March 1, 2012
The fundamental objective of exercise is NOT to complete 3 sets of 10. Or to raise your heart rate to a certain level for a period of time. Instead, the objective is to fatigue the targeted musculature as thoroughly and efficiently as possible to stimulate the muscular response mechanism.
Failure is a good thing.
In SuperSlow terminology, such failure is referred to as the “inroad”. It’s at this point in the exercise where continued performance according to prescribed form (e.g., safely!) can no longer occur. Doing so, you guard against excessive depletion of your system resources.
To fail, you — not just your body, but YOU-have to overcome some pretty challenging tasks.
· Overcoming fear of injury. Working to failure does NOT equal exercising in such a way so as to result in injury. That’s why we push you to hold proper form — you don’t want to engage physics to finish that last repetition, you want to engage the targeted musculature. Doing so all but ensures a safe workout.
· Working through the “burn”. It can be intense doing a SuperSlow workout. There’s no way around that. But it’s working TO that level of intensity achieved in failure that stimulates the growth response that benefits you. Go not just where it’s difficult, and you’re miserable — reach deep inside and keep working at it until it’s IMPOSSIBLE.
· Fear of the aftermath. Post-workout soreness is very individual; we’re pretty darn good at NOT making you miserable afterwards, so avoid that excuse!
Working through these fears, you’ll soon find results of a nature you could never achieve with hours upon hours of lesser work. You become, well, enabled. Stronger – not just physically, but mentally. The ability to overcome in the workout area offers lessons you can apply to the rest of your life.
January 8, 2012
New Year’s resolutions abound, with statistics showing that losing weight and / or exercising more are THE most frequently cited goals.
If there’s one thing I learned from project management (well, OK, there are many things I learned from THAT profession!), setting goals and objectives are great. Essential, even. They provide you a basis against which to measure yourself. To determine if you’ve succeeded. To keep you (and others) on track.
So, you map out the steps you take to achieve those goals, breaking them down into manageable chunks. You track, one by one, if you’ve met the deadline, see if “roadblocks” get in your way, reset the goals if necessary, but keep moving forward. You have a deliverable to make. In the arena of resolutions, that “deliverable” is some form of new & improved “YOU”.
BUT, in the same way a project isn’t successful just because it’s completed, you are a constant work in progress. Software is never “done”. It requires tweaking. Updates. Servicing. The same is true of you, and your body.
So you’ve achieved that objective to lose ten pounds, and now fit into those size 12 pants for the first time in years. Now what?
You don’t just stop there, that’s what.
NOW the fun begins. Now you take those learnings you had along the way and integrate them into your lifestyle. Because a diet has that word “die” in it — and you don’t want to die on the vine with bad habits.
How do you want to live the next 10 years? 20? Even 40? Are you o.k. with yo-yo dieting or would you rather always feel this great? How about those bones — want to keep them intact, with muscles strong enough to buffer falls? Want to continue to race around the block with your (grand)kids? You can’t stop now — you MUST make your resolution a lifelong reality.
I know it’s hard to take it all in. And, more than likely, you’ll stray. But your perspective, your long-term goal to achieve 100 year of healthy, quality living, should guide your approach to every day. Eat well. Sleep well. Play well. And exercise intelligently.
December 5, 2011
“I’ve got too much going on. I’ll start that diet AFTER the holidays.”
“I’m too busy now to exercise — I’ll take it up again after the holidays.”
Yup. The excuses of the ages come now, wrapped in big bows and lots of confectioners sugar.
Our time is booked up with a plethora of tasks which, honestly, are meant to bring joy to others but in reality bring a heckuva lot of stress to, well, YOU.
And stress is a killer. It’s not bad enough it raises your cortisol levels, which impact your body fat (especially that tummy Santa — uh, you, are making). But stress has a slew of other derogatory effects on your health.
Couple that stress with badder-than-bad diets during this time and lack of physical activity, and there’s a reason heart attacks, familial arguments, and even the obituaries increase.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Relish those around you. Sit back a bit and enjoy the decorations. Cut back, just a tad (if not a lot) on that task list YOU have. Go ahead, shop online, or buy a bunch of gift certificates at local vendors so you don’t have to make that (ugh) trip to the mall.
