Age Gracefully by Staying Active! (AND Deep Discount Tuesday!)
Why is this important?
Well, besides continuing inch loss and feeling great, there are more practical benefits.
Remember when you were growing fast around ages 12-14 and became very uncoordinated? You lost awareness of where your body was in space because everything was growing so quickly! The same thing happens as we age–only it’s because we get less and less active. Muscles atrophy, nerve transmissions get slower, and again, we lose our awareness of “where we are in space”, leading to stumbles and falls.
Berei Brandenstein is a jewel and a sweetheart! At 85 years young, she’s been with Teresa for 12 years now. We all like to say, “I want to be like Berei when I grow up!” 🙂
Berei is a beautiful example of what aging gracefully is. And she’s not taking it “lying down”, either! She is the star of the new Senior Fit workout, due out this fall, and she credits Senior Fit with saving her life! Last winter, due to complications from some medication, she ended up having a heart attack while at the hospital. We are extremely grateful she was at the right place at the right time and that she is okay! But the amazing part of her story is, when she was tested to see how her veins were, she was told something any one of us would like to hear–but for a then 84 year old woman, these words had to be sweet music to her ears:
“You have the veins of a 40 year old!”
Can you imagine?! Being 84-going-on-85 and being told your veins are as healthy as someone young enough to be your grandchild?!
That is why you need to keep moving! Keep learning. Keep taking good care of yourself. Having the “retirement” mentality with your health and stamina is not a good thing!
Everyone can start somewhere. It might be just a few moves. Adding one good thing to your eating. Taking care of yourself is not a selfish thing, because if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to do as much with those you love. And if you continue to let your health slide, you will need someone to take care of you. How many times have you heard people say, “I don’t want to be a burden to my kids”, yet they make no positive changes in their lifestyle?
Staying active is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself–and others. Berei has said that she’s caught herself from falling more than once–that is a great gift when most women her age are falling and breaking hips! Even those of us half her age can benefit from not tripping over our own two feet!
Just as physical activity helps pre-teens and teens to go through the fast-growing stage with more grace, it will do the same for the other end of the spectrum as we age.
Forget the rocking chair and get walking, hiking, swimming–and T-Tapping! 😉
You can read Berei’s testimonial HERE!
(And having seen Berei over the past 3 years, she is continuing to age gracefully and beautifully!)
Deep Discount Tuesday is a GREAT deal! The Healthy Hormone Super Set! Includes an old label copy of LadyBug workout (same workout, just an older label), 1 bottle each of Gentle Transitions and Premium Blended Alfalfa, and the new Healthy Hormones Brain-Body Fitness dvd! AND FREE SHIPPING! Click HERE to take advantage of this great deal!
Photo Credit: moodboardphotography
Super Saturday–Beautiful Skin with Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil
Before I get into sharing about today’s featured product, I wanted to let you know about two clinics coming up!
Next week I’ll be in Holland, Michigan, and we’ll be doing MORE in the morning and Total Workout in the afternoon! If you would like to join me, you can find more info and register HERE!
Then on September 8 I’ll be back in Ft. Wayne, IN! We’ll be doing MORE in the morning, and the afternoon will be a FREE session of Hit the Floor! I need to practice on willing guinea pigs! 🙂 You can register for the morning session HERE, but there is no registration for the afternoon session. It will start about 2:00 p.m. at the same location. If you could let me know you’re coming just so I have a head count, that would be great!
Now, on to a wonderful and fragrant product!
I have used other lavender essential oils before, mainly the NOW brand. But the Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil sold in the T-Tapp store is a pure quality oil that you can use directly on the skin. It is great for helping diminish keloid scars, too.
I just recently bought some and started using it about a month ago. I started adding it to my facial moisturizer (which I also mix with aloe vera gel). I also add it to my “body lotion” mixture of almond oil and aloe vera gel. I am totally amazed! First of all, the scent doesn’t just disappear 30 seconds after applying! What I’ve noticed most, though, is it really has helped my facial skin–the wrinkles are a bit smoother, and my skin tone overall seems improved. And this is amazing, because I ran out of my alfalfa (catastrophe!), and I could tell some differences in my skin from running out. Yet in spite of that, it started improving with the addition of the Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil!
