Total Teen by Tracy Anderson

Author:Tracy Anderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rodale
Published: 2017-03-27T04:00:00+00:00

Movement is a fundamental part of being a human being. From the moment we’re born, we wiggle, shake, contract, and release. In less than 2 years, human babies learn to roll over, sit, crawl, pull up to a standing position, and take those first tentative steps. At that point, it’s on! We run, jump, climb, and dance. Moving is an essential piece of who we are, keeping us engaged, fit, and alive. But as we transition out of the safety of our parents’ arms and begin exploring the world around us, we quickly realize that we can fall and, when we fall, we may get hurt. We make the connection between toppling over and bumping our heads, or slipping and scraping our knees. Later, when we move from the seclusion of our living rooms and backyards to neighborhood playgrounds, school gymnasiums, and sports fields, our self-consciousness starts to kick in. We question how we’re moving, wondering if it’s good enough, and ask ourselves: Do I look funny when I run? Do I look silly when I dance? Am I showing up for my team? This self-doubt builds throughout childhood, often blossoming during the teenage years and following us into adulthood. These limiting thoughts block our freedom of expression and, most tragically, prevent us from building and maintaining an open and enjoyable relationship with our bodies.

When I work with adult clients, this disconnection from the body is hugely apparent. So many women have forgotten how to be vibrantly connected to their physicality. They aren’t happy in their bodies and have no sense of what it’s like to feel strong and fit. After years of sitting in front of their computers and TVs and comparing themselves to others, they’ve basically abandoned their bodies, choosing instead to live in their heads. I meet so many women who hope to lose weight and feel healthy and attractive, but before they can do so, they must reignite their natural connection to movement.

Many of the adult women who come to me have been lost in self-doubt for decades, continually questioning how they look and how they move. They tell themselves things like, I’m not coordinated enough to take that dance class; I don’t have the skills to join the company softball team; I’m not flexible enough for yoga; I’ll always be overweight. They may even be truly trying to make a change, dieting, exercising, playing sports. Yet they continue to battle their weight and struggle to find weight management solutions. They search for explanations and wonder, Why isn’t all my hard work paying off? Am I doing it wrong? Is something wrong with my body or my willpower?

Unfortunately, they start to look for something to blame for their “failure” to look a certain way. They cease to see themselves as individuals and instead put themselves in categories. They say, “I have my grandmother’s hips” or “My mom holds her weight in her stomach and arms, and so do I.” If they have had kids, they say, “I lost my shape when I had babies.

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