THE POWER OF 4 – Your Ultimate Guide Guaranteed to Change Your Body and Transform Your Life

This holiday season, give the perfect gift of health to yourself, co-workers, clients, family and friends for less than $20. THE POWER OF 4 is available at your favorite independent bookstore, Barnes and Noble bookstores, Amazon.com, my website or wherever books are sold.

THE POWER OF 4 is an educational, inspiring and empowering book on health, vitality, longevity and fat loss guaranteed to change your body and transform your life. The four powers are nutrition, lifestyle, exercise & supplements. Attain your highest level of health and wellness by selecting two simple, yet profound, Winning Formulas each week. The Power of 4 includes information on adrenal fatigue; digestive health; food allergies; how to eliminate food cravings, increase energy, reduce inflammation, balance hormones, eliminate depression, digestive dysfunction, PMS, etc; hypothyroid; ingredients to stay away from for health and well-being; sleep – The fountain of youth; stress busters; the best exercise for fat loss, hormonal balance and anti-aging; the top supplements to consider; is soy a health food?; your thoughts, value system, meditation, yoga and affirmations; and non-pharmaceutical, natural healing modalities for various health conditions (hypertension, obesity, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer) plus more!

"If you want practical, scientific and up to date information that will transform your health and your life, then add this incredible book  to your personal library."
~ Dr. Mark Houston MD – Author “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Hypertension"

"If you are serious about your health, fitness and nutrition, this book is one of the most refreshing, revealing books I have read in a long time. The information is cutting-edge and 'deep' but it is presented so well and simply. Must read for all trainers as well as people genuinely interested in enhancing their health & fitness performance." ~ Todd Durkin

"Paula Owens walks the walk! This is a terrific program that can benefit and empower you!"  ~ Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS Author "The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Energy"

“Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Paula’s book is that it took so long for someone to transpire all of this information to share with the public,” said Dr. Harry O. Eidenier Jr., Ph.D. “I sincerely believe this book should be used as a text in any institution of higher learning where the student is pursuing a degree in nutrition, exercise physiology or dietetics.”

SELF MYOFASCIAL RELEASE (SMR) – On a Roll with the Foam Roller

Using the foam roller a few minutes every day is something I highly recommend for everyone, especially those who are train intensely, are inflexible or have injuries. Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) is one of the most effective, inexpensive and convenient methods of reducing adhesions and scar tissue. Although it can be less than comfortable at times, the benefits definitely outweigh the brutal discomfort some may experience during self-myofascial release (SMR).

Round foam rollers (6” diameter x 3’ long) can be used to release trigger points and break up tight, tangled fascia. This is a very therapeutic technique that I encourage you to perform daily to break up connective tissue tension. Consistency is the key.

 

Muscle and fascia make up the myofascia system. Myo = muscle and Fascia = a strong, fibrous connective tissue encasing your muscles and organs. If you think of sausage, the meat is the muscle and the casing of the sausage is the fascia. Oftentimes, it is the fascia that has these tangled, trigger points that need to be released for optimal functioning. Injury, inactivity, short/tight muscles and lack of stretching cause the muscle and fascia to become stuck together.

During SMR, pressure is applied to a muscle using the foam roller causing activation of the Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO), which in turn signals muscle spindles to release and relax the muscle being worked on. The GTO is extremely sensitive to changes of tension in the muscle.

• SMR also breaks down scar tissue and releases muscle fascia as you work your way from one end of the muscle to the other.
• SMR is an effective prehab, rehab and recovery tool. A 10-15 minute SMR progression at the beginning and especially at the end of your workout can serve as a great cool down after an intense workout.
• SMR can release muscle and joint pain.
• SMR is an extremely effective rehab technique for ITB syndrome and sciatica.
• Daily, consistent use helps to increase flexibility.

Here are some guidelines for SMR with the foam roller:

• Find a tender, juicy spot (trigger point) on an area that is tight or has reduced range of motion.
• Stop on tender spots for 20-30 seconds and breathe deeply. Continue to breathe deeply as the discomfort subsides by 50-75%. This could take some time and be uncomfortable.
• When the area is no longer sensitive, begin to roll to other tender spots on the muscle you’re focusing on and repeat.

The foam roller technique can be used before and after workouts. I recommend using the foam roller every day. The more often you roll, the better. If time is a factor, even 2 or 3 weekly sessions will lead to great improvements. SMR can also be performed while watching television!

In addition to the SMR photos below, other areas to target are the adductor muscles (inner thigh), calves and hamstrings. Purchase a foam roller

Copyright © 2009 by Paula Owens

External Hip Rotators (piriformis) To target the piriformis, bring the ankle of the working leg above the knee of the supporting leg. Position your body so the side of your glute (the meaty area), above the hip bone, is on the foam roller. Adjust the pressure as you shift your weight forward and back on the roller to locate the trigger point within the external hip rotators. Helps with relieving low back pain (LBP).

