Kim Atkinson Bay Area, California Certified T-Tapp Trainer Hi! My name is Kim Atkinson. I live in Mountain View, California (AKA the Bay Area). I am a stay-at-home mom to three beautiful children. My T-Tapp journey began in the year 2000 at the age of 33. It has been a journey in changing my “all or nothing” perspective to one of balance and consistency. About a year and a half after my 2nd child was born I was feeling the need to get my body back. While I was reading another exercise forum someone mentioned T-Tapp and gave a link. I started clicking, printed off some moves, and began practicing daily. After 2 weeks, I was surprised to find the moves were getting harder. I realized there was something unique about T-Tapp, and I was sold. I bought the Total System and was horrified to find out how difficult it all was. I could barely get through the workout. However, I was determined to change and kept going. By focusing on one thing at a time, I slowly learned the workout and improved. I also was heavily involved with the forum and learned so much from others. I soon became a T-Tapp junkie. I began buying all of the videos, attended as many clinics as I could, read all of the form tips I could find, and began sharing them with anyone who would listen. Eventually I hit a wall. Thinking that since T-Tapp is so great, more must be better, I overtrained. Although I was getting stronger, I was worn out mentally and physically. I attended a few more clinics and the T-Tapp cruise, but I’d lost the desire and stopped working out.

Shortly after I got pregnant with child #3, and I let morning sickness and the pregnancy rule my choices. After the baby was born, I still continued my tantrum, not doing what I knew was best for my body. I believed that since I couldn’t do it all, why bother doing anything? Time passed, #3 turned two years old. I was depressed, overweight, short of breath, and worried about my health, but I wasn’t ready to change. The final straw happened on my 10-year wedding anniversary. My sweet husband was tired of seeing me not wear my wedding ring, so he had it resized and gave it to me again (in the same place we got engaged). It was a very tender thought, but it pushed me over the edge. I realized I didn’t want to be this way forever. It was time for me to get honest with myself. Since I needed a bit more help emotionally, I joined a nutrition center to help me learn better eating habits. They suggested I also join a gym, but I let them know I had something better. So, I dusted off my T-Tapp tapes and started over. I slowly lost inches and weight by working hard and being consistent. The nutrition center was surprised to see how quickly my body changed. I have lost a lot of inches and weight in the past two years; I feel great and I’m getting a flatter stomach. But the biggest thing I’ve learned is that balance and consistency are very important. Life still gets crazy and I can’t Tapp as much as I’d like, but I’ve learned that the little efforts and changes are more important than trying to do it all at once. Although I still struggle with my “all or nothing” mind set, I remind myself often that it is the little things that make the difference. My journey is on going. I’m still learning about myself and how to make fitness and nutrition a constant part of my life. I know that there are others who have struggled as I have. I love T-Tapp and I love helping people. I realized that I could do both more effectively by becoming a trainer. I joined the T-Tapp mentoring program under Esther and learned some of the most wonderful and effective methods of teaching the T-Tapp workout. I am now a T-Tapp Trainer and an IFPA Certified Personal Trainer. Learning T-Tapp from the trainer perspective has really deepened my understanding of the principles involved and why T-Tapp is so amazing! My own journey from struggles to skills guides my balanced and consistent approach to T-Tapp. I look forward to helping you move forward on that path. You can contact me at kim@t-tapp.com.