Do you fall into this mind trap?  Do you throw in the towel on your diet and exercise, due to the demands of your busy life?  Is health and fitness your lowest priority? Perhaps your job or business has taken over your life. or your family fills every gap in your down time schedule, leaving you no time for exercise. Perhaps when things change in your life, and everyones needs are met, you might be able to focus on much needed exercise.  The big problem , is that its your body that is wearing out, and one day you will look at your frumpy body is dismay, and wonder , “How did this happen to me!” Our bodys are in a continuous state of aging , which translates into fat accumulation, sagging tissue pointing south, and numerous associated health problems. Inactivity only accelerates this natural, but unfortunate morphosis.

Daily exercise is a commitment, its true! A huge commitment at that. And in a world where we are already over committed to family, friends, work, school, upcoming holiday parties etc, its hard to perceive fitting in one more commitment. But what about your commitment to your overall health and wellness? It should be the last commitment to be put on the back burner!  Eventually life will fizzle you out, and you will be emotionally worthless to others.  Getting yourself  immersed in exercise, should become your good personal addiction. Something you cannot life without.  Your life will become abbreviated without it, and you will lose energy, strength and vigor.

Even as a fitness professional, I have struggled with finding time to exercise. Although my typical client schedule exceeds 14 hours, I build my  daily work schedule around my personal workout schedule. I devote 90 minutes per day to exercise. After all, I would feel pretty crappy, training others, seeing them progress while my body digresses. I find exercise a wonderful stress reducer, a natural energizer, often exceeding the adrenaline high of caffeine. I am addicted to good health and fitness!

Overall,  desire, discipline and time management are the keys to health and fitness success. After 12 years of working with individuals of various personalities, I have learned personality is a driving force to physical and financial success.  And those who are accountability challenged hire personal fitness trainers to lock them into accountability.  This way, their exercise schedule cannot be easily blown off if the personal trainer is waiting for them.  Along the same line, if a personal fitness trainer is not affordable for you, then consider getting a workout partner and split the cost. Or perhaps just have a training partner to workout with you, without a trainer.  Again, its all about creating accountability for yourself and reinforcing your commitment to fitness.

How the non-exercsing population can thrive without regular fitness in their lives, is a mind blowing  thought, especially after seeing so many of my clients transform their minds and bodies over the months and years.  Anyway, in summary we are all responsible for our successes and failures. We at Somagenesis Health and Fitness are about creating WINNERS. If you want to learn more about the recipe for health and fitness success, then visit our Award Winning Website www.Somagenesis.com , for tips, videos and our contact information.  And last but not least, check out the awesome video below. It pertains to the art of winning, by the famous Anthony Robbins!

Myth #1 As long as I eat healthy foods, calories don’t matter.

The Truth:   Get real! Whole wheat pastas, breads, pie crusts, have just as many calories as the regular wheats. The same applies to the white rice versus brown rice scenario. A higher fiber content doesn’t mean a lower caloric impact. Other high impact caloric foods such as avocados, nuts ad olive oils although heart healthy and benefical in keeping blood lipid levels at bay, pose a huge caloric impact and will lead to weight gain. Likewise with chocolate and red wines which are loaded with antioxidants, but when consumed daily can lead to added belly fat every month.  The solution is to simply pay close attention to caloric counts of all foods so you don’t go astray..

Myth #2 I can loose 10 pounds in 2 weeks.

Truth: You can probably lose  a significant amount of weight in a two week period, with extreme crash dieting, but can you sustain that caloric deficit and pace, as a lifestyle? Highly doubtful. Once you slack off, the weight will come back on like gang busters. Your body’s metabolism assures this. The healthiest weight lost is based on a 2 pound weight loss goal per week which equates to a 7000 calorie deficit or 1000 calorie decrease per day through diet and exercise combined. For a detailed diet plan and a phenomenal fat burning program schedule a consultation with the health and fitness experts at Somagenesis Health and Fitness.

Myth #3  If I exercise, I can eat as much as I want.

