T-Tapp Retreat at the Belleview Biltmore Resort
By Cheryl Shakespeare

Teresa's lecture went late into the evening as we asked her advice on how to customize the T-Tapp program with out fitness and eating regimens. Teresa included beauty advice and tips, and even demonstrated how the models do the "cat walk". Here are just a few miscellaneous tips Teresa gave. Start each day with 8 to 12 oz. of water mixed with juice of one lemon or one tablespoon of lemon juice concentrate (do not sweeten!) This unsweetened "lemon-aid" not only helps detox your body, it will also boost your body's fat burning capacity. For super fat burning, eat grapefruit (don't sweeten) or use a drop of grapefruit essential oil in 32 oz. of water. Many of us used this tip throughout the retreat! Want to help stimulate your metabolism naturally? Start the day with a cup of green tea (no sweetener) and take one capsule of kelp in the morning. Green tea is a natural stimulant and it has a lot of additional health benefits.

Grapefruit - every a.m., at least 3 sections (not juice - you need the fresh fruit) and no sweeteners on it (not even artificial). Romaine lettuce - at least 3 leaves a day. I love those triple washed romaine hearts that come in a bag. Cherry or grape tomatoes - 3-5 daily. These small tomatoes are so convenient. Otherwise I consume 1/2 large tomatoes a day. Carrots - 2 daily - preferably with green tops still attached so you know that they are fresh and full of nutrients! Almonds - 7-10 raw (not roasted) daily Red Bell Peppers - 3 "strips" a day. Usually one will last for 3 days. Parsley - one fresh small bunch per week Eggs - 2 per week Tofu - 1 box Mori-Nu per week; 2 Boca burgers per week Brown Rice and Wild Rice - 2 cups per week

Day 4 Sunday, March 12, 2000

We completed the last of our five workouts early on Sunday morning. All of the workouts during the retreat were approximately 75-90 minutes long. Another important component in any exercise program is stretching. Teresa incorporates stretching throughout her routine. She says "that we can prevent many of the symptoms of aging such as stiffness, bone and joint aches, and curved spine by adding stretch and flexibility exercises." She suggests her T-Tapp Primary Back Stretch which will increase spinal flexibility, metabolic rate, circulatory system and lymphatic function. Teresa also recommends the Gymnastic stretch which will slim the inner thighs and increase hip flexibility. After our workout came the highlight of the weekend. We were whisked to the studio to have our photos taken by a fashion photographer. Prior to photos, we had our hair and make-up done by a make-up artist. They did a wonderful job of making everyone look and feel their best! They were using a digital camera so that we were able to see our photographs immediately. It really is harder than it looks to do modeling for professional photos. You have to twist and contort your body while posing. Teresa stated that "this is one of the reasons why I included a lot of twisting moves in my programs to prepare the models for their photo shoots." These twisting or torque techniques also have another function. As Teresa explains, "the clincher to ultimate inch loss is achieved by using "isolation/spinal torque" technique. I purposely isolated different areas of the body while doing specific muscle movement sequences to strengthen muscle attachments to bone. This creates muscle density with "girdle" effect - to better hold organs "in" or body parts "up" against gravitational pull." This is also why the T-Tapp program is so rehabilitative and has the capability to correct anatomical misalignment of soft tissue and skeletal that result from natural aging or from injury. Isolation/Torque principles used in the T- Tapp Workout not only help prevent knee and hip injuries, they also help maintain and build bone density.