Marie Ortiz
Owner and Certified SuperSlow Zone® Instructor
SuperSlow Zone®

A Message From Marie Ortiz: Happy 2009!

I hope you’re enjoying a happy 2009 –welcome to the SuperSlow Zone® at Silver Creek! The New Year has arrived, and you know what that means. After two months of eating, drinking and making merry, people around the world are resolving to turn over a new leaf, to make a fresh start, to toss out bad habits and adopt new ones. I wasn’t AS bad as I know I “could have been” – but, boy, some of those cookies just screamed for indulgence! And for a huge majority of those making those resolutions – at least here in the USA – the most popular resolution is to lose weight and get in shape. Is it on yours?

Of course, resolutions are one thing…sticking to them is something else entirely. Most of us know all too well that losing weight and getting in shape can be hard – especially in the middle of winter, with bathing suit season so far away and any extra pounds safely hidden under layers of warm clothing. We have to remember, fitness is a process, NOT an event. But for many, by the time spring is rolling around, most New Year’s resolutions to slim down and firm up will be as distant a memory as New Year’s Eve fireworks.

But the fact that you’re here means your resolution will be easier to keep. Because by coming to the SuperSlow Zone®, you’ve given yourself an advantage – you’ve started a program that is amazingly easy to stick to – and even better, one that works super fast. Believe it or not, an entire SuperSlow® workout only takes 20 minutes. Even better, you only need to come in one or two times a week to start achieving the results you want. It may be the way you look, or the way you feel, or both – but you WILL see differences.

How can you achieve a firm, lean, healthy body without spending hours in the gym every week? The secret is in how the SuperSlow® system works, getting the absolute most out of every muscle in the absolute least amount of time. So with fewer trips to the gym to have to make time for, and with each of those trips doing the maximum amount for your body in the minimum amount of time, adding SuperSlow® to your life is one New Year’s resolution that won’t be hard to keep. And next year at this time, you’ll look so amazing; you’ll have to find something else to resolve to do. Like, refresh that wardrobe to show the “new you” off…or maybe take on scuba diving….! What that is will be entirely up to you.

Not sure this is for you? Come in for a free consultation and demo workout, PLUS get an additional workout – on us! If you don’t feel it’s amazing, there’s no obligation – but we KNOW you’ll feel the power once you try it out!

And, if like me you have mixed emotions about those daffodils starting to pop out while worrying about a mandatory water rationing program, take heart – and enjoy the beauty of our wonderful state, taking advantage of the glorious weather we DO have by sharing a walk with a friend – or dog!

Marie Ortiz
Owner and Certified SuperSlow Zone® Instructor
SuperSlow Zone®

The Search For The “Perfect Workout”

In Search Of The “Perfect Workout”, Or Searching For The Motivation To Begin, What’s Diet Got To Do With It?

If you’re in search of the “perfect workout,” or just searching for motivation to begin working out, then your search is over. SuperSlow® strength training is the “perfect workout” with its 20-minute, twice-a-week workout …and the added convenience of exercising in your everyday clothes or workout attire making it easy to get in, workout, and get on with your life day.

Whether an exercise champion or still on the sidelines of contemplation, a common thought bubble may surface – should I modify my diet to optimize my workout to ensure that I lose body fat and add body-shaping muscle? Realize that it’s not about weight loss, although weight may be lost, but rather, will my workout regimen:

• Assure any weight lost is from stored fat.
• Stimulate muscular growth.

Remember, our bodies require fuel and, if our goal is to use excess fat stores for any calorie deficit, we must understand the body’s rule book. Otherwise, being constantly at odds with what we want vs. what we get will cause constant frustration.

Let’s consider a few scenarios:

1. Drastic Calorie Restriction (<800 calories is classified starvation), No Exercise: Extreme dietary restriction triggers your survival mechanism to kick-in, dictating resources available FOR fuel. When failsafe is activated, the body indiscriminately draws from all tissues – except fat. Put a big X by this plan!
2. Normal Daily Calories (1500 – 2000 calories), No Exercise: Without exercise to preserve your muscle mass, the body indiscriminately draws from both fat AND muscle stores, as well as bone and organ tissue to satisfy fuel needs. Put a big X by this plan!
3. Normal Daily Calories (1500 – 2000 calories) Plus SuperSlow® Exercise: SuperSlow® Exercise signals the body that muscle reserves are off limits; preserve current muscle mass; and create new muscle, with the result of discriminate fat loss for additional fuel requirements. Bingo – this plan is the winner!

