Category Winner
Average to Lose with Health Improvements* Category

Madelyn S.

* Health issues:

* Shoulder/scapular muscle injury (1994) resulting in chronic neck and back pain and recurrent misalignment of upper spine that I experience as frequent tightness ranging from discomfort to pain and limited range of motion. Injury is aggravated by most traditional exercises, a poor sleeping position, driving for long periods of time, etc.; treated at time with ultrasound, no lasting relief. Further treatments include: osteopathic manipulation, acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation, deep muscle massage.
* Chronic plantar faciits (since 1998) due to high, weak arches, a history of running, carrying too much weight after pregnancies; treated with rest and orthotics
* Large right toe fracture (1998) resulting in limited range of motion and inability to arch right foot completely; treated with physical therapy at time, which never restored range of motion
* Multiple ankle injuries (1996-1999); treated with thorough round of physical therapy, still have trouble rolling ankles
* Coccyx injury from in-line skating fall (2001), resulting in extreme tightness of right hip, recurring misalignment of lower spine; no treatment possible, recurring discomfort when sitting, shifting of coccyx after sitting for a long time, unable to sit for more than 30 min in 2nd and 3rd trimesters of last two pregnancies.

"Journey" applies to my experience of the '08 Challenge in more ways than one. For almost all of the challenge, my three boys and I traveled in Europe, visiting family. Sounds idyllic and posh, right? Hardly!!! We lived the gypsy life, changing location every five days, living out of our bags and the guest-rooms of long-suffering relatives! Additionally, I often played nanny to five additional nieces and nephews! So when did the time to T-Tapp present itself? It didn't! I had to carve it out! Only the motivation of the challenge and determination to do at least SOMETHING, one day at a time, got me through. When I scan my exercise journal, I am still astounded that "SOMETHING" was mostly just BWO+, sometimes with a few extra moves. Yet I still experienced significant inch loss.

Attempting GM/MM was like navigating a treacherous path laid with traps! Sausages, cold cuts, cheese, bread, pasta, potatoes, sauces, wine, beer...cake and coffee (with cream, of course), chocolate and sweets...eating was a catastrophe! Providing good food and nice meals are acts of hospitality throughout much of Europe, and afternoon cake and coffee has near religious significance in Germany. It is impossible to make it through these rituals without doing one's duty! Needless to say, I was really hoping Hoe Downs and PG spray could do the job, because my trip tested the limits!

Knowing these things in advance, my goal for this challenge became consistency, seeing some difference in each round of pictures, and experiencing gradual inch loss. My proof would be returning home and being able to wear more of my summer clothes, some of which I couldn't even snap or zip at the beginning of the challenge. What I didn't count on were two bouts of illness for the children lasting nearly four weeks, and a good two weeks of illness and weakness for myself at the end of the challenge! This interrupted my workout consistency, and I felt like I lost two precious weeks of challenge-progress. Even so, I saw a change in measurements and appearance from May to June.

Many times throughout the challenge, I thought, "If I see progress under these circumstances, then nearly any woman, in any job, can make time for T-Tapp and change her life, too." Career women subject to corporate dinners, airplane food, and no time to cook for themselves; working moms on the go, who cook for convenience or the tastes of their family instead of their own health; stay-at-home, home-schooling moms pulled in eight different directions at once; college students dependent upon cafeteria food and inadequate time or space to be able to shop for themselves. These weeks overseas incorporated aspects of each of these various lifestyles, and still, consistent T-Tapping was possible! (I even did Thread the Needle in the Airport, and Hoe Downs on the plane!) Although I suffer from natural human skepticism, the reality of T-Tapp has been growing on me in the few months I have been doing it. I trust the other success stories, because I am writing one of my own. T-Tapp has already changed my self-image for the better; I see gradual yet significant changes in my shape; and I know that when I do get to a place where I am ready to maintain, I will look on the outside like the woman I feel like on the inside, and she won't have to be "Barbie" anymore for me to love her!

Because of overtraining in other sports, I have a history of injuries and recurrent physical complaints, particularly in my neck and back. In the course of this challenge, I have been relieved of the "normal" discomfort I am used to living with that previously limited my range of motion and therefore my activities. Normally, extended travel, carrying heavy bags, sleeping on different mattresses, carrying tired children would have wreaked havoc on my body. I did have one bout of tightness in the neck and back, but this only occurred after being sick for two weeks and therefore not T-Tapping. A heating pad for several nights and one session of BWO+ resolved the issue. Within 4 days, I had relaxed muscles and a return of complete range of motion. Previously, I would have been in ever-increasing pain, which would only have been relieved by a visit to a Osteopath or a Chiropractor. I have never been as free of muscular-skeletal complaints as I have since starting T-Tapp.

This challenge really tested what T-Tapp can do, in terms of working in the midst of decadent eating habits, minimal time, no dedicated personal space, travel stress, home-life responsibilities, caring for sick children and being ill myself, as well as the demands and limitations of being a guest at the mercy of other people's schedules! However, with consistent T-Tapp, CRT supplements and occasional brushing, my form changed, I lost inches, and I went from a size 10 at the beginning of the challenge to a 6/8, and I am still going down. Furthermore, I became a T-Tapp missionary, with three out of four sisters-in-law interested in my progress and requesting the DVDs.

Participating in the challenge jump-started my T-Tapp experience, provided motivation and an opportunity to practice consistency. It gave me the concrete, personal results I needed to become a confirmed T-Tapper for life. Being a finalist would be an honor, and would further validate my experience of T-Tapp working under a variety of challenging circumstances. It would also be a treat to experience a little of the spa-style pampering I unfortunately didn't get to experience in Europe! :-) The very best part of being chosen to be at Safety Harbor this fall would be Tapping with Masters, especially Teresa, and meeting the other lovely ladies from the Forum whose fellowship and support kept me going while away from home!