Tracy Anderson Immersion

Changes can be scary and thrilling. It all depends on attitude.

Last week I was reeling in a seemingly unending tapestry of change, which was somewhat exciting but mostly terrifying. Besides a geyser of emotions that needed to be set free and seen, I thought I lost my best friend and all the beauty, glow and love that our relationship imbued me with. But thankfully all is well and hopefully even better than ever! I used this gut wrenching experience as a springboard to a change I have wanted to make for a long time that is deeply personal but also one that I inevitably share with many women (and maybe even men!) out there. I decided to redesign my body to finally have the “bestest” one I can carve out of what I was naturally bestowed.

Redesigning the Physique

I want to start by saying that I have always been considered “thin” but over years my genetic predisposition to gain extra pounds in the lower part of my body was starting to show. I tried everything from protein rich diets, vegan diets and even raw food diets and frequent cleanses and participated in virtually every kind of physical activity that promised to make me super toned and flexible. Aside from lifting weights at my gym about 3-4 times per week, I would do my machine cardio sessions, yoga, martial arts, Pilates, TRX, and hoopdance. All those activities provided temporary results that went away after I “mastered” the moves. In addition, trainers and magazines often recommended that I actually up my calories (I oscillated between 1400 and 1800 per day) since I was working out so much. At 5.8 inches and 130 pounds I was always “almost there.” Finally, I got sick of it and tired of all the confusing information I was getting from various sources. I decided to look into the Tracy Anderson Method (“TAM”) since I admire most of the famous physiques that she trains such as Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Gisele Bundchen. So I gave it a shot, bought her book, watched her youtube videos and began…

Due to my emotional anxiety, on Saturday I was barely able to swallow a bite of food. By Sunday my stomach was completely empty but I was still hardly able to eat, instead I drank gallons upon gallons of water. Once things settled for me by the evening and my appetite returned, I was ready to follow the general (not yet strict!) guidelines in Tracy’s book. Throughout the experience I was drinking lots of herbal teas and water to stay hydrated.

On Monday I had a small cup of cranberry oatmeal for breakfast followed by a cup of green tea. For a morning snack I had a tablespoon of hempseeds and about 10 raw almonds. For lunch I had a small vegan salad with a quarter of a sweet potato at whole foods followed by some more tea and a lemon Lara Bar (220 cals). Then I went to work out at around 6 pm and did about 20 minutes of her lower and upper body moves before catching a one hour kickboxing class that was rather boring but hard considering that I was still weak from the weekend. I craved the TAM moves more than anything! I had a green apple right after the gym and a tiny salad with a soy frank for dinner. I was still hungry but I had a chamomile and fenugreek tea instead more food.

On Tuesday I looked at myself in the mirror and I was already amazed at how my body looked. My hunger was subtler than normal and my stomach super flat. I followed with the same breakfast as Monday and same morning snack. For lunch I had another salad but it tasted really bland so I only ate about half of it before grabbing another Lara bar. At the gym I did a pretty intense lower body weight workout followed by Tracy’s arm, leg and stomach routines that kicked my butt way more than the weights. I was at the gym for about an hour, grabbed another green apple and drove home to do her 20 minute cardio at home followed by goofy dancing to old German techno with my sister for another 20 minutes until I had sweat dripping down my back. I felt revitalized and great. For dinner I finished my lunch and had another soy frank.

On Wednesday I saw myself again I all I wanted to say was WOW! Flat stomach, toned arms, smooth skin and much less fat on my butt. I felt light. Had another cup of oatmeal for breakfast followed by the same snack (it is time to change it up!). For lunch I went to a Chinese restaurant and had mixed veggies with shrimp and tofu. I ate about ¾ of the plate and was super full. I had another green tea around 2:30 pm and a NuGo chocolate protein bar (150 cals). I was starving by 4 pm so I had an apple and than an orange just before the gym. At the gym I did a heavy arm workout (about 45 minutes) and TAM leg, arm and abdominal routine. Again, it felt way more intense than the weights. I went home and danced for about 40 minutes to my favorite trance tunes trying to animate Tracy’s moves best I could while keeping it interesting and fun for me. I noticed how much fluidity and flow I have lost in my movement since barely dancing for the last 1.5 years. I miss it. I reconnected with the ecstatic feeling that dance brings me. I was euphoric and yet calm inside. I followed with a small lettuce, cucumber, chickpea and tofu salad with cilantro dressing. I felt really full afterwards.

Today, I felt even better. I am continuing with the program that I am sort of modifying until I am ready to go 100% strict and follow Tracy’s menus and daily workout routines. This works for me for now but soon I will be freezing my gym membership for awhile as I am seeing greater results with this workout and diet than with any other I’ve done. I also love the dance cardio as it makes my body move in all kinds of directions rather than the same boring moves over and over. Oh, and the exercises should be done in a warm room as to encourage the flow of sweat. I cannot wait to move again tonight! I am planning to do lower body with weights and then hit all the muscles up with TAM moves.

Oh, and for a nice little reward, I went to Victoria’s Secret store today and tried on some lingerie. I can’t wait to be back there in a month! This happened only after three days of training and two days of semi-fasting (not at all planned… but utilized as a cleanse, nevertheless). And, it is only the beginning.

For a quick peek, here are some great Tracy’s workout videos that have inspired me:

For Gwen