Top 10 Fitness Gifts

Well it is that time again.  The year is almost over and the holidays are just upon us.  I wish I could say my holiday shopping was done, but unfortunately I have a long way to go.  Thank goodness for online shopping though.  Here is a quick post that I wanted to share that may help you with anyone that you just don't know exactly what to get them.  Whether they are already fit, want to get in better shape, or don't currently work out much, you should be able to find something for everyone here:

1.  The Fitbit:

There are a few different products out like the Fitbit, but Emily and I have first hand experience with this one.  We both use it and love it.  The Fitbit is an activity and sleep tracker.  They have a few different models varying in price but they will measure you steps taken, calories burned, sleep patterns, and a few other things.  It is amazing all of the different things this little item can do.  All you do is wear it on your wrist or clip it to your waistband and it does the rest.   You can also integrate a food log into the program to really track your progress.  It is amazing how much more active you get when you are trying to hit your step goal each day.

2.  Foam Roller:

If there is one piece of equipment everyone should have it is a foam roller.  This simple piece of equipment almost works like magic.  We all have muscle knots, scar tissue, or adhesions preventing us to move properly and causing nagging injuries.  Just rolling for a few minutes on these areas will work wonders for your muscle and joints.  I hope to run foam rolling workshops next year to teach how to use them properly.  They got the nickname the "poor man's massage."  It is basically like giving yourself a massage everyday.  While nothing completely replaces the work of a soft tissue therapist, this is great to do in between massages.

I am also a big fan of this stick which is great for travel.

TRX Trainer

3.  TRX Trainer:

The TRX is one of the best fitness products to come out in the 10 plus years.  This single piece of equipment can work every muscle in your body better than any other home fitness product.  I will never forget how sore my abs were the very first time I used one of these.  Today I use it every single day with my clients.  Just do a quick search on Youtube and you can find thousands of workouts using just the TRX.


4.  Apocalypse Bread

I know you might be thinking what the heck is Apocalypse Bread?  I actually created the name for the bread after reading the description by the chef Pieter Jones.  Pieter is actually one of the trainers at San Diego Premier Training.  He has spent months working on this recipe, and he nailed it.  I have never needed such a little serving size to by 100% satisfied from a piece a bread.  And everything in this bread is amazing and healthy for you.  I have never seen a bread that has over 7g of protein per mini slice.  Here is the description from Pieter:

I proudly present High Protein, Whole Grain, Superfood Bread!

Oodles mini loaf nutrition as follows:
1334 calories
26g fat
209g carb
75g protein
30g fiber

If sliced into 10 slices:
133 calories per slice
2.6g fat
30g carb
7.5g protein
3g fiber

INGREDIENTS: whole grain organic (spelt, white spelt, hard red wheat, soft white wheat) flour, water, whole grains of organic (spelt, kamut, amaranth, red quinoa, white quinoa, rolled oats), wheat germ, brown rice, sacha inchi, hulled hemp seeds, vital wheat gluten, turbinado, egg, salt, water, extra virgin coconut oil and yeast.

The hemp and sacha inchi are both considered superfoods and are responsible for a lot of the fat content in the bread. Both rich in omega 3, 6, 9 EFA including Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA); in addition, they are both high in complete protein, while quinoa is another complete protein.
It has a very nutty full flavor with a delicate balance of fluff and hearty, whole grain density.
The macronutrient profile of the bread has been streamlined to produce a nutrient rich, elegant natural flavor and true whole food experience.

This might be pushing it a little but in the event of an apocalypse, all you need to survive would be a adequate supply of this bread and quite simply, that would make you the King or Queen of the Hill.

We are currently the only place you can get this bread.  If you would like to try it just come by the studio and pick up a mini loaf for only $5.

5.  San Diego Premier Training Gift Card:

Ok ok, I had to put in a shameless self promotion.  But what better gift could you give someone than a SDPT gift card.  Especially now with the new services we are offering like Pilates and Massage.  Until the end of the year if you are picking up a gift card for someone you can get a $100 gift card for only $50.  Pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

6.  Anything From LuluLemon (for women)

I just don't get it.  There is something addictive they must put in LuluLemon clothing.  Women love anything from this store.  I'm sure men do too, but from my experience women will pay anything for workout clothes from here.  You honestly cannot go wrong picking up a gift card for someone.  Warning though, everything in this store is pretty much at least $100.

7.  Gym Boss Interval Timer

Most of you probably already know how beneficial interval training is.  If you are trying to improve performance or speed up fat burning, you need to be doing some form of high intensity interval training.  The Gym Boss is a cool timer that you can just set up your intervals that you want to perform and hit go.  You can have it beep or vibrate.  It is small enough to clip on your waistband so you can workout with it on.  This is a big favorite at the studio.

8. Heart Rate Monitor

A HR monitor really is another must have if you are at a plateau.  You really need to be able to tell at what intensity you are training.  A simple HR monitor will show you what intensity you are getting to and if you need to be pushing harder or maybe backing off.  They will also give you an estimate of calories burned during the workout.  If you know someone who is big into cardio they would love something like this.

9.  Kettlebells

Quite simply, Kettlebells are just awesome.  If I could only use two pieces of equipment for a workout I would pick a TRX, which we already talked about, and a Kettlebell.  They can just do so much for you.  Research has shown multiple times the versatility of KB training.  With just a few simple exercises you can improve strength, power, speed, endurance, and increase fat burning.  All great things.  And best of all you can do them all at once with typical KB exercises.  A good starting point is 8-12kg for women and 16-20kg for men.

