Keys To A Successful New Year's Resolution

Well believe it or not it is that time of year again. 2012 is just around the corner, which means it is time to set your resolutions. This is such a cool time of year. Everyone is super motivated, has a goal, and works hard to get there.

The problem is, how often does someone stick to their resolutions? I have been guilty of this many times in the past. You have great intentions, but you just can't stick to something for 12 months. In 2011 I set a goal for myself in January and I am proud to say that I have stuck with it 100%. In fact I accomplished more than I originally set.

My objective for my goal was to be a better trainer and a better business person. Now this goal is easy to say but tougher to go out and do. Instead of making that my actual goal I picked one thing that would help me improve in each. If I did this one thing I would have to get better. My goal was to read 1 book every month for a year. And not just read the book but apply what I learned. I picked books that were about fitness/nutrition or books about business(marketing, sales....). Here are the books that I made it through. You will see there are more then 12 too. It became such an obsession of mine that I didn't want to stop at just one a month.

1. Ultimate Back Fitness And Performance- Discusses the proper exercises to perform when dealing with low back issues and common reason for back pain.
2. Functional Training For Sport- Explains how to program workouts for athletes with functional exercises and how to progress and assess.
3. Advances in Functional Training- Similar to the previous book with a few new techniques thrown in there.
4. Athletic Body In Balance- Great book that showed how to assess movement patterns and create corrective exercises to improve performance.
5. Born To Run- Highly recommend this book even if you are not into running. Tells the story of the Greatest Race No One has ever heard of and why the human body was literally designed to run.
6. Think and Grow Rich- This book was written in the 30's but still holds true today. Discuss the proper way to goal set and follow through with your goals.
7. How To Win Friends and Influence People- Another book from the 30's that explains how to deal with people to persuade them to see your side and how to get others to want to be around you.
8. Anatomy Trains- An anatomy type book that shows how the body is made up of interconnected highways not isolated muscles like most people train them.
9. The New Rules Of Lifting- another recommended book for those into working out. Show the basic movements that should be trained and how you can eliminate unnecessary exercises.
10. Delivery Happiness- Recommended for anyone who works in customer service. This is the story of the CEO of Zappos.com and how he developed their company to be famous for amazing customer service and great corporate culture.
11. Total Body Breakthroughs- A compilation of a number of different fitness professionals explaining various issues in the fitness world.
12. In Defense of Food- Another high recommendation. A simple premise. Eat Food, Mostly Plants, Not Too Much.
13. Sway- A great book that looks into why people make irrational decisions.
14. Predictably Irrationally- Similar to Sway, but more in depth into the psychology of decision making and how you can use it to influence decisions.
15. Baby Wise- Had to through one baby book in there.
16. Ultimate Fat Loss Programming and Coaching System- The name here pretty much says it all.
17. Bigger, Faster, Stronger- A guide to designing a systematic program for young athletes.

So I ended up reading 5 more books then originally intended. I honestly really impressed my self with this goal. It may seem like I have a ton a free time to just sit and read, but if you know me at all you know this is not the case. I had to really figure out a way to commit this much time to reading, and by the end I really started to enjoy it. (Plus flying around the country all year helps).

So I thought about why was I so successful with this goal. I came up with a few tips that will help you create a good goal and stick with it for the whole year.

1. Pick an ACTION goal not a results goal.

For example, I mentioned I could have made my goal to be a better trainer. This is such an abstract goal that I would have never really known where to start. This is the same as saying I'm going to lose 15lbs. While it is ok if there is a certain amount of weight you want to lose, you need to make your goal and action to hit that number. Instead commit to following a cleaner diet program or perform strength training 3 days per week.

2. Tell EVERYONE what your goal is.

It is amazing how much more motivated you will be come when others know you are working towards a goal. You would be surprised how much people will check on you. We love seeing others be successful because it is contagious. Tell your family, friends, and coworkers what you intend to do. They may even join you.
3. Invest in your goal or have something to lose.

When there is nothing to lose if you do not success it really isn't a big deal if you don't make it. Make yourself commit to something. You might have to invest some money to stick with it. Paying a trainer is great motivation to show up for a workout. If you don't want to invest money then make some consequence for not completing it.

4. Reward yourself for completing the goal.

On the opposite end of having something to lose, you might be even more motivated by a reward. Promise your self something you really want if you hit your goal. This could be a vacation to show of the new bod or maybe a new toy like an iPad to play with if you make it.

5. Give yourself timelines.

A year is a very long time to stick with even a small goal like flossing your teeth. Instead of going for a whole year, try and break it down to smaller timelines. Instead of me saying I will read 12 books this year I said 1 book a month. This was a very reasonable goal and I new exactly when it ended.

6. One goal at a time.

Ambition can be a great trait, but be careful when setting new goals. It is hard enough to stick with one. You can have multiple goals for the year but it is best to work on them at different times. You could break the year up into quarters and pick a new goal for each quarter instead of 4 goals for the year. Once you make it the entire year, it has become a new habit. I plan on continuing my reading of one book a month, but plan on adding a new goal for 2012. I'm actually still working on it now, so I will get back to you on what my new goal will be.

Well that is it. Follow this 6 simple steps and you will be well on your way to reach your new goal. Feel free to comment below or write to me on Facebook to share your goal with me and others to see.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

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

Foods You Thought Were Bad

Written by Christine Burke with Light Hearted Fitness

I just got this article from fellow trainer Christine Burke and I thought you might find in interesting. Enjoy...


