TAmily Member Deb Seamark: “My Body Is Much Wiser Now Than When It Was Young”
Deb Seamark is a France-based member of our TAmily, a supportive community of Tracy Anderson Method devotees who strive to design a life of balance. Connect with Jila (@tamenopausal on Instagram) and follow us (@tracyandersononlinestudio on Instagram) to stay up to date on all things TAM.
Courtesy of Deb Seamark
Deb Seamark’s Tracy Anderson Method Journey
If you think that Tracy Anderson is only for young Hollywood babes, sit down and listen to a middle-aged Englishwoman. I was fit and sporty all my life, and always at a reasonable weight. But as I reached 50, with low thyroid and menopause, I was struggling. Struggling to keep in the shape I expected to be, my strength and endurance were declining. I had more and more injuries, and everything was just sagging. My mindset was negative, defining myself by what I couldn’t do anymore, and focusing on everything that was wrong with my body. In short, I was feeling old, and I didn’t like it. So I pushed myself harder and harder. Exercise was certainly no longer a pleasure, but a chore and a punishment. And yet nothing changed, except that I was sore, exhausted, often injured, and increasingly disappointed in myself.
In my desperate attempts to fight the dreaded menopausal belly, I bought Abcentric Metamorphosis, gritted my teeth, and started what I thought was going to be a crunch fest bootcamp. Instead I discovered a whole new incredible way of thinking about my body and movement. Slowly I realized that balance isn’t about being able to stand on one leg, but about finding harmony and synergy in your body, with no part of you over- (or under-) developed. I started to relish the strength, grace, and simple childish joy that comes from exploring how the whole body can learn to work together. And I could enjoy working hard without the resulting stiffness and joint pain I had come to accept as normal for my age. Yes, I started seeing and feeling results pretty quickly, but that soon became less important than the amazing lessons I was learning about myself. For the first time in my life I was nurturing my body, enjoying it, and working with it, rather than fighting it all the time.
“The Tracy Anderson Method has helped me tremendously with the physical and mental effects of menopause, giving me back control over my body at a phase in life when it’s easy to give up.”
And of course, I was scooped up by the #TAmily—that incredibly strong, smart, supportive community that has built up around the Method. There are not enough words to describe how special TAmily is. If ever I win an Oscar (highly unlikely, but these are crazy times), my acceptance speech will be the longest on record, as I will have to thank each and every one of them.
I carried on with Continuity for two years, building my strength, balance, and understanding of the Method. Then I had the honor of being sponsored for a year of streaming under the TAmily Cares initiative. I now do atTAin (Advanced) six times a week, plus my usual cycling and hiking. Last year I even started doing Dance Cardio, which was way out of my comfort zone. I was the least dancey person you could think of, but with the great support of Tracy, her team, and my London TAM Zoom crew, I now love it!
Mind, Body, and Soul
TAM has helped me tremendously with the physical and mental effects of menopause, giving me back control over my body at a phase in life when it’s easy to give up. Before TAM, I was losing confidence in my body, hiding it with baggy clothes, and not expecting to look good. Now I’m wearing sassy clothes again, and feeling great in them. I’m learning that aging is not about declining but about maturing. And we’re told that maturity can bring wisdom. Well, that works for physical maturity, too. My body is much wiser now than when it was young, and I’m at last looking forward to growing older with it.
