Tone Up Tuesday: Tracy Anderson's 30 Day Method

Hey all, hope your weeks are off to a great start! For today's Tone Up Tuesday, I wanted to share some progress pics and my review of Tracy Anderson's 30 Day Method. Before we left for Vegas, I kicked up my fitness routine a notch and really decided to dig in with TA's 30 Day Method. Thank you so much to my TA guru--Shannon, for guiding me and answering all of my neurotic menu questions. It was Shan who convinced me to do the dance cardio instead of my usual elliptical routine, and wouldn't you know it, that is the component that made the most noticeable difference.

First and foremost, let me add a disclaimer here that I did not follow the 30 Day Method to a T. I don't have the willpower or desire to follow the diet line by line. There were days I didn't do my dance cardio or muscular structure work. I had bites of pizza, cookies, cereal, mac and cheese. I would say that I averaged 4 times/week for dance cardio and about 5 times/week for the muscular structure work. This was in addition to my usual 4 times/week yoga practice.

I really like a lot of things about this program. The main thing I love is that the menu uses 100% fresh ingredients. No chemicals, no weird supplements. Just fresh, real food. Yes, the menu is pretty restrictive, but TA states in her book that it's not meant to be a lifetime menu, just a 30-day bootcamp plan. That said, I found about 4-5 recipes that I really enjoyed and just put them on repeat. 

I really love the homemade blueberry applesauce, and make it pretty regularly still. I'm in my kitchen every other day, steaming my apples, then I blend them with fresh, organic blueberries. I add plenty of cinnamon for some great flavor. That's a really nice snacking option to have on hand and my kids love it too. 

-I added fresh strawberries to the kiwi basil puree and that was another light, refreshing, easy snack to reach for throughout the day. 

-Instead of the gazpacho puree, I took Shan's advice, and diced up cucumbers, carrots, red peppers and added avocado and Italian dressing for a nice, light salad option.

-The homemade minestrone soup was delicious and I ate that for lunch many days in a row. And of course...

-the homemade chocolate pudding was amazing. I added orange zest and raspberries to my versions for some variety. I also went off-menu a few days and used white chocolate for the pudding instead. To that, I added unsweetened coconut flakes and lime zest and enjoyed an amazingly rich dessert. By the time we went to Vegas, I was on such a pure path eating-wise that I didn't even want a lot of the treats I usually enjoy--fried foods, cheeseburgers, pizza, fruity alcoholic drinks etc...

Here's a shot of my tummy after Day 5 of the program. There's an oval-shaped pooch of pudge that I've had since delivering my second child and it won't budge no matter what.

This program is best suited for those who don't have a ton of weight to lose, but really want to tone and tighten. I know people have lost 20-25 pounds on this program, but that wasn't the case for me, because as I stated, I didn't follow it exactly.

Day 12: I started noticing that my subcutaneous belly fat was finally starting to melt off--this was a direct result of the dance cardio

Day 17: less belly fat, more muscle definition

Day 26: ab muscles starting to show through

All in all, I really enjoyed this program and I really enjoyed the fast results it produced. It definitely improved my tone and muscle definition and the combination of muscular structure work, cleaner diet, and dance cardio finally made a difference in my stubborn tummy pooch and also in my saddlebag areas (which I will never post online, lol). I love her ab and arm sequences so much that I still try to do them 3-4 times a week. I know Tracy Anderson isn't for everyone, but I tailored her program to my needs and I'm happy with the success I experienced with it. 

Where are my other TAM girls? How are you all doing with your personal journeys/goals? If you're not a TAM-er, what's your preferred method of staying in shape/losing the pudge? I would love to hear from you!