10.  Body Fat Analyzer

I know most people want to see the scale change when trying to loss fat.  While it is important to know what your weight is, it really doesn't tell you a whole lot.  You really should be tracking your body fat instead.  They have scales that can do that as well, but we use the handheld tester on our clients and have had good success with it.  It is incredibly simple to use and something you should be checking and relying on more than your weight.  

6 Reasons Why You Should Drink Tea.

I have to admit, coffee and tea are not my favorite drink choices.  I have never enjoyed the taste of either and still really don't.  I will occasionally have a cup of coffee if I am having a rough morning, but that is pretty much it.  I do try and have a cup of green tea everyday however.  I, again, don't really enjoy the taste of it, but there is so much evidence out there on the health benefits of tea that I feel it should be part of my daily routine.  I know most people will choose coffee over tea, but you may want to cut back on your morning joe a bit.  Here is some information that may help you change your mind from a team of scientist from the US and UK.  

Researchers used data from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, a large-scale, long-term study of health and fitness. Researchers included 43,727 subjects in their coffee-mortality investigation, men and women ranging in age from 20-87.  Here are the main findings:

• Men who drank more than 28 cups of coffee per week (4-8oz cups per day) had a 21% increased risk of all-cause mortality.
• Men under 55 who drank more than 28 cups per week had a 56% increased risk of mortality.
• Women under the age of 55 saw a 113% increase in mortality risk.

While yes there are health benefits to coffee most people highly over consume it.  Too much of a good thing turns bad here.  

So if you don't currently drink tea you may want to give it a try.  In the October 2013 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there were numerous studies looking at the healthy benefits of tea consumption.  I have summarized their findings with these 6 reasons below:

1. Regular tea consumption may reduce the risk of stroke.
2. Tea might protect against the development and progression of cardiovascular disease, such as atherosclerosis. 
3. Tea can help improve alertness, attention, mood, creativity, and work performance.
4. Catachin- and caffeine- rich teas such as green, oolong, and white teas enhance energy expenditure and increase fat burning.
5. Some studies are showing green and black tea may help prevent certain cancers and prevent lesions from becoming malignant tumors.  
6.  Tea can help prevent bone loss and osteoporosis.  
7. Tea is loaded with antioxidants. 

These are just a few of the very significant reasons why you might want to try some green, black, white, or oolong tea in the mornings.  If you love coffee you don't have to give it up, just think about subbing a day or two each week with tea.  

Cheers.  

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS

San Diego Premier Training

Diet Or Exercise For Weight Loss?

So if you have struggled with losing weight in the past you probably have tried many different methods to lose weight.  You probably followed some diet or maybe even a few diets.  When that didn't work as you hoped you started an exercise program.  Maybe you even tried some combination of both.  Hopefully you found some strategy that worked best for you.

Now there is one thing we can be absolutely sure of in terms of weight loss.  There are many different ways you can achieve it.  We all need to discover the lifestyle that works best for us.  Regardless of how you plan on losing weight, the two main criteria that we must look at are your calories in and your calories out.  Losing weight may not be this simple, but no matter what the diet program or exercise program you follow, we have to be aware of how much we are eating and how much energy we are spending.

So this is often followed up with, "well what is more important diet or exercise?"  Most people will tell you that you diet is 80-90% of your weight loss success.  While this is true, it is only partially true.  Obviously you can follow the best workout programs that burn hundreds of calories, but if you eat too much you won't see anything move on the scale.

While I don't disagree that you nutrition is a huge part of it, this really is a loaded question.  Neither is more important.  They both are a necessity and should work together, so one can't be more important than the other.  To illustrate my point check out this brand new study that was just published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

Researchers wanted to look at the effects of diet and exercise on behavioral change.  In this case, as in most cases, our behavior we are trying to instill is to eat a better diet and exercise regularly.  They divided the subjects into 4 groups.  One group just changed their diet first then 4 months latter they added exercise.  The second group just did the opposite and started with exercise first.  A third group changed both at the same time.  And the final group was the control group that did nothing.

They wanted to see with all of these scenarios, which group would be most likely after 12 months to stick with the program.  We can assume that those that stuck with it had the best weight loss results.  They found that the group that lead to the best adherence was the diet plus exercise group from the start.  This goes against what many people do though.  Often we will start one to try and get into a routine and then start the other.  It seems logical to do it this way, but it seems the best strategy is to start with both and incorporate the entire program right from the beginning for the best results.

You probably also heard me talk in the past on how important exercise is for weight loss in addition to dietary changes.  One of the biggest reason previously discussed was when diet is used without exercise (especially resistance training) muscle mass and bone mass is lost as well as a reduction in metabolism making it more difficult to continue to lose weight in the future.

So if you are really trying to make a lifestyle change and not just a quick fix for weight loss, work on putting all the pieces together right away.  Neither is more important, they both are a must.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training

Don't Try And Lose Weight This Way!

Hey there.  I have talked about this before on my blog as well as with many clients and others that I discuss weight loss with.  This is probably the biggest mistake you can make if you are trying to lose weight.  You try and lose weight by restricting your diet.  I know you be asking well how do you lose weight without restricting calories?  Obviously you most likely have to cut out some calories that are causing you to go into a caloric surplus (eat more than you burn).  We have to drop the calories enough to get into a caloric deficit, but be careful.