I’ve noticed improvements on my hands, as well–not quite so “old” looking! I’m sold! 🙂
When you visit the store you’ll see many other possibilities and benefits of using Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil!
Photo credit: YK2007
Stay Tuned for Super Saturday!
Time got away from me today, but I still plan to do a “Feature Friday”—tomorrow! So we’ll call it “Super Saturday”!
And I’ve got a great product to review, too! Stay tuned!
Baby Steps! Stressing Will Not Help You Heal!–part 2
Supplementation is another area that can overwhelm the faint-hearted! Due to a strange tummy virus I got a few years ago, I can’t down as many capsules at a time. I had to pare back my supplements drastically. I have done some research, prayed a lot, and decided on just a small handful of things to take for my adrenals. I’ve gotten sloppy this past month due to 4-H fair and the ensuing busyness! But I’m trying to get back on track. Now, I am not qualified as a natural health practitioner in any way, I am simply sharing what I take. You will need to do your own research to see what you believe is best for you. I will probably tweak this in the coming days/weeks, but this is what I’m settling on for now:
- equal amounts spirulina and kelp in size 00 capsules, 2 daily (want to up it to 4 eventually)
- rhodiola–it is an adaptogenic herb, and after doing some reading, I decided it was a better fit for me than eleuthro or the ginsengs
- vitamin C–I like Ester C, and I also like to mix acerola and amla powders, half and half, with a pinch of cayenne (helps absorption)
- Country Life Co-Enzyme B Complex (sold at the T-Tapp store)–I like this even better than Enzymatic Therapy’s Fatigued to Fantastic B Complex
- Royal Jelly–this should probably be #1, actually! I was using a liquid form, but it has become just too sweet for me to take that way, and I’m not drinking as much hot tea to use it in this time of year! I plan to purchase some capsules soon. Royal Power is a good brand as is Y.S. Farms. A fellow T-Tapper posted a great post on the forums about royal jelly: Adrenal Glands and Royal Jelly
I’ve also recently added Sweet Wheat to my regime, albeit not too consistently yet! (Baby steps!) I’ll report as I get more consistent whether I feel it is helping or not.
Finally, getting rid of stressors. Well, that is easy to do in theory…but putting it into practice is something else!
Obviously some stresses can’t be avoided. But too often the issues are we cram too much into our lives and convince ourselves it’s all necessary, unable to say “no”, and/or we make “mountains out of molehills” in our thoughts which stress us as if it were true.
Our thoughts are very powerful. If you are constantly taking in bad news, dwelling on it and mulling it over and worrying about it (everything from losing a job to losing a child), your body will start to react as if those things are a reality. I took a purposeful “fast” from news for about 40 days a few years ago, and the change in attitude I had was amazing! I was also focusing on more positive things, including prayer, but just taking out the constant barrage of “bad news getting worse” did wonders. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t hide my head in the sand and pretend nothing was going on, I just didn’t sit and focus on it and read everything I could about it, dwelling on it, fearing it and stressing over it! Especially when probably 90% of the things we read/hear we really can do very little about, anyway. It’s the small choices we make each day that make a difference. Not reading, rehashing and worrying about something out of our control.
And as for saying “no”….sometimes it’s easy to say no when we’re feeling like we can hardly get dressed in the morning. But as we start to feel a little better, we tend to jump back in with both feet. Want a really easy way to evaluate what’s really important? Wonder how “everything will get done if I don’t do it”? Imagine you have crashed your adrenals and need 3 naps per day for you to function. Not your home, not your job, not your family, not your homeschool co-op, not your (fill in the blank). YOU. For YOU to get up, get a shower, get dressed, eat, and just be able to put together sentences that make sense. That’s where I was 3 years ago about this time, and it was not fun. If I had not had older daughters still at home, I would seriously had to have hired help.
Instead of waiting for that to happen to set your priorities, start doing it now. Believe it or not, things do go on without you. You cannot find your affirmation in lots of busyness and people depending upon you. We are interdependent but a trend I have noticed in adrenal challenged people I know personally is we tend to be more the “like to help” type people over the “able to receive help” one! It’s important to be able to do both–we ALL need each other.
