How to set a New Years Resolution

Well it is that time again.  It is just amazing how fast this year has gone by.  With January just a few days away it is time to start thinking about setting some goals.  It is amazing how motivating January can be.  New beginnings for everyone.  This year is going to be different.  We say it every year.  But then what happens?  We stick to a new habit for a few weeks and then it dies out. 

I have shared my story before how I stuck with a New Year's resolution a few years ago and actually made it the entire year.  In fact it is a habit that I continue to do to this day.  While I can't say it is easy to stick with a goal for an entire year there are a few tricks to make you increase your chance of success. 

Here are a few tips to help you make this year's resolution really work:

1.  Start with smaller goals.

It is funny how long and how short a year is when you look at it.  When we look ahead a year seems like forever.  When we look back it passed by in the blink of an eye.  When looking towards next years goals start with a smaller duration.  You do not have to stick with a goal for 12 months for it to be a success.  Sometimes we can hit a goal in a month or two.  Then we reevaluate and set a new goal.  You probably have a few goals in mind for next year.  Keep it short and simple.  I heard a great tip recently.  Plan out your next three months and pick one specific goal to work on.  Just break the year up into smaller segments and go from there.   So if you goal is to eat more vegetables, then work on ways you can incorporate more veggies into your diet for three months and then set new goals after that. 
 
2.  Set process vs product orient goals.

While it is OK to have both we really want to stick with process goals.  This means we focus on habits that we can incorporate or change in our lives to get us to a specific outcome.  That specific outcome would be our product goal.  For example, most people want to lose weight.  Setting a goal of weight 150lbs would be a product goal.  It is our end result.  While that is a fine goal to have it doesn't mean a whole lot.  I can also set a goal that I want to make $1 million this year.  That would be great but if I don't set up the steps to reach that goal I will never succeed.  So regardless of what your goal is find specific habits you can do to reach your end result.  But focus on the process of getting there only.

3.  Use SMART goals.

You probably have heard this before, but a SMART goal is a great place to start.  If you have never heard of this it simply means when setting a goal it must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.  So instead of saying I want to lose 15lbs next year I would say, "I will perform 5 days of at least 30 minutes of exercise until April 1, 2013."  By having a specific end date, psychologically it will dramatically increase your adherence to that goal. 

4.  Write it down.

Most people will never do this, but it is such a simple thing that will help you reach your goal.  Simply write it down, read it, and keep it in a place where you will see it.  Write your goal down on a piece of paper and keep it next to your bed.  When you go to sleep make sure you read it and when you wake up read it again.  The more that it is on your mind the more likely you will do it.  You can also keep it on the fridge or in the mirror in the bathroom.  Any place where you will constantly see it.  Sometimes it also helps to write the goal down as if you have already succeeded.  So you can say something like, "Today is June 1st, 2013 and I am sitting out by the pool on our family vacation.  I finally fit into my old bathing suit that I haven't worn in 5 years.  I even see a few guys across the pool checking me out.  I can't believe how much younger, more energetic, and healthier I feel now"  You can write it anyway that would be significant for you. 

So let's see if you can stick to this goal for 2013.  It is much easier when you have a realistic game plan set in place.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator

14 Tricks To Help You Lose Weight Faster

I recently found this article from IDEA Health and Fitness Association.  There are a ton of "tricks" you can implement in your daily life to help you eat less and live a healthier lifestyle.  You may have heard of some of them before.  Here are 14 pretty cool tricks to help you loss more weight over this holiday season.

1.  Use a red plate.

I know this might sound weird, but a study in the journal Apetite found that people ate less when using a red plate over blue or white.  Just remember, red means stop.

2.  Use smaller plates and bowls.

You probably have seen this one before.  A study from the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found that when given a larger bowl participants served themselves 77% more pasta then when given a smaller bowl.  Plates and bowls look empty when there is not food filling it up.  When we put more food on the plate you are more likely to eat it all.

3.  Understand serving sizes.

It is great when you find low calorie snacks at the store.  Something might promote that is is only 100 calories which is a great snack.  But don't forget to look at the label.  It is 100 calories per serving which is often much smaller than you think it is.  This is often true in drinks.  A serving might be 8 ounces even though it is served in 12 ounces.

4.  Eat breakfast.

If you train with me or have followed my blog for a while you have definitely heard this one before.  A study from the University of Missouri found that eating a 500 calorie breakfast led to less eating throughout the day.  They even saw in bran scans that there was less activity in the area of the brain that controls food motivation and reward.

5.  Snack between meals.

In a Yales study that also looked at brain scans, they found that when glucose levels drop it triggers the reward region of the brain to seek out sugary food.  The brain uses glucose for energy.  When it drop you are triggered to feel hungry and eat high calorie food.  Instead, prevent this from happen by constantly snacking so you are not letting your glucose level drop.

6.  Don't eat while watching TV.

A review of studies published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine discovered that TV viewing was more associated with calorie dense drinks and foods and less associated with fruits and veggies. 
The same is true while on the computer as well or playing video games.  When you are not focused on what you are eating you will have no idea how much you are consuming.

7.  Chew more.

It can be tough not to just swallow your meal whole sometimes when you are really hungry.  But a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that subjects consumed 12% less calories when they chewed their food more.  More chewing actually increased hormones like cholecystokinin (hormones that make you feel full) and decreased ghrelin (a hormone that increases your appetitie).

8.  Eat an appetizer.

I need to be careful when I say this.  I don't want you to head over to the Outback and get a Blooming Onion.  Instead, but having a light appetizer before a meal, you are more likely to eat less for your meal.  Two studies showed that by having a salad or piece of fruit 20 minutes prior to a meal can lower total calories by 11-15%.

9.  Cut your food up.

This is similar to eating what is on your plate.  If you give yourself smaller portions by cutting food up you will be less likely to overeat.  You might think that you will be hungrier if you ate less, but a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that this is not true.  They had subject eat pieces of candy in this study.  One group was given 6 pieces.  The other group was still given 6 pieces but they were all halves.  So they actually only had 3 full pieces.  They found that there was no substantial differences in hunger between the groups.

10.  Get more sleep.

Sleep does us a lot of good but it can actually help you lose weight better too.  One study found that subjects ate 300 calories more when they were sleep deprived versus well rested.  Another study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that lose who only slept 4 hours showed more brain activity in response to food stimuli than those who slept 9 hours.

