You Are What You Eat

I'm sure you have probably heard that phrase before. "You are what you eat." There definitely is some truth to this. If you eat unhealthy food like saturated fats and simple sugars you will most likely be unhealthy. If you eat healthy nutritious food, then you are probably healthy. Not only are you what you eat but it looks like you are what your mom eats as well.

I feel like everyday I hear of a new friend that is having a baby. I guess I am just at that age. I do not have children and do not claim to be an expert in parenting what so ever. However, one thing that truly makes me upset is to see overweight children. Most people just blame it on genetics. This is far from the truth. If your parents were overweight it probably means they did not eat very healthy. Chances are if they didn't make smart nutrition choices then neither did you. Not really by choice. That is just what you were fed.

I work with a large percentage of moms. One complaint that I hear over and over again is that they have trouble eating healthy because they eat what they are giving theie kids. I am always shocked by this, even though I have heard this more times than I would like to admit. If you know you shouldn't be eating something then why are you letting your kids have it. Now I know this can be easier said than done. I grew up only liking pizza and mac n cheese. Luckily I grew out of it and enjoy a variety of foods. We just need to educate our kids on why they need to eat healthier. Or we can just trick them. I remember as a kid, one of the few vegetables I would eat was spinach. Take a wild guess why. I liked Popeye and he eats his spinach. I thought if I ate spinach I would get big and strong too.

Back to the topic at hand though. Obviously childhood obesity is a huge problem and teaching kids smarter choices will just set them up to live longer and healthier lives. New research is showing we can even help them out before childhood. There was recently a study presented at the UK National Stem Cell Network Science Meeting about the development of fat cells in the development stages of cells. This study used stem cells from mice so it can't be directly translated into humans yet, but it is shedding the light on body fat distributions in humans. This study found that during the developmental stage of stem cells, the nutrition available will determine the distribution of visceral versus subcutaneous fat cells. Visceral fat has been shown to indicate a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

What this study may be showing makes perfect sense. By making poor choices with your nutrition during pregnancy and in the early stages after birth will play a huge role in determining how many fat cells a child will develop. So eating healthy during pregnancy is not only great for the mom but will be helping the child out for the rest of their lives. Obviously they can still make poor choices as they get older, but at least there will be a higher chance of success.

The take home message is simple really. Make sure you are eating healthy and make sure you are educating your kids on proper nutrition. Even if you have to lie a little. We lie about Santa Claus so I think it is ok to trick kids into liking vegetables.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Personal Training
My Workout Creator

10 Ways To Get In Shape This Summer

Well the 4th of July has come and gone and summer is upon us. Hopefully you have been training hard the past few month and you are ready to show off your summer body this year. If not, all is not lost. You can still make tremendous gains this summer. And remember, we are already half way through 2010. Crazy I know, but true. If you didn't get as far as you wanted with your fitness goals so far this year it is time to crank it up a notch before 2010 is over.

If you are frustrated that you aren't where you want to be right now then here are 10 tips you can implement to get your focus back on track for the summer.

1. Plan Out Your Program.

Don't make the mistake of just going to the gym without a plan. You will be much less likely to stick with random workouts. Plan out how many days you can workout and what you want to work on while you are there. Do this for both your strength and cardio program.

2. Each Month Focus On A New Goal.

Our bodies need change to continue to adapt. If you are always doing the same routine over and over again you will see diminishing returns. The goals you can focus on each month of endless. You can pick new exercises to improve on, getting stronger, building endurance, getting faster, burning calories.....Just keep changing your goals as needed. Look at your program and see how long you have been using the rep range and sets that you are doing.

3. Get Outside And Workout.

You mind needs a break too. I work in a gym setting all day everyday. Sometimes I just need a break and I will workout outside. The weather is perfect for working out outdoors and you get health benefits from being in the sun (don't forget your sunblock though). That doesn't mean I have to go for a run. You can do a boot camp workout, a playground workout, or anything other workout outdoors. You can make your local park a gym. Click on this link to see a workout I did using only a swing set.

http://www.myworkoutcreator.com/premade-workouts/swing-set-workout-1/

You can also take advantage of the many boot camp classes that are springing up all over the place. Below is a video preview of my class that I hold every Saturday.



4. Bring Healthy Dishes To Summer BBQ's.

I love BBQ's just as much as anyone. And I know how easy it is to eat and drink too much at these parties. Try bringing healthy entrees to these events or recommending that others try bringing a healthy dish. Below is a recipe for a healthy burger that tastes great. This was a recipe from Tom Venuto and Burn the Fat Feed The Muscle:


* 1 lb (454 g) 99% nonfat ground turkey
* 4 egg whites
* 1 cup (40 g crumbled shredded wheat or whole wt bread crumbs)
* 1/2 cup finely diced celery
* 1/2 cup finely diced onion
* 1 tbsp horseradish mustard (jack daniels brand - the SECRET ingredient!)
* 1 tbsp soy sauce
* 1 tsbp garlic powder
* 1 tbsp parsley flakes
* dash of pepper
* dash of sea salt (optional)

Makes 4 burgers

per burger: (not including bun):

189 calories
37.5 grams protein
12.5 grams carbs
1.6 grams fat

5. Sign Up For An End Of The Summer Run.

Signing up for a 5 or 10K can be a great motivator. You can find a race literally every weekend in San Diego. Find a local one at the end of the summer so you are more likely to commit to a training program. Don't think about signing up. Just sign up and make yourself train.

6. Find A Workout Buddy.

Having a workout buddy is a great way to keep yourself accountable. It is harder to miss a workout when you know someone else is counting on your to be there. Find someone this summer with similar goals as you and start a program together. Everything is easier when you have someone going through it with you.

7. Weight Yourself Frequently.

Many people can be too obsessed with their weight, but frequent weigh ins have been shown to lead to more weight loss. Don't expect to see the pounds fly off every day, but you should see a change over time. Avoiding the scale is an easy way to slip off your program and you really don't even know it.

8. Eat More Fruits and Veggies.

For some reason many people are scared now to eat fruits and vegetables. Yes there is sugar in fruit, but chances are you will not eat enough fruit to worry about it. We need to get multiple servings of each EVERYDAY from a variety of sources. The summer is a great time to try new fruits and veggies while they are in season.

9. Find A Support System.

Losing weight can be a very difficult thing to do. Especially if you have been struggling with your weight for a long time. Let others help you out. Friends, family, and coworkers can be very supportive and motivating. But they need to know you are trying to lose weight. Include them and let them help you out. Use things like blogging and facebook to let others know what you are up to.

10. Try This Ab Workout.

It is always fun to try new workouts. Here is a free workout that I posted on my website www.MyWorkoutCreator.com.

Free Ab Workout

If you need extra help with what types of workouts to do this is a great resource for you. Try it for only $1 here. You must at least sign up for a free account if you want to see the free ab workout.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Personal Trainer
My Workout Creator