Have that cup of eggnog — just one (the calories will make you cry out for mercy). Up your veggie intake, drink lots of water, then have “planned outages” of your favorite holiday treats — small amounts, but enough to get that craving taken care of so you don’t feel deprived.
And take that walk. Daily. Even if it’s short. Don’t forgo your strength training — the metabolic boost is what you need to survive this season!.
You can’t be perfect, but you can be better. Go for 80% good, 20% naughty — I’ll bet you won’t get coal for THAT!
November 8, 2011
It ain’t workin’
“This isn’t working for me. My scale isn’t showing the weight loss I need to see.”
Sigh.
There is a triad of metrics you should be focusing in on when assessing if your exercise AND eating programs are working for you (note the “AND” — it’s a BIG “AND” — remember that 80/20 rule? 80% — maybe more — of weight LOSS is diet-controlled, the other 20% is exercise…).
1) Body fat. You may not have a tool to measure this (but you’re welcome to use ours!), but your percentage of body fat:muscle is probably THE most important metric you should be assessing your performance against.
2) Often, clients will say “my friends say I look thinner, but my scale doesn’t show it”. Tied in with #1, take your measurements. Monthly. We usually find that when the scale isn’t reflecting a change, your inches ARE. A pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat, so you might be “leaning up”, with a net gain / loss of zero, but a NICE impact to how you’re looking.
3) NOW take to the scale.
And know that if none of the three metrics are reflecting a difference, and don’t for a period of 4 weeks, you might indeed be “plateauing”, and need to modify your diet a bit. Or, step up the level of intensity in your workout (are you REALLY working to failure, or just stopping when it’s hard?). And if that doesn’t work, let’s get you to someone to see if you have allergies that might be impeding your progress too…
October 4, 2011
You know, the plethora of stores putting out Christmas decorations this September is, well, downright depressing to me. Buy, buy, buy. The chaos begins. Stress levels go up as we fight our way into the malls and the disappearing parking spots. It’s not bad enough we have ugly weather and shorter days to deal with, but now we’re juggling…the dreaded holidays.
Just as depressing is what we do to our bodies during this time. Sleep patterns are already disrupted. But then we load up on sugary treats, with carbs going immediately to our fat stores and making heyday with our insulin levels. And exercise? It often goes to the wayside so we can fit everything ELSE in.
Which, of course, is self-defeating. Not to say you don’t deserve your rest — if anything, we encourage (nay, demand) adequate rest in-between workouts to ensure your body has the time it needs to restore & rebuild muscle. But the body realizes positive adaptations as a result of the improvements we make to your muscle tissue. The power, the benefits, to focusing on muscle growth extends to a myriad of health (let alone quality of life) benefits. Strength training is simply superior to other forms of activities, when employed correctly. So, why rob your body of the elixir it needs not just to survive, but thrive? You brush your teeth (and maybe floss) daily, shower or bathe, eat…proper exercise as a part of your regiment is JUST as important.
So while we can’t help you avoid the spoils of your (kids’) trick-or-treating, we do encourage you to make time to fit these 20 minute sessions in. After all, it IS just once-twice a week, and is one of the best things you can do for your body.
September 1, 2011
The beauty of the SuperSlow protocol is its efficiency. 20 minutes (or less) of good, high intensity work that optimizes your workout time and results. Pure & simple, yes? But it’s that “intensity” that is the challenge.
Workout out to a level of intensity that drives home the muscular build process is NOT for the faint at heart — or for those who can’t get themselves to push outside their comfort zone. It’s pretty darn uncomfortable, really. Your muscles are screaming from every part to let go of (drop) the weight. Your breathing is difficult. You want sooo badly to engage in poor form to complete the rep. And you wish your instructor would allow you to stop already.
Resistance training does not automatically equate to high intensity training. If you think of it, all movement involves resistance. But to have MEANINGFUL resistance, to the point where we can cause the muscles’ strength to momentarily fail or dysfunction within 1 – 4 minutes, that reflects a level of intensity not seen in “normal” workouts. The shorter the time taken to achieve that muscular failure, the greater the intensity.
Deep muscular stimulation, the kind where you engage the fast twitch muscles, is improved when you opt for high intensity training (“HIT”) as your mode of exercise. HIT must be thorough, safe, tracking to muscle & joint function; must THOROUGHLY fatigue the muscles to recruit & stimulate as many muscles as possible,; and, must be performed with minimal rest in-between exercises to deepen the metabolic conditioning. I heartily encourage reading Body By Science (McGuff) to better deepen your understanding of the physiology beneath our protocol.