Quads  Start with the foam roller at the middle of your thigh. Work the top half of the quad first, starting at the mid-thigh working toward the top. Then, work all the way down the front of the thigh to your knee. Position yourself so the front of your thigh is resting on top of the foam roller. Be sure to work both the vastus medialis (inner area of front thigh) and vastus lateralis (outer area of front thigh) by adjusting the angle of your thigh on the roller.

 

 

IT Band Position yourself to the side so your outer thigh is resting on top of the roller. Place the foot of the opposite leg on the ground in front of you. Make sure you do not turn too far on to the front or back of the thigh. Start in the middle of the ITB and work toward the top of the muscle. Continue to work all the way down the outer thigh ending above your knee.

Glute Medius

Place the side of your hip socket onto the foam roller. Make sure you don’t lean too far forward or back. Lift the foot of the working leg of the ground to increase pressure. 

 

 

 

 Rhomboids & Upper Traps  Lie with your shoulder blades on the foam roller and your feet on the ground. Your butt is off the floor and your hands cradle the weight of your head, supporting your neck. Draw the elbows toward one another to focus more on the rhomboids.

Lats

Lie on your side and place your armpit on the foam roller. The arm is straight, thumb up. Rotate the arm externally until you feel a stretch in the lat and then return it to the starting position.  

 

 

 

Thoracic Extension

End all of your SMR sessions with thoracic extension. Hands are behind your head to support your neck. Butt is on the ground. 

 

 

 

 Spinal Mobilization

Lie vertically on the foam roller with your head and your entire spine down to the sacrum supported on the foam roller. This helps restore the natural curves of your spine and elongates the anterior longitudinal ligament of the spine. Stay here, relax and breathe deeply for 1-5 minutes. 

  

 

 

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Purchase a foam roller  Note: When you visit the store to purchase a foam roller,the white form roller is the average roller. The blue foam roller is denser, harder and will last forever.      

Copyright © 2009 by Paula Owens

Photography by Cheryl Bentzen                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

TRANSFORM YOUR PHYSIQUE, BOOST YOUR METABOLISM AND LOSE FAT

Building and keeping muscle, our metabolically active tissue, is the key for long term health, vitality, longevity and fat loss. One of the causes, as well as symptom of the aging process is sarcopenia, or muscle loss. Losing muscle as we age not only leads overall weakness but is a direct cause of decreasing your overall metabolic rate. Muscle is denser than fat, takes us less space in the body versus fat, and burns more calories than fat. The more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate.

The majority of women opt for aerobic/cardio exercise as their preferred choice of exercise. Excessive aerobic exercise decreases muscle mass. For over 20 years I have advised my clients, men and women alike, against excessive LSD (long, slow distance) exercise if their goal is to lose fat, look good and feel great. Twenty years ago, I would hear gym members whispering, “She doesn’t have any of her clients do any cardio.” That’s right – and my clients’ bodies were the ones that would completely transform!

Resistance training is one the most important aspects of my program design along with yoga and stretching. My programs include a variety of push ups, chin ups and pull ups, partner body weight & resisted exercises, deadlifts, Olympics lifts, various styles of single leg exercises and lunges, plyometrics plus more using dumbbells, suspension training with the TRX, a jump rope, mini trampoline, sandbags, medicine balls, bands, Swiss balls, kettlebells, barbells, my body weight or a partner. Building muscle and maintaining your anabolic drive and metabolism can keep you looking lean and feeling phenomenal. Manipulating reps and sets are vital to avoid stagnation and to continue to see results.

Do you have to join a gym to increase muscle? Absolutely not. For a minimal investment, you can create the perfect set up at home. Visit my website. There, you’ll find everything you need. In my store, you’ll even find yoga dvds and foam rollers, which I highly recommend. Below you’ll find a workout program utilizing the recommended equipment in my store.