11.  Eat more fiber.

We all know that fiber is part of a healthy nutrition program, but it also aid in weight loss by increasing satiety, slowing down digestion, and minimizing blood sugar fluctuations.  A study in the journal Appetite found that subjects felt fuller after consuming high fiber bread compared to poor fiber white bread.

12.  Keep extra food off the table.

This is a huge one that you really should incorporate if you don't already.  Just don't keep any food on the dinner table.  If you want to grab seconds you need to get up and grab it in the kitchen.  Or if you don't want to let yourself get anymore, then just serve your self and put everything away.  In fact another study from Cornell University found that people ate 20% fewer calories when they did this.

13.  Eat your calories.

I'm not saying you can never drink any calories, but the majority of your drinks really should be water.  Maybe some juice or a smoothie for breakfast and a post workout shake, but after that stick with water.  A study from the University of Kansas Medical Center showed that those who drink the same amount of calories as those who eat it in food are more hungry after the meal.  So you drink calories and then you are more likely to eat more and over consume.

14.  Avoid low fat/low carb foods.

They may sounds appealing and healthy but these types of foods or food products most likely won't help you lose weight and might actually lead to weight gain.  Often times in low fat foods, sugar is added to make it taste better.  A study published in the Journal of Marketing Research discovered that subjects at 28% more chocolate candy when it was portrayed as low fat than they did when it was described as regular.  Low fat/low sugar foods make us think we are eating less or better but it usually is not the case.  Also, they are usually full of artificial sweeteners.  Even if the calories are less it still increases your cravings for sugary foods.  So just stay away from them.

15.  BONUS TRICK:  Workout at SDPT

Ok just a shameless self promotion here but if you aren't working with a trainer it is a great way to boost your results.  Take the guess work out of your workouts and let someone who is trained to do it for you.  Remember we offer a Free Trial for our Group Training or Private Personal Training Program.

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR FREE WORKOUT.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS

Carlsbad Personal Training

My Workout Creator

Are all calories the same?

I hope you are having a great and healthy day.  After Thanksgiving last week I think we are all trying to get back on track with our diet programs.  We are just about finished with all of our leftovers.  I cannot wait to get rid of all this food (although it is delicious).  I thought I would put up a quick nutrition post for you to read through.

For years we have been told weight loss is simple.  Calories in vs. Calories out.  Basically if you eat least and move more you will lose weight.  Now I believe this for the most part is true.  If you, in general, just eat less than you usually do and move more you will probably lose some weight.  This formula may not work forever though.  You might have started a diet and lost some weight but then saw a plateau.  While this formula is a great start, we should look at what type of calories and food we are consuming to help us lose weight faster and stay healthier.

I found three studies from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that look at this topic.  Are all calories created equally?  Here is what they found.

In the first study, they followed subject for 5 years to see the relationship between the types of calories we consume and waist circumference.  We already know that increased waist circumference leads to a number of health related problems.  After 5 years they found that those who consumed a high protein diet (especially animal protein) saw a decrease in waist circumference.  Also those who's carb consumption was mainly fruits and vegetables.  There was an increase in waist circumference with those who consumed more refined grains, potatoes, vegetable fat, and alcohol from spirits.

In the next study they compared four popular diet programs.  They used Atkins for a low carb diet, the LEARN program for low fat, high carb, and exercise, the Ornish diet for a low fat diet, and the Zone diet for balanced macro nutrients of 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat.  All diets allowed the same number of calories, just different ratios of macronutritients.  For all programs there was about a 500cal decrease in total calories for the day.  They found that all participants reduced fat over an 8 weeks period.  The interesting part of this study was that they found each program resulted in deficiencies in critical vitamins and minerals.  Below are the defeciencies for each plan:

Atkins- Thiamin, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Iron, and Magnesium
LEARN- Vitamin E, Thiamine, Magnesium
Ornish- Vitamin E, B-12, and Zinc
Zone- Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, and Vitamin C

So this brings up a completely different issue that changing what type of calories we eat leads to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  If you know you have a problem with any of the above already you will want to avoid these specific diet plans.

And our final study, simply compared a high protein vs a high fat diet using the same overall calories.  In this study they found that the high protein diet resulted in greater fat loss, greater decrease in triglyceride levels, LDL, HDL, glucose levels, insulin, free fatty acids, and C-reactive proteins.  B-12 also increased while those following a high fat diet saw a decrease in B-12.  The high protein diet also resulted in better bone regeneration.

So what these studies show us that decreasing your calories overall will probably result in some weight loss, but we are not seeing the whole picture.  Manipulating the amount of fat, carbs, and proteins you are consuming will also make a huge difference in weight and overall health.  My main recommendations would be to consume a variety of whole foods, avoid refine grains, and increase Omega 3 consumption.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

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

3 Things to help with back pain

You may have heard a stat that went something like, "80% of all people suffer from at least one episode of back pain that will effect their daily activities for at least one week."  I'm actually not sure where this stat came from, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is an underestimate.  I don't know many people that have never had some sort of back issue at some point in their life. 

I'm no different.  While my back pain is pretty rare I have still had my share of issues occur.  Even if you are in great shape things can still happen.  When we look at our average day, we sit most of the time, at our desk, driving, watching tv....While in this seated position, we are putting our lumbar spine into a flexed or rounded position.  Upon standing it is likely that this position will stick.  Then we move around or exercise and get hurt because our backs were in a high risk position. 

So if you injured your back what should you do about it?  Honestly, the easiest answer is go to the doctor to see what is going on.  I know that is not the answer you are looking for, but don't worry I have some other things you can do (but still see a professional about it will save you a lot of time and pain). 

When back issues come up I will get the question, "what is the best stretch I can do for my back?"  Unfortunately there isn't a back stretch that will really help you out.  In fact, you don't want to do much low back stretching.  When we look at the lumbar spine as a joint, it's main responsibility is stability.  We do not want movement to occur at our lower backs, pretty much ever.  So if you stretch this area out, you are gaining more mobility there.  So while the stretch might feel good while you are doing it, afterwards you have increased range of motion at a place we really do not want it. 

So instead of giving you back stretches to help with your back pain or to help prevent it from occuring, here are three things you SHOULD do to help out that busted up lower back:

1.  Improve Hip Mobility

I mentioned that the lower back was a stability joint so we need it to be stable.  The hips, on the other hand, are very mobile.  Or at least they are suppose to be.  Many times when we lose hip mobility from sitting too much or lack of exercise, we make up for it by putting the back under higher strains and create movement where it should not occur.  So work on improving your hip mobility with a few stretches.  Below are a few videos of some of my favorites.