In case you didn't get the good news, these foods are not as bad for you as previously believed:

(1) Eggs & Shrimp
(2) Dark Meat & Red Meat
(3) Whole Dairy
(4) Coconut Oil
(5) Coffee

All of these foods have been linked to heart disease in the past, but here are the happy updates:

• 1, 2 and 3 are animal products containing cholesterol. It was once thought that eating cholesterol would rai se cholesterol, which might then cause heart disease. Research has since shown that eating cholesterol does not affect blood levels as much as we had feared.
• 1, 2, 3 and 4 contain saturated fats. Studies have shown that saturated fats are linked to heart disease, but key research has fallen under criticism, some saturated fats seem to have benefits, and new research came up with no clear link.
• Apparently, Harvard says you can drink 6 cups of coffee per day without increasing risk for mortality. When p eople tell me about their health habits, "6 cups of coffee a day" typically indicates... oh... issues... but the point is, as long as you don't have sleep or anxiety problems, go ahead and enjoy a cup or two.

I'm still going to discourage you from eating a 6-egg steak and cheese omlette at one sitting (even if it's local, grassfed, organic, and cooked with coconut oil), but I hope you are as happy I am to learn that many people can enjoy these foods in moderation.

Mike again here. Unfortunately this article is very typical in the fitness and nutrition world. We are convinced certain exercises and foods are terrible for us and then we find out that they probably aren't that bad and may be important to include.

I think the best advice is to stay up on GOOD research, the best you can, or at least follow someone who does, and when things work stick with them. If you were eating whole eggs for breakfast everyday, losing weight and feeling great, then you should probably continue doing it. Especially now with the new research out there. If you aren't sure you can always go to your doctor and have a blood panel done regularly. If you see things are getting better keep doing what you are doing, if they are getting worse stop it.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

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

More Great News About Vitamin D

Not too long ago I put up a short post on a few benefits of Vitamin D and a study involving obese postmenopausal women. You can check it out here. It seems like everyday I am hearing more great news about this powerful vitamin. In fact recently we are finding that Vitamin D is actually a hormone. So to be deficient in Vitamin D you actually have a hormone deficiency. We are beginning to learn some very valuable information about Vitamin D.

Here are two more studies that just came out from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showing some more great benefits.

1. Calcium and vitamin D supplementation is associated with decreased abdominal visceral adipose tissue in overweight and obese adults.

The title really says it all here. In this study they took two groups. Both groups were trying to lose weight. One group was giving orange juice with calcium and vitamin D added while the other group was given a placebo. The found that both groups ended up losing equal weight on their diet, but the interesting part is that the group that took the calcium and vitamin D saw a greater reduction in abdominal fat!

2. Vitamin D deficiency and mortality risk in the general population: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

Again the title really says it all. A meta-analysis basically means this group of researchers looked at already published studies containing information they were testing to look for trends. They looked at studies involving mortality rates and Vitamin D deficiency. They found a direct linear relationship with high rates of mortality and Vitamin D deficiency.

I think both of these studies were pretty self explanatory, but the results were really amazing. So according to these studies if you are getting enough Vitamin D in your diet, or just getting enough sunlight, you will have less belly fat and live longer. Sounds like a good plan to me. If you have never done it I highly recommend having your Vitamin D levels tested. Consult your doctor to do this.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

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

Sample Fat Burning Workout

I recently just finished my latest 8 Week Transformation Challenge. I usually conduct 3-4 of these per year. Each time we do it I am blown away by some of the results that we get. I have made it my personal goal to continue to tweak the program so that it gets better and better.

This last challenge we had someone break our weight loss record of 20lbs. Our winner ended up losing a total of 28.5lbs, 4.2% body fat, and 14.5 inches. Our runners up also saw amazing results. The top 7 participants all lost over 10lbs not to mention a big decrease in body fat and loss of inches.

The great thing about this program is anyone can do it. We had individuals who had been working out for year and some of having been doing anything for years.

Now the program involved more than just strength training. We also followed a cardio program and nutrition guidelines that were crucial for the results. I thought I would give you a sneak peak into what a workout looked like for this program. Below is an actual workout we did in the program. Give it a try and see how it feels. If you are interested in learning more about the 8 Week Program and are interested in joining the waiting list just click on the link below:

http://www.sandiegopremiertraining.com/fitness-programs/challenge

Just note that we did not start with this workout. We did progress to get to this point. Some exercise may have been modified for certain people but this was the premise of the workout.

8 Week Fat Loss Challenge Sample Workout

Phase II Workout A

Triset A

Perform each exercise for 3 sets of 12 reps. Rest 30 seconds between sets.

1. KB Squat With Upright Row
2. SB Push Ups
3. DB Lateral Lunges

Triset B

Perform each exercise for 3 sets of 12 reps. Rest 30 seconds between sets.

1. KB Swings
2. Kneeling Shoulder Press
3. Cable Cobras

Superset C

Perform each exercise for 3 sets of 12 reps. Rest 30 seconds between sets.

1. DB Deck Squats
2. Cable Rotations

Core Circuit

Perform each exercise for 2 rounds with 30 seconds rest between exercises and sets.

1. Side Plank Rotations
2. In and Outs
3. Deadbugs

Metabolic Acceleration Training

Perform 2 round of the following circuit. Do each exercise for 20 seconds and rest 10-20 seconds between each.

1. Mountain Climbers
2. Squat Jumps
3. MB Slams
4. Jumping Jacks

Stretch and Your Done!


Let me know if you have any questions.

You Stay Healthy San Diego!

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