The goal is not to eat nothing and drop weight fast.  Yes this will work in the short term.  You will drop weight fast.  Some of that weight will be fat, some will be muscle, some will be bone, some will be organ tissue, and some will probably be brain tissue.  That last part I can't back up, but it might be true.

I wanted to share with you a few studies with why you can't be successful with this type of weight loss plan.  The first study examined the weight loss effects on resting metabolic rate on morbidly obese clients over 30 weeks.  They exercised 6 days a week for 90 minutes a time.  The average weight loss came from 47.1kg of body fat and 10.5kg of lean mass.  The average baseline resting metabolic rate was 2679 calories in the beginning and dropped to 1890 calories at the end.  That is almost a 30% drop in RMR.  We start to see hear why short term dieting won't work.  You drop that initially weight but if you return to your previous eating habits, you burn significantly less calories at rest, so you are going to put that weight back on plus some.

The second study looked at both obese and nonobese individuals and the effect of weight loss on RMR.  They found when the obese group lost 10% of their body weight they saw a drop from 2078 calories to 1778 calories from RMR.  For nonobese they dropped from 1511 to 1290 calories per day.  This is a pretty significant drop for both groups to experience.  It should be noted they were put on a liquid diet of 800 calories.  15% of the diet was protein.

I mentioned the protein amount because there was a similar study changed two things.  They put participants on an 800 calorie diet, but it was 40% protein and they had participants perform total body resistance training 3 days per week.  How much did their RMR drop?  It might sounds surprising but it didn't.  In fact in increased.  Crazy I know.

So what does this tell us.  If you drop your calories you will lose weight in the short term.  If diet is the only thing you change you will not maintain your RMR making it harder to continue to lose weight.  So the key is to obviously reduce calories, just be careful how low, and perform total body resistance exercises like we do at our studio.  I know there are people that have lost weight by dieting and doing cardio but I promise it is not the best what to do it.  You MUST include resistance exercise in your program.  Cardio is good too, but it most likely will not help keep your RMR from dropping (unless you are performing HIIT).

If you need help with your workout program feel free to sign up for a free workout trial with us.  Just click on the link below to get started.

http://www.sandiegopremiertraining.com/free-workout

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS

San Diego Premier Training

I'll Pass On The Banana, But Can You Hand Me My Gluten Free Cupcake....

Ok I have to start this post with a bit of a warning.  I might go on a little rant here.  I will try and keep it under control, but I can only take so much.  First off, nutrition is a very complicated topic.  I wish I had all the answers, but no one does.  No matter what Dr. Oz or any other diet "guru"  out there may tell you.  We are learning new things all the time.  Fat used to be bad for you and carbs where the devil.  Many people still believe this because of bad information that is passed around.  Somethings I can tell you though are most likely true and that is what sparked this post.

The past few weeks I have had the same comment/question come up from clients, friends, and pretty much every where I look.  The idea that fruits make you fat.  Just writing that sentence makes me quiver.  I can tell you that anyone who tells you this does not understand nutrition, physiology, or common sense.

So the argument against fruit goes like this.  Fructose cannot be converted to muscle glycogen (the sugar stored in muscle for energy) because it lacks the enzymes to do so.  Fructose instead is converted to sugar in the liver called liver glycogen.  The liver can only store so much glycogen until fructose will increase lipogenesis.  This means that if you have too much fructose it will increase fat storing.  So stop eating fruit right?

If we look closer we can see there are some misconceptions.  While nothing I noted above is a lie it isn't telling you what really goes on when we eat fruit.  First off, just look around you.  How many people do you know that are overweight consume a diet high in whole fruit?  Those that are overweight most likely are not consuming too much fruit, they are consuming too much of everything.

First off, the fructose we consume from fruit might not even make it too the liver.  It may be used immediately for energy, if consumed after a workout for example.  Next let's look at liver glycogen.  The liver can store roughly 100g of liver glycogen.  We can handle about 50g of fructose a day before sparking fat storage.  On average you will get around 6-7g of fructose in a piece of fruit.  Or up to 10-12g in the "high sugar" evil banana.  So you could have 5 bananas in one day before having to worry about increasing fat storage.

Know that you can see from a physiological perspective ,fruit does not equal increased fat.  Let's look at some of the other benefits of increasing your fruit intake.  Sugar aside, look at all of the nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber you are missing when you don't eat fruit.  Fruit helps us battle cancer, look younger, improve our heart health, and there are many more benefits.  So unless you are going for that pirate - dying of scurvy look, keep eating fruit.

Fruit is also very filling.  Because of the high water and fiber content you probably can't overeat fruit.  One apple is around 95 calories.  Eat just one and you should be pretty satisfied.  When was the last time you could say that about most other foods.

And finally if you still don't believe me and are scared to eat fruit, maybe science will convince you.  Here are just a few studies that will prove my point.

1.  Two studies from the University of Navarra in Spain put two groups of women on different diets.  One group had 5% of their diet come from fructose, while the other had 15%.  They both saw equal weight loss, but the high fructose group improve their cholesterol levels.

2.  A study published in 2011 in Metabolism compared a high fructose diet (50-70g) to a low fructose diet (under 20g).  In this study the high fructose group lost more weight in 6 weeks than the low fructose group.