2.  Improve Thoracic Spine Mobility

This is for the same reason listed above for the hips.  The thoracic spine, or upper back, should be  a mobile joint.  Try some of these exercises below to help improve thoracic mobility.

3.  Improve Core Stability

So we improved our joints that need to be mobile, so now we need to improve strength and endurance at our stable joint of the lumber spine.  For these exercises we want to see the lumber spine neutral and no movement occur at the lower back.  Even if the arms and legs are moving we really have to focus on bracing the core and prevent ANY movement from taking place at the lower back.  Again here are some of my favorites for this.

So there you have it.  If you have back is or have had some in the past, try improving these three things instead of trying to stretch out your low back.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

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

Is Internal Inflamation Making You Gain Weight?

You may or may not realize that our activity levels and food we eat can cause internal inflammation in our body.  Weight gain is another cause of inflammation.  This can become a dangerous cycle.  We eat poorly which can lead to inflammation and disease, and this can lead to more weight gain. 

When we have inflammation occuring the body becomes resistant to certain hormones like insulin and leptin.  Leptin is a crucial hormone for weight loss.  This hormone controls our appetite and affects our metabolism by controlling energy expenditure.  Leptin becomes bound which makes it more difficult to pass through the blood brain barrier, so you don't know when you are actually full.   So basically if you are more resistant to this hormone you will not only be more hungry, you will also burn less calories. 

When we have more trouble using fat for fuel do to resistance to fat burning hormones we have extra fat in the body.  This fat has to go somewhere.  This extra fat will not typically be stored for later use however.  This fat will begin to go to our organs, such as the liver, which will cause inflammation.  My last post was about how you may have a fatty liver if you eat too much sugar.  This is a type of inflammation. 

Not only does inflammation lead to weight gain it also leads to serious disease.  The main disease we are concerned with here is heart disease.  Those that have inflammation are at a much higher risk for suffering from serous heart conditions. 

So what can be done?  First off it is a good idea to see your doctor and test for inflammation.  It is usually done by check you C Reactive Protein levels. 

I just found two studies that show how we can help reduce this problem.  First from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a group of researchers looked at obese individuals who were not diabetic.  For 8 weeks they gave them about 3g of Omega 3 Fatty Acids (EPA, DHA).  After eight weeks all participants saw a significant decrease in inflammation of fatty tissue.  Here is a video explaining how these fatty acids can help reduce inflammation: 

www.mikedeibler.getprograde.com/essential-fatty-acid.html

Make sure you are staying away from Omega 6 Fatty Acids.  These are found all over the Western Diet. 

The second study from Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.  This study looked at resistance training and effect on inflammation.  Again a group of obese individuals were studied.  They performed 3 sets of 10 exercises for 8-12 reps three times per week.  They continued this exercise routine for 12 weeks.  After 12 weeks they found a 33% reduction in C reactive protein in the blood.  This is a huge improvement in reduced inflammation.

So two very simple things you can do to help reduce this issue.  First make sure you increase your Omega 3 fatty acid consumption while reducing Omega 6 fatty acids, and secondly perform resistance training 2-3 times per week.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

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

Is Your Liver Making You Fat?

Hey there.  I hope you are doing great today.  I wanted to share with you an interested study that I read the other day that will effect your weight depending on how you are currently eating. 

The study was from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  What researchers did was look at how simple sugars or carbohydates effected fat deposits on the liver.  So they fed participants 1000kcal or more of simple carbohydrates per day for 3 weeks.  By doing so they found that participants saw an increase in 27% in liver fat with a 2% increase in body weight. 

So what exactly does this mean?  Well I'm glad you asked.  Basically our liver plays a crucial role is metabolism of fat, carbs, and proteins.  When the liver gets overloaded with work fat deposits start to build up.  Picture Lucy working the conveyer belt.  The liver gets backed up and results in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.  You guessed it.  The same thing can happen in alcoholics.  If you drink too much on a regular basis it can result in alcoholic fatty liver disease.  The results are the same; weight gain, slowed metabolism, metabolic disease, insulin resistance, diabetes, and even liver failure. 

So they are finding that consuming too much simple sugars on a regular basis can lead to the same liver damage as drinking too much alcohol.  Imagine if you do both!  While it seems rare that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease results in death it is a possibility.  More common it will lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, and metabolic disease. 

This is your liver on sugar.  Any questions?

And now for the good news.  After they overfed these individuals for three weeks they placed them on a low simple sugar diet for 6 months.  During this time they lose 4% of their body weight and 25% of their liver fat.  So this problem may not be permanent.  Although it only took 3 weeks to cause significant damage and 6 MONTHS to almost get back to where they were. 

This is just another example of how just a few weeks of a bad diet and cause months of issues.  While it is great news these problems can be fixed, you better be ready for some serious work to get your liver functioning better.  So make sure you are watching how much simple sugar is in your diet.  You liver might be getting fat which is making it harder and harder for you to burn fat and carbohydrates, even if you workout.

You Stay Healthy San Diego!

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
www.sandiegopremiertraining.com
www.myworkoutcreator.com
 

3 Foods You NEED To Eat Weekly

Hey there.  I wanted to put a quick blog post up to hopefully help you with your nutrition program.  I do my best to say nutrition program, since the word diet has such a bad connotation.  A healthy nutrition plan is something that we should be doing 90% of the time.  A diet is a quick fix you use to try and drop some weight fast.  The problem with diets, as I'm sure you already know, is that the weight that came off so fast has probably crept right back on. 

I'm currently reading a nutrition book that is really changing my philosophy on nutrition.  As soon as I finish I plan to revise my current nutrition program I do for my clients based on this book.  I will post my ideas once I finish.  The main concept though is to concentrate on foods that you need to eat daily or weekly instead of focusing on which foods you can't eat. 

So think of this post as a sneak peak.  Here are three superfoods you want to be eating each week:

1.  Beans

Beans can be used in a variety of ways to spice up your meals.  An easy way to increase your bean consumption by substituting you common carbs for beans.  So instead of rice, pasta, or bread as a side try using different types of beans.  Beans are a source of low fat protein.  When meat consumption increases so does fat.  Bean can be used as a protein source instead of meats.  Beans are a good source of vitamins, especially, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folacin.  Some studies even showed that increased bean consumption significantly lowered the risk of death from heart disease.  They also balance your blood sugar levels and have high fiber.  There is even promising evidence that they may help prevent pancreatic cancer and cancer of the colon.  And for weight loss, they can fill you up, which can help you consume less.

