This week, I'm thrilled to introduce you to my "Sister from another Mister"-- the lovely Bea Thompson. She and her fiancé live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and she radiates super cool energy, she's got a collection of skull bandanas just like me... and I can't wait to meet her in person when Badmuthafucka and I head west next!
Since the Mistress is a journalist by trade, I figured I'd put my good interviewing skills to work....Below is my Q & A session with Bea....Enjoy!
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| ROCKIN' Bod. Holy Hotness! |
Q: How long have you been doing TAM?
A: I've been doing TAM since March of 2011. I subscribe to GOOP, and Gwyneth was going on and on about Tracy's book and how fabulous she is. I bought a copy and did the 30 day bootcamp, but the diet seemed a little restrictive, so I didn't do it. After bootcamp, I began searching online for free videos, and I did the Hampton's webisode for awhile and other bits and pieces I found on YouTube. Then I bought Perfect Design 1 and 3 off of Amazon, did those for another three months or so. Around Christmas I signed up for Metamorphosis after I saw it on GOOP. I am Hipcentric, I hold my weight from my navel to my knees…and my arms. I'm currently on Continuity Hip, day 245.
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| Super cute in her Victoria's Secret Dress! |
Q: What changes have you seen in your body since starting TAM?
A: My abs have definitely gotten flatter, and my hips have become more narrow. Meta hip also gets the glutes, and my butt has become more lifted and my muffin top has shrunk nicely. My thighs are really difficult to budge, but they are tighter and I have good definition between by butt and hamstrings. I also carry some cellulite in the front of my thighs, and although it's gotten smoother since I started TAM, I have to credit my Zaggora Hotpants for that change.
Overall everything has begun to pull in, but it took a year of consistency and a decent diet to get there. When I was suffering from my ED, I lost so much muscle tissue that I felt weak when I first started working out again. Part of my recovery was that I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and I gained about 35 pounds very rapidly. I know that if I had been working out regularly that I would have gained muscle as I ate more calories, but the only workout I was doing before TAM was teaching hot yoga twice a week. So all the weight was puffy fat.
I'm lucky in that I know exercise physiology; I worked as a personal trainer for 12 years and was a bodybuilder for a short time. I amend TAM with heavier weights (5 lbs instead of 3, wrist weights during the entire arm section, and sometimes doubling up arms and abs). My arms used to be very muscular, so I have the dreaded "lunch lady arms," so I modified Tracy's 3 pound rule a bit. Now my arms are getting more defined, and I think the "teeny-tiny" dancer's arms will never be within my grasp.
I don't do her DC, I'm not very comfortable with the jumping and I suffer from patellar tendonitis in my left knee. I do other forms of cardio; Hamelin, HIIT training and teach Hot Yoga 2 to 3 times a week.
Q: How long have you been a devoted yoga practitioner?
A: I began doing Ashtanga Yoga at home in 2001. Ashtanga is very physical, and I injured my shoulder about a year or so after starting to learn the primary series. I kept trying, though, and I did some Hatha Yoga at the gym where I was working at the time, but it was hit and miss for years as I attended acupuncture school.
In 2006 I began to treat a friend with acupuncture who owned a Bikram Hot Yoga studio, and I began to do that exclusively. I became a true yoga devotee when I attended Hot Yoga teacher training in 2009. Yoga is so much more than asana, it is a philosophy, called the 8 limb path, that encompasses ways of moving through the world with compassion and mindfulness. (http://www.yogamovement.com/resources/patanjali.html). Asana helps to move the energy through the body, but it's the philosophy that means so much to me. Now I teach Hot Vinyasa style yoga, in which postures are linked with sun salutations and each movement is linked with the breath. I begin and end each class with meditation, and weave the yogic philosophy throughout my dialogue to the class.
Q: Are there any philosophies you have taken from yoga that you apply to your other workouts?
A: Definitely! I try to practice as many of the aspects of the 8 limb path as I can in my life, and my workouts are no exception. I try to remain non-attached with the outcome of my activity, which is called aparigrapha. I don't weigh or measure myself very often, and when I notice a change in my body I try to not judge it as good or bad. After all, we are always changing, even our cells are replaced every 7 years, so the person I am right now isn't the same person I was yesterday.
Saucha is purity through movement, to cleanse the body inside and out through activity. For me, that's vigorous activity! I like to sweat and push myself, which is why I'm attracted to Hot Yoga and HIIT training. My yoga teacher calls it "the diamond body," that the intensity of moving the body can purify not only the physical but the mental.
