befabulo.us/t-tapper

Goals, or 5 Mar 08 Workout Report

I am cranking away on my 3-a-week T-Tapp commitment.  Haven't screwed up yet!  If I can just keep this up, who knows what kind of results I might get.  Might be AWESOME.

I've further clarified my goals for my exercise commitment for the Take Yourself Seriously Challenge.  T-Tapp three times a week is the basic goal, and if all I manage is three 15-minute workouts, so be it, that's fine.  But ideally, this is what I'll do each week:

• At least one Total Workout (which, in my world, usually means Tempo)
• At least one workout that includes floor work
• One workout that's just Ladies' Choice, whatever I feel like doing that day

Today I took the Ladies' Choice option.  I was grumpy, I've been grumpy all day, mostly because I didn't sleep well.  (I was trying to be extra efficient, and I'd started a crock-pot full of barbecued turkey, leaving it to cook all night.  But for some reason kitchen smells are very strong in my bedroom, and the scent of the turkey kept me awake.  Ridiculous.)   So today I decided to do the most fast-paced, sweat-dripping workout I own: Mini-Max 3.

The Mini-Max workouts are out of print, replaced by the Tempo series, but I'm still fond of the few Mini-Maxes I bought on my first go-round with T-Tapp.  Yes, they move fast -- the exercises are done at much faster clip than on Tempo videos -- but sometimes I WANT fast.  Mini-Max 3 gets in what I consider to be the "greatest hits" of the Total Workout, all the most important moves, in a mere 24 minutes.  Lemme see if I can remember... PBS, Plies, Reach Scoops and Jazz Twist, Bun Burners instead of The Box, TTT, Lunges, Balance (some of it double-time, eek!), stretching, a double dose of 10-rep TTN, Runners Stretch and Gymnastic Stretch.  There were more Bun Burners in there somewhere, too.  This isn't a workout I do all that often, because it is more difficult to hold good form when you're moving so fast, but today I felt more like a sprint than a slow jog.  I needed to burn off the crankies, and I think it worked.

This means that Friday is Floor Work Day.  I thought about doing floor work after MM3, but no.  That second set of 10-rep TTN kills me; by the second set I could swear my legs weigh 100 lbs each.  There is no way I'm going to talk myself into doing straddles after that!

3 Mar 08 Workout Report

I am quite amazed at how sore I was from Friday's workout.  All weekend long I could feel it, particularly in my inner thighs.  That is NOT a bad thing.  Who doesn't want firmer inner thighs?

The best cure for soreness, if you ask me, is to just keep moving.  So at 11 this morning, when I had an unusual and auspicious combination of a quiet morning at work and a miraculously undemanding stomach*, I did T-Tapp to Tempo.  (Tempo, as it's usually called for short, is the regular Total Workout but done with less instruction and interruption, so it gets the same workout done in about 15 minutes less time.)

I've done this video so many times, I didn't come up with any new revelation to share with you.  My only thought was, "man, I need to get that new Tempo disc ASAP."  The version I have of Tempo is the old one (from 2000, maybe?) on VHS, because it's a relic of those long-ago days when T-Tapp workouts were only available on VHS.  And because I've done it so many times, the tape is actually wearing out.  I noticed today that there are a lot of black lines flitting across the screen that are a sure sign that the tape is nearing the end of its useful life.

I have never before in my life worn out a workout video.  I'm feeling oddly proud of this accomplishment.

The new DVD release of Tempo is called, I think, Tempo 2, and if I'm remembering what I've heard correctly, it contains a newly-filmed version of Tempo at the basic/rehabilitative level and Tempo Intermediate, which is the same workout but with 10 reps instead of 8.  I need it.  I need this new DVD badly.... and if I'm lucky, it won't take me seven years to wear it out.

*One of my biggest hurdles to getting workouts done is fitting them into my eating schedule.  No, really!  I don't want to do a workout too soon after eating; I'd rather wait about an hour to let my food digest.  I certainly don't want to work out if I'm hungry, either.  I have mild hypoglycemia and I get light-headed (and also EVIL) when I'm hungry.  But the window between food being digested and getting hungry again can be a very narrow one!  I lucked out today, though, and I think it's because I had some protein with my breakfast.  Gah, I KNOW all these things, but somehow putting my wisdom into practice isn't the easiest.

