on.  I figure when I dread a workout, there’s a reason like unusual stress or fatigue or my body just *knows.*  Sometimes I’ve stayed consistent with T-Tapp by not working out.
• On the other hand, if you just sort of don’t want to workout, pull up your socks and push play.   9.5 times out of 10, once you get started you’ll get in the groove and be glad you did.  Sometimes I change the workout at the last minute if I just don’t feel up for it, but I still go to my max in the workout I do.

The workout that works is the one you’ll do, and not just once.  So try to identify your personal snags with consistency and make a plan to deal with them.  Less is More with T-Tapp, but None is…well, None.

psst!  T-Tappers who just can’t get enough of reading about T-Tapp should check out a couple of often-overlooked resources available in the T-Tapp store.  One is the Summer 2008 issue of Women’s Fitness magazine.  It includes photos and detailed descriptions of Hoe Downs and a Broom move with Teresa Tapp, Spinal Stretch and Crossover Sit-Ups with T-Tapper Summer, and an article on thyroid disease by T-Tapper Kate Young, plus some other interesting articles.   AND (opening trench coat) a FREE TAPPCORE DVD is included with this issue!

The March 2007 issue of Women’s Fitness (also known as Fit Body) with Teresa on the cover, has articles like “Spot Reduce Saddlebags,” “The Estrogen Trap,” “Slow Losers Win, ” “Foot Fitness” and “Family Fitness” by our own Teresa Tapp.  Then there are detailed descriptions and photos of Thread the Needle, Hoe Downs, Diva Derriere, Lateral Lat Pulls, Tricep Curls, Plie Squat Stretches, I Dream of Jeannie Squat, Ladybug Runner Stretch and Side Leg Lifts featuring some of our lovely T-Tapp office staff and others.  Don’t miss the article on “What’s Your Body Type?” by Teresa and “Magnesium and Exercise” by Carolyn Dean.

Whew!  Who knew?  I knew, but I had forgotten and when I came across my copies and flipped through the pages I immediately decided a nice magazine-reading session was in order.  Quite possibly combined with a warm salt bath…ahhhhh…

My top three tips for those entered in the T-Tapp 60-Day Challenge?  Here they are:

1)  Plan a schedule. Don’t just wake up in the morning and think, “Let’s see–what will I do today?” because it’s too easy to say, “Nothing” and go on your way.  We tend to think “tomorrow I’ll work out” and then tomorrow comes and we put it off another day and before we know it the Challenge is over.  A blank calendar page is a good tool.  First write down days you’ll be out of town or extra-busy so you can plan around them.  Plan a regular day off each week (mine is Sunday).  Then make a list of the workouts you own (OR the workouts you are allowed to do in the category you entered) and use that list to design a schedule.  Write it in pencil, then go over it in ink (or check it off) when it’s done.  This helps with consistency.  (Many T-Tapp Trainers offer custom workout schedules based on your needs, too.)

2)  Be realistic. If you plan on a 60-Day Bootcamp, forget it.  You might be able to last a few weeks, but sooner or later life happens and you’ll be set up for The Big Crash.  Then you’ll either decide “this is too hard” or “if I can’t do it perfect I won’t do it at all” and the Challenge will be over (for you).  Remember the workout that works is the one you’ll do.  Sure it’s great to make a harder effort and establish consistency–that’s what the Challenge does.  Work up to a few weeks of a tougher schedule, then back off some.  Your body needs recovery time.  Less is More with T-Tapp.

3)  Finish the Challenge. This may sound silly, but I’m serious.  Did you know that in last year’s 30-Day Ladybug Challenge not ONE participant in the More to Lose Category finished?  If only ONE person had stuck it out they would have been an automatic winner of a trip to Safety Harbor.  It’s easy to get discouraged and think you have no chance of winning but you never know what Teresa Tapp is looking for in the winners.  Remember–she won’t be judging your photos and story if you never send them in. Kitty told me that virtually everyone she sent comparison pages to was shocked at the changes they saw.  They (including me) hadn’t looked at the photos side-by-side, they had looked at one and then the other, and were disappointed in the results.  So do your best and let Teresa do the judging after you finish the contest and send in your final entry.

If you’ll look closely, you’ll see that these tips apply to your year-round T-Tapp practice!

