How many children do you have and what are the ages?
My incredible husband, Jason, and I have five children. Jason, Jr. (who passed away July 19th, 2005) would have been 12 this September, Emma, 7, John David, 5, Audra, 2, and Garrett, 3 months. All delivered by C-Section.

How did you find out about T-Tapp?
I found out about T-Tapp while watching a local evening newscast in Cincinnati, OH, in the spring of 2002. It featured a woman who dropped 6 dress sizes in a relatively short amount of time. (I had been quite involved with sports and exercise most of my life and I was a svelte 128 lbs at 5' 9" prior to getting pregnant with my first child. My history of weight gain up to this pregnancy was 75, 65, 35, and 35 lbs respectively. Having lost most of my pregnancy weight after my first, then just some of the weight after my second, I found myself one year postpartum with John David (#3) and not having lost any of my 185 lbs.) I watched as Teresa did half-frogs, (such a flattering move for them to highlight, LOL,) and was interested as I saw a move I had never seen before. Having tried so many workouts in the struggle to regain the pre-children body I once had, I was up for trying something, anything, new and different.

How long have you been T-Tapping?
I have been T-Tapping on and off for 4 years. I must say I wish that I had NEVER taken time off from T-Tapp. My success with T-Tapp was so great that it escapes me as to why I didn't stay totally involved with it as a part of my daily life. Getting back on the forum back in February of this year (2006) I was reminded of how great the women on the forum are, and once I started Tapping again, of how much I really love the workout.

Why did you choose to start T-Tapping?
I was yearning for something new and interesting to kick-start my physical fitness and motivate me again. When I called the office early one morning to ask questions about the workout, (remember this was a few years ago) Teresa actually answered the phone. I was so impressed with her and the time she took with me to answer all of my questions that I was determined to give it a real try.

Which are your favorite moves from T-Tapp?
This is an interesting question...I have a love/"hate" relationship with many of the moves in T-Tapp. I love what T-Tapp Twist (TTT) does for my torso, yet dislike how intense it is when done with great form. I love what Lunges and the Balance Sequence do for my legs and hiney, but I dislike doing them as they are hard when done properly. I dislike the entire Hit the Floor workout, but it is the BEST ab workout on the planet. I actually enjoy Pretty Legs...my legs always look great doing the move, so they don't seem as painful! ;-) What it boils down to is that I dislike the moves that are the hardest for my body to do...LOL. In reality, I love the effect of T-Tapp on my body so much that I actually really love the moves I'm whining about!

Are/were you doing a specific eating program prior to finding out that you were pregnant?
I was just coming off of an intensive DIET, NOT WOE (way of eating,) given to me by a very very expensive personal trainer. (Not worth the money! T-Tapp was much more effective!) I was struggling to make this diet do-able when someone wasn't on me daily to make sure I followed it. Immediately after ending my time with the trainer, our oldest son passed away. Then, I found myself pregnant 3 weeks later. Due to my struggle to figure out how to bring other foods back into my life, the grieving period over my son and the sudden hormonal demands on my body, I reverted fairly quickly to what was easiest and fastest to do. That isn't, I might add, the healthiest way to go.

Now that I am postpartum, I am doing my best to make healthy God-Made choices amongst the other "stuff" I am eating. I am going to wait until I am at full speed with my DVDs before I commit to a totally God-Made/Man-Made WOE. Not changing eating habits until the body is fully adjusted to T-Tapping is the advice given by Teresa and the Trainers. I must admit...I am an all or nothing kind of girl, so this one-thing-at-a-time process, or moving more slowly to reach my goals, is new and REALLY HARD!!! (Had a Freudian slip typo...I typed LARD instead of Hard! Haha!) But, I am trying to be gentle with myself for the first time in my life.

Are you using Teresa's Cellulite Removal Technique?
In short, yes. Again, I started back into T-Tapp around my 6th month of this last pregnancy and quickly approaching my 5th C-Section. I asked for input on the forum and from the office on how to best take advantage of my postpartum time to help this already sagging belly of mine recover as best as possible (so I could avoid a partial tummy tuck later.) The AWESOME trainers here, and then Mother Teresa herself, gave my some great things to try when recovering from this surgery. I ordered plenty of alfalfa and started taking it during my 7th month. I also started brushing again and have continued both until now. I love how it feels as though my lymph nods are draining while I brush. Kind of weird, but cool. I love it!

Did you do any other kinds of activities with this pregnancy such as walking, aerobics, etc.?
I was going to the gym through month 4 when I really started to get uncomfortable with some of the moves I was doing. I did walk on the treadmill, but decided it wasn't worth the effort of getting to the gym just to do the slow boring walk I had to do to keep my heart rate from getting too high.