29 Feb 08 Workout Report

I've decided that for at least the next two months (the duration of Moxie's "Take Yourself Seriously Challenge") I'm going to post after each workout.  It'll give me some accountability, and will also serve as a record of just what I've done.  Also, quite a few of you have asked me what my workout routine is... well, now you'll have it, in classic Summer TMI fashion.

Ooh, here's another reason to post workout reports: I really like to mix n' match my T-Tapp workouts, so if I post about my wacky workout combinations, it might give you ideas for new things to try when you start getting bored.

Today's workout was a new combination for me.  I did:
PBS (on my own, meaning not with a video)
T-Tapp Broom from MORE
About 5 minutes of SATI-style stepping (on my own)
Ladybug Floor workout

Actually, I'd never done the MORE broom workout at all, so any other workout I appended to that one would automatically be a new combination.  My only exposure to T-Tapp Broom was the killer 15-hour workout Teresa put us through in Safety Harbor in October... ok, ok, it was only three hours, but it WAS a killer.  It was the only workout during the retreat that I didn't complete.  I slunk out the back toward the end, mere moments before my right shoulder would have fallen off.

Once again, I underestimated how intense I'd find a MORE workout.  In Safety Harbor, we were doing a lot of SATI stepping and other exercises with the broom, but on MORE you hold the stance with your lower body while doing arm exercises and T-Tapp Twist stretches.  My legs were shaking by the end.  It is NOT easy to hold the stance, not if you're really making an effort to keep knees bent and pushing out, big toe lifted, ribs up, butt tucked, and back pushed flat.  Just standing still in the stance is a workout, so adding the up-and-down arms with the broom had me huffing and puffing.  That, for the record, is a GOOD thing.

I hadn't intended to do the stepping in between Broom and Ladybug Floor, but my legs told me they wanted to do it.  Really helped push out any built-up lactic acid from holding the stance.  Aren't my legs clever?

I'd planned on doing Hit the Floor after Broom (I'm trying to do floor work at least once a week.  My body responds really well to T-Tapp floor work) but I decided to do LB floor instead because my hips felt a bit rusty, and LB Floor gives an amazing stretch to the hips and thighs and groin.  I feel much better after doing it.  Even if those straddles are torture!

MORE is not less.

My friend Elizabeth -- newly certified T-Tapp trainer Elizabeth -- started a Gchat with me on Friday, and during the course of our chat, we managed to convince each other to do a T-Tapp MORE workout.  Elizabeth had just gotten the new version of the MORE dvd, and I was curious to see how it compares to the MORE 4-in-1 dvd (released in 2004) I own.  She agreed to try the MORE Home segment so I could do a compare-and-contrast with the 2004 version.

Only one problem -- I've owned the disc since 2006, but I'd never actually done the MORE workout.

Let me back up a step or two, in case I'm confusing someone.  MORE is a modified version of the T-Tapp Total Workout that is designed for people with health challenges, whether that challenge be advanced age, illness, injury, pregnancy, obesity or simple out-of-shape-ity.  I bought the disc primarily for my mother to use; she's over 60 and has had knee surgery and decades of foot problems.  I thought it would be perfect for her to use for rehabilitation, and I also expected that I'd find it useful when I got pregnant again.  But then I never got pregnant, which was unlucky, but luckily I managed to avoid injury or serious illness or any other untoward happening that would make me think I needed a more rehabilitative workout.  Instead I just bought more T-Tapp DVDs, challenging workouts like Tempo Lower Body and Ladybug... and those I have used!

I tried to do the MORE workout, at least a few times I put the DVD in and hit play, but I never made it more than a minute or two.  I'd heard people say that MORE is "like a clinic in a box," but I lacked the patience to really give it a try.  It's odd -- when I'm at a clinic, I don't mind how slow it is, but when I'm working out at home I just want to get through the workout as efficiently as possible.  Also, on the 4-in-1 disc, the instructional workout seemed to be precisely the same as the workout just labeled "workout."  It begins with Teresa saying "this section is an instructional, but don't just watch it, you need to do it."  But I don't need instruction, I thought to myself each time, I just want to do the workout!  I never made it past the first part of Primary Back Stretch.

I have done the MORE workout at clinics, several times, I'd just never done the DVD.  I thought it'd be too easy for me. 