Entering the 2007 60-Day Challenge was life-changing for me.  It helped me to cement consistency in my workout schedule and gave me accountability.  You may have heard it before, but I’ll say it again:  EVERYONE who enters is a winner because of the health and shape benefits of T-Tapp.  I was ecstatic to win a category in the More to Lose division and to win a trip to the Safety Harbor Retreat and find out that Teresa Tapp was who I had hoped she would be.

In 2008 I *almost* didn’t enter because I just couldn’t imagine winning again and I was getting close to my goal size.  I had already signed up for an online class with Michelle and she insisted that I enter the Challenge.  I dutifully took photos and sent in my information, secretly doubting that there was any point.  When I won a cateogory in the Less to Lose division, I was shocked.  I didn’t see much difference in the photos until Kitty sent me the actual comparison photos that were used to judge (I hadn’t looked at them side-by-side).

If you don’t enter, you for sure won’t win.  If you enter, you MIGHT win.  If you enter and don’t win you will emerge healthier, stronger and smaller, so it’s all good.  If I hadn’t entered the second year we wouldn’t have that video that has encouraged so many that Yes, They Can.

I don’t know where you are in your T-Tapp journey, but the 6o-Day Challenge is a great kick in the tucked pants to help you reach your goals!

I get questions about whether I used T-Tapp’s brushing system and here’s the skinny.  I brushed from Day One.  I’ve continued to brush consistently for more than three years.  Every day?  Uh, no.  But 4-6 days a week, yes.  Life happens and there have been times when I didn’t brush for a few days, but I started back up because I like what it does for my skin.  I believe that skin brushing and alfalfa were the key factors in tightening my skin as I lost 9 sizes and well over 135″.  I don’t have loose, hanging skin like you see in those pictures of people after massive weight loss.

At first it took longer than 5 minutes because there was a lot of me to brush.  After a while I stopped brushing in front of the mirror because it was too easy to be critical of my appearance.  The routine for me was work out, shower, brush, get dressed.  Many people work out, brush and then shower.  I worked out my routine because my brush got too stinky too fast if I used it before a shower, and I’m always looking for ways to clean things less often.  And just like T-Tapp, the routine that works is the routine you’ll actually do.

I have this documented on my calendar (and in an early forum post):  after 7 days of brushing, the crepe-y skin in my cleavage was smooth and tight.  Wow.  Sold!

Fortunately perfection is not required to get results with T-Tapp.  I now know that my form was pretty rotten in the early months of T-Tapp.   Check me out in the audience of TWO Super Slow or Critter Crunch (halfway through my size loss, at the 2007 retreat, wearing pink).  Lots of extra water breaks, only one set of Hoe Downs, collapsed core, you name it.  I sat down on the steps and cried like a baby halfway through the first workout of the retreat–really–probably because nobody wrings the lymph and toxins outta ya like Teresa Tapp. I cried again at the end of the retreat when it was time for “ta-da photos” because I was so worried that my tummy would look bad in the photo.  But the point is that I kept learning and getting stronger and staying consistent and learning some more.  Notice that being perfect (in form or schedule) is not on that list.

Progression, yes.  Perfection, no.

I had an interesting experience at one point in my T-Tapp journey.  I had an “area of concern” which is Teresa’s nice way of saying “area of flab and bumps I don’t like.”  In this case it was upper arms and I was determined to make some progress because inch loss was s-l-o-w in that spot.  I was wearing a size 10 and thought I was at my goal so I had been happily shopping and buying my new wardrobe.

Enter Tempo Arms bootcamp.  Remember–I like short, rare bootcamps.  I did Tempo Arms for five days straight and then continued doing it 1-2x week for about a month, plus other mostly short workouts.  We’re talking 30 minutes, folks.  My body tends to show results from a bootcamp or harder effort 2-3 weeks down the road, not immediately after.  Imagine my surprise when the 10′s started hanging on me.  I bought a pair of size 8 pants and they fit.  For about a month.  I sort of blew past the 8′s and got into 6′s and even some 4′s.  I was absolutely surprised.  Tempo ARMS?!

Muscle activation and leverage isometrics, baby.  Holding that T-Tapp stance while working the upper body is powerful.  Consistency is powerful.  T-Tapp is powerful.  I had spent the year before doing consistent T-Tapp and it had worked its magic internally, which translated into external transformation.  My body is still changing and reshaping–25 years of obesity isn’t going to completely rehabilitate in 3 years, especially at age 50.  But hey, it’s a start.