July 5, 2011
This weekend, we spent most of it in the hospital – my son spliced his patella in half in a long board accident (luckily, not his skull or neck…). Immediately after he got through surgery, I (of course) started to think about his future – how that knee will react later in life, what he needs to do NOW to ensure good quality of life later, etc. And was admittedly surprised when the surgeon told us that, because of his young age & fitness, he wouldn’t need physical therapy.
Really? Evidently the wondrous benefits of youth and their recuperation = little or no need for the therapy our more…seasoned clients have to undergo when they undergo knee surgery. Go figure. But because of the injury, he will be more prone to arthritis in the area later in life.
So while I trust his surgeon in many ways, I will be consulting and researching with many others to ensure that, from a long-term quality of life, he’s given the options available to ensure he HAS a quality of life (and little to no long-term misery). Part of that, I know, is strengthening the surrounding muscles, as we do for so many here…. I have to be grateful I’m now a part of this fitness industry, and admittedly probably irritated the heck outta his surgeon with all my questions, and had to reflect on those who don’t know, simply trust their doctor or leave with a sub-set of information about what to do next.
We partner pre– and post-surgery with so many, who want to ensure optimal strength going into their surgery, or work through it afterwards to optimize their lifestyle. The old feedback of “just rest” is not enough for the post-surgery clients, and can work against a healthy, long-lasting recuperation. It’s not easy – good results mean lots of work, and even pain, to achieve optimal results. Not much different than what our clients to day in & out to better build their muscles here: reaching for not just what’s difficult, but what’s impossible. Because it’s only by reaching that you can achieve…..
April 7, 2011
Some 90% of those walking in our door want to lose weight. Now. Heck, it only took them, what, years? to put it on, but they want it off in months. Okayyyyyy.… but let’s get through that, and go a little deeper.
Spend the time walking through a self-exercise, and uncover just what really is important. Why it is you really want to lose that weight.
All righty, so now you can fit into those old clothes — now, what’s important about that to you?
Um, I look better. And when I look better, my confidence goes up, and I can handle more. My stress goes down. My stats will improve, so I can get off those meds I’m on. I’ll be able to carry myself more easily so my knees don’t bear so much of the brunt. I’ll “look the part” for that interview (or, that reunion, or wedding, or…).
OK, and so now you (look the part/have that confidence/can walk with greater ease.…), what’s important about succeeding in that to you?
Well, my kids will see a more positive role model…or, I’ll have a better quality life or.…I’ll be able to be more active with my grandchildren.…or.…well, you get the gist.
It’s not the weight. It’s what losing that weight GETS you — what’s really important, underneath it all, boils down to an improvement in your lifestyle that’s meaningful. Which means you must make a commitment — to YOU. Not just to an exercise regime or diet that helps you lose that 10/20/30 pounds, but a way of life that will allow you to live your next (10, 20, 50) years in a way that makes you satisfied. When you “get” it, and really can internalize and communicate the “why” behind your interest in losing that weight, you’ll find you’ve uncovered the power to help you commit to making it happen.
And when you’re ready to make that commitment to YOU, we’re here to help you, and to help you be accountable to work your hardest. This workout isn’t easy — far from it. But, it will enable the lifestyle you want.
March 2, 2011.
So, what really happens in that workout room? Is it really that necessary to have an instructor by your side, all the time?
I’ve worked out solo. I workout with instruction. Every single time, I gain more seconds, push myself more when someone is by my side. The role of the SuperSlow certified instructor is not just to capture your time or set up machines. And that’s why it’s critical, with our high intensity workout, to have your certified instructor there with you.
We are drivers. When you say “OK, I’m done”, we say “nope, let’s do one more”. And guess what – YOU DO IT!! (and often, still one more beyond that!)
We are supervisors. Watching how you move your shoulders. How you breathe. Making sure you DO breathe. Not letting you stop short on the weight stack. Seeing if you favor one side over the other. Doing everything we can to prevent risk of injury. We maintain your records with details specific to YOU – just like any scientist, good recordkeeping allows for proper analysis and diagnosis.