Why don't I ever learn?  I worked through the MORE workout on Friday, and it was hard!  I should know better by now.  Other workout programs increase the intensity with external factors.  You do more repetitions, or go faster, or add more weight.  With T-Tapp, the intensity comes from within.  To increase the difficulty of the workout, you don't need to add reps, you just hold your muscles even tighter tighter tighter! and push your form until your body is as close to perfectly aligned as possible.  The exercises in MORE have only four reps, compared to the eight that's standard in most other T-Tapp workouts, but that doesn't mean it's half as hard.  Hardly.  Four reps, done slowly and while holding the form, is just as hard or even harder than doing eight.  I tried to challenge myself, and it was indeed a challenge.

The MORE workout I did was about 40 minutes long, and consisted of modified versions of all the exercises in Basic Workout Plus (PBS, Plies, Reach Scoops, Jazz Twist, The Box, Oil Wells, T-Tapp Twist, Hoe Downs) with lunges and balance added.  Once I accepted the fact that the workout was going to be slow-paced and have lots of water breaks, I threw myself into it, listening to the form instruction and working carefully.  That "clinic in a box" claim is for real!  With the way the moves were broken down, I was able to focus on little aspects of them that had eluded me for years.   I got a much better sense of what the spinal stretch on Jazz Twist should feel like.  I finally understood just how aggressive I can be about pulling up and holding in my abdominal organs during the Box.  On T-Tapp Twist, with the bending down part eliminated, I was able to concentrate on holding the stance in my lower body while my upper body twists.  It was educational... and it left me pleasantly sore!

Of course, now that I've finally done the MORE dvd I've owned for years, I immediately want to buy the new one. The new one has a newly filmed segment called "Home," and according to Elizabeth it's the same workout I've just described, but done with less instruction but plenty of form reminders.  It's called "Home" because it was filmed in Teresa's home, and it features Teresa alone.  I think this new version will be even better for me and my mom.  She didn't use the MORE workout as often as she could because she was depressed by the very heavy women working out behind Teresa.  Many people find it encouraging to see heavy people on a workout video, but my mom is very sensitive about issues of weight, and the women on the video made her feel as if she was the same size, even though she's still shopping in the Misses section and not Womens.  For me, it'll be nice to have the workout done a little bit faster. 

There's definitely more MORE in my future.

Skin Brushing: Just Do It

In my first go-round with T-Tapp, I didn't do the CRT skin brushing.  I bought the CRT package as a gift for my mom, and I watched the how-to video, but just never bothered to do it.  Why?  Just lazy, I guess.  But when I came back to T-Tapping after having had a baby, I had extra motivation to skin brush... extra cellulite left over from the 35 pounds I'd gained, loose skin on my belly, stretch marks galore.  If such a simple, quick, inexpensive technique could make a difference, if there was even a chance it could make a difference, it'd be worth a try, right?

Right.  So, so right.  Consistent skin brushing has made a world of difference.  It's delivered on all the promises, and I think it's a big reason why I won in the Less to Lose category of the 2007 60-Day Challenge.  That's what Teresa told me, that she'd been impressed at how much tighter and firmer my skin looked in the final set of photos.  (The link above shows one set of before and after photos, and also has my essay explaining how little I'd actually worked out during that period.) 

Like everything else, consistency is the key to success with skin brushing.  You just have to do it.  Aim to do it every day.  If you're prepping for a big event -- a beach trip, or perhaps a wedding or gala when you'll need to wear a strapless dress -- you can brush twice a day.  It's not hard, it doesn't take long, and it actually (I think) feels good.

But it's hard, I know, to start any kind of healthy habit and keep it going.  We've all got reasons to resist change, so let me tell you some of the ways I've fought my way around my reluctance to get into the brushing habit.

Excuse: I don't have time.
The whole CRT brushing routine takes about three minutes.  Is having a smooth rear view worth three minutes a day?  I think so!  Find a time when it's convenient to fit it into your schedule, and remember, you don't HAVE to do it right before a shower.  Brushing doesn't make you dirty, in my opinion.  I feel like it leaves my skin clean.  It's good to brush after doing PBS or doing a workout, but again, you don't HAVE to... brushing at any time of day is better than not brushing at all.

Excuse: I'm too tired.
I used to brush my skin right before getting into bed, but I realized that I was skipping it more often than not because I was tired and too eager to just get into bed.  Maybe brushing before bed would be a good time for you, but for me, it was just one step too many in my bedtime routine.  I find that I'm much more consistent if I make brushing part of my "getting ready in the morning" routine.  I brush before getting dressed, and because NOT getting dressed isn't really an option on workdays, I get it done.

