Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes

"Ttapp is a wonderful system for rehabbing the body. As many others have noted, it has also helped to fix my own body. Although I was not terribly out of shape, physically my body was suffering from years of misuse from dance and other forms of exercise. Ttap's emphasis on body alignment is so important, and it helped me tune into my body, re-learning how it needs to move so that it can stay healthy and pain-free. This book has so much detail, I keep it on my desk for quick reference. It's excellent, but it does require a little work, as anything truly worth it requires work on our part. We need to take responsibility for our own health and well being. Books can give us the wisdom, but we ourselves have to apply it.

I've been reading some of the comments here and I just wanted to touch on turnout issues, since some people have commented on it. If you're a dancer (especially ballet), you know that standing with knees turned out is not a proper way of expressing turnout. Very often, this is a concern with adult learners of ballet. You need to be aware that adult females who start learning ballet after puberty will have a more difficult time keeping a good turnout simply because their hips are already formed. Young female dancers (pre-puberty) gradually train their hip flexors as they mature, and thus have a much stronger turnout than adult learners. So please don't force your turnout! It's safest to stay at 45-60 degrees than shooting for a perfect turnout.

I also wanted to say that I am an ex-ballerina, had to retired after ankle injuries and such, so I understand about pain. T-tapp was instrumental in my finding alignment in my body again. As a ballet dancer (and I hate to say this because I've adored ballet since I was a child, and lived and breathed it until I was 26), we push and pull to very unnatural positions, and put our bodies out of their natural alignment. Sure, we're in proper "ballet alignment", but ballet alignment is nowhere near natural for the body. It was developed so that the audience could see a beautiful "line", but it's awful for the human body. I've known so many ballet dancers to get injured or wind up permanently crippled in some way. That right there tells you the alignment is not good for your body. However, in Ttapp, you turn out only from the hips while keeping your feet straight. It's more like riding a horse, if you've ever done that. You don't need to push your knees out, just concentrate on getting them more toward your little toes. This helps put your body back in alignment. My yoga instructors also advise knees toward little toes. It protects the body from improper alignment.

Chances are, if you're a dancer who is trying Ttapp for the first time and you're noticing pain, it is almost certainly a ballet/dance issue rather than a Ttapp issue. You may be feeling pain during Ttapp because your body is trying to get back to it's natural alignment, much like the discomfort you'd feel during physical therapy. Even though your knee, etc., may feel fine during ballet, chances are good that it's only USED to that position; it doesn't mean that that position is good for you.

Ttapp is very much like physical therapy and yoga. It brings alignment back to the body. It's a great gift to give yourself or a loved one. You only have one body. Take care of it!!
"
~ Written on 2008-11-28

"I wanted this to work for me. Teresa Tapp seems like a delightful person and the reviews promised such great results.
I'm not an inexperienced exerciser. I've done everything from Tae-Bo to pilates to dance. I get the concepts behind how to exercise effectively and am not easily confused by most workout books or videos. This book was IMPOSSIBLE to follow. The directions are convoluted and verbose to the point of unreadability. The fifteen minute workout took me two hours to complete! I tried it every day for over a week and even though I was able to get the fifteen minute workout down to thirty minutes I was bored out of my mind.
Also, I take ballet lessons and am quite used to standing with my knees turned out, but the position recommended in this book- with toes straight ahead and knees pushed towards the little toe- seems unnatural and caused terrible pain in my right knee.
Maybe, if you get the DVD's (which are ridiculously expensive) or attend the seminars T-Tapp will work for you. But, I am reviewing this book and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. "
~ Written on 2008-11-25

"I think Teresa Tapp's program is wonderful. The book got me started on her program, but I have to admit I needed to buy the dvds to truely understand the moves. The book is a wonderful companion though as technique is extremely important. Results are immediate. The book also gives contact information for further discounts and discussion forums. The best money I have spent in a long time. Amazon did a wonderful job delivering my order without any problems. "
~ Written on 2008-11-23

"I have been doing the 15 minute t-tapp workout since Spring. I really love it. You get an all over workout in a short amount of time. The book was helpful to get me started. Then I bought the DVD using the 30% off coupon you get with the book. I highly recommend it."
~ Written on 2008-11-23

"This is a very readable book, explaining the need and "how to" of exercise and detailing a safe way to accomplish it. The exercises are explained in detail with pictures, but I find it hard to try to do them while having to look at the book frequently to make sure I am doing them correctly. I do better at watching the DVD I ordered, to learn the moves, and then duplicating them. Teresa Tapp is a very motivating personality and I would recommend people try out her plan, and reading the book first, is a great place to start before buying the DVDs. It gives a good overview of the process and the "whys" and the basic "hows." I found it very interesting. "
~ Written on 2008-11-22