Tracey Anderson - Total Teen: Tracy Anderson’s Guide to Health, Happiness, and Ruling Your World

The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and fitness. The exercise and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your doctor. As with all exercise and dietary programs, you should get your doctors approval before beginning.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.

Internet addresses and phone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

2017 by Tracy Anderson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Exercise photographs by Mitch Mandel/Rodale Images

Lifestyle and exercise studio shots by Ryan Olszewski/Rodale Images

Book design by Carol Angstadt and Jan Derevjanik

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-62336-932-3 paperback
ISBN 978-1-62336-934-7 e-book

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To my two glorious children
Sam Anderson and Penelope Blythe Mogol

My story starts out as most stories do, far from the happy ending, but full of hints about what I might achieve if I listened to my inner voice and found my own strengths.

For me, it was always about dance. Decades before I would work with Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez, Lena Dunham, or any celebrity, I was consumed with my own artistic dream. I desperately wanted to be a professional dancer. My mother gave me the love of movement, the one that I still carry with me today. She was a ballerina and owned a dance studio in our small town in Indiana. From the time I could walk, I was dancing. My mom would blast all kinds of music in our living room and cheer, Move, move, move! She would push me to wiggle, twist, shake, and leap in unstructured ways, asking, How does Tracy want to move? This empowered me to begin to listen to what my body wanted and to learn to trust my physical self.

In high school, my passion for dance translated naturally into cheerleading, though I was not blessed with the gift of flexibility, a coveted trait in the cheering universe. Some girls could easily tie themselves in twisty knots or land complex back handsprings. I had to work really hard at every part of it.

The summer after high school, my dad saw an ad in the local paper announcing auditions for a Hollywood movie filming in my town. It was a basketball film called Blue Chips; Im pretty sure its on Netflix if you want to check it out. The casting agents were looking for real cheerleaders. When I arrived at the audition in my schools official cheer uniform, I was shocked and embarrassed to find the other girls in sexy outfits, in the half shirts and tight biker shorts that were all the rage in 1994. I told my mom that I needed to change immediately, that I had to look like everyone else, but she convinced me to stay in my uniform. This was a moment that I will never forget, when I had to screw up my courage and decide to be myself instead of trying to look or be like the rest of the world.

Amazingly, I made the cut and landed one of the roles. This was my introduction to movie making, but also to fierce competition and ridiculous fad diets. Many of the other actresses on the set were following the trendy pineapple diet. Something inside me knew that consuming basically nothing but pineapple would be a bad movethough I did feel tempted to try it several times!

I survived my 15 minutes of movie fame and resumed my original ambition to become a professional dancer. I knew I wasnt Juilliard material right out of the high school gate and wasnt likely to win a spot at the famous New York City arts conservatory. I just didnt have the gifts required to make it into a top school like that, but I still was good enough to pursue dance competitively, and I was an extremely hard worker. Staying focused and driven, I managed to get into a different but still very competitive conservatory, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan, and even win a scholarship. My program required the students to do it allto act, sing, and dance. Jesse Tyler Ferguson was in my class; Jason Mraz was a friend and at the school at the same time. Its funny that he was in the drama program and is a musical genius. We were at a place to be able to find our way. The school had a lot of talent, and we had to perform at our highest level.

Although I had done only a small bit of acting, the most challenging part for me was the singing. I wasnt born with a natural vocal gift. I almost felt ill at the thought of having to stand up and sing to be critiqued in front of my peers. My roommates could prepare their songs without struggling as I did. To this day, I am still very close with my roommates Tamera, Candice, and Heidi, and they love to remind me how painful it was to listen to me rehearse Matchmaker from Fiddler on the Roof. However, looking back on my education, I am grateful that I was forced to explore all of the performing arts, not just the areas where I knew I could shine. If nothing else, this teaches you how to give it your all by being out of your comfort zone in safe environments as well as reaffirms your real passion.

Going in, I felt confident about my dancing talent. Dance, specifically ballet, had always been my everything. I clung to it, even as key pieces of my life were unraveling. My parents divorced when I was a senior in high school, and I had never quite regained equilibrium after that. I was super close with both my mom and my dad, and their split was tough for me to process or even accept. When I wasnt busy dancing with my mom, I was playing chess with my dad, who reveled in the games strict rules and was equally excited when I learned how to break them. No divorce ever comes at a good time for a kid, but my parents timing was particularly awful. I didnt realize it when we were an intact family unit, but their marriage provided a real sense of security for me. When it ended, I lost a lot of my footing; my world was rocked.