Try and eat a serving a beans at least 4 times per week.

2.  Blueberries

This is a personal favorite of mine.  My top ways to use blueberries are in greek yogurt, in smoothies, and in oatmeal.  Blueberries contain more disease fighting antioxidants than just about any other fruit or veggie.  One study in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating 1 cup of blueberries a day resulted in higher levels of anti-oxidants in their blood.  This plays a role in preventing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, senility, cancer, and degenerative eye disease.  They have even been shown to lower the risk of breast cancer and reduce the effects of age related disease, like Alzheimer's. 

Try and eat a serving of blueberries daily.

3.  Broccoli

I know broccoli may not be a tasty as blueberries but its one of the best superfoods out there.  Broccoli may be a most powerful dietary weapon against cancer and it can help boost the immune system.  It is one of the most nutrient dense foods with an incredibly low calorie cost.  Try and consume it both raw and cooked.  The raw form has more vitamin C while cooking them makes the carotenoids more bioavailable.  Broccoli increase the enzymes in our body that kill abnormal cells and helps the body limit oxidation.  Broccoli sprouts might be even more powerful.  Researchers estimate sprouts provide ten to one hundred times the power to neutralize carcinogens.

Try to eat a serving daily.

That's it for now.  I promise to include more superfoods for you to include each week in your nutrition program.  Definitely start with these power packed foods. 

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator

Fat That Will Reduce Your Risk of Heart Attacks

You probably have heard that Rosie O'Donnell has recently suffered from a heart attack.  Like many other women who suffer from a heart attack, she never called 911.  She thought she had a sore muscle and took some aspirin.  The next day she saw her doctor to discover it was actually a heart attack.

There are many things you can do to reduce your risk of suffering from a heart attack.  Two of the most important things you can do are regular exercise and a well balanced diet.  Speaking of diets, many of us are scared to eat too much fat.   But fat can actually reduce your risk of a heart attack.

Research is showing that a diet higher in Omega 3's can decrease the risk of heart disease while a diet high in Omega 6's lead to increase risk of heart disease. 

Over the last century or so the American Diet has changed dramatically for the worse.  Two types of fats we consume, that you may have heard of, are Omega 3 and Omega 6 Fatty Acids.  Our ancient ancestors probably had a ratio of 1:1 omega 3:omega 6.  Today we are seeing about a 1:10 ratio.  This incredibly unbalance diet filled with processed foods containing corn and soybean oil are resulting in disease, inflammation, and heart attacks.  This type of diet is literally killing us off.  It is our goal to get our diet closer to that one to one ratio which is harder than you think.  Omega 6 Fatty Acids are found every where.

Here are the foods to limit in your diet that are high in Omega 6's:

• Safflower Oil
• Corn Oil
• Soybean Oil
• Mayonaise
• Margarine
• Peanut Oil
• Potato Chips
• Microwave Popcorn
• Granola Bars
• Or anything fried, from a fast food restaurant, or prepared using any of the above

Here are foods you want to include everyday in your diet high in Omega 3's.

• Grassfed Beef
• Omega 3 enriched eggs
• Edemame
• Wild Rice
• Flax
• Beans
• Fish (Salmon, Anchovies...)

Just start looking at some of the ingredients in your most common foods.  If you see corn or soybean oil you might want to try something else.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

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

How To Look Like An Olympian

If you are like me at all, you have been stuck to the TV the last few weeks watching the Summer Olympics.  I always get a little bummed when the games first start since I never was able to quite make it to the Olympics for the high jump, but I get over it pretty quick once the games get going.

It is amazing how inspiring it can be just watching how hard these athletes have worked to get where they are.  Its pretty funny how motivated I get watching each sport.  All of a sudden I need to get in the pool and swim, get out to the track and run, or out to the beach for some beach volleyball.

Another thing you can always see at the Olympics is amazing physiques.  Athletes just have some of the best bodies out there.  The funny thing is they don't train to look good.  They train to improve performance.  Their defined body is just the side effect.  Two of the best events for seeing amazing physiques is gymnastics and track and field.  For track this includes most events except for distance events and throwers.  Not to put these athletes down, but they usually do not have the ideal body shapes that most people are looking for.

Jessica Ennis Gets A Gold Medal For Abs

I mentioned before these athletes are not training to look better.  They just eat very healthy and practice to get better at their sport.  I saw an interview with Jessica Ennis, the gold medalist in the Heptathlon, who you will notice has an incredible six pack.  She was asked about her training and she said that she doesn't really do any direct training for her abs like crunches and sit ups.  She contributes it to her endurance training, weight training, and sport specific training.

This just reinforces that fact that if you want a six pack do not worry about what the best ab exercises are.  Instead focus on the big picture.  Train to improve health, build muscle, and burn fat in general.  By performing the right types of exercise you have a much better shot at that amazing stomach.  So if you want a better body stop training like everyone else and start training like an athlete.

Here are 4 styles of training you MUST perform to see real changes:

1.  Olympic Lifting:

Olympic lifting may sounds scary, but with a little practice you can master the technique and really start seeing some great results.  Olympic lifts are power movements that encompass total body explosive power.  These are some of the best calorie burning, hormone releasing exercises.  Make sure you get the techniques down first before really pushing the intensity here.  You can use Barbells, KB's, and DB's for these exercises.  You might want to work with a coach to perfect these moves first.  Below are some examples:

Barbell Jerk:

 

Kettlebell Snatch:

Barbell Power Clean:

2.  Sprinting

There is no arguing that sprinters are just unbelievably defined.  You can see just about every muscle in their body.  Sprinters have some of the best physiques in athletics so there must be something to sprinting and looking good.  There are studies that actually show that sprinting or anaerobic exercise leads to increased metabolic activity and increased anabolic hormone levels such as Growth Hormone.

The more metabolic disturbance you can create, the more fat you will burn during and post workout.  The higher of an anabolic response you can get the more muscle tissue will build.  This is the key to a more toned body.  Increase exercises that burn fat and increase muscle mass so you can see the muscle better.  And as always do not worry about bulking up for women.  You will not be able to increase anabolic hormones enough to build that much muscle.  