We are educators. Ask away, we don’t hold with the “because I say so” approach. We love to impart our knowledge – the whole “knowledge is power” gig. The more you understand about WHY we have you do things the way we prescribe, HOW it works physiologically, the more you will self-drive yourself to obtain maximum performance. And we love for you to get those A’s.
We are students. We don’t know it all — how can we? But…What we don’t know, we seek to find out. Besides our ongoing continuing education (formal) and constant reading on all aspects of health & exercise, our clients drive us to find out more, more, more. How does exercise impact fibromyalgia? What should I eat to support my workout? What is the risk to a type 1 diabetic from this form of exercise? Why this diet v. that one? Knowing what we DON’T know, but seeking to fill that knowledge gap, is part of what charges us to excel as your fitness partner.
We are advocates. Passionate about what we do, about improving YOUR lifestyle. Because while part of this, admittedly, is about our vanity (how we look), more is about how SuperSlow improves lives, one workout at a time. And your goals and objectives may not be the same as the same guy/gal, same age, any more than your clothing preferences are the same. Getting you off your meds – woohoo! Shedding those pounds and inches – high five! Improving that bone density/blood pressure/cholesterol – yes! You can now get up without help? Nice! And, what, this is the first time you’ve done/stuck with any program for this amount of time BECAUSE of those results? Told you….
When people ask us the difference between what we do v. that of a “traditional” personal trainer, I love to have them ask our clients – especially those who’ve used both. You work hard here, so we must work even harder to garner your respect, and keep you driven to achieve your best. Thanks to all of our clients for making this not just a job, but a passion.
February 15, 2011
You can technically say this isn’t MY blog insertion — but that of a client. She posted this to a forum she participates in, and I asked if she wouldn’t mind my sharing it.
“A few folks have asked me to describe my recent experience with high-intensity weight training. After studying Body by Science (BBS) and performing similar protocols once a week for 6 months, I can honestly say that the claims made by BBS are accurate. I’m getting in the best shape of my life with so little time commitment it’s ridiculous. BBS is the best book out there explaining what goes on with your metabolism at high intensity. The references are excellent.
Body by Science by Doug McGuff, MD and John Little
http://www.bodybyscience.net/home.html/?page_id=18
Various systems use the same or similar protocols as BBS: The SuperSlow franchise developed by Ken Hutchins from osteoporosis studies in the early 80s; Slow Burn by Fred Hahn developed from his physical therapy practice; Power of Ten, which I don’t know much about other than that Barbara Walters and Lesley Stahl use this system for staying trim in front of the camera. Apparently, Lesley Stahl can leg press 400 lbs!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K05Db4WGxXg
There are probably other variations on the theme. The basic idea is to recruit and thoroughly fatigue all muscle fiber types in orderly fashion by maintaining a continuous load until muscular failure. Moving slowly with smooth turnarounds prevents injury. Now there is some debate amongst trainers as to what constitutes the ideal weight, time under load, and rep speed, but that’s quibbling. High intensity is the agreed upon key for enabling positive metabolic adaptations that simply don’t occur at lower intensities.
Tom Cowan describes his experience with SuperSlow in a past WAPF journal. Scroll down to the last sidebar in the article: Superslow weight training.
http://www.westonaprice.org/mentalemotional-health/1572-moods-and-the-immune-system.html
The directory at the BBS website led me to the SuperSlow facility on Silver Creek off 101 in San Jose.
If you call Marie at SuperSlow Silver Creek for a demo workout, tell her Pam sent you.
http://superslowzone.com/silvercreek/
Complete details of my experience are below.
Pam
— — — — — — — — — —
Every winter in Santa Cruz, the waves get a little bigger, the water gets a little colder, and the currents run a little stronger. And every winter for over 20 years I have paddled out, sucking air badly, chanting on every exhale: “I’ve gotta start working out… gasp… I’ve gotta start working out… gasp.” Now the discomfort of sucking air is one thing, but the danger of sucking air after you’ve been driven under water by an overhead wave is quite another. Imagine running the 100 meter dash as fast as you can, and as soon as you hit the finish, already severely winded, you’re plunged into icy, turbulent water for who knows how long. Five seconds pass and your lungs are burning. Ten seconds pass and you think you won’t make it. You open your eyes, see nothing but bubbles, feel light headed, and don’t really know which way is up. As soon as you reach the surface and catch a big gulp of air, gagging on foamy bubbles, you see another wave bearing down, and you have to go under all over again. And this is just to paddle out to get yourself into position! Having made it out (if you can), now you need enough strength and power to catch one. Bigger waves travel faster so you need to paddle faster to get into them. If you can’t muster the surge of power required, one of two things happens: If you’re lucky, the wave passes you by; if you’re unlucky, you hang suspended at the top of what seems like a cliff, with plenty of time to anticipate the worst wipeout in surfing: getting sucked over the falls and driven down by the most violent part of the wave to the reef below while a very hard object (your board) flies nearby. I can attest to black eyes, broken ribs, and bloody gashes. Are we having fun yet?