Excuse: It's too cold.
Teresa might not have this problem in balmy Florida, but in my less-tropical clime, and in my drafty old house, I DO.  With the thermostat set at 62 degrees, even three minutes of standing around naked is two and a half minutes too many.  I've just given myself goosebumps just THINKING about it.  Brrr.  I've solved the problem with my yet-to-be-patented Bathrobe Trick.  You can do it too, I know you can, because if you live somewhere with actual winter I know you already have the crucial ingredient: a thick, warm bathrobe.  Here's what to do: start out wearing nothing but your bathrobe and slippers.  Make sure the bathrobe belt is tied firmly around your waist.  Now pull one arm out of the sleeve and brush it, baring the breast when necessary.  Re-sheathe your arm and do the other side.  For the rest of the body, I find I can brush my legs without untying the robe, so I only have to totally open the robe to brush my belly and butt.  To keep my feet warm, I generally keep my slippers on, and only pull my feet out of the slippers when I need to brush them, and I always make sure to do my brushing standing on a bathmat or rug because my hardwood and tile floors are COLD.

Excuse: It's boring.
I've got a rather low boredom threshold, and so I find even three minutes without entertainment or distraction to be a chore.   At least while I'm doing my workout I have Teresa to watch, myself to check out in the mirror, and I really need to focus on what my body's doing.  Brushing doesn't require that kind of focus, in my opinion, so feel free to avail yourself of entertainment while you're brushing.  Watch TV while you brush.  Call a friend and talk to her on speakerphone.  Turn on the radio and sing.  Personally, I like to read magazines while I brush.  I just open a magazine on the bathroom counter so I can distract myself with the sweet, sweet written word.  I'd read books while I brush, but they're harder to keep open without using one's hands, so instead I use my three minutes every morning to keep up with the new spring fashions.  (Which are dreadful.  Big bows on dresses?  Are you KIDDING me?  But that's a topic for another day.)

Excuse: It can't possibly work for me.
You're right.  It can't possibly work if you don't try it.  If you've got a CRT brush that's collecting dust, break it out and use it.  If you don't have one yet, go to the T-Tapp webstore and treat yourself to either the full CRT set or the bargain option, the skin brush with written instructions.  The brush and instructions set is only $15, and in my opinion, it's worth so much more than that.  We've got three months until shorts season (that is, for those of us not lucky enough to live in Florida or Southern California) and four months until the swimming pools open.  That's enough time to make a real difference.  That's enough time to make this your most confident summer ever.

Beating boredom

I am shamelessly stealing blog entry ideas from other peoples' blogs.  Do I feel bad about it?  No!  (See also: "shameless.")  Over on Ask Moxie today, Moxie asked for her readers to submit their T-Tapp stories, and one commenter mentioned that she struggles with boredom.  "Doing any one workout over an extended period of time would be I guess," writes Thy, but there's probably more to it than that.  T-Tapp doesn't use any of the distracting gimmicks that you'll find on other workout videos -- there's no music, no flashy backdrops or fancy camerawork, no hunky guys sweating shirtless in the background.  It's a mind-body workout; you need to focus on what is happening in your body, so the fewer the distractions the better.  But I'll admit, I've struggled with boredom myself.  It's not so bad when I'm actually DOING the workout, but it's sometimes hard to work up the motivation to press "play" on a DVD I could quote verbatim.  So what to do?

The obvious solution is to order more T-Tapp workouts, so you can vary your routine.  Most of the workouts aren't available in the webstore; you need to call the office to order, so they can verify that you already own the instructionals.  (The number is 1-800-342-0717... and don't forget to mention befabulo.us!)  I own a stack of workouts -- as soon as I can find the time, I intend to start posting reviews of the various workouts I own, as well as some of the new ones that are just being released -- and it does help a lot to be able to stare at my collection and wonder whether I feel like doing Tempo Torso or the Ladybug workout or Basic Workout Plus followed by Hit the Floor.  (I realize that this is the same type of manipulative trick I pull on my 5 year old son.  Just as "do you want to wear your sneakers or your boots?" works to quell the "I don't wanna go out!"s, "do you want to do Ladybug or Tempo?" works on the "I don't wanna work out!"s.)  There will be longer reviews to follow, but for now, let me give you some quickie review-suggestions on workouts you might want to add to your collection...