The truth:  Something I hear and see with clients, and this is the furthest from the truth!   For example ,if you eat 3 Chips Ahoy cookies before your work out, you just packed in 540 sugar, fat ladened calories.  This means a sever ebut kicking from your personal trainer for an hour to burn it off, but for most people who workout at a moderate tempo at the gym or perform an outdoor activity for 1 hour, you might burn off 400 calories. What will you do with the remaining extra 150 calories you packed on? The bottom line, is unless your a World Class athlete who sizzles thousands of calories per day, you will have to pay extra attention to everything you put in your mouth.  Check out this cool article   50 Ways to Cut 250 Calories.

Myth #4 Its Better to eat lots of small meals versus 3 square meals per day.

The Truth: Although eating every 3 hours keeps our metabolism slightly revved up, which leads to a slight increase in caloric burn, the caloric excess typically outweighs the metabolic burn rate, therefore leading to weight gain. Researchers at Baylor University College of Medicine have discovered that for some people eating every few hours means people are eating more calories. Adjusting glycemic impact of food and chosing Leptin friendly food can keep your metabolism peaked and hunger pangs away. To lear the science of this revolutionary eating lifestyle, contact a the nutritional experts at Somagenesis Health and Fitness..

Myth #5 When eating out its always best to go with the salads.

Its all about the crap you put on top of the salad. Super fattening to say the least. Pecans, walnuts, dried cranberries, gorgonzola cheese, rich dressings can easily turn healthy vegetables into a 600 plus calorie belly bomber. Good examples are Pat and Oscars 1/2 Cobb Salad at 500 cals,  Panera Bread’s Fuji Apple Chicken Salad. 580 cals. Boston Pizzas Thai ChickenSalad, 1060, California Pizza Kitchen’s Bbq Chopped chicken Salad 1133 calories. All of these salads have more fat calories  than an In& Out Cheese burger which has 480 calories and far less fats. The solution?  Look at the nutritional labels on your menu before you order and contact the fitness experts at Somagenesis to help you fine tune your current diet.

Myth #6  Protein shakes  or Jamba Juice is a good healthy meal alternative.

Truth: A healthy protein shake straight up,in its pure form, without gobs of sugar, fruit, peanuts, chocolate, sugar, or oat meal is ideal for your metabolism and tissue synthesis. But,like salads, once you pile in all the tasty sweets and textured foods, your health benefit is lost! Instead you slurp down a liquid belly bomber packed with calories  The solution? Keep your protein drinks simple!   Check out these recipes..  7 healthy protein shakes that Rock..

I hope you liked this posting. Any comments or rebuttals are appreciated.  And please check out the cool video below!

As you  already may be aware of, there are 15 types of saturated fats, but not all are bad for like some nutritionist would suggest. In fact some are very ” Heart Healthy” The latest research, at some cutting edge research institutes, have shown us 5 examples of Bad food now considered Good!   Here are the six former bad boy fats!

PORK RINDS: We logically assume these are fat because the phrase deep fried pig skin comes to mind.  Well THEY ARE NOT!   A  1ounce serving contains zero carbs, 17 grams of protein and 9 grams of fat. T hat protein count is 9X the protein and less fat than your average potato chop! Better yet 43% of the fat in the rind is oleic acid which is the good fat found in olive oil!

ALCOHOL: We naturally think it has no nutritional value and leads to pot bellies!  Well its not all that bad. In a Harvard University research study, 18,000 men where followed who drank wine twice daily for 5-7 weeks. Blood panels revealed healthier than normal levels, thus decreasing the risk for heart attacks. It has been shown that the wine named Pinot Noir contains more disease fighting antioxidants that any other food or beverage.

BEEF JERKY: We naturally this its horrible snack food because of high  preservative levels!  Wrong again, Beef jerky is high in protein and doesn’t raise blood insulin levels. Remember insulins function is to regulate blood sugar and store fat. It is an awesome in between meal snack for weight loss, however, be sure  to choose a product that is low in sodium and is MSG free. Here is the link to and awesome store which sells natural Jerky. www.americangrassfedbeef.com  Research has show that grass fed beef contains healthy omega-3 fast found in fish, whereas grain-fed beef does not.

COCONUT: We tend to think its bad food, because health experts have warned us that it will clog our arteries because it contains more saturated fat than butter. WRONG! Even though coconut is packed with saturated fat, it has been shown to have a beneficial effect on heart disease. The reasons being, that 50% of the saturated fat is derived from lauric acid. This acid cranks up the good cholesterol in our bodies which helps prevent heart disease! If you decide to try coconut, by shredded coconut in moderation, as an anytime snack. It will be filling, but won’t jack up your blood sugars.