3.  A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that diets higher in fruit and vegetables decreased the risk of metabolic syndrome and inflammation which is linked to many disorders.

4.  And finally another study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that diets high in fruit increased Vitamin A & C levels, as well as, lycopene.  They concluded that high fruit intake reduces early mortality.

So what we know from research and nutritionists is that fruit will help you lose weight, make you feel full, fight a variety of cancers, give your body the nutrients it needs to survive, and improve your heart health.  Or you can believe people trying to make money off some new diet program, that fruit will make you gain weight.

Science is always changing as we learn more about how the body works, and I will be the first to admit if I am wrong here, but I just don't think it will happen.  Emily and I consistently have consumed multiple servings of fruit (yes even bananas) everyday and can thank them for helping us stay healthy.  There aren't necessary good and bad foods.  Just eat certain foods in moderation and stick with mainly whole food choices.

End Rant.....

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training

2 New Studies To Help Your With Your Abs

One thing I love and hate about being in the fitness industry, is that it is such a new industry to be in.  Exercise for weight loss in particular has not been around for that long.  So more and more studies come out each week helping us find the best exercise techniques and nutrition programs to follow.  The pain is that as we learn more and new studies do come out, we find that things we thought were true may not be.

After browsing through the latest issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, I found two studies that I know would beneficial for my readers.  I will warn you.  With this first study you probably won't like what you hear.

In this first study, participants performed a leg extension exercise on one leg.  Researchers wanted to see what amount of muscle built and fat burn occurred specifically on the leg muscle trained vs. the rest of the body.  The participants performed 1 set of 900-1200 repetitions on the leg extension.  They found that there was significant fat burned during the exercise, but they found more significant fat loss in the upper extremities and trunk.  I know this may not sound correct but this is not the first study to show this.

I can't tell you how many times I get the question, "What's the best exercise to get rid of fat on my [insert body part]?"  It just doesn't work this way.  You can do 1000 crunches everyday and loss fat from your arm, but not your stomach.  It's not fair I know, but that's life.

So what should you do?  Stop trying to perform exercises with the purpose to lose fat in that area.  It won't work no matter how hard you try.  Instead first focus on burning fat in general.  Higher intensity exercises that work multiple body parts work best.  If you have little fat over an area and want to see definition or muscle tone, then you can work on that specific muscle more intensely.   And of course don't forget about your diet.

The second study had to do with ab training as well.  So I just mentioned how ab exercises don't necessarily burn fat in your stomach.  It will burn some, but it may come from other places as well.  But this doesn't mean you never should do ab exercises ever.  We will want to work on building strength, endurance, and stability for our abdominals.  This second study compared sit up and curl up exercises two different ways to see what was more effective.  

They had participants perform 2 minutes of sit ups and curls with and without their feet restrained.  The study found that when the feet were restrained during sit ups and curl ups, there was higher activation of the abdominal muscles.  This sounds great, but there is a concern here.  They also found that during these exercises there was a greater activation of the hip flexor muscles.

In the past these types of exercises have shown to increase shear and compressive forces placed on the lower back.  This is likely due to increased activity from the hip flexor muscles.  So even though the feet restrained produced the best abdominal response, it comes at a cost of increase low back injuries.  So even though there was not as much ab activity when the feet are not restrained it may be the better exercise choice, especially if you have back issues.

Try this during your next workout if you plan on doing sit ups or curls ups.  When you raise up try not to allow your legs to move or lift at all. When they lift it means the hip flexors are starting to take over.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training

Simple Way To Get More Fruits And Veggies IN Your Diet

Hey Guys!

I have recently decided to take on the challenge of becoming a bit more of a nutritional "go-to" at the studio and am excited to begin my nutritional certification  classes in September. With that- I wanted to touch base on one thing that many clients may not know much about- or maybe you have heard us babbling about it before- and didn't pay much interest at the time... 

To start- did you know that 1 in 10 people take in the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables per day? Think about your diet for a minute and how do you compare? Are you in that part that doesn't get all your needs every day? If so- I am sure you have asked Mike or I about ways to get more fruits and/or veggies in your diet and I guarantee the first thing we have mentioned is a greens supplement.  A greens supplement is veggies, fruits, algae, and grasses that have been compacted or dehydrated and distilled into a powder form. The benefits of this supplement  include reducing cardiovascular disease, lowering blood pressure, lowering high cholesterol, reducing COPD, helping with weight loss and preventing obesity, along with many more.  Basically all the same benefits of eating a diet high in vegetables and fruits.  

Another important thing to bring up- is how a diet rich in vegetables  and fruits can aid in keeping the body in the right acid/alkaline levels. pH Levels are measured in the body on a scale of 0-14 with 7 being neutral. Lower numbers indicate a higher acidity in the body, while higher levels conversely indicate lower acidity in the body. Lower pH levels can lead to fatigue, cardiovascular damage, bone loss, and weight gain. While regular exercise is important to incorporate in your life to assist with this- it can cause an increase in acid production due to repeat muscle contractions in the body. Being in an acidic state is not great for a variety of reasons- so making the necessary adjustments in your diet to compliment your workouts are obviously helpful not only in the weight loss side of things. Research has shown that there are many harmful organisms (bacteria, viruses, etc) that tend to thrive in a more acidic environment.  By including more veggies and fruits in your diet we can keep these organisms away- while reaping the benefits of more energy, quicker recovery, bone health and weight loss!