T-Tapp to Tempo: This is the Total Workout, but done at a smooth pace and with less instruction, which brings the total time down to about 40 minutes instead of 55.  The one I own was made in 2001, but there's a new version that's just been released that is high on my MUST OBTAIN list.

Hit the Floor: A 30 minute floor workout that targets the belly, butt, hips and thighs.  HIGHLY effective.  One of the things I love about this workout is that it intersperses hard moves and soothing stretches.  I like to do this one after Basic Workout Plus, but it can be done on its own if you do PBS first.

Ladybug Level 1:  This workout is billed as being for "Menopause Management,"  but it's a fabulous workout for people of all ages.  The workout is in two parts, first a standing workout that's similar to the Total Workout, and the second is a floor workout.  The DVD is set up so you can do either just the standing, just the floor, or both.  I love this one.  Most of the exercises are similar to those on Total Workout or Hit the Floor, but they've all been tweaked so you'll feel new and different sensations as you go through them.  Certain moves are totally new.  I did a 4 day bootcamp once with the combo Ladybug workout, which was hard, I'm not going to lie to you, but at the end I had brand-new muscle cuts on my hips.  That's not a bad thing for bikini season! Oh, and the first section of the standing workout, through Advanced Hoe Downs, can be used on its own as an alternative to Basic Workout Plus, or you could stop there and skip right to the floor segment.

(N.B.: You need to be familiar with the Total Workout before trying any other T-Tapp workouts, but then again, you probably wouldn't be bored if you weren't very familiar with it.  Also, make sure that at least one of your workouts each week is one of the standards, either Total Workout or T-Tapp to Tempo if you do long workouts, BWO+ if you do the shorter versions.)

So you could buy more workouts, but what if you're tight on cash and can't afford a new workout right now?  You could try T-Tapping with a friend.   You could try moving your exercise space if you have a portable DVD player or laptop; my friend Kate likes to T-Tapp outside by her pool.  You could try breaking the workout up into shorter chunks (my favorite place to stop, if I want to do a longer-than-BWO workout but not the full thing, is right after Thread the Needle and Runner's Stretch.)  You could try using BWO+ as a warm-up for other exercise, like walking, rebounding or whatever you like.

It's not advised that you try to beat the boredom by having a TV or radio on... but I'll admit that if I do any "extras" in the evening, a bit of floorwork or what have you, I generally do it with the TV on.  And my favorite way to stay entertained while skin-brushing is to prop a magazine open on the bathroom counter and read while I brush.

So what works for you to conquer boredom and keep your motivation up? 

Summer's First Clinic

(This is another oldie but goodie, originally written on 31 October 2006.)

My father always needs me to tell him very specifically what I want for my birthday or for Christmas, which is fine by me, and in previous years has resulted in booty such as my teensey digital camera and my beloved Dyson vacuum cleaner. This fall, when he asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I asked him to get me T-Tapp-related presents. I asked for these funky-looking Skechers sneakers, because I am vain enough to like the idea of silver metallic leather on my workout shoes, and also because the T-Tapp divas (Teresa, the trainers, the multi-year veterans) all swear that Skechers are the ultimate T-Tapp shoe. Now that I've tried them, I too am a convert. They've made a huge difference in my stance. If you're tapping, get some Skechers Sports, you won't regret it.

I also asked my dad to sign me up for a clinic, so I could spend an afternoon being taught by a certified T-Tapp Trainer. I'd never gone to a clinic. I tried to; in late 2001, I signed up for a clinic with Teresa Tapp herself, who had come to DC to host a weekend event. I was seven weeks pregnant (pregnancy #1), and I started bleeding two days before the clinic. Instead of going to the clinic I'd been so excited about, I spent the weekend, and the next several weeks, on bedrest in a futile attempt to save that baby. But! This time I'm not pregnant! So I got to go to the clinic!

On Saturday afternoon I drove up to Laurel for the clinic. It only takes about 30 minutes to get there, but I gave myself nearly an hour, which turned out to be wise. I drove past the building twice before finally finding it. I was still a little bit early, ten minutes or so, but I was surprised that I was the first student to arrive.

As it turned out, it wasn't that I was so early -- I was the ONLY student who showed up.  It was just me and the trainer, Kiona Leah, and for the next three and a half hours her eagle eye was on me. "I guess I don't need to ask you to keep a close eye on me on certain moves," I said. And no, I didn't. She gave me form corrections on every single move. She positioned me so that the mirrored wall was behind me, so she could check my form from the back as well as the front.