Now, let’s consider the roles diet and exercise play in attaining and maintaining desired results. Initially 80-90% of FAT loss comes from dietary changes; we have established that losing the FAT you WANT from your excess fat stores requires exercise – not just cutting calories. Here, exercise means SuperSlow® Strength Training to build muscle – not just expending calories during an activity (which will contribute to your fat-loss program), but primarily your focus should be on SuperSlow® Strength Training results:

• Selectively use excess fat stores for fuel requirements.
• Increase caloric needs through creation of additional muscle.

On the more excessive side, body builders, looking for leanness and muscle definition, adhere to extreme dietary regimens to produce those Mr. America results: low- to no-fats, leafy greens, and lots and lots of protein. But dietary sacrifices to achieve the right “look” may result in long-term, negative effects.

Basic considerations for the average person to achieve a balanced workout and diet approach are:

1. Protein: “building blocks” of muscle required to build or repair muscle; excess protein does NOT build MORE muscle. Not all sources of protein are equal, so focus instead on “complete” proteins more easily absorbed by the body from lean, high-quality protein sources such as chicken, fish, lean meats and beef, and egg whites. Incomplete proteins [lacking one or more "essential" amino acids, which the body can't make or create by modifying another amino acid] usual sources include: fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts.
• The Institute of Medicine recommends adults consume 8 grams of protein/20 pounds bodyweight/day to prevent slow breakdown of tissues. Athletes may require more protein, because of extreme demands placed upon their bodies, but for most of us, seeking to achieve a “balance” in our mix should be our paramount goal.
2. Carbohydrates: fuel NEEDED for muscular system energy, usually requiring combination of healthy protein/fat/mineral/vitamin ratio. Low glycemic index choices like sweet potatoes, brown rice, green veggies, carrots, some fruits, and low-fat dairy choices are best. Carbohydrates are in almost everything we eat and drink. About 40% of each meal should come from favorable carbohydrates to maintain blood sugar levels to promote efficient fat burning.
3. Fat: Saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated dietary fats are biologically active molecules that play a key role in both positive and negative effects on, blood pressure, weight gain/obesity, and how muscles respond to insulin resistance/ glucose metabolism. [Researchers report: losing fat stored around belly/thighs/ buttocks requires consuming "new" fat or making new fat in the liver; small amounts of dietary fats: fish oils more effectively activate fat burning pathways in the liver.] Western culture challenges center less on fat quantity and more on the KIND of fat –mistakenly avoid eating fats whether good or bad for the heart.
• The “Mediterranean Diet” recommends the healthiest – Omega 3’s and mono-unsaturated fats – instead of saturated fats, which are probably over consumed eating beef. Many seeds, nuts, olive oil, fatty skin fish (salmon, trout), and avocados are all healthy ways to integrate fat into your plan.
4. DHEA (delivered in the 7 Keto method): Kick you’re health and strength gains out of the park!

   Mother nature is in love with the young. She turns their food into energy and gives them the ability to recover from exercise at an insanely quick rate. SuperSlow Zone® uses Univera products, and in particular their DHEA product called Prime, because they are designed to put those of us past 25 years old in a similar state of rapid recovery and increased performance – it’s not theory, its scientific fact. If you want to guarantee results in a person over 30, putting their muscles under load while ensuring the body has the essential ‘muscle stimulating chemistry,’ Univera’s Prime will astound you.

   Univera Prime teaches the body how to replicate the repair signals of a healthy 29 year old. Look at the 3,000+ studies on performance and the body’s natural ability to produce DHEA, the master repair signal in the body.

   A healthy 29 year old has DHEA levels between 250 and 400, while a 65 year old woman can be in double digits. Strength training is, by far, the best method to get DHEA levels to naturally begin to rise, Prime just finishes the job – offering SuperSlow Zone® clients the opportunity to knock their strength gains out of the park.

5. Water: essential for the majority of important body functions – regulate/maintain body temperature, transport nutrients/oxygen, remove waste products and moisten mouth, eyes, nose, hair, skin, joints and digestive tract. Water is, quite simply, the purest and most caloric-free way to fill needs without diet sweetener negatives. Aspartame-laced drinks work against diet goals – increasing your appetite. Load up instead on good old H2O to cleanse your inner body and help you control that appetite.

Don’t think you can do it all at once? Take small “bites.”

Focus on changing the TYPES of fats you consume. Change portion sizes/content ratios. Eat slowly– give your brain time to feel full – listen to your body. Drink LOTS of water. Small, manageable behavioral changes integrated gradually often “stick” better than extreme modifications, with healthier outcomes. It’s a beautiful cornucopia of food choices – have fun, and begin building a healthier YOU!!

Authors: Brenda Hutchins, Co-Founder of SuperSlow® & Marie Theriault-Ortiz (SuperSlow Zone® in San Jose, CA)

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