Now- a greens supplement can't replace a diet that is healthy in vegetable consumption- however, it can be helpful in getting you closer to reaching that recommended serving amount each day. Mike and I know how hard it can be to get in health meals all the time and a greens supplement, as mentioned is our usual first suggestion to any one that is having troubles. It is especially helpful to those that are on the go alot- since this is the hardest time to find nutritious whole foods. Adding this simple supplement to a smoothie or protein shake- will be a great addition to your healthful diet. 

Now it is important to check the ingredients on any supplement that you consider incorporating into your diet. Not all are created the same- so be sure to find a reputable one. Also- find one that has a flavor you like.  If you have a great supplement but can't stand the taste- then you are much less likely to use it. 

You can pick up some greens supplements at Trader Joe's, GNC (ask for Vida), or it is more expensive but www.AthleticGreens.com is another good company.  

That's all for now- I will be in touch with more great recipes and nutritional info soon! Enjoy your smoothies! :)

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Emily Deibler

San Diego Premier Training

Is Your Diet Screwing Up Your Thyroid?

I am getting ready to head to Vegas for the weekend and I am in the betting mood to get ready. I'm willing to bet a significant amount that if you are reading this, you are trying to lose unwanted fat.  I will even double up on that bet and say you probably have had difficulty losing fat at some point and have been frustrated.  And one final bet is you probably have thought you may have a thyroid issue since you can't seem to lose weight anymore.

How did I do?  Am I ready to make some bets in Vegas and win some $$?  I am fairly confident with these predictions because I have seen it happen so many times.  The most common method people use to lose weight is drop calories.  Now this is probably completely necessary, but it is often done incorrectly.  If you drop calories you will lose weight initially.  Then you stall out, start eating more, and gain the weight back (and more probably).  Why does this happen?  

We usually will look for something to blame this on.  The most common guess is Hypothyroidism.  Our thyroid controls our metabolism.  If it is not working properly than we will have a slower metabolic rate and most likely have weight issues.  The problem is not really your thyroid though.  The problem may be restricting your calories.  Those that drop calories below your metabolic need for a prolonged time will spark a series of chain reactions in the body.  The body responds to lower caloric intake by dropping T3 and T4 levels in the body, which are our thyroid hormones.  It is believed the body does this when it is starving to attempt to preserve muscle tissue and prevent you from killing yourself by not eating.  

The good news is this is reversible.  The key is we need to be more strategic besides just dropping your calories down to lose weight.  The first step is to determine where you metabolic need is first.  This is the number we want to use as a baseline in order to avoid our metabolism from slowing.  There are a number of calculations and formulas you can use to determine this.  Here is a simple one.  Divide your weight by 2.2.  Then multiply that number by 30.  This is the approximate number of calories you would need to maintain your weight.  

Let's use these numbers as an example.  If you weigh 180lbs; we divide by 2.2 which is 81.81.  This times 30 equals about 2455.  That would be the number of calories you would consume to maintain your weight.  

So what we need to do is drop our calories some to lose weight.  If you figure out what your ideal weight is we can use that same formula to figure out what our caloric need would be at that weight.  Let's say we want to weight 150lbs.  Using the same formula we would need about 2045 calories.  So this is our magic number now.  

So if I eat around 2000 calories per day I should hit this goal eventually.  Now we could just drop our calories but we run the risk of effecting our thyroid.  So instead we alter our calories from day to day.  If we look at the calorie needs for the week we would eat 14,000 calories if we averaged 2000 per day.  Instead, what if I ate 1500 calories 4 days, 2000 calories on 2 days, and 3000 calories one day.  We still hit that 14,000 goal but varied each day so our bodies never felt like they were starving and reduced our metabolism.  

Simple, right?  The cool part of this type of dieting is one day a week you get to increase your calories significantly and not feel like you are depriving yourself.  

I hope this helps you with your weight loss battle.  Wish me luck in Vegas.  I'm sure I might have a few 3000+ days myself.  

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler 

San Diego Premier Training

North County San Diego's Top Personal Training

The Gluten Craze

Hey.  I hope you are having a great day.  I wanted to take a few minutes today and discuss my feelings on Gluten and how much attention it is getting today.  You might disagree with some of the things I have to say, which is fine.  Just hear me out and feel free to comment to this post.

I'm assuming that you have heard of gluten before.  It is the center of attention in the diet world right now so I felt it was worth posting my 2 cents about it.  First, what is gluten?  Gluten is just a protein found in many carbohydrates, especially wheat, barley, and rye based foods and food product.  So most likely you are eating this protein everyday in things like bread, cereals, and pasta.  Now there is a small percentage of the population that has an autoimmune disorder where they will not digest gluten.  This is known as Celiac disease.  This affects about 5-10% of the population.  So for some people it is critical they they avoid gluten products as much as possible.

Many people claim they can't lose weight because of eating gluten.  They feel like they can't digest it, it bloats them, it causes weight gain, it increases joint pain, or it wasn't meant to be eaten by humans.  This may be the cause for those with gluten problems, but there is a test for that.  If you think it is causing you problems just go to your doctor and find out.  It is as simple as that.