CHOCOLATE BARS: We view them as wicked because of high fat and sugar content.  Well, real chocolate in the dark for is not!  Cocoa, the ingredient in chocolate is super rich in flavenoids, which is also a heart healthy compound found in red wine and green tea. Medical researchers have repeatedly found that 100mg of flavenoids relaxes your blood vessels, therefore improving bloodflow to your heart. As far as the fat in chocolate? Well its mostly stearic and oleic acids which are very heart friendly oils!  try this awesome product. Here is the link www.cocoavia.com.

Well, I hope this debunks some of the longstanding nutritional myths out there. Should you need the expert advice of myself , Rivak Hoffman or any of my expert consultants at Somagenesis Health and Fitness, feel free to contact us through our award winning web site. www.somagenesis.com or by phone at 760-271-3064. Mention that you found us on our blog and receive an additional 10% of our services.  Again, your comments are appreciate on this posting.  And PLEASE check out this funny video down below!

This obesity problem means disaster of the pets health, as we can expect to see a rise in arthritis, high blood pressure, kidney disease and diabetes. The same maladies that affects humans.

Interesting enough in 2007 the pet obesity issue was statistically less than today. Only 19% cats and 10% dogs were classified as obese.   I believe the problem comes down to snacks that pets are eating. Most of the junk at the pet stores is calorically rich. For example my 20 pound Pug should consume no more than 400 calories per day. His high protein organic dog food , rationed at 2/3 cup total per day renders 350 calories. This means his snack should be not exceed 50 calories.  A couple of dog biscuits would keep him in the zone, but if I decided to feed him scraps from the dinner table he would be in obesity trouble.  I’m sure that pet owners who are not health conscious are the culprits in the recent escalation of pet obesity in America. A classic example of how misery loves company.  Very sad…

From a health and fitness standpoint, the is a definite link between chronic stress and abdominal weight gain. Researcher Sir Micharel Marmont at the University College Medical School in London, and Carol Shivley at Wake Forest University have shown that stress will determine how and where you distribute fat on your body. And stress fat because of its hormone laden nature, is far more dangerous than fat deposited elsewhere.

The key to eliminating stress related obesity, is to value stress reduction. Humans have a tendency to find value in being able to multi task and take on more than is really necessary. this creates undue stress. We have to learn to value a more balanced and serene lifestyle.. A life that involved fitness, proper eating habits and active rest.  The sad truth is that stress not only affects  fat cell storage capacity, but also our brain chemistry, how vulnerable we are to depression,  and even our ability to still learn as an adult.

So what can you do about stress? To begin with, identify your personal triggers and eliminate them.  Don’t torture yourself by working a 100 hours per week. Find a job that you truly enjoy, versus the big paycheck. Take more vacations to allow you to rejuvenate your life.  Spend time with good friends and family. Give rather than receive. and last but not least, condition your body properly with healthy nutritious food,s and a daily dose of exercise to stimulate the body in a very healthy way.

1. Dieting never works. They never have and they never will be a long term solution. Choose a way of eating that supports weight management for the rest of your life. For example the Mediterranean of the Zone nutritional formats. These are some great healthy meal styles that are easy to live with.

2. Eat 3 small meals, and  every 4 hours and weave  in two small snacks to fire up your metabolism. Do this daily including your weekends.

3. Eat with intelligence, High carbohydrates in the morning  hours then  taper off  those bad boy carbs by 50% for your second meal then 80% for your third meal. That last meal of the day should be hardcore proteins with some green, yellow or orange vegetables. Any by the way you’ll sleep better when those carbs are minimized!

4. Pound down that water. Water will help peak your metabolism, and getting dehydrated due to lack of water, only hammers your metabolism into the ground. Keep it simple with a full 12 ounce of water with each meal.

5.  Don’t restrict your self of the foods you love. Just stop being a pig with those 4 slices of pizza or that Baskin Robbins Oreo Cookie shake. ( These bad boys each represent a minimum of 1200 calories. Yikes!)  Total restriction of food only promotes the feeling of deprivation. This will turn you into a obsessed maniac, leading to an all out  food binging frenzy.