3.  Interval Training

I've blogged about this in the past a number of times so I'm not really going to go into this point too much.  Here is one older post if you want to read it:  http://premiertraining.blogspot.com/2010/06/burn-5-times-more-fat.html.  Just know that study after study is showing that high intensity interval training will outperform slower more traditional cardio any day.  That doesn't mean you have to get rid of your slower cardio, just add HIIT into the picture more often. 

4.  Compound Exercise

There should be a recurring theme here.  If you choose an exercise technique that can increase fat burning by causing more metabolic disturbances and at the same time build muscle by increase anabolic hormone release you will see great results.  If you choose two exercise techniques that do this you see even better results, and so on.  Compound exercise means you are getting away for single joint isolated exercises and incorporating multi-joint, total body exercises.  For example a squat with an overhead press is a compound exercise vs a leg extension is a single joint, isolated exercise.  If you just look at the two exercises it is pretty clear which one will be tougher and more effective.   So when you select what exercises you are performing look at how many different muscles are working at one time.  If you can name 2 or more you are in good shape.

So try considering these four elements to your fitness program.  Some may be very challenging at first.  Do not worry about intensity initially.  For example, for the olympic lifts you may want to practice with a broom stick for a while to get the technique down before you add weight.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training

What's Your Excuse

A new poll in Shop Smart magazine polled 1,000 women, asking what the main reason why they didn't eat healthy.  I thought it would be a good idea to look at the most common excuses why people do not eat healthier and see if we can find solutions or at least persuade you to start changing some of your habits. 

Here were some of the top answers:

57% Eating healthy foods is too expensive.
47% Social settings are too tempting
395% Life is too short; I want to enjoy what I eat
25% My family prefers less healthy meals

Let's take these one by one and see if we can help you out. 

Eating healthy foods is too expensive:

Yes healthier foods are typically more expensive.  Organic foods will usually cost much more than non organic, grass fed beef will be more expensive than corn fed, free range chicken is more expensive, and organic milk is way more expensive.  It is not necessary to buy all organic foods if it is going to break your budget.  Regular beef and chicken you find at the grocery store are still going to be better quality than In and Out or Jack n the Box. 

For fruits and veggies if you can just buy organic for the foods that are highest in pesticides.  Check out the list below for foods you might want to buy organic:

The Dirty Dozen:
1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Pears
9. Grapes
10. Spinach
11. Lettuce
12. Potatoes

Depending on your current eating habits, eating healthy may actually be cheaper.  I have had clients tell me how much money they were saving by eating better.  If you eat out for lunch often, go to Starbucks everyday, or eat more on the go you probably are spending a lot more than you think.  Try preparing your own lunch or giving up Starbucks for a while and see how much you maybe able to save.

The bottom line is the majority of your diet if you are eating healthy is primarily plant based and vegetables really are not that expensive.

Social Settings Are Too Tempting:

This is a tough one.  I've been there.  You meet up with friends and everyone is drinking eating and having a good time.  My biggest suggestions here are to let your friends know what you are doing and bring your own foods when you can.  If others know you are trying to loose weight and eat healthier they will more than likely be supportive.  If they are not you might want to avoid people that are sabotaging you.  Or you can just bring your own dishes.  If you know there is going to be foods that you probably shouldn't be eating you can bring a salad or other dish that you can have as well as others who may be in the same boat as you. 

Life is too short; I want to enjoy what I eat:

Well depending how much you enjoy that food life may be even shorter for you.  Eating foods high in trans fat and high in Omega 6 fats will lead to heart issues, fatty livers, and internal inflammation.  What you put in your body will put a toll on it.  Those that eat bad food are usually the ones who die early or live less quality years. 

That being said, you can still enjoy all kinds of foods.  I would be lying if I said I never drank alcohol, french fries, hot dogs, pizza, ice cream....I better stop before I get hungry.  The key is to have cheat meals throughout the week so you are not as tempted as much.  Have 1-2 cheat meals then get right back on your normal routine.  If you can eat healthy 80% of the time you are in pretty good shape.  If there are 21 meals per week then try eating very healthy for 17 of them.  That would be 80% of your weekly meals so you can still enjoy some of the foods you currently eat. 

My family prefers less healthy meals:

Again this can be a tough one.  Just as in social situations make sure you family knows you are trying to eat better because you are concerned with your health and theirs.  You are looking out for their best interest so they will need to start eating healthy as well. 

Tough love might be appropriate too.  If you are the one preparing the meals then they will eat what you put in front of them.  If they aren't happy with it they can start learning how to cook for themselves.  It may sound mean but you want your family eating healthy, not just you. 

If you have kids than this is even more important.  Childhood obesity is a growing problem and as parents it is your responsibility to teach them proper eating habits.  Teach them that they need to have fruits and vegetables in every meal and fast food or pizza is a treat not an everyday meal. 

So hopefully we have helped out with some of your excuses for not eating healthy.  If you still have excuses let me know and we can see if we can get past them. 

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCs
San Diego Premier Training

The Truth About Artificial Sweeteners

You have probably heard a lot about natural and artificial sweeteners.  With Americans getting fatter and fatter we tried to get sugar out of our diets in hopes that we could lose some weight.  Diet sodas and snacks were popping up everywhere.  It seemed like a good plan.  Reduce sugar, reduce calories and you will reduce your body weight.  But are these so called "healthy" sweeteners really helping us lose weight and are they even healthy for us?

First let's look at a few of the more common sweeteners:

1.  Aspartame (NutraSweet)

This is one of the most study sweeteners on the market.  It seems relatively safe to consume in moderate quantities, although those who suffer from  phenylketonuria (PKU), due to one poduct released during its breakdown should not consume it.  Aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than table sugar.  It also is the closest tasting approved artificial sweetener to sugar.  It is often combined with Acesulfame potassium, another artificial sweetener, for a taste even closer to sugar.  It was discovered by accident when a chemist was working on an anti-ulcer substance and licked his fingers.  Upon digestion it is broken down eventually into formaldehyde and formic acid.   And by the way, both of these can be toxic to humans. 

2.  Saccharin (Sweet-n-Low)

This was the first artificial sweetener on to hit the market.  It has zero calories and is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar.  Along with no calories it has no nutritional value.  You may even notice a bitter, metallic aftertaste.  Saccharin cannot be digested by the body but it can stimulate an insulin response, just like sugar does.  It is interesting to learn how saccharin was discovered.  In 1878 Constantin Fahlberg, a chemist working on coal tar derivatives, noticed his fingers tasted sweet.  He in no way was looking to create an artificial sweetener.  Coal tar derivative?  No thanks, I will take the extra calories with natural sugar instead.  Saccharin is also believed to cause cancer in rodents.