Surround yourself with true friends who will let you help them and who you can let help you. True people who will say, “Hey, I’m here to help, remember?” when you are starting to try to change the world all by yourself!
Most of all, start a gratefulness journal and write down all kinds of things, great and small. Gratefulness helps us keep our perspective as help-ers as well as help-ees!
Baby steps! Stressing about changes will only backfire. But making baby steps will slowly lead you down the path to good health and balance in your life!
- A few moves of exercise
- A few good changes added into your way of eating
- A few key supplements that you feel are best for you
- A few more “no’s” and a few less stresses
- A few good friends to help you
- A few things you are grateful for each day
Pick ONE area and start today! And leave me a comment or send me a message to let me know what your ONE area is for now! Together we can get to our destination without ruining the journey–
—ONE baby step at a time! 🙂
Baby Steps! Stressing Will Not Help You Heal!
One thing adrenal fatigued and/or health-challenged people face is the struggle to do the things they know will help them. Whether it’s eating in a more balanced way, reducing stressors, getting workouts in or taking supplements, it can seem daunting to tackle these issues. Especially if you’re trying to do too many at once!
As a healing adrenal-challenged woman myself, I know what it’s like to know the right thing to do and yet feel like it’s an uphill battle with myself to do it!
The first thing we need to do is cut ourselves some slack. Stressing about getting your workouts in, your meals balanced, your supplements taken, your stress reduced (can we say oxymoron?!) will not help!
If you are anything like me, you can make a plan of attack, but even though you know baby steps to get going is probably the best, you start projecting ahead to see what you’ll need to do next week, next month, 6 months from now, the 3rd Tuesday of the 4th month after the lunar eclipse… 🙂
Before you know it, you are stressing yourself to the max over future choices and changes that haven’t even come up yet! And you’re still working on baby step 1a. Why are you worrying about Big Daddy Step 395e?!
This is where we defeat ourselves too often before we even get started–or barely get started. Let’s take workouts–first of all, don’t plan so far in advance that you can’t flex. Some days you will feel great and are able to do more. Other days/weeks you’ll need to back off a bit. Build in that flexibility so you’re not discouraged when life happens.
Lest you think just a few moves is “not doing enough”, remember that by intention and focus on form on just 2 or 3 moves you are laying a great foundation–without taxing your health. The Terrific Three are Primary Back Stretch, T-Tapp Twist and 1 Hoedown. For those with health issues or adrenal fatigue, I would suggest to do just the T-Tapp Twist stretch (not the actual move) and a set of Butterflies instead of a Hoedown (it’s a bit less cardio). Teresa has recommended PBS, T-Tapp Twist stretch only and Oil Wells as great moves for the adrenal challenged, as they help drain the thoracic area and help the adrenals to heal.
Going slowly with focus, kicking out as necessary is acceptable and in fact, preferable, for those with health challenges.
Eating changes can be, well, challenging! And for those with health or adrenal issues, sometimes making decisions can be daunting. It has been for me! I wish I could give credit, but someone on the forums shared a year or so go about focusing on adding in vs. taking out. So instead of thinking “I need to cut out sugar” think about adding in some veggies that you enjoy. I like colored peppers, snow pea pods and cherry tomatoes; and although yes, eating more greens is good, starting there is starting somewhere! I even made a healthy version of a ranch/garlic dip. I hardly ever eat veggies with dip now! But to start–if it helps you get more in, why not?! I would just be careful to not use commercially prepared dips (or read ingredients of even “natural” ones) so you’re not shooting yourself in the foot with additives and unpronounceable chemicals! :p
Yes, you’ve heard eating too much fruit can be bad, but isn’t eating fruit instead of a candy bar a good thing?! So add in an apple and some peanut butter (a tasty apple, like gala, and usually organic has more flavor!). Eventually you might want to try homemade salad dressings to go with your salads or maybe try green smoothies. But for now, eat a veggie you love. Add a bit more protein. Eat coconut oil and some nut butter with that piece of chocolate to help balance things out! 😉
These are just a few ideas for two of the four areas–next time we’ll look at what we can do to take baby steps in supplementation and de-stressing!
Feature Friday–Dead Sea Salt for Fabulous Skin!
