TAmily Member Bianca Dinsmore: “The Method Saved My Sanity and My Body”
Bianca Marie Dinsmore is from Atlanta, GA — find and follow her on Instagram here: @biancadinsmore
Courtesy of Bianca Dinsmore
Bianca Dinsmore’s Tracy Anderson Method Journey
I started my journey with TAM in February 2019. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I did know that I had just seen Jennifer Lopez on the cover of InStyle, about to turn 50 and looking like she was aging in reverse! It wasn’t really about trying to “be” her. I just liked the way her body looked. At this stage in my fitness life, I had been working out consistently for about seven years. Even though I was getting results in weight loss, I wasn’t getting the “look” I wanted. I also was noticing that, over time, my workouts weren’t having a positive effect on my joints and muscles. I’m 37 now, and let me tell you, I can feel it! I come from a sports background and approach to fitness. Softball, golf, kickboxing, running, and weight lifting had been my normal jam. After years of hitting numerous plateaus, but also learning a lot about my body and how it relates to exercise, I felt it was time to change it up big-time!
Now, back to the J.Lo cover… I thought to myself, “What is she doing?” I hit up Google and, bam, Tracy Anderson popped up. Now this wasn’t the first time I had heard of Tracy. Back in 2007, a good friend of mine, Debra Shigley, mentioned that she was doing this “new” workout by a woman named Tracy Anderson. At the time, I wasn’t working out at all. I had just had the oldest of my three children and wasn’t even close to being interested. I was surviving as a new mom! Fast-forward to 2019, I shot Debra a text saying, “Hey, do you still do the Tracy Anderson Method?” To which she replied, “Yes, the arms!” I started researching and landed on her OG Mat video. Little did I know that that one hour would begin to change my life for the better.
The first time I did The Method, I felt all over the place. Given my fitness past, I had the grace of a bull in a china shop. My body was tight and locked up. Plus, the moves felt so foreign. Can we say muscle confusion!? I had no idea how challenging it would be. At one point I almost quit. Then my competitiveness kicked in and I said, “Nah, boo, you’re gonna see this thing through.” I progressed with that one video incorporated into my run schedule for about a month before I dove into Metamorphosis: Abcentric. I’d say this is where it started to get real. The new challenge to do The Method six days a week had me interested. At the time I upgraded to Meta, I had just taken on a new job that required a rigorous travel schedule for the first few months of training. However, TAM was perfect because I could stream it anywhere. The digital option is perfection!
“After my work on the mat every day, I found that I processed my emotions better because I was slowing down and noticing them.”
Interestingly enough, I wasn’t getting overwhelmed with all the newness. Quite the opposite. There was more balance happening, however, I wouldn’t have been able to articulate why at the time. I stayed on Meta for 90 days and was happy. Then my interest peaked in regard to the TA Online Studio. The two-week free trial got me like I knew it would! From day one of streaming I was hooked! The real-time raw element really made it come to life for me. I was obsessed with the fact that there were trainers with breakdowns of the moves. Also, to see a huge group of diverse women who looked hyped up and happy all the time was amazing. By June, I was a full-blown Beginner Mat Class addict! I was also starting to see real results in my body—the arms specifically. I bumped the workouts to seven days and started incorporating Intermediate Mat Class.
Mind, Body, and Soul
Shortly after is where I started to notice the magic that was happening. Getting to know Tracy and the team, The Per4mance Program, and the end-of-class chats (formerly lectures) really started to anchor the science behind it all. I noticed my relationships with people changed. I had more balance in my thoughts. The endorphin high I was always on started to be my “secret sauce.” After my work on the mat every day, I found that I processed my emotions better because I was slowing down and noticing them. Self-control started to feel manageable. As a divorced, single mom, I spent a lot of time being defensive and reactionary. I was not managing stress well at all.
The Method saved my sanity. It saved my body, too! Less back pain, no joint pain, no injuries, and I was doing it all in my living room. My mood was starting to be good on a consistent basis, and I had so much energy. An energy that I hadn’t experienced—both mentally and physically. So I took a note from Drake and “started wearing less and goin’ out more” because the confidence in how my body looked was at an all-time high. It’s not perfect, and that’s not even a thought or a goal, but it is in the best place it’s ever been.
“Today, more than a year after starting The Method, I feel freer than I ever have.”
By the time I set foot on the mat for atTAin, I felt like I just arrived at the Super Bowl. It was January 2020 and I was ready to get in the game. Again, I had no idea how impactful it would be. I felt all the pieces of the TAM puzzle were starting to come together for me. The quote from Tracy—“You are how you move”—became clear to me in the manner of a paradigm shift.
Today, more than a year after starting The Method, I feel freer than I ever have. Freedom in my movement and expression. Freedom of speech, not in a constitutional sense, but being vulnerable to express the love I have for the people around me. There is a sense of peace underneath the physical strength. More balance in my body has created more balance in my life as a whole.
You feel with your body and being able to understand the mind/body connection has been a life-changing experience. With all the ups and downs, life just has a little more richness to it these days. Not to mention the majesty that is the TAmily! This community of incredibly positive, strong, and motivating women that embody this group is truly a blessing in my life. They always have my back! It’s incredible how one person can impact so many. So, thank you, Tracy. Thank you for going after your higher self and guiding us on our path to our most balanced, healthy selves. My first year with TAM was definitely one for the books, and I can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings.
