Category Winner
Average to Lose Category

Martha S.

I began doing T-Tapp in January 2004 after seeing Teresa in person and hearing her speak without notes for over an hour the summer before.  The local Nikken representatives had brought her to town and it was open to the public.  She was fascinating.  I had some knowledge of nutrition and exercise physiology, and what she said made sense to me.  I did not buy any tapes that night, even though I was tempted – I've done that before with other things and regretted it, so I decided to think about it first.  When I received her 16 page newsletter in December and read all the fascinating information there and on the website I decided to give it a go and ordered the Beginner/Rehab tape.  I was very impressed with the mind/body connection, the neurokinetics, and the goal of long, lean muscles, a strong core, and a general rehabilitative approach to fitness. I ordered T-Tapp to Tempo within a few weeks.  It is my favorite tape to this day.  I have not had phenomenal physical changes before this contest, but I felt good and practically eliminated my need for my chiropractor.  I decided to go to Safety Harbor last fall and had a wonderful experience.  I loved everything about it and lost 5 inches too!  I had thought I was doing everything right form-wise. It's always surprising to find out what you were doing wrong!

I somehow let things slide after Safety Harbor, and I backtracked this winter.  I knew this contest was coming up and decided to enter. I am very glad it was for three months.  I had gotten out of the habit of taking the time to do my T-Tapp routine and things had gotten out of hand.  I ruthlessly tried on all the "marginal" clothes in my closet and removed everything that did not fit well and put them in another closet for the time being.   I wanted to do the contest anyway, go the entire three months, and finish just to see what would happen. I decided to enter the Average to Lose category, which would give me the most flexibility in what tapes I used since I owned a wide variety and might as well not limit myself.  Life with its joys, heartaches, and celebrations will all fall within a three month period, and so it did.  There were dinners out, our anniversary weekend away, supper club, a pulled muscle, a summer cold, deadlines, playtime with our grandkids, family gatherings, weddings, you name it. And I did it all!
 
I started out keeping a written journal, and abandoned that after a couple of days.  I set everything up on graph paper.  I liked this method so well that I'm planning to continue to do it.  I put everything on it so I could see at a glance where I stood.  I had lines for a daily workout where I would write the abbreviation for which one I did, water intake in 22 oz. increments (my favorite water glass size), vitamins & alfalfa, brushing, miles walked or SATI or SITTM, tennis (clinic, match or game), PBS, extra hoedowns, etc.  I added lines for Awesome Legs and Diva Derriere in the third month. It was a simple, effective way of keeping track, and I would start a new sheet each month.  At each checkpoint, in addition to sending in pictures and measurements to Kitty, I evaluated my progress and made notes to myself as to what I should change or try to do and wrote that at the bottom of my graph paper.

Another thing I did that was a tremendous help was to put my video tapes on audio.  I don't have to rely on access to a TV screen.  I can do the workout in my bedroom with two mirrors to check my form. If we lose power for a week like we did last summer, I can use batteries in my little tape recorder.  I do my workout to the tape still and find it very helpful.

I pulled a muscle fairly early in the contest which was very discouraging.  It was in my back, and I did it while doing T-Tapp Twist wrong – do not use centrifugal force!!  But I was able to do BWO+ most days, and it healed within 9 days.  I also got sick in May, which is rare for me – not bedridden sick, but swollen glands, summer cold sick.  I was still determined to see this through.  I was not going to quit.  The wonderful thing is I still lost almost an inch in spite of it all.   I was pleasantly surprised!

T-Tapp to Tempo and Basic Workout Plus were what I did the most.  Perhaps because I'm a Combo with short torso tendencies I do well with a comprehensive workout.  When I was in a time crunch or wasn't feeling up to par I did BWO+.  I did Tempo Lower Body once and Tempo Torso once just to see if I should incorporate those into my routine.  T-Tapp to Tempo is still my all time favorite.  It is always challenging. I did T-Tapp to Tempo 25 times and BWO+ 32 times.  I do not wear a pedometer, but I like to walk.  Over the course of the contest I walked 64 miles.  Getting my mileage up was one of my continual goals.  I added Awesome Legs and Diva Derriere the last month or so, and did those two moves 16 times.  I also had an afternoon clinic with Kirsten and Cheryl in May. I had 31 off days. Another thing that I have really tried to do the past few weeks was to concentrate on excellent posture, engaging my lats, and tucking my butt while going about my day.  I think just doing that has really helped me get rid of my back fat and my hip pads.

I am thrilled with my results. I lost a total of 21.375 inches! While weight is not of primary importance, and I no longer weigh myself every day like I did for years, I did lose 11 pounds.  I bought one pair of capri pants and one pair of khakis in the next size up to tide me over until I was back in my normal size. Now I have brought all my snug spring and summer clothes back into my closet, and they are very comfortable.  I will be 55 in a few weeks, and I find that my goals are different now.  I want to look good, of course, but other things are more important. I want to have the energy to chase and play with our grandkids and have them spend the night, the stamina to enjoy sports and good, hard work.  I want to be able to walk when we travel to explore a city and not have to rely on taxis.  I want to maintain the mental clarity to enjoy my friends and family and the world around me.  I am convinced that T-Tapp will not only keep my body strong and fit, but that it will be a powerful tool to fight Alzheimer's and dementia. I have the utmost respect for and gratitude to Teresa Tapp.