TAmily Member Jila Senemar-Meyer: “I Am Able to Push My Own Limits”
Jila Senemar-Meyer is a Miami-based member of our TAmily, a supportive community of Tracy Anderson Method devotees who strive to design a life of balance. Connect with Jila (@drjila_tam on Instagram) and follow us (@tracyandersononlinestudio on Instagram) to stay up to date on all things TAM.
Courtesy of Jila Senemar-Meyer
Jila Senemar-Meyer’s Story
If you ask my family and friends, they’ll tell you that I’ve always been a workout fanatic. I was a distance runner in high school and that carried me through college, medical school, and after, when I had my three kids in the span of three years. At one point, I had three children under the age of 3 and getting my long run in became a challenge. I had set the goal of completing a full marathon and was determined to follow through. I completed that goal, and the following year decided to run a half marathon and to finish it in less than two hours.
Once again I trained on my own and finished the half marathon with a time of one hour and 45 minutes. At this point, my endurance was at its peak, but I still didn’t feel comfortable or confident in my own skin. I had always heard about weight training, so I joined a local CrossFit gym and began my journey with weights. I spent the next five years lifting weight heavier than my own body weight and was satisfied with my strength but still wasn’t achieving the goal I had set of looking lean and toned.
Tracy Anderson Method
My progress had again stalled and it was at this point of frustration that I reached out to a fellow TAM member. She encouraged me to try the Tracy Anderson Method and to start with the DVDs. I purchased my first glutecentric Tracy Anderson DVDs and got to work. I lasted two weeks; I didn’t feel engaged with the workouts and decided that the program was not for me. I decided to go back to a HIIT program with some distance running intermixed. I hired a personal trainer who seemed to understand my long-term goals, so we began training four times per week at 5 a.m. Once again, I felt like I hit a brick wall with no progress. It again seemed that the harder I worked out, the less satisfied I became.
“Each week I learn something new about myself and am able to push my own limits.”
One random morning at the advice of my friend Erika Boom (@erika_boom) I signed up for a 2-week complimentary membership to the Online Studio. It was the change I had been searching for and I immediately clicked with it. Initially, I continued distance running as my form of cardio and streamed the Intermediate content four to five times per week. I also joined the Per4mance program and binge-watched all the content there and started to grasp what TAM was all about. This was where I realized that there was a lot more to the Method than just workouts and fitness. It was also fitness for the mind and soul. I purchased my first issue of Tracy Anderson Magazine and started reading through it and came across the TAmily Tales column. This led me to the next stage, which was finding the TAmily. I had never had that type of connection with anyone through a workout program, so it was definitely something outside of my comfort zone.
Mind, Body, and Soul
The TAmily was the support system I didn’t know I was missing. They welcomed me with open arms and offered their advice and motivation on a daily basis. TAM enables me to work out at any time that my schedule allows, which is ideal for me as in my line of work as a doctor I can be waiting to deliver a baby at any hour of the day or night. I’m able to stream from anywhere and get my workout done so that I can move ahead with my workday, and be efficient at being a mom to my three teenagers, three dogs, and a wife to my supportive husband of 18 years.
This Method has also opened my mind to the notion that we’re all on our own individual journeys and that no two are alike. Each week I learn something new about myself and am able to push my own limits. I have achieved a feeling of being at peace with myself and the confidence that comes from within and is genuine. I’m forever grateful to Tracy and the TAmily community and hope to inspire other women who may feel frustrated with their health journey.