The biggest advantage to having Kiona all to myself was that I could call out questions to her as we worked. I didn't have to worry about interrupting the class, or disturbing someone else's concentration. We were able to spend extra time working on the moves I have trouble with; I'm now closer than ever to feeling like I "get" the T-Tapp Twist. (It's still hard, and weird. I think I need to go to another clinic.)

Kiona peppered the session with explanations of the physiology behind each move -- I'd known where the lats are, roughly, but I'd never realized just how much of the back they cover -- and with insider information about how Teresa has continued to tweak the form over the years. She was able to give me alternate explanations of some of the form reminders that Teresa gives on the videos; for instance, on the seated floor exercises like In-Outs, Teresa often says "tighten tummy", and Kiona told me that I could think "lift ribs" instead. What a difference!

And speaking of "what a difference"....

I'm a regular user of the T-Tapp forums, and I'd read with no small amount of jealousy the reports from people who'd gotten to go to the October T-Tapp retreat in Florida. After the retreat, many of the attendees posted the inch losses they'd had from just that one weekend of (many intense) workouts -- many people, even ones who'd been slim to begin with, lost ten or more inches! So I found myself wondering if I would see a measurable inch loss just from a one-day clinic. I designed my experiment: I'd measure myself first thing on Saturday morning, and then again on Monday morning, giving myself a day for muscular swelling to go down. I'd expected to see a little bit of progress, but I was shocked by the results. I lost:
0.25" in my belly,
0.5" in my hips,
0.75" and 1" in my upper thighs (whoa!),
0.25" and 0.5" in my lower thighs, and
0.5" in each calf, for a total of 4.25".

I couldn't believe it.  If I lose 4.25" in the course of a 4-day bootcamp, I consider that to be impressive progress.  For reference, over the course of the 60 day challenge this summer, I lost a total of 10.25", and that was including measurements of the bust and arms, too. 4.25" in 3.5 hours!  I LOVE T-TAPP! 

Would you like to guess if I'll be seeking out more training from Kiona?  Oh, yeah.

Do you remember that chart I made over the summer, the one that listed the number of inches I'd need to lose to get back to the size I was before I first got pregnant?  Well, as of yesterday, the number of inches I'd need to lose to regain pre-baby hotness is... 3/8".  My waist is still a bit less than half an inch larger than it was at the end of my first T-Tapp journey, but every other measurement is now SMALLER.  I'm pretty certain that I'm now a size 2 again.  Because it's Halloween, and Halloween should be scary, this morning I tried on the two pairs of leather pants I bought in September 2001, when I was a skinny T-Tapped nulipara.  Both are size 2.  The black ones, which are made of a thinner, more supple leather, zipped up and snapped without any breath-sucking, and there was only the merest hint of a muffin top above the high waist.  I wasn't brave enough to try sitting in them, but I got into them.  The purple ones, which are a jeans-cut and are made of thick heavy leather, came up over my hips but didn't come close to zipping up. The gap between the button and buttonhole was WAY more than 3/8", which leads me to believe that perhaps bits of me that I don't measure are still larger than they were five years and two pregnancies ago.  But that's okay.  I'm still proud of myself, and I'm still planning to hide a few of the dark chocolate mini-Mounds bars before they go into the trick-or-treat bowl.

So if you want my assvice, my shrinking-assvice, it's this: if you aren't T-Tapping, start.  If you are T-Tapping, go to a clinic. 

Ho Ho Hoe Downs!

The holidays are upon us.  How can I tell?  Well, besides the fact that it's December, and that my son is 1/3rd of the way through his chocolate Advent calendar, and that we've already had our first snow of the season, I can tell because the party invitations are piling high.  I was at parties both Friday and Saturday night this weekend -- not that I'm complaining -- and I'm not one to say no to drinks and cookies.  Yet I also want to remain able to fit into those tiny tuxedo pants I bought for $19 at the BCBG outlet.  Solution: T-Tapp.

But that leads me to another problem: I am busy.  Supercalifragilistic crazy monkey busy.  On top of my normal workload at home and in the office, there's all the holiday stuff (parties and errands and baking and wrapping, oh my!), and I've also got an unusually heavy load of end-of-year accounting work for our business... it all adds up to an overwhelmed Summer.  Of course, T-Tapp is a great way to de-stress and re-focus, but, but... I'm busy!

