Category Winner
Average to Lose with Health Improvements* Category

Gemma L.

*My health issues include insomnia, back pain, psoriasis with accompanying arthritis, extra fat/cellulite & PMS

There is an old Chinese saying that says, "when the student is ready, the teacher appears" and never has that been more apparent to me than with regards to T-Tapp! When I started T-Tapping last summer, I was really not quite daring to hope that the program would work; after all, so many times I had tried things and had them not deliver the results that were promised. I thought I didn’t have the time or the energy to change, yet here was someone telling me "less is more!" How often does THAT happen? Happily, it was all true and I am 2 sizes smaller than I was a year ago and yet not a pound lighter. So many people ask me what I have been doing, thinking I will tell them that I am on some crazy diet and exercising for hours a day...but the simple answer is "T-Tapp!"

Fast forward to April 2008 and the 60-Day Challenge is announced! I was beside myself with excitement! There is so much great energy on the boards and I have "met" so many wonderful, supportive T-Tappers - there is truly a feeling that we're all in this together. I had all sorts of great plans for how I would do the Challenge and I very nearly forgot that "less is more". I have been taking a superb online course with Michelle Barbuto and I really can't say enough about the support and knowledge that she has extended. She set up a great workout schedule for me and it was nice to have that extra support. For the first few weeks I was still thinking about how to do the "perfect" challenge and this was just plain silly thinking. Who really cares about perfection if you burn yourself out and then don't end up working out for months?! It is the progress, not perfection that is key. I was also primarily hoping to look better for an upcoming vacation. Little did I know at the outset just how much I would learn about myself and my body.

While I did not lose a large number of inches, I am pleased with how my body has become more defined and uplifted over the Challenge. I am standing a bit taller, with better posture, too. I have gone from wearing mostly 12's and sometimes 10's...to mostly 10's and sometimes 12's and I know that this shape shifting will continue as I progress in my workouts.

It is amazing to me that what I got out of the past 60 days is quite different than what I initially planned and what T-Tapp has shown me is far more important than losing a dress size. I entered in a general category so that I could use a variety of workouts. I had also planned to add walking in, but that never really happened. Midway through the challenge I was having more trouble sleeping, a general feeling of unease and being out of sorts. I began to feel anxious, although I didn't yet attribute what I was feeling to stress or anxiety - you would think that since I am a nurse, I would recognize this, but I didn't. The usual stresses of being a wife, mother and nurse were compounded by my son having issues with asthma (something new), tenants leaving, DS daycare provider closing and then my father having a major back injury and facing months of healing and rehab. It seems that stress is a part of daily life and normally I think I cope with it quite handily. When I finally recognized my feelings as being stress related, I decided to see how I could help my body help itself. I wasn’t certain if what I was feeling was hormonal, situational or what and I decided it really didn’t matter. The point was what was I going to do about it! I had quite a bit of success altering my PMS symptoms by adding in the Ladybug movement, even if I wasn’t doing the whole workout. I think it feels so good! I also started consistently using the Natural Calm and noticed a big difference in how I felt (much calmer!). I also started using the Better Body Basics Alfalfa and began enjoying its anti-inflammatory benefits - plus the skin on my face is looking more youthful, too. When I was feeling particularly tense, I would do PBS and really focusing on the breathing. If I had a lot of nervous energy, Hoe Downs seemed to calm things down. I have had issues with emotional eating and I am so proud of myself for not diving head long into pints of Haagen Daz! I am equally proud that I did not give up on myself during this challenge when the bumps in life’s road showed up. I am really amazed at how the skin brushing has improved my psoriasis (which I have dealt with for more than 20 years) without the use of topical steroids or other prescription medications. I really didn’t think that it could make a difference, but obviously the “magic” of T-Tapp’s anti-inflammatory properties worked for me!

I would love to be a winner in the 60-Day Challenge and attend the Safety Harbor Retreat! This would allow me the opportunity to strengthen my T-Tapp practice and meet some of the fantastic people involved with this program! Actually, I can honestly say that everyone I have had contact with in the T-Tapp organization has been top drawer, whether on the telephone, in the forums, via online classes or at a clinic. It would be wonderful to meet in person some of the wonderful people who are so familiar to me online - to be inspired by them and perhaps inspire someone else, too.

Thank you, Teresa, for giving me the knowledge and the tools to allow me to help my body help itself.