To accept and be content with what I have, Santosha, is a hard one for me. So often I see pictures of women with perfect bodies, or some of our Facebook friends posting measurements and updates that are amazing. I can get a little down on myself, thinking I need to be somewhere else upon this journey. Where I am is fine for me, and when I begin to get caught up in the illusion that I'm not, it's an indicator that I need to evaluate what my mind is telling me. Usually it all leads back to Santosha. I'm a 43 year old woman with a body that has had it's ups and downs, and to think that I need to look like a 21 year old woman is just silly.
Q: Recently, you posted a video showing a timed workout on your mat. Can you explain that method and why it’s effective? (Note: Video will not upload to the blog- sorry!)
A: I adopted the timed intervals from HIIT training, in particular some of the things I saw on Zazana Light's YouTube videos and some research I've done on the Metabolic Effect Diet. In a nutshell, the body will see the most gains in muscle building and fat loss when its pushed to it's maximum effort, then allowed to rest for a short period of time. This mimics the way our bodies are designed to move.
For example, our ancient cave-sisters would be out gathering food with a baby or two in tow; walking, bending, pulling and grabbing for plants, maybe carrying heavy loads for a time. Then she would rest, then begin again. If a predator came along, she'd have to scoop up those kids and run like hell to safety. She didn't sit on an exercise bike for an hour or run a marathon! It makes sense to me, so I have added the intervals to my mat work. Not only is it harder, but I feel sore after every workout, not just the first two or three. It also makes the workout fly past, and I'm able to finish within 35 minutes. I was taking up to an hour before I started using intervals.
Another aspect that I like about Tracy is her use of weights during the mat work. All of the research I've found on HIIT say to do compound exercises with light weights, which are multi-movement exercises that utilize the whole body. The mat work is that, but so creatively linked together so that the entire body is worked. The muscle soreness tells the body how much growth hormone to release to the muscle tissue, which increases the strength of the muscle fibers and therefore raising metabolism. Glycogen stores in the bloodstream are depleted but not to the point where you become anaerobic, which means your body can use muscle tissue for energy. Fat storage is used more readily, and your body turns into a fat burning machine. Getting at least 5.5 hours a sleep a night is imperative to this process, so I'm sleeping a lot, as is eating a light meal before I workout. The intervals I use are 30 sec on, 10 sec off.
Q: You’ve also been doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Why have you added this to your workouts? What kind of results have you seen?
A: The same philosophy as above, actually. I do HIIT training as my cardio two to three times a week, for 20 minutes. I posted a document on our FB support page, I called it "Walk Like your Grandma" workout, which is a typical cardio session for me. I prefer the HIIT to other cardio because it is only 20 minutes, it utilizes my entire body and I get to do conditioning that carries over into my yoga practice. A typical session is three sections of four minutes of high intensity cardio, such as jumping jacks, jump rope or side lunge jumps done in 8 intervals of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest. Then I hit the mat for ab work, usually 25 to 30 reps. I like kick ups, mule kicks, side plank lifts, basically anything that uses my abs and arms together. Sometimes I'll throw in some TAM abs with ankle weights. Then I'm back up doing my cardio intervals, a total of three cardio intervals to three ab exercises.
Within a couple weeks of doing intervals instead of just Hamelin cardio or walking, I lost body fat and became much more defined. My appetite has regulated itself, I'm not as ravenous as I was when I was doing 40 to 50 minute sessions of cardio. I'm definitely stronger in my yoga classes and in my TAM workouts, particularly when she does plank moves. I prefer a little more muscle on my body, and I found that my fat loss had stalled doing other forms of cardio.
Q: What is your diet like?
A: My diet is pretty clean, but as I was anorexic for about four years, recently, I am very mindful about moderation. I was about 95 to 100 pounds at my worst time (I'm 5'7"), but there were many factors that contributed to my disorder so the ED was a symptom of a deeper problem. My Mother had passed away suddenly, and as she was abusive to me as a child, I wasn't quite sure how to feel about it, and my boyfriend at the time was physically and emotionally abusive while this was happening. Now that I look back on it I know I was trying to control and uncontrollable situation.
When I was in recovery, as I mentioned earlier, I ate everything and anything! I stopped being vegan, started eating things like french fries and pizza and pasta, all things that were a big no-no in the past. As a result, I gained a lot of weight in a short period of time, and although I knew it was good for me, I had to rein it in after about a year. I did the Master Cleanse to reset my appetite, then began to cook at home more often.