What’s the hype about dead sea salts?!
I’ve used Teresa’s Dead Sea Mineral Salts for over 5 years now. There are many quality brands out there, but hey, I’m ordering from T-Tapp anyway so I might as well add some in, right?! 🙂 At first I used them in baths–great for sore muscles as well as tightening skin. The dead sea salts:
- Feed the skin minerals
- Relax muscles, helping with soreness
- Help the body detox
- Tighten loose skin from inch loss
- Help the skin repair itself
- Maintain elasticity, especially helpful during inch loss!
- Help reduce cellulite
You can soak in a bath with 1/2-1 cup of the dead sea mineral salts dissolved in it (and I like to add a few drops of lavender essential oil, too!), or you can make a mask with it. There are different ideas of how to do that and “recipes”, but my basic one is as follows:
- 1-2 TB Skin Saver Dead Sea Mineral Salt, finely chopped (either use a mini-chopper or coffee grinder)
- Enough aloe vera gel to dissolve the salt
- Few drops T-Tapp’s Grapefruit Essential Oil
- 1/8-1/4 tsp. Skin Saver Body lotion, optional
I take the finely chopped salt in a cup to my shower, put a little in my palm, add the few drops of grapefruit essential oil (and Skin Saver Body, if desired) and enough aloe vera gel to dissolve the salt. It becomes kind of a slurry mixture more than a paste! I slather that on my “areas of concern”, and repeat until I’m out of salt. I like to leave it on at least 10 minutes, but even 5 minutes done consistently (2-3 times per week) will yield results. 20 minutes is optimal! Rinse off, shower as usual, and afterwards pamper your skin with a good, paraben-free lotion. I like to mix shea butter with more Skin Saver Body lotion (it’s more of a thick oil), and even a drop or two of the grapefruit essential oil for a lovely scent! Slather on and enjoy this “dessert for the skin”!
When I have been consistent with this 3 times per week, I have been amazed how in just a short time I can see improvements in cellulite lessening, stretch marks fading, skin tightening, glowing skin….all kinds of wonderful results!
If you prefer to soak in a bath, as I said earlier, dissolve 1/2-1 cup of salts in a warm but not hot water, soak 10-20 minutes. Afterward it’s best to lie down for about 10-15 minutes, and stay well hydrated.
I’ve not used the mask on my face, nor have I done the “all-nighter” where you let the mask dry on your skin and leave it all night (I think my hubby would not like the feel of salt crystals in bed!), but here is a great thread from the forums with more links within:
Got the Dead Sea Salt~How Do I Use it As a Mask?
And another one where they discuss dissolving the salt with aloe gel and spraying on (haven’t tried this either, but I might!):
Aloe Vera Gel and Dead Sea Salts
One more about Dead Sea Salt Wraps! This one sounds good to try! (amounts given in last post on this thread)
Ready to try some “pamper me” time that will help your skin look fabulous as you get fit?! Click HERE to go to the T-Tapp Store and check out the Dead Sea Mineral Salts for yourself!
Happy Pampering! 😉
EVERY Move Is An Arms Move!
Often after someone has started T-Tapp, they will see Tempo Arms and decide they need to get that, because “I need help with my arms”!
Now, Tempo Arms is a great workout, but….you actually won’t get as good of results as you’re hoping if you haven’t learned to activate those arms in every move of Basic Workout first!
Every move in BWO+ (and TWO, but we’re going to focus on BWO+) will work your arms if you activate to your max!
Let’s start with Primary Back Stretch (PBS).
Once you get into T-Tapp stance (toes forward, bend knees, tuck/curl core, lift ribs, knees out), as you put those thumbs at the back of your hips, really push them in and pull those arms back to activate. Keep that throughout the first half of PBS. You’ll probably need a shoulder roll before you go on to the second half!
On the second half of PBS, be sure to focus on initiating the move with the upper back and upper arms, not your elbows going straight. Keep those ribs up!
Plies–oh yeah! Again keep the ribs up, and move those arms as if through thick mud. Reach awaaaayyyyyy and keep those arms behind your ears. Are your triceps screaming for mercy yet?! 😉 On Chest Press, be very sure you don’t drop those elbows!