The answer hit me last night.  The solution to all my problems (well, all except the problem that my degrees in theater and media studies have not at ALL prepared me to be an accountant) is Basic Workout Plus!  I have decided that I need to do BWO+ every day between now and Christmas.  Today's the 10th, so if I go through Christmas Eve that will be 14 days.  And I'll swan off to have a Christmas Eve lobster dinner at my mother-in-law's feeling calm and looking fierce.

Fifteen minutes a day.  I can do it.  Only fifteen minutes, twenty if you count the putting on shoes and getting a glass of water and turning on the DVD player bits.  I'm worth giving myself fifteen minutes a day in the pursuit of fitness and sanity.

Anyone else want to join me?

(P.S.  Thank you to everyone who commented on the last post.  Some of the comments I'd like to reply to as full entries, but... well, parties time constraints.  I WILL answer your questions, and I think I'll make "Ask A Tapper" a regular feature, so if you have any other questions just leave me a comment or email me.)

Hello, hello.

Since you're here, why not leave me a comment?  Tell me who you are, if you're already a T-Tapper or someone considering trying it, and what your goals are. 

To answer my own questions... I'm Summer, and I'm proud to be a T-Tapper.  (My T-Tapp history is below.)  I've already met my size goals; actually I think I'm now smaller than my goal size.  I discovered this morning that I can remove my skinny jeans without unbuttoning them, which is a somewhat disconcerting sensation.  My goals now are to continue to improve my health, to get stronger, to see how much more definition I can build in my muscles, and to erase the tiny, stubborn patches of cellulite that still cling to my bottom.  My secret goal, though, is to inspire other women to take the time to care for themselves.  I happen to think T-Tapp is a great place to start.  Works for me, at least.

So who is going to leave the first comment?  No pushing and shoving, now.  We've got bandwidth enough for everyone.

How to Get Started with T-Tapp

(Originally posted on summertime, 7 November 2006.  I've updated it a bit; new information is in italics.)

Every time I write about T-Tapp, at least one person will decide that she too wants in on that action, and will email me to ask which of the bewildering number of videos and packages she should order. The short answer is: it's up to you. The long answer is: you (some of you) asked my advice on what to buy, so read on if you want to know what I think you should buy, and in what order.

Here goes.

Purchase 1:  The first thing you should buy is the book Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes by Teresa Tapp and Barbara Smalley. You can buy it online or you should be able to find it at your local bookstore, especially your local mega-bookstore. It's now out in paperback, but my advice is to make sure you get a copy with the free DVD.  Note: if you buy it from the T-Tapp webstore now, it comes with a free copy of the "Step Away the Inches" workout... it's a great deal!

Why should you buy the book first?

• You will learn WHY the workout works, and it is way, way more than just burning calories like traditional exercise.
• You will be inspired by the success stories and photos of real women.
• You'll have a resource for in-depth explanations of the form for each move.
• Free DVD will teach you two of the most important moves, Hoe Downs and Organs in Place/Half Frogs.

But most importantly, the book comes with a coupon you can mail in for 30% off your first (or next, for preexisting Tappers) order. Send in that coupon as soon as the book is legally yours.

Start doing the DVD exercises while you wait for your video order to arrive.  Make sure to measure first!

Purchase 2:  Once you've gotten an email from the T-Tapp office confirming receipt of your coupon, call the office to order either the Total Workout or the Total System. The Total Workout is normally $79.95, so it's $56 with the discount; the Total System sells for $145 or $101.50 with the discount. The difference between the two sets is that the Total System also contains the CRT Skin Tightening System, which is a body brush, supplements, and a DVD explaining the body brushing routine. If cellulite or loose skin is a problem for you, get the Total System if you can afford it, otherwise order the Total Workout and also buy the $15 set of skin brush and written brushing instructions. If your skin is already smooth and drum-tight, just the Total Workout alone will do it for you.

It's tempting to start by just ordering the 15-minute Basic Plus Workout, but I'd advise against it.  Why?

• Once you've done the Basic Plus Workout for a while, you're going to be very, very curious about the Total Workout. Everyone I know who ordered just Basic Plus to start has wound up going back to order the second part of the Instructionals and the Basic/Rehab (Total) Workout.
• That 30% off coupon is a one-time deal. Might as well make the most of the discount and order everything you're going to need for a while.