A typical day is greek yogurt in the morning, workout, then a protein smoothie with blueberries and fiber post workout. I'll bring hard boiled egg whites, cottage cheese and chicken breast to work with me and nibble all day between patients. Once I get home I'll have a snack before I workout, usually some cheese and crackers, then for dinner a salad and a protein. I love red wine, so I'll have a glass or two some nights. If I'm working out a lot and I am hungry, I add more carbs. If I'm on vacation I enjoy myself and eat wonderful food.
I have learned that if I begin to get too restrictive in my diet I begin to feel my ED behaviors return. For me, I start getting obsessive and feeling like I need to count calories or weigh my food. That's when I stop, evaluate and try to put things in perspective. I do the Master Cleanse 4 times a year, and I avoid gluten as I have a thyroid disorder called Hashimoto's Disease. I believe, (and studies have supported) that restrictive diets can lead to thyroid disorders. Because of my past eating, I'm on medication for the rest of my life, but I have learned to support my metabolism using herbal treatments and a sound diet. I also have a cheat meal once a week. "The Metabolic Effect Diet" is a great book that I use to guide my diet plans. It also explains HIIT workouts and how they work physiologically.
Q: What does a week of workouts look like for you?
A: Monday is my day off, and I'm working out six days a week unless i'm traveling.
I add wrist weights to all TAM arms, then add the 3 lb dumbbells when she does. I workout in my guest bedroom, which has a nice TV and plenty of room for me to kick, jump and sweat!
Tuesday: TAM Hip Con in the morning, then teach one hour Hot Vinyasa Flow yoga. If no yoga class, I'll do Hamelin Cardiotone for 20 to 30 minutes. I always do bonus arms and extra abs. For my abs I'll do the Hip Con abs twice, or Hamelin abs and arms from workout 1 or 2, then standing abs as a cool down.
Wednesday: TAM in the morning if I get up early enough and bonus arms. If not, I'll do it when I get home in the late afternoon. HIIT workout with abs component for 20 minutes, standing abs and light Hamelin arms with 2 to 5 lb weights
Thursday: TAM in the morning, bonus arms. Hamelin arms and post pregnancy abs, any ab webisode I have saved or freestyle HIIT abs. Teach Hot Yoga for 90 minutes.
Friday: Teach Hot Yoga from 6:30 to 7:30 am, home and breakfast. TAM, bonus arms, oblique work and simple dumbbell arm work (bicep curls, etc. just for one or two minutes). Standing abs.
Saturday: This is a heavy day. TAM, Bonus arms and standing abs. HIIT workout for 20 minutes, I do this from start to finish with no breaks. Takes me about 90 minutes. Then a hike with David, or something out of the house.
Sunday: TAM, bonus arms and standing abs. Hamelin Cardiotone 1 or 2, Hamelin workout 1 or 2 arms and abs only. I don't do his legs as I prefer TAM. Then Sunday Funday, which usually includes my cheat meal. Sometimes we hike, but most often we just chill.
Now that I look at this it seems like an ass load of exercise, but it only averages out to be about 90 minutes a day, not including yoga. Yoga for me isn't that hard, I'm correcting my students and not working out as much as if I was to take a class as a student.
Q: What are your personal workout goals?
A: I'd like to maintain my strength and tone well into my 60's, maintain my health and well being, and accept myself whatever shape I may be. I wish to feel the joy of my legs carrying me up a steep mountain trail, my arms as I hug my fiancé, and my energy as I hold a yoga pose. I wish to follow TAM to the end, whenever that may be, and maybe, someday, be able to do dance cardio! Oh, 10 pull-ups would be cool, too.
Q: Any recipe you’d like to share?
A: Two, actually. My favorite smoothie is this:
Ingredients:
One scoop RAW protein by Garden of Life
two tablespoons gentle fibers by Jarrow or ground flax seeds
blueberries, strawberries…any berries that are in season
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cacao powder
1/2 teaspoon spirulina
Vanilla stevia
ice
Put in a Vitamix, blend and enjoy!
This low-carb/high protein meal is a time saver and totally filling and yummy.
Ingredients:
Four medium zucchini
1/2 lb ground turkey breast
Jar of pasta sauce (I get gluten free).
Spiral slice zucchini and separate into two bowls.
Brown ground turkey in Italian spices in a saucepan over medium heat until cooked through. Add pasta sauce, cover and simmer until heated.
Pour over zucchini, serve with a yummy glass of wine.
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