Are any other Better Body Basic product that you used during your pregnancy?
I have been applying the BBB sea salt to my flapping skin (ugh!) and really like seeing it tighten in conjunction with the brushing and alfalfa. After my section, I applied the BBB Lavender oil to my scare to help it heal.

What other health benefits have you had while doing T-Tapp (less edema, less PMS crazies, reduction of knee pain, control of depression, etc)?
I have been known to swell immensely toward the end of my pregnancies. I saw almost no swelling at the end of this one and had NO back pain! It was great!

Were there any specific T-Tapp moves you used while pregnant or in labor to increase your comfort level?
The primary back stretch (PBS) was something I committed to do as a bare minimum each day to avoid the bad backaches I would normally get during pregnancy. I also made sure to go long enough with any workout I did do to get in T-Tapp Twist (TTT). TTT would realign my spine so well that the combo of the two moves completely eliminated all back pain during this pregnancy.

What modifications did you make to the Total Workout during your pregnancy, if any?
As I started T-Tapping again so late in this pregnancy, I did have to modify a few things. My biggest concern was my heart rate, therefore I chose to eliminate arms during Plies. My lack of flexibility was also a challenge. To avoid pulling any muscles that might keep me from Tapping, I "plied" less deeply and did not lunge as deeply during Lunges as I would if I had not been pregnant. I followed my comfort level doing T-Tapp Twist, not aiming back as far as I normally would and avoided Organs In Place as was recommended by Trainers and other tappers alike. Finally, I listened to my body. I would only go as far as I could while maintaining GREAT form. Once my form started to falter, I turned off the workout. If I was really tired or not feeling well, I would wait a day, or days, and try again.

How long after pregnancy did you start up again, and with what workouts?
I started Organs In Place while still in the hospital. This was my last child and I wanted this section to heal as well as possible. Believe it or not, probably due to having so many sections, it was pretty comfortable for me to accomplish OIP. (I would never have been able to do it after my first, though!) I started adding Tempo at 6 weeks PP and some Half Frogs and Advanced Hoe Downs. I could NOT finish Tempo ,by any stretch of the imagination. I was happy to get to where it was really the Basic+ workout. I just love Tempo, so that is the DVD I pop in.

What kinds of inch loss results have you had from T-Tapp?
I lost 48 inches in 6 weeks with my first experience with T-Tapp in 2002. (Yes, I have pictures to prove it! LOL)

I started up again this time because I did not want to buy bigger jeans to get me through this last pregnancy and I knew, regardless of the fact I had trued other workouts, that T-Tapp was the only one that would be successful. Even though I was averaging a 10 pound a month weight gain the last 4 months with this baby, I did NOT have to buy new jeans...thanks, Teresa! When I started Tempo/Basic+ postpartum, I was only able to do 15 minutes or so each workout for 6 workouts yet still lost 12 inches!

Being a Tempo and Hit the Floor Lover. I recently discovered Tempo for Lower Body which combines all of this long torso's favorite moves for all my trouble spots into one DVD. I have done two (TWO!) workouts with this new tape for a total of 30 minutes (15 minutes each of a 55 minute workout) and dropped one size in 3 days.

What kind of advice do you have for other pregnant women contemplating adding T-Tapp into their lifestyle?
My advice to other pregnant women deciding whether or not to try T-Tapp, is to definitely give it a try. Even if you are just a few months or weeks from delivering, as I was when I started up again. Buy Teresa's book. It is a wealth of information, that of which can be found for free on the forum, (as I and many others gathered it when we first started,) but now is all in one place. I love having it as a reference guide with the form tips and reminders about what each T-Tapp move actually accomplishes for my body inside and out. (I also gain much inspiration from the other tappers and their successes highlighted in the book.) Get plugged in on the Mommy Forum. The support, love, prayers and encouragement found there is priceless. Especially when one is a hormonal challenge to those around her. Call the office or ask a trainer on the forum any questions you may have. Both are ready and very willing to answer those questions and, as T-Tapp resources, they are invaluable.

Finally, start slowly. Learn the Instructional videos until you are doing the moves with perfect form. It is a great measure of safety, especially while pregnant, to know how to do Teresa's incredibly effective moves with the best possible form. Listen to your body. Do only what you can comfortably. Don't over do it. You can get into kickin'-your-hiney mode when you get the OK from your Dr. postpartum. Know that what you can do safely each day is enough. Even if that is sometimes nothing at all. Being smart and safe is the best way to do anything when you are pregnant. T-Tapping while pregnant is both of those...smart and safe!

Are there any other wisdom you want to share with other T-Tapp Mommies about T-Tapp and pregnancy?
I'm not sure if you can tell, but I am truly a T-Tapp fan! It is not only incredibly effective in reshaping my external body, (allowing me to attain my first desire and goal from a workout...that of a pretty body), it also reshapes my internal body in so many beneficial ways. Therefore, I am confident that I am doing the very best for my body, inside and out, all with one very effective concise workout.