Let me take a step back and explain what you'll get in the Total Workout package. If you order the DVD set, you'll get two DVDs and a bonus DVDs. The bonus DVD is an informational seminar. On the other two DVDs, the first contains the Basic Plus 15 minute workout, and Instructional 1, which teaches you how to do the Basic Plus workout. The second DVD contains Instructional 2 and the Beginner/Rehab Workout, which is (I think) 55 minutes long. Basic Plus is the first 15 minutes of the Beginner/Rehab workout, plus Hoe Downs.

The only people who should buy something other than the Total Workout or Total System are those who have major fitness challenges. There is another workout set called T-Tapp MORE 4-in-1 that is meant for people who are either seriously overweight, of advanced age, or dealing with major illness or injury. So if you have any of those physical challenges, this is the workout for you. If your major fitness challenge is just that you haven't worked out in ages, but you don't have any of the above-listed problems, you will be fine with the Total Workout or System. MORE is also a good choice for pregnant women, and is considered by many to be a "clinic in a box" because of the way Teresa breaks down and teaches the form.  It can be a challenging workout even for advanced Tappers like me, while still being appropriate for beginning Tappers of all physical abilities.  If you don't know whether MORE or the Total Workout would be more appropriate for you, just call the office and they'll be happy to help you figure out what is best for you.  Just tell them I sent you, okay?

Once you have your videos: Watch them, all of them, before attempting to follow along. Start by doing Instructional 1, which only takes about 20 minutes, and do Instructional 1 on its own several times (five or so) before going on. You may either do Instructional 1 every day or every other day, just listen to your body. After that, you have a choice: you may either start doing the Basic Plus 15 minute workout daily or every other day, or you may start learning Instructional 2. Instructional 2 may be done on its own or after Instructional 1. When you've done each Instructional at least 5 times, you can move on to doing the Beginner/Rehab workout.

At some point in this process you will want to do your first bootcamp. A bootcamp is doing either both instructionals back to back or the Beginner/Rehab workout every day for 4-14 days. Do NOT go longer than 14 days without a day off, EVER. For most people, 4 to 7 days is ideal. I personally have never done more than 7 days in a row. After your bootcamp, take one or two days off, then start doing an every other day or 3 workout a week schedule.

Other stuff you'll want or need: 
You will NEED the following:

• A good pair of crosstrainers. The consensus is that the Skechers Energy series are the best. Now that I own them, I agree. (I now wear Nike Frees, but they aren't appropriate for beginning Tappers, as they'd challenge your balance too much.  Start with Skechers.) No matter what shoes you have, make sure they have very good support through the sides and top of the feet, and replace them after 6-12 months of use.
• A means to play and view your DVDs or videotapes.
• Water.
• A soft tailor-style measuring tape and a notebook or something in which to record your measurements.
• About 5 square feet of space, though more is always better.
• If you wear glasses, you'll need a strap or headband or something to hold them on your head when you bend over.

You may want the following:

• A full-length mirror in which to observe yourself.  This is highly recommended but not always feasible.
• A yoga ("sticky") mat, especially if you are working out on a slick uncarpeted floor. I find that my feet slide on lunges, even on carpet, unless I use a mat. If you get other workouts that include floor work (Hit the Floor, Ladybugs Workout, Tempo Lower Body) you will definitely need a mat. I actually use two. My butt is a delicate flower.
• Yoga blocks or similar props for the runners stretch (on Inst. 2) if you know you're not very flexible.
• To attend a clinic or meet with a trainer for private training. I got along fine without training for a very long time, but now that I've had training, I am totally hooked.* If you can swing it logistically and financially, it's worth it.
• A means to keep your kids out from underfoot. They are distracting, and my boy has had a few smacks in the head when he's gotten in the way of my moving body.

You will NOT need:

• A sports bra.  Your regular one will do fine.  There is no jumping, no bouncing.  My DDs love this about T-Tapp.
• Weights.  Trust me, you'll get cuts without 'em.
• Music or TV in the background. It's important to focus on what you're doing, and if you find yourself getting bored, that means you're not paying enough attention to what you're doing.
• Another workout video, ever, unless you're like me and become a T-Tapp junkie and want to try all the other T-Tapp workouts.

Yes, it's expensive. But when you consider that you will never outgrow this workout (even if you order other T-Tapp workouts, it's recommended to do the Beginner/Rehab workout once a week), that you'll never need to pay a gym membership again, and that you can finally stop dropping money on ever-larger pants, it's not expensive at all.

Any questions, any comments, or did I just about cover it?