3.  Sucralose (Splenda)

Another artificial sweetener that cannot be absorbed by the body, hence it is zero calories.  It is approximately 600 times sweeter than sugar.  Sucralose can be found in more than 4,500 food and beverage products. It is used because it is a no-calorie sweetener, and does not promote dental cavities, is safe for consumption by diabetics, and does not affect insulin levels.  As in the previous two, it was discovered by accident when chemist were searching for ways to use sucrose as a chemical intermediate in non-traditional areas.  This new use was a type of pesticide.  While testing a chlorinated sugar compound one of the researchers tasted the substance and noticed it was particularly sweet.  Manufacturers of splenda actually add chlorine to it.  

Now that we learned a little about these sweeteners, we can have a better understanding of why we may or may not want to consume these.  Considering they were all discovered on accident by chemists it may raise some red flags.

It is also to look at some studies to see what the research has to say about artificial sweeteners.  There is an overwhelming amount of research out on the topic and unfortunately you will find conflicting information.  Here are a few studies I thought were worth noting however.

The first study from 2010 looked at aspartame, sucrose (table sugar), and stevia to compare the different effects on appetite, insulin response, energy intake, and glucose levels.  The study found that hunger levels were the same for all sweeteners used.  However their was less calories consumed when aspertame was used and even less calories when stevia was used.  Stevis also resulted in the lower insulin responses after consumption than their others and lower glucose levels.  So according to this study the natural sweetener of stevia may be the best choice.  

Another study observed a over 78,000 women for one year who used artificial sweeteners.  Their findings were that artificial sweetener use increased with relative weight and decreased with age.  These women were significantly more likely to gain weight than non users.  Their conclusion was that long-term artificial sweetener use neither helps weight loss or prevents weight gain.

So our "diet" foods and drinks may not actually help us diet at all.  Now this doesn't mean you can't lose weight consuming foods/beverages with artificial sweeteners.  There are a number of studies that show artificial sweeteners combined with a hypo caloric diet result in weight lose.  For these studies they make sure participants are not eating too much so they will lose weight.

But it is no guarantee that you will lose weight by switching sugar for artificial sweeteners.  The reasoning may not be so simple to explain, but it may be a neurological response from the body causing us to eat more when we consume artificial sweeteners.  When we consume foods, especially those with sugar, it activates the reward pathway in the brain.  We feel satisfied that we consumed the sugar and feel better.  Now over time, I have written before, this can be a problem.  Just like a drug we because less sensitive and need more sugar for the same pleasure response.  However, when you have sweetness without caloric content it offers partial activation of the food reward pathway.  This may lead to actual increase appetite.  Our body thinks we are getting sugar but with no nutritional value our brain will send the signal to get more sugar to satisfy us.

Also, artificial sweeteners, since they are sweet, encourage sugar craving and sugar dependence.  Repeating exposure to certain foods trains flavor preference.  So with a lot of artificial consumption, even though there are not calories, it will make you crave more sugar type foods, which leads to overeating.

So my personal habit is to try and pick regular sugar over any artificial sweetener.  That might sounds crazy, but I'm not consuming many foods that are high in simple sugars (besides fruits) and I'm not trying to lose weight.  (I know you all love hearing that).  If you are trying to lose weight then your best bet might be to find foods with stevia as the sweetener or use it instead of using sugar or artificial sweeteners.  Even using raw honey would be beneficial.

Well there is my opinion on the topic.  Unfortunately it is extremely hard to find foods without artificial sweeteners in them.  So you best bet is to stick with real foods more and stay away from low sugar snacks.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

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

The HCG Diet

It seems like every day there is a new diet out that some celebrity is claiming they are losing tons of fat, all due to some miracle diet plan they follow.  It is getting pretty ridiculous, but deceptive ads are fooling people into believing there is a magic cure for removing unwanted fat.  I've had a few people ask me about this diet lately and if it was really a good way to drop weight fast.  Here are some of my thoughts on the HCG Diet.

First a little background on what HCG is.  Human Chorionic Gonadotropin is a hormone that is produced during pregnancy by the embryo after conception.  It is also produced by some cancerous tumors.  In fact this is one hormone that doctors will test for to see if a person has a cancerous tumor.  It is suggested that high levels of HCG can cause morning sickness.  Not only that, but those who inject it may also experience other signs of pregnancy like tender breasts, water retention, and swelling.

So the HCG diet began back in the 1950's when a doctor was study a group of pregnant women in India on a ultra low calorie diet and while studying overweight men with pituitary problems.  Despite claims made after years of research their hasn't been anyone able to duplicate the success seen in the 1950's.

For this diet you either take injections of HCG or drops coupled with a 500 calorie a day diet.  The claims are that the injections will reduce hunger, preserve lean tissue, and "reset" your metabolism so you continue to lose weight after you take it.

The funny thing is, even the FDA, is calling B.S.  HCG is approved by the FDA for infertility purposes.  However, they have said it is illegal and fraudulent to sell it for weight loss purposes.  There is just no scientific evidence that it is safe or effective.  The HCG label actually states, there “is no substantial evidence that it increases weight-loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction, that it causes a more attractive or ‘normal’ distribution of fat, or that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie-restricted diets.”  Despite this doctors can still write prescriptions for it.

Side effects from taking HCG include headaches, blood clots, leg cramps, temporary hair thinning, constipation, and breast tenderness.  However, it has not been studied very much in this circumstance for side effects.  Researchers had determined it was not effective, so they saw no need to continue studying it for side effects when used for weight loss.

Hopefully after reading this you can see what my suggestion is for this diet.  There is just no need for this.  It is amazing that people will inject themselves with a hormone and go on a starvation diet to lose weight, instead of just exercising and eating more wholesome foods.  Once we see these claims for fast weight loss we tend to just stop thinking.  People who lose weight on this diet is because you are only eating 500 calories.  You are just starving yourself to lose weight.  Even if these injections helped with the hunger it just isn't worth it.  You will lose muscle mass and slow down your metabolism. 

Please, no matter how good it sounds, don't try this diet.  There is never going to be a magic diet that will get you looking like a supermodel.  Just continue to exercise intensely and more nutrient dense foods and you will be fine. 

