Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes
by Barbara Smalley, Teresa Tapp
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Book Reviews of Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes
Book Review: Best workout for busy moms!
Summary: 5 Stars
I read about this workout in a book for moms of large families.
Ever since I was on bedrest during my first pregnancy (and then had two more babies in the span of 2.5 years), I have been on the quest for the ideal exercise regimen to get fit again without spending my life at the gym, and dropping my poor kiddos off in the gym "kids club" for two hours a day.
THIS IS THAT PROGRAM!
I've done yoga, all sorts of exercise videos, bike riding, rebounding, etc. Nothing compares to the all-over fitness that I've gotten from doing 3.5 weeks of T-Tapp, just from the book. I have gone to the T-Tapp website to check my form on the "Try Before You Buy" section, and the T-Tapp forums have been invaluable. All I have to do is crack open my book and do my workout every other day and I'm done in 15-20 minutes. The DVD that comes with the book has only 3 exercises: Organs in Place/Half-Frogs, Hoe Downs, and Advanced Hoe Downs. The biggest reason I bought the book was for the 30% off coupon in the back for the website, and I can't wait to be able to exercise with the DVDs.
It took me about an hour to get through the Basic Plus Workout the first time, but now takes 15-20 minutes. I did it every day for 5 days (doing it every day for 4-14 days is called a "Bootcamp" and is recommended at first, to teach the muscles the moves), then started doing every other day. My body has been dropping inches and building long, lean muscle, even on the days I don't do the exercises. My posture is better and I'm sleeping more soundly. This is an exercise I will do for the rest of my life. Every type of workout I've ever done before has bulked me up in the thighs and upper arms. Doing T-Tapp has given me long, lean muscles in my thighs and upper arms
I haven't learned the "Total Workout" which is also in the book, because I haven't had the time, but if I can learn the 15 minute Basic plus workout with a 1-year-old, 2-year-old, and 3-year-old running around me, I think ANYONE can do it! I feel so good, I took my 3 kids to the zoo the other day, something I would not have attempted a month ago.
Book Review: The book has intrigued me about t-tapping, but is not enough info to really get started. Still need to buy a workout dvd.
Summary: 3 Stars
I am not an avid T-tapper. I thought maybe reading this book and looking at the attached DVD would be a good start. However, I found it difficult to try to follow the exercises without seeing it in motion. Maybe others can figure it out, but I need a video to watch. I thought that the attached DVD would give me a good flavor of T-tapp exercises with a sampling of different areas, but all there seems to be is the "Secret to a flat tummy" part. And that part is really slow with instructions, so it's not like a mini-workout that you can do over and over. I guess I was expecting the DVD to be the 15 minute workout that would leave me Fit and Fabulous. For that, I need to order the DVD from Teresa Tapp's website. So, my expectations were not met.
However, I must say that I found a lot of her info interesting. Her info on exercising the back and increasing lymphatic flow and lowering blood sugar levels is totally new to me. Also, her explanation of creating long and lean muscles versus bulky muscles seemed to make sense. But, she talks a lot about how once you do her workout for a bit, you can do it only once or twice a week and still lose inches while eating well a few days of the week and splurging as much as you like on other days. I found this to be really discouraging and misleading. I feel like she is setting her program up to be the "magic bullet" for weight loss and we all know that there really isn't any magic trick other than consistently making wise food choices and getting regular/daily exercise.
Maybe I am not the best one to review her book since I don't do the exercises daily. Maybe they can make you fit and fabulous in 15 minutes if you do them. I might have a different feeling once I buy the workout DVD and try them. If you visit Teresa's website, go to the "Try before you buy" section. You can see mini videos of components of her workout. I really think the exercises are good and I am guessing that I will really like t-tapping, but overall, I don't think that this is the greatest book ever and the accompanying dvd is basically worthless.
Book Review: Yes You Can with T-Tapp!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Stumbling upon this program was surely one of the best things to happen in my life! I recommend this exercise routine to anyone, regardless of age, fitness experience or ability; the best part is no equipment is needed, you use your own body for resistance, therefore never "outgrowing" the workout. It truly is amazing.I have done various workouts in the past, ie. Step Aerobics, weight lifting, etc.,(Body For Life was my all time favorite) but this program has been the best by far.
