Monday, November 21, 2011

TAM L5 Day 3 - 8: Differing Centrics

The big thing this week was the launch of Tracy Anderson's Body calculator. If you know about her Meta, you know that in order to order it, you have to decide if you are hip, glute, ab or all of the above/unsure. For me, I know I put weight on all over and so have always assumed that I was omni.
Lately I have wondered if I was glute but then my stomach still has fat etc etc. Lots of people have and so Tracy and team offered to look at photos but quickly became overwhelmed so they developed a short survey programme.
Two things happened which really enhanced my knowledge. First, a lovely TAM lady emailed to ask if I could tell what she was -- hip or glute as she had emailed Tracy's team and hadn't received a reply. And then the body calculator came out, plus Tracy's team started to reply to those people who  emailed the photos so I could tell more about what the thinking was.
This lady's photos taught me that it is far easier to tell what people are at the start of Meta, then when they are going through it, and you need to know what you are looking for.
This is what I decided about the centrics for the info I could glean.
Glute means you tend to  gain weight  first at the back -- on your backside, your back and the BACK of your thighs and you lose it last there. Your bottom tends to flow into your thighs and you could really do with a butt lift. If you are sitting, balancing on the edge of a chair, your weight will flow to the back.
Hips means you tend to  gain weight first on your hip bones, and the SIDES of your thighs as well as at the sides of your calves. You lose it last there. If you are balancing on the edge of a chair, your weight will flow to the sides.
Abs means front. You have a pot belly.  Depending on your physical condition, you might carry weight on your thighs and hips but really it is the stomach region that gains. In worst case scenarios people will ask you if you are pregnant. Or pat your stomach to make it quiver. Siblings can be such fun when you are growing up.
Omni means you have a combo of problems or simply that you gain weight all over.
People being people often have a multitude of problems and there is a spectrum. Equally people may be more sensitive about one area than another (for example their mother harped on about the stomach but really they have saddle bags) , even though once they start that problem shapes up very quickly. Or they find they were thinking hips but it was really back of hips sort of thing. Plus there is the whole I am putting a hell of a lot of time and effort in, I want to know syndrome. In other words, there are emotions involved, rather than pure objectivity. You try telling someone that her abs are not the biggest problem when she has spent 30 years hating her stomach because she was teased at summer camp. It is hard. It doesn't fit with her body image and that causes problems...
Anyway, I looked at the lady's photos and to my eye, it was obvious she was glute. In her before picture she was sitting and you could see the weight hanging from her thighs, rather than flowing out over the rock. (With me, I think my thighs would have flowed out to the side as well as to the back...) With her other pictures, it was far more difficult because this lady is absolutely stunning and her legs are to die for (imho) except she has a little bit of a bottom and weight to the back of her thighs.
I said glute. She heard back from Tracy's team who said glute. I wiped the sweat from my brow with relief. I think I have FINALLY figured out the rationale. Front, back and sides. But ultimately everything will be sort if you have the patience.
I took the body calculator and didn't measure my hip bone to hip bone right (guessing)  and came out with Hip. I knew this was wrong. I definitely have a stomach. It is less than it was but it is still there. Plus my backside needs a lift and I do put weight on my back. Anyway, I went back, remeasured.accurately and came out omni. I tried again to make sure and again came out omni. I am omni and it suits my ego so I am staying that way.

Omni means all parts are going to be hit and eventually everything will really tone up. I don't have to worry because my front, back and sides are all going to get hit.
 Some of it is being patient and letting Tracy work her magic. It took Gwyneth Paltrow 3 years to get her current body. It took Tracy herself about that long for her body to be pulled in tight. My body has changed so much since 25 August when I started. It is continuing to change.

Because I have also realised that the POSITIONING is really important. The order in which you do the exercises so that the contraction is held is also important, but with the leg lifts (from what I can glean) you work different angles. I have really concentrate on making sure my knee is turned out the way Tracy wants.  But I know she will be working my thighs from all angles and eventually the weight will go from my hips and bottom. And some day, I might not have a pot belly (or loose skin there)

And TOMORROW I will be doing the Girl's Night In: Swoon with Boon lecture at Stockton Central Library at  6 pm. It should be fun. Luckily a friend is coming with me so I won't have to walk in alone and I know there will a friendly face in the audience.  Always useful. The great Sara Craven is also speaking so I will be able to soak up her knowledge. I used to love reading Sara's books when I was a teenager, at university and in my early 20s.  I only hope I give a good account of myself. An account will be posted on Wednesday.

3 comments:

LP King said...

I'd agree with the three-year observation. But that's so off-putting/scary for people who are really out of shape. The thing, is, they'll see improvements the minute they start trying. The psychology of encouraging people to fitness is way more complex than I once thought. You're right about the body-image problems women seem to so often suffer. They can stem from things that happened years ago, which are no longer really true. So many girls are uncomfortable acquiring the normal female weight in the outer regions of the upper thighs -- actually a biological symbol of fertility -- that they go through life believing it's their main appearance problem. I think with most women, by the time they reach their mid- to late-thirties, they really have to start watching their gut. Body shape definitely changes throughout life. (I wish I still had a butt!)

Tracy2011 said...

Hi Michelle,

The body calculator is just another tool to use if we are undecided about what centric to use. In my case, I really wanted to improve my thighs and butt, and chose the hipcentric because it addressed the areas that I wanted to work. I took the calulator and found out that I am omnicentric, which when I think about it makes sense because I do gain in other areas, but think more so in my lower body. All of the centrics work the entire body, and I think everybody can get good results even if the calculator says we should be working out to a different centric. I think that this calculator could cause more problems with women who aren't seeing results as fast as they want and change to a different centric just to find that the results are still a work in progress. Anyway, just my thoughts.

Michelle Styles said...

LP King -- Thank you for your comment. It is good to know that you agree about it taking 3 years.
Body image is such a tricky subject.

Tracy2011 -- I think you are right that sometimes women who are searching for a quicker way think if only I change. Also I do think some people were genuinely unsure. Because hip and glute are closely linked, they worry.
The key is to realise that problem areas will change and all the centrics do work the entire body.
WHen you are on the programme, it is definately a Work In Progress.