6. And lastly. Get out there and burn calories through exercise. One hour three days per week will control weight gain and keep you youthful. Best of all exercise will help burn away calories and turbo charge your metabolism.  So you say you can’t do this on your own? Then reach out for a jump start. Check out the competent personal fitness trainers and nutritional experts at Somagenesis Health and Fitness.

Mid life weight gain is very normal for most people. In fact, it is not unusual to see adults add 1 pound of fat per year beginning from their 20s through their forty’s!   Why does this happen?  Experts say, hormones, changes in lifestyle, poor nutritional choices, being overly stressed, and not getting enough sleep.  Although hormonal changes account for 4% of weight gain, it is estimated that lack of exercise and caloric burn make up majority of the middle age weight gain phenomena.

So how do you control middle age weight gain?

1. Control your mind, and reduce your stress.. You know what it takes!

2. Control your mouth. Stop eating crap, and get with the program and eat healthy organic, unprocessed foods. And remember to take in the recommended calories that your body needs. To get a rough estimate simply multiply your body weight by 10 to determine your daily calories.

3. Control your muscles. Make them metabolically alive with a well constructed weight  training and cardio program. Your program should be customized for you, don’t rely on the programs outlined in She or Men’s Health. If your clueless about getting started, contact myself or one of my Somagenesis  Personal Fitness Trainers to design a kick start program for you. You will greatly benefit!

If  you think your working out enough and eating well, but still dealing with a pot belly then your doing something very wrong. Caloric intake is probably too high or nutrient value is bogus. In addition, your probably lacking intensity in your workouts. Monitor your heart rate with a good heart rate monitor. train your muscles till they burn. Walk out of that gym absolutely spent!  Again, if this is something you need help with, then I suggest a qualified personal fitness trainer.

In summary, you should be doing more, versus less as you age. Your nutrition needs to be finely tuned and caloric intake designed to improve physical performance and metabolism. You need to think long and hard on what your going to do to reduce those life stress ors and improve your sleeping patterns.  Make taking care of your self a priority in life, otherwise continue with status quo and suffer the ramifications of self neglect and getting fat.

Obesegens act by mirroring human hormones such as estrogens, by misprogramming stem cells to become fat cells. This is probably due to genetic alteration.  Anything that disrupts hormones create problems such as infertility, abnormal genitalia, miscarriage, behavior problems, brain defects, problems with immune function, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has tons of data linking thee Obesogens to many systemic diseases. Although most of the research is dedicated to animal and testube studies, the evolving evidence shows the impact of Obesogens is worse on adults.

This combination of factors, coupled with the growing obesity epidemic is what we call the Obesogen effect. Understanding the cause and effect could be the key to freeing ourselves from progressive weight gain and associated health problems.

For more information on how to develop a health, Obesogen free diet, contact the experts as Somagenesis Health and Fitness at 760-271-3064  for a free one hour consultation.

Moreover, I have noticed that  a select group of San Diego personal trainers are seeing  less clients than there were  two years ago. I have been told than many have dramatically reduced their rates to either keep or acquire clients. Also, I have discussed this situation with several personal training directors working at San Diego’s big box gyms. Memberships are down by 40% and personal training revenues also following suit.  This is unusual for this time of the year!  But given a 10% unemployment figure here in San Diego, this is probably par.

My recommendation for  fellow fitness trainers is to ramp up your marketing, take advantage of your down town and study other facets within the fitness industry and create a niche for yourself.  I believe like the large blue chip companies here in San Diego, only the strong will survive.   Like Qualcomm, who is constantly re creating the wheel, with reserve dollars, you need to do the same!

Enter I-phone applications!  Just the other day I was updating my I-phone when I noticed this new application called “Tap & Track” Its fun easy to use and promotes accountability. After all, if you are like me you work, sleep, eat and crap with your I-phone in hand.  The awesome thing about the application is the nutrition and exercise log. Each imput will let the user know how much he or she should eat by the end of the day, without going into caloric overload, which leads to getting fat! As a very competent San Diego Fitness Pro, I too am surprised how easy it is too over eat unless you see it written on paper! So for all of you who struggle with understanding how to loose weight, invest $2.99 and down load this application to your I-phone, Blackberry, Droid or PDA. For more information check out the video below. To find a great fitness pro contact Somagenesis Health