End of the Week Wrap Up

Check out this monster of a boat I was on this weekend!

Thursday, July 9th
Appointments today. Didn't get in my workout. SO tired!


Friday, July 10th
Worked all day... then got ready and had a Girls Night Out at Channelside in Tampa.


Saturday, July 11th
Got home late... slept in late. Spent the whole day running errands (with puppy in tow). Went to the dump and dropped off a whole bunch of household stuff that couldn't be thrown away, recycled, bought a new vacuum, picked up some groceries, etc, etc. Then went home to clean the apartment. What fun... *rolls eyes*. It feels good to have a clean place, but I was exhausted by end of day. Guess that kind of counts as a workout, right?


Sunday, July 12th
This was my FUN in the SUN day! We went out on the boat again. It was a gorgeous day! Sunny with a breeze. I love getting out on the water. Actually went swimming this time too. We motored over to Three Rooker Bar, a small island off of the Pinellas County coast. You would not believe how beautiful it is! We anchored the boat close to shore and swam about 25 feet until we could walk the rest of the way onto the beach. I got some sun too, despite wearing sunscreen. I always forget to re-apply. We hung out there all day until the sun went down. Such a fabulous way to end the week!

I'm counting all that swimming as a workout!

Here are some more photos...

Catamaran turned motorboat.


That's me enjoying the view from the Captain's deck.


Grilling up some chicken for lunch.


The beautiful sunset on the horizon!

Happy 4th of July!

We're planning on going to a friend's house for a party tonight. I'm looking forward to having some fun for a change. It'll be great to be surrounded by friends.

Time for some...



I hope everyone has a happy, fun and safe 4th!

Finding Seasonal Produce: Summer

I've really been wanting to eat the freshest, local and organic produce possible. Purchasing fruit and veggies from regular grocers is just not cutting it -- the produce either goes bad right away, is already rotten or not rip enough to eat. Many food sellers have the same produce year round and I know not all produce is growing and ready to eat 365 days out of the year. Which means most of that produce is shipped here from other states and countries for our convenience.

I did a little research on produce in season right now. About.com has an amazing database of this stuff! You can even search by region to find what's in season.


Florida: Seasonal Produce

Florida is famous for its citrus, and rightly so. But plenty else grows in the Sunshine state, including plenty of tropical fruits. The tropical climate stretches the growing season year-round and makes Florida the source of winter produce for much of the Eastern U.S. Depending on your place in the state and this year's growing conditions, growing seasons and crop availability will vary. You can also look up produce by general/national seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter) or region.

Look for these summer fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets and in produce departments for the best flavor (and greatest value) in season. Specific crops and harvest dates will depend on your region’s climate.

Apples (late summer)
Apricots (early summer)
Avocados
Basil
Beets
Blackberries
Blueberries
Boysenberries
Cantaloupes
Carrots
Chard
Cherries
Chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans), fresh
Chiles, fresh
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Fennel (in cooler climates)
Figs
Garlic
Gooseberries
Grapes
Green beans
Green onions
Herbs
Huckleberries
Lemongrass
Lettuce (in cooler climates)
Limes
Mangoes
Marionberries
Melons
Nectarines
Okra
Onions
Peaches
Peas
Peppers
Plums & pluots
Potatoes
Radicchio (in cooler climates)
Radishes
Raspberries
Rhubarb (early summer)
Rosemary
Scallions
Shallots
Shelling beans
Spinach (in cooler climates)
Spring Onions (available in early summer in some areas)
Strawberries
Summer squash
Sweet Onions
Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Watermelons
Zucchini
Zucchini Blossoms

Mmmm... I ♥ produce!

5th Annual T-Tapp 60-Day Challenge

It's that time of year again!

The 5th Annual T-Tapp 60-Day Challenge starts on Friday, May 15th. Join us!

Visit the T-Tapp Forum for full rules and instructions.

Here at T-Tapp we love this challenge because the stories of successes from our clients continue to motivate and inspire us every year. This is a wonderful time for you to get fit for the summer and enter for a chance to win attendance at the Retreat to workout with Teresa Tapp herself.

60-Day Challenge participants always start a support thread on the T-Tapp Forum. If you're not already a Forum member, sign up for free today!

How it Works

1. Pick a Category to enter
2. Submit Beginning photos/measurements
3. One Month photos/measurements
4. Final photos/measurements/essay

You will have 3 days from the day of photos/measurements to submit them to Kitty (kitala@aol.com), meaning that Beginning photos/measurements (May 15) need to be received by May 18, One Month photos/measurements (June 15) need to be received by June 18 and Final photos/measurements/essays (July 15) must be received by July 18.