So what if you do not have this disease, should you still stay away from gluten?  I have a very simple approach to nutrition.  There are very few things that you eat that are inherently bad for you.  They can be harmful in large amounts though.  So it annoys me when people say you have to avoid something at all costs.  Remember fat use to be bad for you.   Now saturated fat is often consider a health food, such as coconut oil.    You NEED fat to survive so how can it be bad for you?  Carbs were the next scapegoat to our obesity problems.  It seems that every few years we are finding the "new" reason we are so overweight.  With all this information about unhealthy foods we must be decreasing the obesity rate right?  Unfortunately, it is getting worse.

Now I'm not saying you should eat as much gluten as possible either.  We need to balance it just like everything else.  My advice is don't blame weight loss problems on one thing.  It rarely is the case.  Most likely there are a number of issues that need to be addressed.  But gluten just like most other foods should be limited when possible, but not necessarily avoided.  I eat gluten probably everyday in some amount and don't seem to have any problems with it.  I still have a six pack and feel great afterwards.

Maybe gluten helped me get a 6 pack?

But if you really think gluten is the cause of your problems there are two things you need to do and just find out.  First, go to you doctor and find out if you have Celiac disease.  Then, just cut gluten out of your diet for an extended period time (at least a month).  When you reintroduce it see how you feel.  If you notice significant changes than maybe you really do have an issue with gluten you need eliminate it or reduce it significantly.  If you are looking of ways to reduce though, here are some foods you can switch too:

• Buckwheat
• Amaranth
• Nut Flours
• Coconut Flour
• Quinoa

The way our society is, we are always looking for something evil that causes all of our problems.  I don't believe we have found anything yet though.  Just limit carbohydrates everyday and consume most of them around your workout and you should be fine.  Oh yeah, make sure you are working out most days a week with 2-3 of them being high intensity workouts.  Easy right?

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training

My Mission

Hey there.  I hope you are having a great day.  I know many people who find my blog may not have ever experienced a workout with me or one of my trainers at San Diego Premier Training.  This blog post will mainly be for you, but I encourage everyone who comes across this to read on.  I will give warning that this may be a long post but I will do my best not to ramble.

 We started our personal training business 5 years ago.  I have to admit I was incredibly nervous since this when was the economy was not in a good position.  I figured I would just make it work, so I took the plunge and opened the doors.  After about 2 years we realized our space was getting a bit tight so we decided to knock down our two office rooms to make more room for training.  Now a few years later we are bursting at the seams and have decided to expand into a new location.  We are still in the permit phase so as we get more finalized I will share photos and more info about the new location.  I am super excited though and can't wait for it all to happen.

Finding this space has been eye opening.  One thing I realized was there are more fitness facilities in my surrounding area than I even realized.  There are corporate gyms, martial arts studios, private studios, woman only clubs, and about a zillion crossfits.  Despite all the competition we still seem to rise above.  There is one simple question I had to ask myself that keeps me ahead of the curve.  Why would a client come to our studio over anyone else?

That is what this blog post is all about.  I want to share what the experience is like when working out with SDPT.  And that is exactly what I want it to be.  An experience, not just a workout.  It seems like every street you turn down there is a new gym opening up.  In fact I am even a member of one of the big corporate gyms.  It is right by my house and it has a pool which I don't have at my studio.  When I go to the gym I can't help but notice a few things.  The main thing is I don't want my facility to be anything like this place.

I never once get the feeling that anyone at the gym really cares about me.  Well I take that back.  The women who work in the daycare are great and love watching Davis so I can get a quick workout in.  But other than that there is no support, no encouragement, no experience.  You just go there workout and leave.  This is exactly what I don't want for my business.  I truly care about every single person that walks into the door.  Whether they are in for a private session or a group session.  Everyone is my most important client.  I honestly will do anything to help my clients be successful.  Now that Emily is on board we can help out even more.  In fact we recently have even started cooking for a few clients because that was an issue that was holding them back.  How many fitness facilities will go that extra mile for you?  This is what sets us apart from our competition.

This really is our mission.  I started this business to help people who are struggling and weren't able to do it on their own.  That is exactly what I am here to do and I love doing it.  We even made it our goal for 2013 to help our clients lose 2013lbs.  You don't even have to be a client.  We send out weekly email workouts and nutrition tips to help you hit your goals.  If you aren't on that list you should sign up here:  http://www.sandiegopremiertraining.com/fitness-programs/2013

My whole goal is to add value to your life in some way.  If you don't think I am adding any value than we need to figure out a way to fix that.  Now I know my program is not for everyone.  We service a very wide range of clients.  I have worked with kids as young at 7 years old and have trained clients into their 80's.  Most of our participants goal is fat loss and that is probably what we are best known for.  If this is your goal as well we just have to make sure you are right for our program so I wanted to use this post to explain what we do and who we can work with.

Now, I understand you might be frustrated that you have tried to lose weight before and may have not been able to keep it off.  Believe me you are not alone.  We have worked with literally hundreds of people in the same boat.  What we found is that when you get on the right program and stay consistant, things start to happen.  That is where we come in.  The one thing that I ask my clients is to be patient and trust me.  Now some clients will drop weight very fast.  Just look at some of our success stories during our 8 Week Challenge: http://www.sandiegopremiertraining.com/resources/testimonials.

Our program will show you exactly what you need to get that stubborn fat off for good.  The key is off for good.  We don't teach any trendy diet plans or quick fixes.  We show you exactly what to do and how you can continue doing it forever.  I'm sure you have heard it before.  You need a lifestyle change.  That is what we offer.  As I mentioned before, our program will add value to your life.  Not just in the short term, we will provide the support and education that will show you how to live healthy for the rest of your life.

