Vicki Drobnis Dickson, TN Certified T-Tapp Trainer vickid@t-tapp.com Fitness was not important to me as I was growing up. I've never been the athletic type. In school I did everything possible to avoid PE class. The most exercise I ever got as a child was to ride my bike. I was never a thin child and always had a little bit of extra weight on me. I tried every diet there was. Exercise was never really a part of my weight management plan until my twenties. While in my twenties, I tried jazzercise, step-aerobics, and sweating to the oldies to lose weight. I never stuck with anything for long, mostly because I had a tendency to overdo it and then was too sore to workout. After two pregnancies, I was a size 20+ and miserable. After the birth of my second child, I cleaned up my diet, focusing on lean meats and veggies. That helped me lose some weight. But my muscle tone was flabby. I soon discovered aerobic weight-training and slimmed down to a size 12. That lasted until my knees could no longer take the pounding and stress. Walking seemed to keep the weight off for a while, but as I headed into my late thirties, the weight started to creep back on no matter what I ate. I began looking for something else. I discovered T-Tapp through an online forum. I was intrigued by the workout, and I loved the “Try Before You Buy” section. I was impressed that one could try the exercises before committing to buy the videos. The results were amazing. My muscle tone began to come back! I was hooked and ordered the DVDs in April 2004. In a matter of about 4 weeks, I lost 2-3 sizes (a 16/18 to a 12) with the Basic Workout Plus and eating clean. I was ecstatic! I loved that I could do T-Tapp anywhere and didn't need any special equipment. My headaches disappeared. I stood taller with improved posture, regulated blood sugar and blood pressure, and made fitness a part of my life. How great it would be to share this amazing workout with others! In 2006 I finished my training as a personal fitness trainer and became a certified T-Tapp Trainer in 2007. Even knowing all I knew about T-Tapp, I slacked off from the workout. I decided to diversify my training services and become certified in other forms of exercise. It seemed to make good business sense. Even though I was exercising five or more times a week (non-T-Tapp), I began gaining weight again. In late 2008, I reached my heaviest weight ever. I don’t know how much that was as I refused to get on the scales. All I knew was that I looked and felt horrible. Then in early 2009, I tore my right rotator cuff doing one of those “other” exercises. And that was the end of other forms of exercise – doctor’s orders. All I did for three months was some walking and doctor-ordered physical therapy. However, three months of physical therapy didn't heal the rotator cuff. As the pain increased instead of decreased, I feared I was facing shoulder surgery. Luckily, an MRI showed that the tear didn't need surgery to be repaired, so the doctor just told me to keep up the physical therapy. Well, I knew that wasn't working, so I turned to T-Tapp. After asking Lauren in the office to send me the modifications for rotator cuff issues, I began the journey to rehab my body using T-Tapp MORE with the rotator cuff modifications. Within two months, I had range of motion in my shoulder again. I could lift my arm without pain and could actually reach for overhead items again. The weight I had gained started coming off with the T-Tapp and small nutritionally-balanced meals every two to three hours. It turns out that my blood sugar had been causing inflammation in my body which the smaller, more frequent meals reduced. A new exercise studio opened in my area, and I began to teach weekly T-Tapp classes. Helping others really focus on alignment and activating the muscles while T-Tapping made me a better trainer and a better T-Tapper. The inches melted away, and my strength improved dramatically. I began to feel and look better than I had in YEARS! Since T-Tapp MORE had helped me so much, I decided to learn as much as I could and certify for it. In October 2009, that dream came true as I was certified to teach MORE with many of my T-Tapp trainers and friends in my certification class! I now have the energy to participate in other physical activities such as biking, scuba diving, and surfing. I can’t imagine my life without this wonderful fitness program. T-Tapp has made my life better in ways too numerous to count! Exercise is essential to having a healthy body. As a certified T-Tapp Trainer I will assist you in becoming fit and healthy without weights or special equipment.