Click Here for complete rules and instructions for entering the 60-Day Challenge.

We are currently working on getting up the 2008 60-Day Challenge winners. I'll update you when they're ready.

Here's one of my all-time favorites:

Grand Prize Winner Bekki Johnson Read her story...

In the meantime, check out the previous challenge winners for inspiration and motivation...

Results from the 2007 60-Day Challenge.

Results from the 2006 60-Day Challenge.

Results from the 2005 60-Day Challenge.

I can't wait to see what this year's entrants accomplish. Good luck!

Getting Bikini Ready

My goal: Get bikini ready... and fast.

This means stepping up my workouts to 30+ minutes at least 4 times per week. Adding Organs in Place, Awesome Legs, Gymnastic Stretch , Pretzel Twist and Diva Derriere into the mix. Maybe even doing those moves as an off day routine a few times per week to target the abs, legs and butt even more. Drink more water and eat more veggies, etc... I need to sweat off these calories and inches!

Already after consistency this past week or so my skin feels tighter/smoother and I'm starting to feel trimmer as well. So I'm on the right track.

Hello Beach, here I come!

Bikini Bootcamp

This is the real deal. A tropical getaway that helps you shape up and rejuvenate your life. I would LOVE to do this (would be awesome as a T-Tapp Retreat too).

Bikini Bootcamp takes place in Amansala, Mexico. Sounds like a fabulous vacation to me!

Bikini Bootcamp Book

Women's Fitness Magazine Summer 2008

Women's Fitness Magazine (formerly FitBody - Women's Fitness) has hit the newsstands! I know T-Tappers have been anxiously awaiting the release of this issue, especially for the free TappCore exercise DVD that comes with each copy.

The Summer 2008 issue includes great information about T-Tapp, such as the exercise article featuring T-Tapper Summer, the Thyroid article written by T-Tapp Trainer Kate, the TappCore article titled "Honey It's Not Baby Fat Anymore", plus bonus TappCore DVD.

I loved seeing Summer's photos and reading about Kate's success. There's also lots of info from Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz that's worth a read. I hope that you get to check out this issue!

It's MOVING time!

Today is the day I pick up the keys to the new apartment in Tampa. I can't wait to get relocated and settled in this time. Got a fabulous deal on an upscale apartment close to everything! It has tons of amenities.

I aways seem to move in the summer on what seems like the hottest day. This time I have almost a month to get all my stuff settled in and the old place cleaned up. Good times.

Nivea & Natural Glow Challenge

Spring is here and Summer is coming!

What's a girl to do about the dimples? And I'm not talking about smiles.


Well, I *try* to do the T-Tapp CRT Body Brushing Sequence daily. You can't beat the benefits (health and beauty wise) and it feels amazing.

A tan always makes you look thinner and skin look smoother with an even tone. I would LOVE to have some color. Even though I live in Florida my skin is pale. When I visit relatives up north they are tanner than I am! You'd think that I would make it to the beach or pool more often, but it just doesn't happen. Plus, I wear SPF15 or 30 whenever I plan on going outside, so I never come home with much color and RARELY "lay out" to bake. Tanning booths are very harmful to the skin and I had a bad experience in high school (never went back) - not an option for me. So I saw this commercial for "Jergens Natural Glow Moisturizers" and decided to give in to their marketing efforts and purchase. Can't hurt to try, right? The woman on the commercial looks amazing. Maybe this stuff actually works. Here's what I purchased...

• Jergens Natural Glow Face Daily Moisturizer SPF 20, Designed for Fair Skin Tones
• Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer, Fair Skin Tones

In my Fitness Gear Wish List post, the first item I mentioned was the "Nivea Good-bye Cellulite" product line. I've read great things about this stuff. I know there's no such thing as a quick fix for the dimples, but if it helps to smooth things out before swimsuit time... why NOT?

• Nivea Body Good-bye Cellulite Patches
• Nivea Body Good-bye Cellulite, Smoothing Cellulite Gel-Cream & Dietary Supplement Capsules

So I'm putting these products to the test. Here's my game plan:

• Daily use of Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer for face and body
• Daily use of Nivea Good-bye Cellulite Gel-Cream and Dietary Supplement
• 3 times per week use Nivea Good-bye Cellulite Patches on upper thighs
  

Can they deliver tan, smooth skin in a few weeks? We'll see!