T-Tapp Exercise for Menopause and Thyroid Balance

I love this article by Mary Shomon about T-Tapp. Check it out...

T-Tapp: The Exercise for Menopause and Thyroid Patients
By Mary Shomon

I'll be honest. I'm not the least bit athletic, and I have little skill when it comes to exercise. But as a writer, I'm chained to my desk too many hours a day, my back frequently gets creaky and stiff, and as a thyroid patient, my metabolism isn't optimal, so I absolutely need to exercise. I've done yoga, and Pilates, and used my treadmill, and while they help with flexibility and energy, they haven't done much in terms of changing my body shape.

So when I kept getting emails from readers, telling me about T-Tapp, I was interested. The readers were sharing their stories about being hypothyroid, and trying to lose weight and tone up, and nothing had been working...until they started doing this program called "T-Tapp". (Seriously, when I first heard the name, I thought it must be some sort of tap dancing exercise program!)

One reader, Denise, wrote:

I have been diagnosed as hypothyroid for a number of years, but have never felt normal and have continued to gain weight until I don't know who that is in the mirror. Over the last three months I have worked out an hour a day, T-Tapping. It is a fabulous workout. I forced myself to do it because I had become nothing but flab and had no energy. I was desperate to find a way to build some muscle, hoping it would help to reduce the fat. In three months, I have actually lost ten inches. The T-Tapp team is great and very encouraging. I was told to do the routine less often for a better result (!) and it works. Amazing!

After receiving a number of similar emails, I decided I had to find out more. I learned that T-Tapp was created by exercise physiologist and rehabilitative fitness specialist Teresa Tapp -- hence the name. No tap dancing at all; instead, a series of unique movements that are designed to improve spinal alignment, flexibility and strength, as well as to build muscle, improve lymphatic function, raise metabolism, and control glucose levels. Plus, T-Tapp had a built-in focus on rehabilitation. You didn't need to be an athlete to get started. Plus, the program promised results.

In my own case, the first week I T-Tapped (I was doing the T-Tapp Total Workout) I did the routine -- which is easy to follow -- three times...about 40 minutes each session. I lost 12 inches in that first week alone, with 3 inches of it in my waist! It wasn't hard to convince me to keep T-Tapping! (And needless to say, after that first week's loss, I'm not losing 12 inches a week, but as long as I do my T-Tapp workout several times a week, I'm making progress!) Meanwhile, everything is firming up, I wake up without aches and pains, and my body is far more flexible. Going up and down the stairs, my legs feel lighter, stronger.

I didn't understand how even a week of T-Tapp, compared to months of Pilates, could have such an immediate effect on my body in terms of inch loss. Teresa Tapp explained it:

While T-Tapp has some elements similar to Pilates and even yoga, I specifically designed the sequence of exercises in T-Tapp to provide a comprehensively non-impact, aerobic conditioning workout that activates muscles at various points, for maximum effectiveness. But with T-Tapp, your muscles don't bulk up. My approach helps you develop longer, leaner, denser muscles, and these muscles act like girdles to support and cinch in key areas.

An additional benefit of T-Tapp is that Teresa Tapp designed it to specifically optimize lymphatic function. According to Tapp, T-Tapp is not only isotonic (like most exercise) and neurokinetic (NK) -- communicating mind-to-muscle (like Pilates and yoga, for example) -- but, says Tapp:

With T-Tapp I add leverage isometrics. These are acupressure points to intensify the mind-to-muscle nerve transmission, which optimizes isometric activation. Using small added components -- even something as simple as changing the position of your thumb, or keeping your knee to little toe -- activates muscles better than if you are just thinking about it.

Check out this YouTube video about T-Tapp to get an idea of what it's all about!

T-TAPP WORKOUTS

T-Tapp features a variety of workouts -- including workouts you can do lying on the floor, seated in a chair, using a broom for balance, walking, and a number of various T-Tapp routines and approaches. I do the T-Tapp Total Workout, which takes about 40 minutes, and is an incredible workout!

You don't need any weights or equipment to do T-Tapp. And there's no jumping!! (Your knees will thank you!) If you have back or knee problems, T-Tapp is actually very rehabilitative. It may look simple -- and it's not hard to do -- but the results are not simple at all, because you're working muscles at multiple levels. As Teresa says, "Instead of working long and hard, you'll discover how quality of movement can be more important than quantity!"

T-Tapp is actually working and building multiple muscles at the same time, clearing the lymph system and detoxing, and aiding with flexibility. I love it! (And when you buy DVDs or materials directly from T-Tapp, you also get free 800# support from Teresa's staff, and they're fantastic. I had a problem with my heel that was flaring up while I was exercising, and they gave me detailed modifications to the exercises so I could work around my heel problem. Problem solved!)

I also love that T-Tapp has a DVD program, called T-Tapp MORE, which is, as Tapp describes it, is for people with more to lose, more physical limitations/injuries/health issues, or more candles on the cake.

If you haven't been working out regularly, T-Tapp MORE is a wonderful way to ease into exercising and enjoy results. And you don't end up flat on your back for two days, exhausted, after doing a workout.

You can also learn all about T-Tapp with Teresa's terrific book, Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes, in which Teresa Tapp walks you through her signature T-Tapp workout, and teaches you how to "use your body as a machine so you can lose inches quick, build bone density, and condition your heart, all with only 8 repetitions and no equipment." Each book includes a free DVD with bonus exercises, plus a 30% coupon for purchase of any T-Tapp products, including the DVDs. "Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes" is a great way to get started with T-Tapp.

If you don't have an exercise program that you regularly follow, I would encourage you to find out more about T-Tapp and adopt it as your exercise program. And even if you participate in regular exercise, adding T-Tapp into your program can help improve your overall fitness and the results you get from your workouts.

MINDFUL MOVEMENT
FOR MENOPAUSE MANAGEMENT

For several decades, Teresa has worked with perimenopausal and menopause patients, as well as women with a slowed metabolism due to thyroid problems, so she knows what works for us.

So I was thrilled then, when Teresa graciously offered to developed a special sequence of T-Tapp exercises, which can help us with hormonal balancing, blood sugar management, and toning of key areas!

This specialized T-Tapp program is called "Mindful Movement for Menopause Management," and is featured only in the book Menopause Thyroid Solution! (Order your copy of Menopause Thyroid Solution now from Amazon.com!)

And stay tuned for a companion instructional DVD on "Mindful Movement for Menopause Management," coming soon from T-Tapp.

2009 T-TAPP RETREAT: POWER OF MINDFUL MOVEMENT
OCTOBER 1-4, 2009

The T-Tapp Retreat will be held at the Safety Harbor Resort & Spa, in Safety Harbor, Florida, from Thursday, October 1st through Sunday, October 4th. Led by Teresa Tapp, and featuring Mary Shomon as the keynote speaker, the focus of this year's Retreat is the Power of Mindful Movement for Better Brain and Body Function, including Menopause Management. Teresa Tapp will teach how to implement the primary principles of T-Tapp and muscle activation techniques into daily activity to optimize metabolic function and how to apply T-Tapp techniques to improve effectiveness of traditional exercise training and how to increase the intensity of any T-Tapp workout without increasing reps or sets. (And if you participate in the various T-Tapp workouts, the average inch loss during the Retreat is 8 inches!!)

Get more information about the T-Tapp 2009 Retreat now.