The E-Book has arrived!

I just finished my new e-book "Renewing Me:  Size 22 to 6, 15 Minutes at a Time!"  If you've been a Renew You blog reader you'll recognize much of the information, but it has been revised and expanded, with photos, schedules and more.  You can grab a copy at a special introductory price, so hop on over to http://charlottesiems.com and take a look!

Blog is Moving

Just a heads up that I am moving this blog over to my website.  I will continue to post here a couple more times and will leave this blog up, but in a few weeks I will post solely at my website blog.  I'll let you know when the move is official and final.  Hopefully by then I will have figured out how to have followers and a few other goodies. 

I am also working on a "how I did it" ebook with lots more details, photos, checklists and schedules, so stay tuned!

Top Three Tips for the 60-Day Challenge

My top three tips for those entered in the T-Tapp 60-Day Challenge?  Here they are:

1)  Plan a schedule.  Don't just wake up in the morning and think, "Let's see--what will I do today?" because it's too easy to say, "Nothing" and go on your way.  We tend to think "tomorrow I'll work out" and then tomorrow comes and we put it off another day and before we know it the Challenge is over.  A blank calendar page is a good tool.  First write down days you'll be out of town or extra-busy so you can plan around them.  Plan a regular day off each week (mine is Sunday).  Then make a list of the workouts you own (OR the workouts you are allowed to do in the category you entered) and use that list to design a schedule.  Write it in pencil, then go over it in ink (or check it off) when it's done.  This helps with consistency.  (Many T-Tapp Trainers offer custom workout schedules based on your needs, too.)

2)  Be realistic.  If you plan on a 60-Day Bootcamp, forget it.  You might be able to last a few weeks, but sooner or later life happens and you'll be set up for The Big Crash.  Then you'll either decide "this is too hard" or "if I can't do it perfect I won't do it at all" and the Challenge will be over (for you).  Remember the workout that works is the one you'll do.  Sure it's great to make a harder effort and establish consistency--that's what the Challenge does.  Work up to a few weeks of a tougher schedule, then back off some.  Your body needs recovery time.  Less is More with T-Tapp.

3)  Finish the Challenge.  This may sound silly, but I'm serious.  Did you know that in last year's 30-Day Ladybug Challenge not ONE participant in the More to Lose Category finished?  If only ONE person had stuck it out they would have been an automatic winner of a trip to Safety Harbor.  It's easy to get discouraged and think you have no chance of winning but you never know what Teresa Tapp is looking for in the winners.  Remember--she won't be judging your photos and story if you never send them in.  Kitty told me that virtually everyone she sent comparison pages to was shocked at the changes they saw.  They (including me) hadn't looked at the photos side-by-side, they had looked at one and then the other, and were disappointed in the results.  So do your best and let Teresa do the judging after you finish the contest and send in your final entry.

If you'll look closely, you'll see that these tips apply to your year-round T-Tapp practice!

The 2010 60-Day Challenge--DO IT!

Entering the 2007 60-Day Challenge was life-changing for me.  It helped me to cement consistency in my workout schedule and gave me accountability.  You may have heard it before, but I'll say it again:  EVERYONE who enters is a winner because of the health and shape benefits of T-Tapp.  I was ecstatic to win a category in the More to Lose division and to win a trip to the Safety Harbor Retreat and find out that Teresa Tapp was who I had hoped she would be.

In 2008 I *almost* didn't enter because I just couldn't imagine winning again and I was getting close to my goal size.  I had already signed up for an online class with Michelle and she insisted that I enter the Challenge.  I dutifully took photos and sent in my information, secretly doubting that there was any point.  When I won a cateogory in the Less to Lose division, I was shocked.  I didn't see much difference in the photos until Kitty sent me the actual comparison photos that were used to judge (I hadn't looked at them side-by-side). 

If you don't enter, you for sure won't win.  If you enter, you MIGHT win.  If you enter and don't win you will emerge healthier, stronger and smaller, so it's all good.  If I hadn't entered the second year we wouldn't have that video that has encouraged so many that Yes, They Can. 

I don't know where you are in your T-Tapp journey, but the 6o-Day Challenge is a great kick in the tucked pants to help you reach your goals! 

And Do You Brush?

I get questions about whether I used T-Tapp's brushing system and here's the skinny.  I brushed from Day One.  I've continued to brush consistently for more than three years.  Every day?  Uh, no.  But 4-6 days a week, yes.  Life happens and there have been times when I didn't brush for a few days, but I started back up because I like what it does for my skin.  I believe that skin brushing and alfalfa were the key factors in tightening my skin as I lost 9 sizes and well over 135".  I don't have loose, hanging skin like you see in those pictures of people after massive weight loss.

At first it took longer than 5 minutes because there was a lot of me to brush.  After a while I stopped brushing in front of the mirror because it was too easy to be critical of my appearance.  The routine for me was work out, shower, brush, get dressed.  Many people work out, brush and then shower.  I worked out my routine because my brush got too stinky too fast if I used it before a shower, and I'm always looking for ways to clean things less often.  And just like T-Tapp, the routine that works is the routine you'll actually do.

I have this documented on my calendar (and in an early forum post):  after 7 days of brushing, the crepe-y skin in my cleavage was smooth and tight.  Wow.  Sold!

Perfection Not Required

Fortunately perfection is not required to get results with T-Tapp.  I now know that my form was pretty rotten in the early months of T-Tapp. :-)  Check me out in the audience of TWO Super Slow or Critter Crunch (halfway through my size loss, at the 2007 retreat, wearing pink).  Lots of extra water breaks, only one set of Hoe Downs, collapsed core, you name it.  I sat down on the steps and cried like a baby halfway through the first workout of the retreat--really--probably because nobody wrings the lymph and toxins outta ya like Teresa Tapp. I cried again at the end of the retreat when it was time for "ta-da photos" because I was so worried that my tummy would look bad in the photo.  But the point is that I kept learning and getting stronger and staying consistent and learning some more.  Notice that being perfect (in form or schedule) is not on that list.

Progression, yes.  Perfection, no.   

Upper Body Workout = Lower Body Inch Loss

I had an interesting experience at one point in my T-Tapp journey.  I had an "area of concern" which is Teresa's nice way of saying "area of flab and bumps I don't like."  In this case it was upper arms and I was determined to make some progress because inch loss was s-l-o-w in that spot.  I was wearing a size 10 and thought I was at my goal so I had been happily shopping and buying my new wardrobe.

Enter Tempo Arms bootcamp.  Remember--I like short, rare bootcamps.  I did Tempo Arms for five days straight and then continued doing it 1-2x week for about a month, plus other mostly short workouts.  We're talking 30 minutes, folks.  My body tends to show results from a bootcamp or harder effort 2-3 weeks down the road, not immediately after.  Imagine my surprise when the 10's started hanging on me.  I bought a pair of size 8 pants and they fit.  For about a month.  I sort of blew past the 8's and got into 6's and even some 4's.  I was absolutely surprised.  Tempo ARMS?!

Muscle activation and leverage isometrics, baby.  Holding that T-Tapp stance while working the upper body is powerful.  Consistency is powerful.  T-Tapp is powerful.  I had spent the year before doing consistent T-Tapp and it had worked its magic internally, which translated into external transformation.  My body is still changing and reshaping--25 years of obesity isn't going to completely rehabilitate in 3 years, especially at age 50.  But hey, it's a start.