Lift Those Ribs!

I have to admit right now one of the hardest things for me with T-Tapp form right now is keeping my ribs lifted during the workout (and my day).  I find that my rib cage sinks easily, compressing my middle.  The body's path of least resistance... and I'm fighting against it.  Practice makes perfect.

The next T-Tapp form I'm working on is curling my core and really flattening out that lower back.  With scoliosis and all my whiplash injuries my lower back is pretty messed up.  It almost feels loose sometimes... don't know how else to describe it.  So I tried doing Plies against the wall -- it burns at my core!  Why?  Because the wall doesn't let you cheat, you have to keep pressing that lower back or else you'll really feel when you're away from the wall.  It's a challenge!


Eats

Brekkie

2 Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and 50% Reduced Fat Jalapeno Cheese.

Lunch

Amy's Burrito.

Plan on staying away from these and all other microwaved food items.  Burned the crap out of my mouth. Ugh...not to mention the radiation.

A little later I ate some FAGE 0% Plain with frozen Organic Blueberries and Local Summer Honey.

Snacks

Late afternoon I ate this banana with about 1 Tbsp Organic PB.

And when I was cooking dinner I snacked on Hummus with Pita Chips.

Dinner

Mac N Cheese with Spinach Salad.

Healthy Habits

Body Care
Body Brushing & Magnesium Oil: check!
Exercise: Basic Workout Plus (from Tempo 2 - 8 Reps)

Nourishment
Fruits: 2 servings
Veggies: 4 servings
Water: 2 liter

Supplements
Alfalfa: 6 caps
B-12 Plus: 8 sprays
Immune Boost: 1 dropper
Pyruvyl Glycine: 12 sprays
Vitamin D3: 8 sprays


Off to dreamland...

Au revoir!

Smile During Exercise

Have you ever tried to smile while working out?  Yes, smile!

As you may know, my exercise program of choice is T-Tapp. With the T-Tapp workout you're involving so much of your body during each movement, that it can be a lot to think about.  (Toes forward, butt tucked, shoulders in alignment, bent knees to KLT, curling your core/pressing lower back, lift ribs, set lats, etc, etc, etc.  See what I mean!)  Adding one more thing, like a smile, can take your workout to the next level.  Try it!  I like to smile at myself in the mirror when I get to the tough exercises, especially the ones I don't feel like doing.  It makes a difference!  Smiling makes me lighten up and I seem to be able to get through the movement a bit easier.

Believe it or not, smiling has health benefits too!  Check out these Top 10 Reasons to Smile:

1. Smiling makes us attractive
2. Smiling changes our mood
3. Smiling is contagious
4. Smiling relieves stress
5. Smiling boosts the immune system
6. Smiling lowers blood pressure
7. Smiling releases endorphins (ie: natural pain killers and seratonin!)
8. Smiling lifts the face and makes us look younger
9. Smiling makes you seem successful
10. Smiling helps you stay positive

Numbers 2, 7 and 10 are why I think smiling helps with exercise.  It changes our mood making us more likely to start enjoying exercise, even if we don't really feel like working out.  Smiling releases endorphins making us feel better physically so we can push on through the workout.  And we all know positivity breeds positivity and smiles are contagious!  I will be trying to smile a lot more from now on.

Au revoir!

P.S. If you haven't tried T-Tapp yet, jump on the site and get started already!  T-Tapp is not an all-or-nothing approach to fitness.  Meaning, you can do the freebie moves and GET RESULTS.  I recommend checking out the Try Before You Buy section to get started.  Recession-proof eco-friendly fitness that WORKS -- you can't beat that!  What have you got to lose?

"Feel the fat."

EXERCISE

PBS (morning)
HD (after lunch)
Trainer Certification Class - Basic Workout + LadyBug form tweaks from Jeanne and Teresa

SKIN CARE

Brush AM: yes

Nivea Good-bye Cellulite Gel-Cream: yes

Natural Glow: yes

SUPPLEMENTS
Alfalfa (6 caps): 3
B12 Plus (6 sprays): yes
Cellfood (8 drops/3x): 1
Natural Calm (2 tsp): yes
Nivea Good-bye Cellulite Dietary Supplement (3 caps): yes
Pyruvyl Glycine (12 sprays): yes
Water (8 glasses, 8 ounces each): yes

FOOD
B-fast: Grape Nuts cereal, 1/2 banana, Silk plain soy milk, coffee with cream and sugar
Lunch: Kashi Lemongrass Coconut Chicken
Snack: grande nonfat honey latte with whipped cream
Dinner: turkey burger salad (turkey patty, lettuce, cucumber, carrot, avocado, a little mayo/spicy mustard)
Snack: 1/4 cup fresh grape and carrot juice, 1/2 homemade organic whole wheat carrot grape honey muffin

JOURNAL
Tonight I went to Jeanne Zimet's T-Tapp studio for a Trainer Certification class... I got a pretty good workout. Then Jeanne did some of the newer form tweaks and I learned about greater muscle activation.

"Feel the fat" is a new one. This is where when you do the Balance Sequence you grab the "fat" just under your butt cheek (sort of like how you place your hand on your knee for PBS). As you lift that leg to the side you push in with the thumb of that hand and extend fingers off the body to get greater muscle activation. I felt this so much MORE in my torso and abs. Amazing!