So what is this new lifestyle?  Our program essentially involves 3 components.  If you follow these three things I promise you will see amazing progress.  We show you how to:

1. Eat foods that coincide with your lifestyle so you use that food for energy, to build lean muscle, and to help recover from workouts, instead of storing unwanted fat.
2. Perform metabolic resistance training workouts.  Starving yourself and doing cardio doesn't work.  Stop doing it.  
3. Perform metabolic boosting cardio programs.  These workout are scientifically proven to burn more fat than traditional cardio.  Plus they are much more fun.  

That is really what our program offers.  We pave the way and you just have to follow the path.  We will do anything necessary to help you along the way.  So you have a choice to make.  Continue down the path you are going or get assistance.  We have a number of different programs that can help you.  I already mentioned you can join our 2013lb Challenge for free.  We will keep you motivated and explain exactly what you need to do to hit your goal.  

If you need a more customized program but don't live in the North County San Diego area you can try our online training program.  Each month you are emailed your strength, cardio, and nutrition plan.  All workouts are video based so you can see how to do exercises properly.  Just email me at mike@sandiegopremiertraining.com to get started.  

Or you can come by the studio, which is the easiest option.  We will show you exactly what to do and push you to reach your goals as fast as possible.  We have two great introductory programs.  For group training you can try our 21 Day Fat Flush and drop a dress size for just $49.  Or you can get a customized training program with our Intro To Personal Training Program for only $99.  If you are ready to get started just click on the link below:

http://www.sandiegopremiertraining.com/free-workout

Thanks for reading.  Sorry to ramble a bit but I felt it was necessary to put up a post about what we do and why we do it.  I hope you enjoyed.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS

San Diego Premier Training

My Best Nutrition Advice

If you have been struggling with weight loss or muscle gain you have most likely tried a few diet programs.  Maybe it worked and maybe it didn't.  What usually happens, especially when trying to lose weight, is you reduce your calories, lose some weight, can't maintain it, and gain the weight back plus some.  There are so many diet plans out there that it can be overwhelming which one you should follow.  Many of them are just gimmicky and probably won't lead to much success.  Any change in diet usually will lead to some initial success.  It is what happens after that initial weight loss that really reveals how good a diet plan is.

When you restrict calories for extended period of times a few things will happen.  First, yes there will be weight loss.  We have to say weight loss here because you are losing weight from a number of different places.  If you drop calories low enough, you will drop fat, lean muscle tissue, bone density, even organ tissue.  The body will start to wither away in order to save energy for survival.  Remember, your body doesn't know you are just dieting.  It thinks you are starving.

When you drop your calories below what you need (so you lose weight) for extended periods of time (multiple weeks will do it) your body will adjust by slowing down your metabolism.  So if you once had a resting metabolism of say 1800 and have been eating 1500 calories, you will now reduce your metabolism to match your new caloric intake.  You will stick with this program for a while, lose weight, and then you will most likely either hit a plateau or just get sick of it and quit.  Now you have a slower metabolism and eating how you ate before your diet.  This leads to not only gaining the weight back but most likely putting on a few more pounds.

So does this mean you are completely screwed since most diet programs just won't work in the long term?  Of course not.  You just have to be smart with your nutritional habits.  So without further a-do here is the best nutrition advice I can give.  Think of food as fuel and eat according to the amount of fuel you need each day.

Don't worry I will explain more.  Most people will just try and stick to a calorie goal for weight loss.  For example, like we said before, if you burn around 1800 calories per day and eat 1500 a day we run into the problem previously mentioned.  But what we need to consider is we don't burn the same amount of calories each day so we shouldn't be eating the same amount of calories each day.  

So we have a whole new type of nutrient timing here.  You just need to alter you calories and your macronutrient breakdown (carbs, fats, proteins) depending on how active your day is.  Without confusing you too much here is how you can apply this.  Carbs are a best source of energy.  The problem is most people over eat carbs.  So if we use carbs mainly for fuel then we want to consume more carbs on days we workout hard.  On days you don't workout or low intensity workouts you consume less carbs or no carbs.  Fats and proteins will pretty much stay consistent.

So to recap here is how you want to set up your diet plan:

Strength training days consume 2 servings of carbs throughout the day.
Cardio training days consume 1 serving of carbs throughout the day.
Rest days consume no carbs.

That is it.  Pretty simple right?  No give it a try and see how it works for you.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS

San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator

Skipping Meals And Weight Gain

You have most likely heard the importance of breakfast.  Despite this many people will skip meals either in hopes of losing more weight or just because they aren't hungry or in a rush.  I know that there are many that follow intermittent fasting methods, where they go extended periods of time without eating.  There is evidence that those practices can work, but that is part of a planned nutrition program.

When I am referring to skipping meals it is not due to fasting, but due to other things that come up.  I found a few different studies that will hopefully help you make sure you stop skipping meals.  It is not just important what you are eating, but when you are eating it.

Check out this brand new study.  This was published in the International Journal of Obesity.  Researchers followed over 400 participants and divided them into two groups.  The first group was late eaters (consumed their largest meal after 3pm) and the second group was early eaters (consumed largest meal before 3pm.  They were put on a weight loss program and followed for 20 weeks.  At the end of the study they found that the late eater group lost weight slower and lost less weight.  They also found that the late eaters had lower insulin sensitivity which is a risk factor of diabetes.

