Sarah, you look AWESOME!!! You work so hard, and are so consistent, you completely deserve it. From your pics, especially the one with your little one, you definitely look like you have the TA-signature arms and abs. I always find it interesting how her method seems to consistently produce a very similar kind of definition / look in the arms and abs for those who commit to it.
It's awesome to hear that you have gained strength and endurance. I've been thinking about Meta recently, since I do random workouts from Glute and Hip quite often. I think TA's method can make you very strong and body-aware, and it can really teach you to integrate your moves well.
I kind of think that there is a bottom threshold, though, for fitness level going into the program that will allow someone to really get the most out of the Meta workouts. For example, I think if your core is not really strong going in (vs. how strong yours was from her PP Workout), it can be hard to keep balanced in order to keep up with the moves and do them with proper form (which increases both body-awareness and strength/integration). When I don't focus on my core doing Meta, I can feel myself aggravating my back. Also, I think a lack of core strength (and/or core focus) can take away from the moves. The more and more I do TA along with other workouts, the more I see the influence of her early days of pilates training. And I feel like they are both similar in that they require careful attention to form and core strength, especially since neither are done standing (which, IMO, makes it easier to stay in proper alignment). I'm wondering if this is also true for your increased upper body strength. As in, I wonder if you had started TA's Meta out of shape, if you would not be able to do the planks and all-4 balance moves as effectively because you might be re-distributing weight away from your upper body (and therefore working it less) if it weren't strong enough going in.
I often think about TA's clients (celebrities), and recognize that these clients have been working out for years in different but related genres (yoga, pilates, ballet, endurance training, etc.). I kind of think TA designs programs for that kind of exerciser. I think TA's programs, when done correctly, are super advanced. They are harder for me than all of my other dvds (except maybe Tonique 1). Do you find them to be advanced as well? BTW, congrats on learning TA's Dance Cardio workouts. It took me several weeks to learn Dance Cardio II. At least once you know them they're hard to forget! I really wish she'd do more dance dvds and not just Youtube clips (the Frank Valiente clip is filmed in a way that makes it really tough to learn!).
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Method is much, technique is much, but inspiration is even more. ~ Cardozo
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