I was at the 2010 Retreat when Teresa first introduced Senior Fit. I have watched  morph and change into something much bigger and better than she originally planned. I told Teresa at that retreat, “If MORE is a ‘clinic in a box’, then Senior Fit is ‘Safety Harbor Retreat in a box’!

There is a floor warm-up–ever have one of those mornings when even Primary Back Stretch was too much?!  This 16 minute floor warm-up is just the ticket.  I’ve been having  a few issues with my hip.  I was amazed at how good it felt after this floor warm-up!  I LOVE IT!  I don’t think you’d always have to do it before Senior Fit, but it sure stretched things out nicely for my hip.

Now, what follows is my opinion–not anything official from T-Tapp. But
if you were my client and wanted me to help you with a schedule and how to navigate
it, this is what I would tell you!

Instructional: I feel this is important for EVERYONE to go through, regardless of your fitness level and regardless of how long you’ve been doing T-Tapp.  This contains some of the same things that Teresa taught the trainers who are certifying for Senior Fit.  If trainers, including those who have been with Teresa a long time needed this instruction, please don’t skimp on it for yourself!

I can see why it isn’t called “Form Tips” and stuck at the end–because then most people would not do it.  They would be hurting themselves, or not getting the results they wanted– and then be calling the office to complain!

It’s about 32 minutes long.  I would watch it through once, take notes.

Then I would do it at least once with Berei and Teresa. Yes, I know it’s slow. Trust me, it’s nothing like the 1 1/2 hours Teresa spent tweaking me! 😉

I would also go back to that after you’ve been doing Senior Fit for awhile to refresh yourself and catch things that you didn’t the first time. It will make even more sense then!

Level 1: This is really the traditional “Instructional” as most T-Tappers would understand it. I really, really feel it is important to not skimp here, either. Senior Fit allows for NO path of least resistance. If you rush through it just so you can get “to the workout”, you will miss some of the little nuances that truly make the difference in this workout.

I saw Senior Fit introduced at the October 2010 Safety Harbor Retreat. I was part of the PBS filming in February 2011, and Teresa had changed it some by then. I saw her in Chicago in October 2011, and she had changed it even more. Then at trainer certifications a year ago, she had changed it yet again! And yes, by the time certifications last October rolled around–it changed AGAIN! Many elements were there from the beginning, but there was more muscle activation built in and some moves changed. There were aspects there from 2010 that I did not get until my 1 1/2 hour coaching session with her last October!

Okay, so how long to do Level 1? I would treat it as MORE Instructional and do it at least 4 times. Now, not many of us have a little over an hour per day to devote to this! So I will say the “equivalent” of 4 times.  If you need to split it into thirds, for example, you will do each of those thirds 4 times. If you do one third each day, that is 12 days. I still advise at least one day off, no matter how slowly you’re taking it. This is intense stuff!

Take two days off. Watch the Tempo version (47 minutes) before doing it. Then you can jump in with Tempo, which is more the “straight through workout”.  “Reading” your dvds, introduced by trainer Dan Wiley, is an excellent idea and something you can do on your days off or days you don’t feel up to working out.  You can still “do T-Tapp” by studying the dvd!  (Thanks to my dear friend, Mary Ellen, for that tip!)

Where you divide it up will depend on you. But please do the Level 1 PBS each
time–and that is 15 minutes. I know, I know! But seriously, it is enough different that it’s important to do it this way, in my opinion. Here are the minute breakdown of the moves (roughly):

Level 1 times on the left, Tempo on the right:

15″        PBS                 11″
15″        Plies                  8″
4″          Reach Scoops    4″
7″          Jazz Twist          5″
4″          The Box             4″
4″          Oil Wells            4″
9″          T-Tapp Twist       5″
5″          Scarecrow Ski    3 1/2″
2″           Hoedowns         3″ (I double checked this, yes, Hoedowns are a bit longer on Tempo!)

How many moves you do a day, when splitting it up, will depend upon your time frame.

For Level 1, if you did PBS through Reach Scoops, that takes 33″, and if you did PBS then picked it up at Jazz Twist to the end, that would be 50″.

If you did from PBS through Jazz Twist, that is 40″, then next day did PBS, pick it up at The Box through the end, that is 42″. A little more even, but I personally would rather Jazz Twist be the first move the next day (after PBS) vs. the last move for the day.

However–even if you are splitting it up half way through Plies, that is fine! I know it’s tempting to do another style PBS that you already know that is shorter, or even jump to the Tempo, but again–I really, really (did I mention, REALLY?) feel it’s important to do the one here on Level 1.

I  also feel it’s equally important to do ALL the kickouts and water breaks.  As Berei told us in 2010, ‘You’ll need ’em!” 🙂

Let’s face it–if you went through PBS and one move a day, even if you split Plies, that would be 10 days. If you did that 4 times (allowing some days off in there!) it might take you most of the 60 Day Challenge just to get through Senior Fit!  I can guarantee you, though, you would be so neurokinetically aware of every inch of your body, you would sweat in ways you never thought you could, you would burn fat like there’s no tomorrow and you would feel AMAZING!  I watched many ladies melt away doing this workout at the Retreat last October! Even yours truly, who usually doesn’t respond quickly to retreats and clinics, lost some off my belly and other areas!

I only did PBS through Reach Scoops last Friday afternoon—by the end of part 2 of PBS, my body was sweating in good ways!  And my body went into “Oh! We’re at Safety Harbor Retreat” memory mode! YOWZA!

Even better–I could tell my body was responding to it quickly again!

I titled this “Don’t Let the Name Fool Ya”–I think many people will overlook this gem, thinking, “Oh, I’m not a senior citizen. I need something more challenging.”   Don’t think “senior citizen”–think “Senior Muscle Activation”! 🙂

So, I hold to my original estimation from 2+ years ago—Senior Fit is the Safety Harbor Retreat in a Box!

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