10 Winning Formulas to Boost Your Metabolism, Transform Your Physique and Lose Fat:

1. Have your metabolism assessed. Your metabolism is the sum total of the building up and breaking down processes in your body. Under the age of 35, 20-30 percent of people have a damaged metabolism. Over the age of 35, 70-80 percent of people have a damaged metabolism. If you have a damaged metabolism, that means you are breaking down your muscle tissue and accelerating the aging process, which means you are catabolic. You will find it difficult if not impossible to build muscle. Building muscle requires an anabolic environment. If you try to engage in an exercise program without accurately understanding where you’re at, you may spend years exercising properly and look no different than you do now.
2. Understand that there are two factors that lead to a damaged metabolism, adrenal burnout and insulin resistance. Chronic stress is pandemic in our society. The stress hormone, cortisol, breaks down muscle tissue. With insulin insensitivity, many people are not technically type II diabetics, but the chronic stress in their lives coupled with crap food diets makes it difficult for them to maintain ideal blood sugars. (See my August Newsletter on Adrenal Fatigue.)
3. Eat five to six small, balanced meals every day. In order to build muscle, you will need to work towards rebuilding or maintaining healthy adrenal gland function and rebuilding or maintaining insulin sensitivity. You can’t heal your adrenal glands if your blood sugar is constantly fluctuating throughout the day. That’s because your body secretes the stress hormone, cortisol every time your blood sugar drops. To keep your blood sugar balanced, you must include protein at every mini meal. Below you’ll find a menu example.
4. Focus on consuming a healthy diet. I hear it all the time – people who think they’re eating healthy. Meanwhile, they are drinking diet sodas, living on protein bars or synthetic protein shakes they can’t digest, microwaving their processed foods, eating hydrogenated fats and wondering why they still look the same and feel like crap. A good place to start eating healthy is by reading the list of Winning Formula foods in my book, THE POWER OF 4.
5. Lift weights for 30 to 45 minutes two to three times a week. Include metabolically boosting exercises, multi-joint in nature such as varieties of deadlifts, chin ups, push ups, various lunges, sandbags, kettlebells, dumbbells, bodyweight and partner exercises. Complete your strength training sessions with some self-myofascial release (SMR) with the foam roller (sign up for November Newsletter).Consume protein within 30 minutes of your workout completion to avoid catabolism. Your post workout protein shake or meal should be considered part of your workout. Below you’ll find an example workout. The best workout is the one you’re not doing.
6. Eliminate inflammation by choosing an anti-inflammatory diet and taking natural anti-inflammatories if necessary such as omega-3 fish oils, ginger, curcumin, L-glutamine and proteolytic enzymes. If you’re eating any foods that cause inflammation, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol, which is the most catabolic hormone in the body. The top foods that cause inflammation are sugar, gluten, alcoholic beverages and hydrogenated fats. Check out the website www.nutritiondata.com. It gives a ranking for foods that cause inflammation, with high negative numbers, such as for french fries, as being the worst offenders.
7. Heal your digestive tract. At least 80 percent of clients that come to me are experiencing some sort of digestive challenge. You must assimilate the nutrients required to build muscle. Parasites, Candida, bad bacteria, H.pylori, food allergies, inflammation and/or incomplete digestion can be identified through lab testing. Appropriate supplementation will assist in the healing process.
8. Once you’re able to digest and absorb your food, make sure you are eating enough protein, starting with breakfast. Exercising first thing in the morning on an empty stomach is what I call “the muscle loss diet.” The first 40 grams of protein you eat every day goes to rebuild your immune system. If you are not rebuilding your immune system, you’ll have a hard time rebuilding your brain chemistry to be happy and think straight, and you will definitely not be able to build muscle. Your most important meal of the day is breakfast. Your second most important meal is your post-workout meal. How much protein you need depends upon your metabolic health, body weight, digestive health, lifestyle and activity level.
9. Proper supplementation. You cannot obtain all the nutrients you need from food if you have a damaged metabolism, engage in high intensity training or if you’re trying to correct an underlying health challenge. You only look as good on the outside as your organs are healthy on the inside.
10. Once you’re consuming a healthy diet, remember to get enough rest and make sure you are not overtraining. (read my article on overtraining). Get to bed by 10 p.m. every night. If you are not eating and sleeping well and you’re still exercising, you’re definitely overtraining. Remember, the more you exercise, the better you have to eat and the more carefully you have to plan your rest and recovery to avoid overtraining. Many people think building muscle is simply a matter of hitting the gym as hard as they possibly can. Again, this is a major mistake. You must keep your exercise balanced with adequate nutrition and enough rest to allow your muscles to rebuild.

	Menu Plan to Build Muscle, Boost Your Metabolism and Lose Fat
Upon Rising	Protein Shake – Pure Lean or Whey Cool Vanilla, greens, coconut milk, BCAAs and L-glutamine
Breakfast	Eggs, spinach and goat cheese with avocado; blueberries
Snack	Apple and raw, organic walnuts
Lunch	Grilled, wild salmon; large dark green salad with dried cherries and apple cider vinegar with olive oil
Post Workout	Protein Shake – Pure Lean or Whey Cool Vanilla with BCAAs and L-glutamine powder
Dinner	Grilled Chicken Kabob, quinoa with grilled zucchini, steamed asparagus

Workout Plan to Build Muscle, Boost Your Metabolism and Lose Fat

Warm Up: 200 jump rope contacts. Foam Roll external rotators and ITB. 20 reps, 2 sets Kettlebell Swing

Order	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Tempo	Rest
A1	Chin Up or Pull Up	3	10-20	301	60
		4	4-8		90
A2	DB Push Up and Row	3	12-25	202	60
		4	8-12		90
A3	DB Single Leg TRX Bulgarian Split Squat (trail leg in hand straps)	3	10-12	312	60
		4	6-8	201	90
B1	TRX Row	3	12-20	201	60
		4	6-12		90
B2	Swiss Ball Alternation DB Chest Press	3	10-12	202	60
		4	6-8		90
B3	Db Romanian Deadlift	3	10-12	303	45
		4	6-8		90
C1	SB DB I-Y-T	3	6-8	222	60
C2	TRX or SB Push Up and Pike	3	10-20	101	60

Cool Down: Perform various static stretches & self-myofascial release (SMR) with the foam roller. Make sure to sign up for my November Newsletter for my article on Self-Myofascial Release (SMR).