Reach Scoops–again, reach up and aaaawwwwaaaayyyyy, arm behind your ear (but not reaching behind you), and still through thick mud. This is a good one to do 4 or 8 to each side vs. back and forth, slowly, to really get the activation. By the way, don’t lean forward or backward–ever have your kids shut each other between the door and storm door?! Mine just shut you in–so you must move laterally! 🙂
Jazz Twist. Think archery. Bow and arrow. Where do you initiate the move? With the back shoulder and arm. Really push that back thumb in and elbow back (like in PBS). Front arm keeps elbow straight and although it’s not the driving force, it is going forward through–you guessed it! Thick mud!
The Box. Or more specifically, Mitten Chop Box! This is a tummy move, but oh, boy! I declare I got my great bicep definition by substituting MCB for the regular Box! You can do a set of 4 singles to each side after you do the warm-up with Teresa and Renee for a little more activation! (Be sure to shake out between sides–you’ll need it!)
Oil Wells. If you hook your thumbs and gently pull, this will help you activate your lats, engage the tummy AND…yes, the arms, too! As you come up and do the shoulder rolls, don’t just flop through them. Move purposefully as if through—yep! Thick mud! 😉
T-Tapp Twist. There are three hand positions for TTT. One of my favorites is pressing the lower hand up while pressing down with the upper hand. Whichever you use, be sure to keep the arms activated. This is more of a tummy/lats move, but that doesn’t mean the arms are flopping around! Keep the tension on the hands as you twist, and remember as you reach down you are r-e-a-c-h-i-n-g. Press hands together as you come up to keep everything activated.
Pull the Weeds. Keep the lats engaged, don’t collapse the ribs or core (yes, you can “lift ribs” horizontally! Just keep the spine elongated and pretend a string is bringing your head to the opposite wall.) You initiate this move with the hunch as you “pull” the elbows forward but as you “punch” think lats, lats, lats! Fold fingers and stretch thumbs for extra lat activation! Pretend you are going to push through the floor (but keep the hands below shoulders, not going in towards the center) as you activate those lats and keep ribs lifted (and tummy tight!). And again, you are punching/pushing/pulling through what?
Thick mud! (notice a theme here?!)
Finally–Hoedowns! As you set up for Hoedowns, before just flopping your hands to the side, put them out in front of you, palms up and make your “mitten hands” nice and tight. Really keep core curled and ribs up as you slowly open up your arms to the sides, but as if you were pushing someone’s hands out of the way or…yes…through thick mud! 😉
You will feel your lats engage more and your arms will be more activated. Keep those ribs up as you work the lower body, because ribs up helps inch loss in the tummy, thighs and arms! Oh yeah!
See? If you don’t have Tempo Arms yet but want to work on your arms, you can! The more you learn to activate, the more you’ll get out of it.
T-Tapp isn’t called a full body workout for nothing!
Let’s get some Awesome Arms, the T-Tapp way!
Here are a few Arms clips on YouTube:
Butterflies (great for back fat, too!)
Try Before You Buy Clip:
Arms Sequence (you’ll need to scroll to the last page of videos)
And of course, “Amazon” Arms! 🙂 (Scroll down just a bit to see the video–great moves you can do in a chair!)
Feature Friday–Pamper Those Fingers and Toes!
Last Friday was our 4-H auction and my best laid plans to get something posted flew out the window!
After a crazy-busy week, hurrying up and waiting, being on your feet a LOT–what could be better than a “pamper-me” dvd?!
That’s what Finger and Foot Fitness is all about!
Not really a “workout”, but working on the foundation of health as well as inch loss–yes, you read that right! Teresa Tapp herself has said that the foundation of fitness starts in your feet!
If you think about it….the feet are the “foundation” of your body in the sense that if you have foot problems, it will affect the way you walk and stand. When I had plantar fasciitis, it affected my ability to even be able to put weight on my feet–I remember having to crawl for awhile until I could stretch the plantar fascia. And that was while I was pregnant! :p
I wish I had had this dvd then! It is chaptered, with about 12 minutes of finger fitness (wonderful for those with carpal tunnel or the rest of us wanting to avoid it!), and then approximately an hour of foot movements. The dvd also has segments so you can break that down further (3 segments for the finger fitness, 16 for foot fitness). If you find certain moves more helpful than others, you will be able to skip right to them!
