60 Day Challenge Winner - Over 50 Category

Winner: Over 50 Category

Dianne Wright

Before I tell you about the last two months, I really need to tell you about how I came to find T-Tapp in the first place. My journey to this point actually started a few years ago. By the time I was in my late 40’s I knew I was slipping fast physically. I had four kids who were in their late teens, I was working full time, running with them and there was no way I was going to find time to take care of me. If I got what is known in our family as Mom’s “Sunday Soak” for an hour that was a restful weekend.

However, we had a health scare for my husband. Cancer specialists thought he had a bone cancer in his pelvic girdle and removed approximately one third of the bone mass. It turned out to be non-malignant, but has left him with a greatly weakened back, abdomen and hip area. Since then we both became very conscious that he has to be very careful to maintain as much back strength and stability as possible. I also knew that I had better start looking after myself and get rid of the extra 30+ lbs I was lugging around.

By 2001 I had lost and regained at least 20 lbs over and over again between one diet or another. I’d lose a bit, then gain it back, lose a bit then gain it back. I could never seem to get below about 130. We started a yoga program at work twice a week but I had to drop out between my travel and meeting schedule. The most successful attempt was using a program I found in Prevention magazine for cross training that had me using an elliptical rider for two and a half minutes, then doing a set of weights for one set. It took a full hour every day. That was all well and good until I damaged my left rotator cuff lugging an overloaded brief case.

In the spring of 2001 on the advice of my chiropractor I started Pilates’ classes given by a massage therapist who modified each exercise depending on our injuries. From there I went on to ordering some videotapes and doing more on my own. I dropped 22 pounds alternating yoga and pilates tapes and using a diet that was a combination of weight watchers and a much modified Atkins. Ultimately, by the spring of this year I was hovering around 135 to 136 lbs and wearing a size 12 or 14, tighter or looser, depending on the manufacturer. I couldn’t get past 135 and my goal is a size 8 or 10 and 120 lbs, which would give me a BMI of 20 and would put me back to almost the size I was at age 27, before four kids. Back then I was only 116 lbs which is likely unrealistic now.

This brings me to when and how I found T-Tapp. I was looking on the Internet for exercises for my husband’s back. Phil has been having a lot of lower back pain. That was when I found a link to Teresa’s online exercises for addressing back pain. I printed them off for Phil and then printed off the other ones for me. The appeal of eventually only needing to do this a couple of times a week, instead of every single day, of building my core strength and being able to enjoy anything that Phil and I wanted to eat or do sold me.

What have I done for the last few months? I actually started T-tapping May 1st. I spent a long time on the phone with Lauren at the T-Tapp office figuring out what workout would be the best to order and when it arrived I dove right in. I did 4 days of Instructional tape 1 and then tackled Instructional tape 2. After one week I did 14 consecutive days of Instructional 1 and 2, back to back. Then I had Phil measure me on May 23rd. I had gained 4.75 inches and I had very sore knees. That prompted a frantic phone call to Lauren and a yell for help. Which, bless her heart, she gave me. After a couple of emails and conversations and having my daughter make time to watch my form very carefully things started to slowly, ever so slowly, improve.

By the time this contest was announced I was ready for it. I knew where I wanted to get to and the contest gave me the impetus to really concentrate. I also made a very conscious decision to read the forums and down load as many form tips as I could find once I found out there was no one anywhere near Winnipeg to help. Between those and Lauren I’ve have slogged and sweated away the last two months. I only missed three days of actually not exercising at all when we had to fly down east and bring back a vehicle. Those days are shown on the schedule with a “T”.

So, here’s the schedule I’ve followed.

I started June 26th with a 10 day “boot camp” that was the full Beginner/Rehab workout. After a chat with Lauren I added a set of Organs in Place, half frog, awesome legs, diva derriere and pretzel twist every night while I watch the late news. I have to admit that the first two weeks of this I don’t think I got through even 8 sets of the DD. I can very proudly report that I can now do 15 of each of all four parts to the DD. However, I far and away prefer the AL and PT. Which could also mean my form is off on them since they don’t hurt. If there’s once thing I’ve learned since I started T-Tapp it’s that if there isn’t some kind of twinge or stretch, you’re likely doing it wrong.

Day 11 I went to an every other day of Beginner/Rehab. On the alternate days Lauren recommended Primary Back Stretch, Oil Wells, T-Tapp Twist, Thread the Needle, and Hoe Downs. By the way, I love Thread the Needle, hate Hoe Downs. (My knees still ache a bit, especially after the end of the arms sequence when I’ve been holding KLT throughout, so hoe downs are not any fun)

On July 14th, Day 19, I added Step Away the Inches (one of my bonus DVD’s) to the alternate days, since I couldn’t begin to make it through the Hit the Floor workout.

For the last 41 days that’s been my pattern. Beginner/Rehab alternated with the Lauren’s little mini work out and SATI. Some days I’ve had to do the routines in the morning before work but most of the time it’s the first thing I do after work while supper cooks. Then the leg and butt workout while the news is on before bed.

Along the way I’ve added a couple of things. I do the PBS right out of bed in the morning. On my daughter’s suggestion I’ve started dry brushing every morning before my shower. I try to incorporate the butt tucked, lats engaged, shoulders back when I walk or stand.