After reading this study I decided to do a quick search in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition archives to see if there were similar studies done.  Here are a few that I found:

The first study looked at skipping breakfast vs eating breakfast and the different effects it has.  They found that those who skipped breakfast ending up eating more calories throughout the day, increased total LDL levels, and impaired insulin sensitivity.

The next study followed 30,000 men in a cohort study starting in 1992.  There were 2000 cases of type 3 diabetes that were discovered through a follow up.  They found that men who skipped breakfast had a 21% increased chance of developing type 2 diabetes.  Also, there was a higher risk of diabetes with those who ate 1-2 times per day compared to 3 times per day.

So white some people might be able to get away with skipping meals as part as a planned fast, most people should include breakfast in their routine everyday.  It is also important to consume most of your calories earlier in the day.  Think of the day as a pyramid.  Breakfast will be the largest meal, lunch a bit smaller, and finally dinner will be the smallest meal of the day.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

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

Healthy Superbowl Recipes

I searched the web and found some delicious and nutritious recipes for you to try for this years Superbowl.

Guacamole (from www.mohrresults.com)

Avocado have numerous health benefits.  Just watch you serving size since they are high in fat and try and use vegetables for dipping instead of chips.

Instead, here’s a super simple guacamole recipe you can try for the game tonight:

Ingredients

2 fully ripened Avocados, halved, pitted and diced
1 tsp salt
1 TBS fresh lime juice
2 TBS, chopped cilantro
Dash cayenne pepper (optional if you want some added kick)

Directions:
In a bowl, combine all ingredients.  Cover and chill until ready to serve (NOTE: the avocado might get slightly brown in the fridge.  No problem, just stir it up.
Prep time: 5 minutes.  Yields 1 ½ cups

Pizza (from www.mohrresults.com)

It’s estimated that at least 58% of Americans order pizza on Game Day.

Save some money.  Save the hassle.  And save a ton of fat and calories by making your own – with a tortilla base rather than a thick, doughy, fiber free crust.

Try this super simple recipe.

Ingredients
Sprouted grain tortillas
Favorite tomato sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Favorite toppings (ideally choose veggies over meats)

Directions
Preheat your oven to 500 degrees
Top each tortilla with sauce, cheese, and your favorite topping
Place in oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.  Enjoy!

Lemon Drop Chicken Wings (from www.myrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1/2 cup vodka
3 tablespoons stevia
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds chicken wings

Preparation

1. 1. In a large bowl or resealable plastic bag, combine vodka, lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir to dissolve sugar and salt. Add the chicken wings and mix to coat. Cover bowl or seal bag and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
2. 2. Preheat oven to 400°. Line a 9- by 13-in. baking pan with two layers of foil. Arrange the chicken wings in a single layer in the pan, and pour the marinade evenly over all. Bake until meat is well browned and pulling away from the bone, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Pulled Pork Sandwich With Mustard Sauce (from www.myrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 7 to 8 cups hickory wood chips
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon black pepper 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 (5-pound) boneless Boston Butt pork roast 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion 
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup Dijon mustard2/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 16 (1 1/2-ounce) whole-wheat hamburger buns
• 
  
• Preparation
• 1. Soak the wood chips in water at least 1 hour; drain.
• 2. Combine sugar and the next 4 ingredients (through 1 1/2 teaspoons salt) in a bowl. Pat pork dry, and rub with sugar mixture.
• 3. Remove grill rack, and set aside. Prepare the grill for indirect grilling, heating one side to high and leaving one side with no heat. Pierce bottom of a disposable aluminum foil pan several times with the tip of a knife. Place pan on heat element on heated side of grill; add 1 1/2 cups wood chips to pan. Place another disposable aluminum foil pan (do not pierce pan) on unheated side of grill. Pour 2 cups water in pan. Let chips stand for 15 minutes or until smoking; reduce heat to medium. Maintain temperature at 300°. Place grill rack on grill. Place pork on grill rack over unheated side. Close lid cook for 6 hours at 300° or until a meat thermometer registers 195°, covering pork loosely with foil after 5 hours. Drain and add 1 cup additional wood chips every 45 minutes. Refill water pan and add charcoal to fire as needed. Remove pork from grill; let stand 20 minutes. Unwrap pork; trim and discard fat. Shred pork.
• 4. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1/3 cup sugar and the next 5 ingredients (through 1/2 teaspoon salt); bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes or until thickened. Arrange about 3 ounces pork and 2 tablespoons sauce on each bun.

Butternut Squash Cincinnati-Style Chili (from www.familycircle.com)

Ingredients

• 1/2 of a large butternut squash, seeds removed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 large green bell peppers, cored, seeds removed, and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 14 1/2 ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 15 1/2 ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 14 ounce box whole-wheat spaghetti, cooked following package directions
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 cup reduced-sodium oyster crackers
• 4 large scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place squash in a large rimmed baking pan and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Set aside.

2. In a large pot, heat remaining tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, peppers and garlic. Cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, chili powder, cinnamon, sugar, allspice and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer 15 minutes over medium-low heat, with lid ajar. Stir occasionally.

3. Stir in cooked squash and beans. Simmer 5 minutes.

4. Serve chili over cooked spaghetti. Scatter cheese, oyster crackers and scallions over the top.