This is something you can sneak in any time of the day. It is so important to pamper our feet and fingers–feet being the foundation of fitness, and fingers the “tools” of everything we do! In this typing/texting age we live in, it can be easy to overdo it and have inflammation, which only is continually aggravated because “resting” from our computers and smartphones just isn’t a reality. How wonderful to have this dvd to help us strengthen the tendons, ligaments and muscles as well as help us get rid of any current inflammation!
Lauren posted this wonderful article excerpt on the forums a year ago:
Podiatry Today Mentions T-Tapp’s Finger and Foot Fitness!
Many have reported soreness in the feet going away by doing some of the moves, others report help with their carpal tunnel issues. I have daughters who play violin, cello and piano, and they report help with sore hands, wrists, and elbows from doing some of the “finger fitness” moves. There have even been some testimonies of ladies slimming their feet down with Finger and Foot Fitness! 😉
What more can you ask for? A “workout” that works your fingers and toes but feels like a nice spa treatment?! Try Finger and Foot Fitness For a Great Foundation!
http://ow.ly/cnH8X
Deep Discount Tuesday–What a Deal!
Found out after I already posted about DDT today! What a deal! 1 bottle of Premium Blended Alfalfa and 1 bottle Immune Boost for a GREAT price!
YOU Are Special!
Recently I had read a quote on Facebook about not being a copy, to be an original.
That really struck a chord in me!
I have always struggled with “fitting in”. I had my bouts with peer pressure like anyone else, but down deep there was a part of me that didn’t want to just do the “status quo”.
Which is probably why, like Anne Shirley, I had to be “Trisch” with a “c”! 🙂
My journey with T-Tapp has become more than just losing inches and sizes and getting healthier (all good things!). It has also helped me to become more free. Coupled with my faith, I’ve realized that for me to worry about trying to fit into someone else’s “mold” is not what God created me to do.
He had a special purpose in mind for me. When I embrace that and all that makes me “me” (including the not-quite-as-fun-times), a whole new avenue of life opens up before me. It was actually there all the time, but I was so blinded by trying to see what others were doing or expecting me to do, that I lost sight of what He created me to do.
Last week was our 4-H fair. Seeing so many people brought a realization, which led to the quote above:
Everyone is trying to find their affirmation by looking/acting/being like someone else.
Not who they are, but who someone else is. They become an imitation of someone –usually because they admire them and/or want what they have, instead of the original they were created to be. Each of us has our strengths, weaknesses, talents, contributions….but if we are too busy trying to copy someone else’s look/work/talent/ministry, the world will be poorer because we are not doing what we were created to do.
Isn’t that poster at the top of this post beautiful?! A fellow T-Tapper on the forums, Karen, created that! I just love it because it beautifully captures the essence of what I said. Now imagine what it would look like if 2 of the ladybugs decided to be the exact same color and shape and design as another one. There are some of the same colors…but their design is different. If there were three yellow ones, all with the same design, it would look out of place.
And if those ladybugs all had a job to do, and three of them decided to all be the same….there would be a huge gap left because they didn’t fulfill their purpose.
I believe it’s the same for us–we each have a beautiful place on this earth, a place to bring our smile, our laughter, our joy, our talents. And to leave it a better place.
Let’s stop bemoaning that we are not as organized/creative/quiet/vivacious as someone else. Let’s look at what we do have–who we are–that can contribute beauty and blessing to the world!
Some people create with yarn. Some with metal. Others with fabric. Still others with music. And then some with words. Just because a fish can’t fly doesn’t make it a failure! (Ever read The Animal School?!) If you’re a squirrel, it’s okay that you can’t swim!
The world is poorer because we’re too busy imitating instead of being who we were created to be.
Enrich the world today with the fullness and beauty of YOU!
Buy Trisch’s New Book!
How does a hypothyroid, adrenal-challenged, busy mama of 9 go from barely maintaining a size 22W and being so tired she needed a 1 1/2 hour nap every day to an energetic mama and size 8 T-Tapp trainer?
That’s my story in Fatigued to Fabulous!