So the short answer is yes you will lose weight fast on this diet, but how long will you keep this weight off since it is unrealistic to remain on a 500 calorie diet.

You Stay Healthy San Diego!

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

5 Reasons You Should Try Yoga

I have to say I never really thought I would be writing a blog post about yoga.  I took a few classes when I was younger and just never really got into it.  I have always been more of a strength training type of guy and didn't really see the benefit of doing yoga.

When I was approached about offering a yoga class at the studio I knew it would be a good idea though.  Even though I wasn't into it I knew it is very popular and many of our clients would enjoy it.  So I figured I would give it another chance.  Courtney does an amazing job blending yoga and strength together.  As I write this now I can feel my sore shoulders from all the push up variations we did the other night.  Each week I can see dramatic differences in how strong I feel in each pose or flow and I notice a great increase in flexibility, which is really helping me with my strength exercises.

So being the nerd that I am I wanted to research yoga and see if it really is an important component to your fitness program.  After review a number of research articles I created a list of my top 5 reasons you should add Yoga to your routine. 

1.  Yoga training can help reduce muscle soreness after a strength workout

A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that after a bout of eccentric training (workouts that cause muscle soreness the next day), a single bout of yoga significantly improve soreness the the next day.  While I know some people enjoy feeling muscle soreness the next day after a workout, some people do their best to avoid it.  If you want to reduce your muscle soreness try yoga out.  It may also be helpful for those who have a race or competition coming it.  It is important to continue to train but soreness can hinder performance. 

2. Yoga can improve posture

There are three main factors you want to consider when trying to improve posture and yoga addresses all of them.  First, you need chest opening stretches to release tight muscles such as the pectorals and lats.  Next you need core integration.  A strong core builds the foundation for solid posture.  And finally you need back strengthening exercises.  Yoga will help improve all three of these resulting in much better posture. 

3. Yoga reduces back pain

A study took a group of individuals who suffered from low back pain.  Some where the control group who did nothing and two other groups either took yoga classes or were given a yoga video to do on their own.  After 12 weeks the group who took the classes and those who followed the videos at home saw significant improvements with lower back pain compared to the control group. 

4. Yoga improves balance, flexibility, and muscular strength

Another study took a group of people who never performed yoga before.  They completed two sessions per week for 8 weeks and saw significant improvements in balance, flexibility, and upper and lower body muscular strength.  Another similar study found that yoga even helped improve muscular endurance.  Although there were no significant changes in body composition these were pretty amazing results.

5. Yoga can help with depression

While if you are suffering from serious depression you should be seeking help from a professional therapist, we all have suffered from times when we are feeling down.  A study was conducted with cancer survivors who complete 7 weeks of yoga training.  They found that after the 7 weeks those who did the yoga experienced positive changes in emotional function, reduced depression, and reduced mood disturbances.  One of the most beneficial aspects of yoga is its ability to help reduce stress.  If you are feeling run down, depressed, or just stressed out, give a yoga class a try and see how you feel after. 

Well, that's it for now.  I hope you consider trying yoga out.  And of course a shameless promotion, we are now offering Vinyasa Yoga at San Diego Premier Training every Tuesday at 6pm.  First class is free to try it out and see if you experience any of these benefits.  I am always there so see if you can keep up!

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

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

Never Do This Ab Exercise

There are litterally thousands of abdominal exercises out there ranging from your basic crunch to super advanced ab exercises like hanging feet to bar raises.  Whatever your fitness level is however there are certain exercises that you should just stay away from.

I recently joined a gym that was near our new house so I could play basketball and swim more for workouts.  I went this weekend to get a quick workout in and noticed one machine that was always being used.  In fact at one point there was one person just standing and waiting to use it while another member finished up.  This exercise was a Torso Rotation Machine.  This wasn't the exact one but you can see the video below with an explanation of what machine I am talking about:



I couldn't belive so many people were using this peice of equipment.  I"m actually surprise the manufacturers would even make it.  There are a number of reasons you should NEVER use a piece of equipment like this.  This exercise is an open chained exercise that involves lumbar rotation. 

First the lumber rotation part.  If you watch in the video as she does the exercise you can see that the movement is coming from the lower back.  The worst position for the lumbar spine to be in is flexed and rotated.  Most people have a flex lumbar spine due to the constant sitting we tend to due.  So if you are already flexed you want to avoid rotation, especially with resistance. 

Now for the open chain part.  Open chain exercises are those in which the hands or feet are free to move while closed chanined exercises are those where the hands or feet are fixed, usually on the ground.  Open chain exercises are single joint isolation exercises and are rarely performed in everyday life.  Closed chained exercises are much more function multijoint movements that will burn more calories. 

Instead of the torso rotation machine you can try a standing cable rotation.  This will train the abs much more effectively and safely.  Because the feet are fixed on the ground the rotation will be much more natural.  The power is generated from the ground, through the feet, up to the hips, through the core and out through the shoulders.  Here you see the rotation is occuring at the hips and shoulders for a much lower risk of back injury:

That's it for now.  Try this exercise for in your next workout and let me know how it goes. 

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

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

The Truth About Whole Milk

When I am at the grocery store I have a habit of looking at what is in other people's carts. It is no surprise why Americans are so overweight when you look at what people pick up at the store. Most carts will be full of sugary cereals, processed cookies and chips, soda and juice, and other fun stuff. You might also see a few so called "healthy foods" like Lean Cuisines, Snackwells, or low/non fat items, and diet sodas. These really aren't healthy and most times aren't even classified as food.

We get so obsessed with calories and fat that we lose the big picture. The secret to losing weight is to eat primarily whole foods. For example of the misconception we have, look at whole milk. Many people will not even glance at it in the dairy section, but you should take a closer look. Here is the nutritional label for whole milk:

So one serving is only 150 calories. Really not that bad when we think about all the Vitamin A and D as well as calcium and protein we are getting. What scares people here is the fat content. Now let's compare it to 1% milk:

Ok so now we could out 30 calories which is good and kept the protein the same. But we actual increased sugar even though fat went down. We also increased the amount of sodium which is usually a major problem in the Western Diet. So to save a few calories and fat we increased so other issues. We also want to consider the Vitamin A and D. These are both fat soluble vitamins. Meaning without fat you cannot proper absorb these nutrients. So, just because it is on the label doesn't mean you are getting it.