With respect to diet I’ve always been fairly careful about what I eat. Having tried a variety of diets I’ve never been able to really stick to any of them for any length of time I’ve wound up incorporating bits of them that work for me and ignoring the bits that don’t work. One of the most appealing aspects to T-Tapp has been the attitude to food. I want to be able to enjoy my meals with my husband without feeling guilty because I’ve had a baked potato, or lasagna or a pizza. Over the years we’ve lowered our fat intake a lot anyway and we eat fairly simple meals that are mostly prepared “from scratch” as my husband calls it.

Breakfast is always the same: on weekdays a scrambled egg made with skim milk and butter, sometimes a slice of multi-grain toast if I have time. On weekends I’ll usually make a full breakfast, either sausage or pea meal bacon (you folks call it “Canadian” bacon) and scrambled eggs; sometimes an omelet.

Lunch is usually a protein of some kind, a salad and a yogurt.

Dinner is always a full meal; meat, vegetables, potato or pasta and a salad. We don’t often have dessert unless it’s a special occasion. When I’m trying to loose weight I’ll watch my quantity of the carbs and fats and cut out any junk food but that’s it. Phil has never had a weight issue; he’s weighed 157 since the day we married, so anything I want to cook is always fine with him.

So, now to the changes since I’ve started T-Tapp. I will say there have been a lot of them.

The best way I can describe what has happened to me is to tell you the story I told Lauren last week.

I went to a meeting with a number of people who haven’t seen me in approximately six months. They spent the entire meeting trying to figure out what was different about me. Everyone was too polite to ask but the entire 2 hours were spent with them giving me sideways looks. It was too funny for words. Part of their confusion was my daughter had dyed my hair red but the other part was that I was wearing a dress that hung properly from my shoulders. It didn’t bind around the armpits, it was sleeveless and the shoulders were cut up slightly so my upper arms showed, the darts down the front fit properly through and under the bust, the skirt didn’t pull across the hips it just skimmed past them.

This has been how the last three to four weeks have gone. While I may not have lost a lot of weight by the scales (5 lbs) it has definitely been moved around. While the inch loss in the individual places we measure for T-Tapp can seem too slight to be noticed, nonetheless the overall impact is highly visual. An inch here and there all adds up. The inches and pounds may not seem like a lot for some, but for me, in all honesty, the fact that I’ve lost almost 10 inches in only a couple of months impresses me, my husband and everyone who sees me.

I can feel the changes; inside and out. I know from looking in the mirror that my posture is better. I stand straighter. I can feel the strength that I’m building. That’s why I asked you at the beginning of this to really look at that one picture. I think it tells the whole story; one picture being worth a thousand words. My improved back shows in that picture. There is clear muscle tone or definition that hasn’t been there in years. My whole back looks what Phil calls tight, and even though I know he’s always looking through his rose-colored glasses at me he is right this time.

The most important part of T-Tapp for me will be to continue to build that strength. Yes, I still need to take some weight off. Yes, I still need to get rid of that inner tube that sits just below my waistline. Yes, I still need to trim my thighs. Yes, I still need to tighten my arms so they stop waving good-bye when I do. But more importantly I need to continue to increase my strength and then to maintain it. Why is my strength important?

Phil has been retired for 6 years and has been doing other jobs while waiting for me to be in a position to join him. A couple of years ago we decided that, with our children gone, we would like to start doing all the things we had put off. We wanted to travel again, we wanted to take dancing lessons and we wanted to learn to scuba dive. In October of 2002 we completed our open water certification. Since then we’ve done a couple of dive trips and I have to tell you those tanks are heavy and hauling yourself out of the surf is hard work. Maintaining posture and position in dancing also requires a lot of lower back strength.

Phil and I have just celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary. We have made a conscious decision that our quality of life is as important as the quantity we hope to have together. We want to be able to enjoy every opportunity or event that comes our way. An _expression that I have come to appreciate more and more is that to do justice to everyone and everything you have to “be in the moment”; you have to be present in everything you do. For us that means that you have to physically and mentally be able to be there. I’m hoping that T-Tapp will be able to do that for me. It’s an amazing program.

So, that’s my story for the last few months. I hope I’ll meet you all in October. I know I need someone to poke and prod at me and that my form needs a lot of work to make it better. But even if I don’t win one of the places, I’ve already won a terrific amount. There have been major visible improvements and I’ll keep calling Lauren when things aren’t working right. We still have that inner tube to attack. Unfortunately you can see it in the picture too!!!!

Thanks everyone – it’s been fun chatting to you.

PS: By the way, there have been some other benefits from the last four months, but they haven’t been for me. They’ve been for my husband, my oldest daughter and my son-in-law. My husband has been using the back pain exercises, even lying up on the work table at work at break time and his lower back is feeling much better and he’s enjoying our dancing a lot more. Thanks Theresa!!!

My daughter (27) has been using my Hit the Floor Harder DVD and has lost close to 6 inches in about a month. Her husband (26) has been so inspired that he went out and bought an exercise bike to start and work on losing his weight. They’ve both started walking together with my granddaughter every evening and will be setting a fine example for her.

So you see, my changes are like a stone into a lake; the ripples just keep going!!!