Fear is a powerful motivator. Over the years, I’ve tried all manner of regimens to get physically conditioned to handle bigger, more challenging winter surf: running, hiking up steep hills, biking to work (11 miles one way), swimming, yoga, “cardio” machines of all sorts from cycles to stairmasters to rowing machines, free weights and weight machines. I’ve tried personal trainers, no trainers, and workout buddies. Frankly, nothing ever seemed to have much of an impact for the amount of time spent. I’d end up getting burned out or injured. A surfing girlfriend was talked into training for a power-lifting competition, and it was clear she was getting into great shape and paddling circles around me. But the problem became injuries. Every weekend, same story: “I can’t surf because I pulled this or strained that.” Then she said she needed surgery on her shoulder. I talked to some guys at work who were competitive power lifters; they confirmed that injuries were part of the “sport.” What kind of stupid training system worsens your health and prevents you from participating in the activities you actually enjoy? Bloody useless.
Along comes Body by Science, by Doug McGuff, MD and John Little – the most compelling book on exercise I’ve ever read. They make some pretty bold statements that run counter to conventionally accepted exercise wisdom: how only a few minutes a week is sufficient to increase strength, cardiovascular conditioning, and bone density; how high-volume, low-intensity training damages all sorts of body systems; how stretching doesn’t accomplish what most of us think it does; how skills conditioning differs from physical conditioning and how professional trainers often mix up the two to the detriment of their athletes. McGuff and Little back up these statements convincingly with studies and data collected from their thousands of supervised workouts.
Still skeptical, I was willing to give it a try. So last July, I started once-a-week training at Marie’s SuperSlow facility in San Jose. I drive 10 miles on my lunch hour from work, hop on three Nautilus machines (I started with six), and work every major muscle group to failure, then drive 10 miles back to work within the hour. The actual time spent under exertion is about six minutes if I do well enough to last two minutes on each machine. If you count time between machines, it’s maybe eight minutes. That’s it. Done. Now mind you, that’s the hardest six minutes of my week and not for the faint of heart. At the end, I’m on the floor with my feet up against the wall and panting like a dog. I have butterflies going in, but sheer endorphin euphoria going out. The endorphins last for days. It’s AWESOME.
Results after six months? I’ve gained five pounds of muscle. (Marie, that damned well better be muscle, but I’m pretty sure it is because my surf trunks aren’t as tight as they used to be.) My massage therapist asked what in the world I was doing different to become so much more toned. (You can’t hide much from your massage therapist.) And the surfing? Last month I paddled out on a fair-sized day and noticed I wasn’t sucking air AT ALL. Now that totally blew me away. Even though I knew intellectually from BBS how and why this happens, I would never have believed it if I hadn’t experienced it. I caught over 30 waves, or something ridiculous like that (unheard of for me), and I had a blast… no fear, no worries… paddling effortlessly around girlfriends 10 – 15 years my junior. My recovery time has improved dramatically, which brings the fear factor either way down or out of the equation. Incredible.
I also started the workouts with chronic shoulder pain from excessive paddling, which Marie worked around. The theory is if you strengthen the surrounding musculature, you protect the area prone to injury from the offending activity (paddling). It worked, and the pain has completely disappeared. Previously, nothing I tried made much difference. I stopping surfing for two months until the pain went away, but it came right back as soon as I resumed surfing. I tried physical therapy at Kaiser, which was useless. Massage helped, but didn’t really address the cause of the problem. The pain was so bad I resorted to a cortisone injection because I couldn’t put a shirt on without wincing. All a thing of the past. I don’t feel the slightest twinge now no matter how hard I paddle.