My point to this article isn't to have you go out and get whole milk from now on, but you can if you don't have a problem with diary. It is more to look at the American diet. With all the new "healthy foods" and options out there, why is obesity on the rise. We are always looking for the easy way to get to our goals. The easy way is to eat more whole, unprocessed foods. Also, we need fat in our diet. We need more unsaturated Omega 3's in our diets. Stay away from low/non fat foods or sugar free. By giving up one you are increasing the other or something else that will not help you lose weight.

Here is a check list you can use the next time you are at the grocery store. If you have any of these items in your cart get rid of them:

• White Bread
• Cookies
• Crackers
• Enriched Flour Pasta
• Cakes
• Cereal made with refined flour
• Premade package/prepackage foods
• Corn Chips/Doritos/Fritos
• Diet Soda
• Fat Free Rice Cakes
• Slim Fast Shakes
• Refined Vegetable Oil

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator

1 Simple Tip To Help With Low Back Pain

I have heard one statistic that over 80% of Americans will experience low back pain at some point in there life. I have no idea where this stat came from, but I would guess it is an understatement. I don't know if I have ever met someone that said they have never experienced and episode of low back pain (yes myself included).

There are a number of reasons why you might be experiencing low back pain, and it would take a professional to observe and diagnose it. I am willing to bet that most likely your back pain comes from a weak/dysfunctional core or it is from postural imbalances.

It is safe to say that if you have low back pain you probably are sitting too much. There might not be much you can do about this. Your job probably revolves around you sitting a lot, you probably have a commute where you are stuck sitting, and then you get home to sit and watch tv. It is inevitable, you are going to have to sit all day, so how can we do this and avoid back pain.

According to Shirley Sarhmann, a very well known physical therapist, there is one simple thing you can do that will dramatically help reduce pain associated from a seated position. The reason you have pain from sitting too much is because in this position you are most likely in a lumbar flexed position. This means your lower back is rounding. Our muscles and our vertebral discs have a memory. They stay in the position that you put them in for a long time. So when you stand up you will most likely stay in that flexed position. On top of this, the WORST position for your lumbar spine to be in is flexed and rotated. Think about when you are seated at your desk. You are probably already rounded and now you rotate to answer the phone, pick up a file, or any other reason. When you do this, you are dramatically increasing your risk for a bulging or compressed disc.

So how can we avoid this? Do not sit with a flexed lumbar. This is easier said then done if you have been sitting this way for awhile. Sarhmann recommends one simple thing to achieve this. When you are sitting keep your knees level or below your hips. When your knees are highly then your hips you will most likely sit with a rounded back. If you can raise your seat it will be much more comfortable sitting with a neutral spine. Just be careful. We want neutral spine. This means not flexed as we stated above and not hyper extended where you try and arch your back too far.



Give it a try while you are working. See how it improves your posture and your lower back pain.

You Stay Healthy San Diego!

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

Ice Cream And Cocaine

These two things have more in common then you might think. Foods like ice cream affect the reward center of the brain. When we eat ice cream, a signal in our brain goes off and we see higher dopamine activity. Dopamine is a hormone that basically makes us feel good. When you eat certain foods, like ice cream, you will experience higher dopamine activity and you will feel good. This is where emotional eating can become a problem.

So this sounds pretty good. If you are feeling down or in a bad mood, just eat some ice cream and you will feel better. There are a few problems with this. The first should be obvious. If you are eating ice cream every time you are bummed you will probably start packing on some pounds. There is also another very big problem with eating ice cream frequently.

A new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at the brain's response to frequent ice cream eating. Previous studies have shown that weight gain leads to reduced reward-region responsivity to high calorie food consumption and reduced dopamine receptors. What they found was that those that consumed ice cream on a frequent basis had a reduce response in the reward center of the brain.

This means that the more you eat ice cream the less you will feel good from it. So to respond to that you will start to increase the amount of ice cream you consume to try and boost your dopamine levels. You just won't get the same response anymore from the same amount of ice cream. Sound familiar? Yes, drugs like cocaine work the same way. This is why people get addicted and need to take more drugs and more often to get the same feeling from them. We essentially build a tolerance to drugs and ice cream.

I do think there is something you can do to help prevent this. Well, the easy answer is to just stay away from ice cream. But for some, myself included, this is not an option. I'm not a big dessert/sweets person but I cannot pass up ice cream. The main point of this study I feel is the idea of frequency. It is ok to indulge in ice cream or other treats, but it should not be every time. Just me, it is worth the wait. If this is something you do just every now and then you will not risk reducing your dopamine receptors and you will still get that good feeling from it. So instead of having ice cream as a staple at the grocery store, just stick to it for special occasions or maybe to reward yourself if you have been really good with your workouts and diet.


You Stay Healthy San Diego,

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

Newest Member of SDPT

Hey guys,

I know most of you have probably heard by now, but last Tuesday, Valentine's Day, we had our baby. His name is Davis James Deibler, weighed in at 7lbs 1oz and 19inches long. Davis and Mom
are doing great so far and it is well worth the lack of sleep. I don't normally post non fitness related blog articles, but I couldn't help myself. Plus a number of you have asked for some pictures so here you go.

Everything went great and I highly recommend to be as fit as possible before you get pregnant or pass this on to anyone you know who is thinking about it in the future. Here is a quick recap of the night. We went out to eat with Emily's parents who just got into town. Immediately after dinner her water broke. Luckily we didn't have too much to drink and we went home to grab our bags and off to the hospital. We got there around 11pm on Monday. Everything was going really well. No contractions yet so we were just playing the waiting game. To speed things along Emily tried a quick workout. I didn't think you would believe me so here is a short clip. She was doing squats before this and then finished with a moonwalk.




After a few hours she was put on medicine to help speed up the contractions and we got a few hours of sleep. Around 9am she was 5cm dilated and we were still just sitting and waiting. Let all of a sudden the contractions came hard and we then checked again a couple hours later she was at 10cm and ready to push.

The nurses got everything prepped for her and she started pushing. After two contractions she had to stop and wait for the doctors to come because she was pushing so well. When the doctor finally got there, which seemed liked hours, after around 4-5 contractions he was out (I will skip some of the details here).

The nurses and doctor were amazed with how quickly she got him out and kept commenting on how strong her core was. I took that as I huge compliment. Like I said before if you are thinking of going through this process get as strong as possible and you will save yourself a lot of pain.


He was a screamer when he first came.
But eventually settled down when he met Mommy.
He was definitely curious right from the start.
It looks like I found my replacement. Just need to get him trained and then I can retire.