When I initally received the book and DVD's I thought that I wasn't the "typical loser", but continued because I felt so much better regardless of any inch loss (or so I thought!). But, a few weeks after starting T-Tapp, I entered a 30 Day Challenge. I took my measurements at the beginning and proceeded to go through the month, really not thinking I'd lost an inch. At the end of the challenge I was required to take final measurements and was utterly shocked and amazed to find I had lost a total of 21.5 inches!!! Measuring is the key and will certainly aide in keeping you motivated! The T-Tapp website is also a great source of information, as well as the forum; I've never met a nicer group of people who not only offer a wealth of knowledge but support as well. The book spells out every move, along with step by step photo's. The dvd's are great too, every move is thoroughly explained with plenty of water breaks in between! Teresa Tapp's enthusiasm is contagious and her passion to share her knowledge is really a gift to us all!
As far as "Customer's" review, stating that a few leg lifts can't offer aerobic exercise ~ I couldn't disagree more!!! I challenge you to do a T-Tapp workout together ~ we may not be jumping around, but those leg lifts sure get my heart rate up and have made awesome changes throughout my physique!!! I'm a T-Tapper for life and encourage anyone to give it a try, you'll truly be amazed with what you can do!!!
Book Review: Seriously -- 15 Minutes a Day DOES Work
Summary: 5 Stars
Bad knees, no time for me in my schedule, and a jones for carbohydrates that can make me walk across molten lava for a cookie... and I still lost weight and look oh-so-much-better. Once I learned to actually do the moves right (thanks to the careful detail in this book), I really shaped up quickly! And I still eat everything I love: cheese, chocolate, wine, cookies, cookies, cookies...and even some green stuff sometimes.
This book is a great companion to the at home DVDs Teresa Tapp sells. I also think getting oneself to clinic with a certified trainer or Teresa Tapp herself is really smart. The tiniest adjustment to your alignment can totally change the impact and effectiveness of a move -- even the ones that seem super simple and like a no-brainer.
I also appreciated learning about body types -- and goodness knows that after 20 years of picking and developing new talent for the modeling industry Teresa Tapp knows about bodies! My body type has it's own wonderful (??) challenges that now I know how to deal with. It's opened my eyes to how I do everything (standing around, sitting, working, walking etc.) and helped me to empty my closet of a whole bunch of clothes that just aren't ever going to be right for my body type. Time to go shopping!!!
A lot of times, I feel like a total spaz when I'm trying a new move from T-Tapp, but I think that's a good thing. It's certainly good for the entertainment value and I definitely don't get bored :)
If you're looking for a workout that WORKS in just 15 minutes a day without changing up what you eat and without buying a truckload of other stuff, this is the workout for you -- real people with real lives! I'd love to be paid to go to the gym, but so far nobody's offered me the gym-bunny lifestyle. Even if they did, I'd stick to T-Tapp. It's the perfect lazy person's fitness routine :)
Book Review: Some good bits, but mostly an infomercial without the TV....
Summary: 2 Stars
The author had the chance to really do something great with this book, but failed. Does she show the exercises, yes, but with so much emphasis in several places on "common errors" that the reader runs the risk of learning the wrong way rather than the right way. Even after reading the section several times, the sequence of steps on the Primary Back Stretch is still confusing.
Also, the DVD could have, and should have, included all of the small "try it" videos (and any other videos for any exercise featured in the book) from her website, so that you could see proper form, as well as get a sense of how fast each of the exercises should be performed. I would have paid more for something like this. Some people prefer to work out with a choreographed, timed exercise DVD, but often there is a lot of extraneous chit-chat and standing around which you can eliminate when you're doing the exercises on your own.
I do like her notion of trying to engage as many muscles as possible when doing exercises that usually target only one area--this aspect I will apply while doing Callanetics, which I still think is a much better toning workout overall, especially with its emphasis on stretching, even though it lacks both an aerobic and upper body component (adding in some of the T-Tapp exercises to compensate).
I hope the author brings down the price of her workout DVDs and brings them to Amazon in future. A lot of people are reluctant to buy from infomercial-type direct sellers because (unlike Callanetics, for example) they are constantly trying to sell you more stuff once you get on their mailing list, even if you only are interested in one item. IMHO, top price for any exercise DVD is $20, max.
Bottom line: Borrow this book from your library to see if you like it, and then, buy used, as I did.