I don’t need any more convincing that this form of exercise does what Body By Science claims. In the end, the only sample size I care about is n=1. It’s working for me like nothing else has ever worked before, and time is no longer the impediment it was. If you love spending hours in the gym every week, by all means, enjoy. Just realize that you don’t have to.”
Many thanks to Pam for taking the time to do this!
February 1, 2011
Part of our ongoing certification requirement is that we take continuing education courseware. Besides the myriad of fitness articles and magazines I read daily, these classes provide the forum to take that knowledge a level deeper. And, “meeting” (over the wonders of technology) with other SuperSlow instructors and owners is a boon, as we share our collective knowledge, questions, and issues.
This month I’m in the midst of a class on sarcopenia. Now, I’ve heard a LOT about osteoporosis (and if you watch any t.v., you probably have heard of the drugs to “fix” it….), but most people when I mention sarcopenia get this glazed, confused look on their faces.
Basically, it’s extreme muscle loss, often associated with age – but not necessarily ONLY an age-related disease. While you’re focusing on the next anti-oxidant and hoping that reverses the aging process, consider – The biggest “intervention” that reversed the signature of aging isn’t that pill, or that cream, or even your diet – but, strength training.
OK, this isn’t a plug for what we do – but a justification of WHY we do it, and why we’re such strong advocates of strength training. It’s not uncommon for our elderly clients to more than double their strength, but it’s the INTENSITY of being able to strength train to the point of engaging our fast twitch muscles that you lose the ability to do over time — and why the SuperSlow way is super important for those over 50. Recruiting those fast twitch muscles safely and efficiently is best done with high intensity strength training where you reach fatigue in a short period of time (think 60 – 120 seconds) without engaging poor behavior (e.g., your MUSCLES do the work, not the physics of jerking, thrusting, heaving, lunging, etc.).
Oh, so back to sarcopenia – else you think this is only something that impacts the old, realize that as early as the age of 30 years old, your body beings the process of losing muscle, degenerating annually (and this is even more true of the more sedentary, especially women). So if you don’t continue to build it, you lose it. It’s not just that you slow down and do less as you age – think of you, your lifestyle. Do you spend a lot of time in your cubice, at the computer, in front of the t.v.? Just how much time/day are you really, really active? We’re all at risk, and the wonders of technology, rather than opening to door to a more fit, well, YOU, often simply provides you more stagnant time where your muscles atrophy.
So, get up and move –frequently! And put those muscles to work – you know where to find us when you get serious!
January 11, 2011.
Really, I had every intention of making this a once-a-month type of thing. But…I was reading a friend’s blog today, where she was bemoaning the passing of her (faster) metabolism. And, it struck a button, so…
Yes, as we age, all sorts of stuff hits. With me, it was the back, but also that really wonderful “crunching” noise that was coming out of my knees when I walked up the stairs. Crud, and I wasn’t even 50 when that happened.
Now, I found out since then that building muscle is THE best way for people of all ages to boost their metabolic rate. OK, so now I’ve implemented via SuperSlow the means to do that. I also found out that DHEA levels decrease as we age, making it difficult TO build that muscle. So, I added DHEA. But, what about diet? Really, I’m past that age where feeling like starvation behind many diets is a GOOD feeling to have. I don’t like the discomfort. Simply, I really DO like to eat (and cook, for that matter). So….now what?
There’s a plethora of diet advice out there. Go back to our origins and do paleo. Diet according to body type. Do low glycemic. No, pay attention to your leptin levels. Simply count calories. Get rid of the animal fats & focus on MUFAs. Don’t skip the animal fats – in fact, load up on a breakfast of bacon (the real stuff, not the turkey version) and eggs – ESPECIALLY the yolks. Protein BOOSTS your metabolism, so don’t be afraid of it! But don’t eat before a workout if you really want to lose weight. Or, eat before a workout to ensure you have enough energy.
So, now what? I’m no dietician – I’m putting that caveat out there right now. But, there are some simple truths out there .
- Fat has a place in your diet. Period. What KIND of fat is the area of controversy.
- Protein is key to build muscle, let alone survive. Don’t deprive yourself of it. It’s harder to get quality protein into your diet if you’re vegan or vegetarian, but many do.
- Carbs have a place. Good carbs, bad carbs, high glycemic or low, they deliver energy – now, the wrong kind deliver it in the wrong way, kicking off all sorts of other issues, but you can’t do “no” carb and not expect to see some sort of negative consequence.