Purchase your home gym equipment here. The process of building muscle requires an approach that takes into account all aspects of your personal well-being. Let the transformation begin!

Top 20 Food Rules

Dietary Do’s and Don’ts from Michael Pollan

The Power of 4 Book Signing

On Saturday, November 7th, I’ll be at Barnes and Noble, Arrowhead in Peoria, AZ signing my book, The Power of 4.

I’ll be available to answer your questions regarding nutrition, exercise, hormones, weight loss or any health-related condition or topic. Looking forward to seeing you Saturday, November 7th from at 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Flu Prevention and Treatment ~ Limit the Immune Suppressors

Prevention Foods and Lifestyle

Everybody wants more immune competence. How about limiting our “immune suppressors?”

Let’s reduce the things that slow our natural immune system down. Three immune suppressors that you have direct control over are dehydration, stress and sugar. So much has been said about sugar, but here is a quick reminder about the importance of reducing sugar intake. One sugar related study showed that immune cells in a “no sugar” group destroyed 14 times more bacteria than the “high sugar” group. Reducing sugar consumption is critical and this includes the reduction of simple carbohydrates. And, by the way, alcohol is sugar. Your immune system is suppressed for 8-12 hours after consuming sugar!

Avoid the foods your body has a difficult time dealing with (foods make you tired, hyper, create sinus problems, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, etc.).

We also hear about supporting the immune system with botanicals or antiviral drugs. Let’s review some basics that go a long way to augment the body’s ability to fight disease. One of the greatest immune enhancers is sleep. Sleep is natures greatest repair mechanism. I heard one researcher say the greatest antioxidant we possess is a good night’s sleep. Another thing we often forget about is to assure that the superhighway of the lymph system is open to carry immune fighting WBC’s and remove toxins. We can do that by bouncing on a mini-trampoline, increasing movement or exercise.

Finally, every day we learn more about the phytochemical effects of foods particularly fruits, vegetables, and spices. Basic foods can be more powerful than pharmaceutical agents and without the side effects.

So increase water, reduce sugar and processed food intake, get sufficient rest, reduce stress, use movement to keep the fluids moving, increase fruits and vegetables to 10 servings a day. Increase the amount of color you consume in foods, ditch the white, increase the color. Also, boost consumption of garlic, ginger, and green and white teas.

There are supplements that can build up your immune system, but it is important to know that it takes most people 6-12 weeks of use before the immune system becomes stronger.

Prevention Nutraceuticals  - Email Paula@PaulaOwens.com for the protocol

 

Bio-D-Mulsion Forte®

Why choose Bio-D-Mulsion Forte® from Biotics Research Corporation? Biotics Research Corporation has developed a proprietary delivery system of utilizing microemulsified cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) for enhanced absorption, which can be especially important for those with malabsorption issues. Each drop of Bio-D Mulsion Forte® supplies 2,000 IU of vitamin D3. Read more about vitamin D in my September, 2009 Newsletter.

$19 plus S/H. Arizona residents add sales tax.

Email Paula@PaulaOwens.com to order today!

October 2009 Newsletter

I just blasted my October Newsletter. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. The article for this month’s Newsletter is “Winning Formulas to Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer and Estrogen Dominance ~ A Holistic Approach.” This is an information-packed article. Sign up here to receive my Newsletter.

Easy ‘n Healthy Granola

This is a quick and easy granola recipe. Tasty, full of fiber and healthy!

Preheat oven to 350˚. Mix together the following ingredients and spread onto cookie sheet:

2 cups old-fashioned, whole, organic, gluten-free oats

1 heaping cup organic nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans and cashews) and 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

3/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

1 tsp. cinnamon. 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. 1/4 tsp. almond extract

 

Drizzle over mixture:

5-6 tablespoons organic maple syrup and 4-5 Tablespoons coconut oil

Bake 25-30 minutes. Make sure to stir the granola every 5 minutes while cooking. When granola is golden, remove from oven.

Optional: Stir in 1-1/2 cups of your favorite sulfite-free dried fruit. I use chopped papaya.

Serve with organic goat milk yogurt or by itself. This is yummy!