- Water, water, water – c’mon now, what percentage of your body is water? That’s right – and if you don’t drink enough of it, well …. What happens if your car doesn’t have oil in it to keep it running well, or enough transmission fluid? Breakdown of the mechanics….
Now, the fun part is, balance. More & more I read that no matter how well you eat, organically or with grass-fed beef or the highest quality whey protein, you won’t be able to obtain the nutrients your body needs due to the depletion of our soils over time. So, do (high quality, easily absorbable) supplements. That, I believe in.
The rest is trickier – and, I’m sorry, I don’t think there’s any one answer to EVERY body’s needs than there is to what food you want at any given moment. Your body needs different things based on its current state, and your objectives. Overweight? You won’t lose any if your caloric intake is greater than your output. High blood sugar or diabetic? Sugar & carbs are NOT your friends….until you lose that weight or somehow (and this doesn’t apply to Type 1) improve your readings where you can get a little more lax. Building muscle? You need a good deal of protein to be effective. Running marathons? Carbs give you energy, but you can’t deplete your muscles so you HAVE to augment it with protein.
I can send my clients to one dietician or another, or have them try this diet v. that one. What has won accolades for many in their weight loss here (our Transitions Lifestyle program that we administer) didn’t work for one fine client I had – but, strict caloric restriction DID. Another switched from vegan to paleo and has never felt better in her life. The trick is, finding the diet that works for YOU – and realizing that, as your body changes (o.k., ages…), your needs will likely change also. Just be ready to change with it.
So don’t give up. Try something for a month. See how your body reacts. Watch your skin, your hair. How’s your energy? Any adverse reactions above & beyond what you’re comfortable with? When we have folks do a detox, based on the amount o f years they’ve been putting garbage into their system, the withdrawal from that garbage can be very intense…. But if it seems dangerously “off”, well, be pragmatic — stop it right away. But change WILL impact your system, and many of those things that may be uncomfortable at first go away once it’s operating more efficiently — like the immediate energy gain when we put people BACK on protein after their week of detox. If you’re not body aware, or patient, you may miss out on experiencing the best life-changing opportunities you have by making some temporarily-uncomfortable changes.
And, seek out information. There’s no lack of people claiming to be experts – I’m not one of them. And I couldn’t tell you (other than who has the better studies…) which to avoid completely, because I sincerely believe that (surprise…) we don’t. know. it. all. So until they come across something that 100% of the medical AND non-medical community gets behind and can PROVE works for 100% of us 100% of the time, I’ll be like you – trying to work thru the noise to find the real truth.
January 4, 2011.
Welcome to the SuperSlow Zone at Silver Creek. I’m loving our new site, but even more am excited about what I hope will be as wonderful a year as it’s gearing up to be.
So as I’m driving by (fill in name of the gym here), I saw the parking lot overloaded with those filled with good New Year intentions. The thing is, most of these folks won’t be here in a month, or two, something “regulars” count on — they know that interest will wane, or results will frustrate, and that year package they just purchased? Out the door, while they hope for some magic pill to be created by someone that they can take in lieu of working out.
When I began working out with SuperSlow, I was (as of today) 35 pounds heavier. The back was groaning each & every weekend I did work in the garden. My knees were “crunching” as I walked up & down stairs. I was curious, albeit a bit more than skeptical, about it — but, working out with Master Trainer Gary Lindahl, saw what he was doing for others. Then, after just a couple of weeks, the back issue went away — and I was hooked! Now, I hate the “d” word, so I refused to diet (sorry, I HATE feeling starved…), but I *did* make an effort to stop eating when I became full. And then, wonder-of-wonders, I began to lose weight. WIN!!! A pound a month, nothing spectacular, but, hey, no deprivation either.
Then I interviewed other SuperSlow Zone owners across the country, heard what they had to say. This group of people aren’t in it for the business — they’re in it because they’re passionate about what SuperSlow does. It’s about changing lives, one workout at a time. And that, my friends, is what I aspire to do — and think we’re on the road to do quite well.
So when you find that the five-sessions-a-week regime doesn’t fit into your lifestyle (who HAS that kind of time???), or you don’t get the results you think you should, why not give it a shot? We really do work…!
