Upon moving to San Diego just over a year ago I was surprised at how many people were into work early so that they could be out enjoying Mother Nature in the afternoon. Being an exercise enthusiast from the North East I’ve had a blast either running 8+ miles around La Jolla cove, hopping on my bike for 40+ miles, or even the dreaded JCC Master’s swims led by full time masochists Chad, Nikee, and Rachel. The combination of any of these workouts and the preceding workday resulted in both physical and mental exhaustion, not to mention quite an appetite, which may explain why some people don’t lose as muc weight as they expect on an exercise program. And, if anyone out there has attended one of the San Diego Triathlon Club Aquathons you can attest to the caloric explosion that can occur after 30 – 50 minutes of lung burning activity followed by one of the finest post-race food spreads in the history of after-race parties.

However, a recent article in the New York Times about the timing of meals made me re-think my typical post-workout feed bag routine.

The New York Time article “Late Night Eating Linked to Weight Gain” comments on a medical study performed at Northwestern University and will be published in the peer reviewed journal Obesity next month. Researchers at the university found that mice whose feeding was restricted to daylight hours (the equivalent of our night time for our squeeky, furry, nocturnal friends) gained 28% more weight than the group that ate during their regular feeding times during the night as they instinctively do.

At first thought, you would think that the obvious reason for the weight gain in the first group of mice was because they ate more calories. Guess what? You’d be wrong! The researchers found that both groups consumed nearly equal number of calories and exercised for similar duration on each day, making the only difference between the groups the meal timing.

Now, granted this is an animal study and the results should not be immediately directed towards humans but it does give some guidance to those athletes looking to shed a few pounds.

I’m not suggesting that we all eliminate eating after our evening workouts, since re-fueling is an important part of proper recovery after a hard workout. Getting the correct amounts of protein and carbohydrates within 30 to 60 minutes after a workout (known as the glycogen window) is proven to increase muscle glycogen storage and provides a larger energy source for your next workout. However, for most of us the total calories that needs to be consumed for this effect is only around 500 calories – that maybe 2 bagels, or a turkey sandwich with a side of veggies.

I’m sure that on a semi-regular basis I approach the 1500 calorie range with my post-work meal, especially after a long workout. I have to admit, that previously I had been under the impression that in order to reduce weight, calories in had to be less than calories out. However, this new research may suggest that simply changing the time of day when these calories are consumed could help to reduce excess weight. I am even more convinced of these findings after thinking of previous research that has shown lower body weights for those individuals who ate breakfast every morning when compared to those that routinely skipped breakfast. I am sure that I’m not the only one who has over-eaten after an evening workout to the degree where breakfast isn’t even appetizing.

So once again, I’m not saying that we should stop eating when the sun goes down (we’re athletes, we need to eat). I’m saying that for the majority of us who aren’t training 30 hrs a week like the pros with a body fat percentage hovering around 6% it might be a good idea to re-distribute some of the calories. Instead of gorging yourself at the all you can eat buffet after beating yourself up with 10 x 400m with a 1 mile warm up and cool down on the track, save some of those calories for breakfast the next morning.

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Evan Johnson is a San Diego personal trainer with a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science. If you’d like a fitness consultation with Evan, give us a call at 858-678-0300

If you’ve been in our sports medicine clinic for a sports injury, then we’ve probably talked to you about the benefits of using a foam roller for soft tissue and myofascial work. If you haven’t had to limp across our doorway with a sports injury, even better…here’s a new sports therapy product that should keep you from meeting us too soon (and as the added bonus of being more environmentally friendly)

Trigger Point Therapy has launched  their Grid Foam Roller which far exceeds traditional foam rollers is a lot of ways. For one, the Grid Foam Roller is  made out of EVA (the same stuff used to make the soles of running shoes) and as a result, the Grid Foam Roller doesn’t break down as quickly as a traditional foam roller. The Grid Foam Roller  also has this really cool matrix shape and contour withs different texture and densities. Essentially, you’re getting three different foam rollers combined into one. The EVA is wrapped around a hard tube (which is why the Grid is hollow – all the support and firmness is from the tube.

What else makes the Grid Foam Roller unique? The Grid also has a much smaller profile – just 13 inches long compared to the typical 3 foot long foam rollers we used to use here at Coastal Sports and Wellness (yep, we’ve switched over to the Grid Foam Roller for the clinic). Plus, the final big point for me – there is a one year warranty on the Grid. IF you can wear it out, break it down, etc, Trigger Point Therapy offers a one year warranty on it. Granted it costs a little more than that typical foam roller, but if you figure that the Grid should last through at least a year of regular use, that will end up saving you money in the long run. I usually see our the foam rollers break down after about 3 to 4 months of use, so do the math…$40 for the Grid for a year, or buying a new foam roller every 4 months at $20 a pop…plus you’re not tossing the old foam roller into a landfill somewhere…

The Grid Foam Roller is a great new therapy tool for athletes suffering from a range of maladies from iliotibial band syndrome to hamstring strains and quadriceps and calf muscle injuries.

for $39.99 + shipping from the Trigger Point Therapy website.

The original topic was supposed to be about the recent 50 game suspension of Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez, but sports anchor Rick Willis is a big marathon fan and decided to focus more on the healthy aspects of running and training for running races from the local 5 km fun runs to the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon.

Note that Dr Martinez had to slouch down to fit in the camera shot, and if the beginning seems a little disjointed – apparently the wireless microphone box kept unclipping and falling to to ground as they were about to come back from the commerical break!

Coastal Sports and Wellness is currently offering new fitness boot camp members a one week trial membership for $1 and a “Bring A Friend” promotion which offers a two week boot camp trial membership for just $2 each. To find out more about our San Diego boot camps, visit www.coastalbootcamp.com or call the office at 858-678-0300

It caught me off guard.

My first thought was to laugh – “Balanced?” as I thought about trying to juggle building Coastal Sports and Wellness, while keeping time with wonderful wife and goofy family dog (someone has to give my dog Kodo daily tummy rubs) and trying to fit in a bike or a run or other workout now and then. Oh and then remember to continue to eat healthy…

So why do I do it?

Simple answer – Because I live in fear of the alternative. I don’t want to have diabetes. I don’t want to have heart problems. I don’t want to have all ther other medical problems that arise from a life that is short on exercise and proper nutrition. And even if I’m not always proficient at that lifestyle – the fact that other people look to me to guide them as they try to get to that point in their lives is very special.

So what’s your answer?

Feel free to share below…

The Whole Body Approach to Workouts:
Whole body strength exercise workout circuits three days a week. These high intensity workouts burn a lot of calories and help tone muscle quickly. The full body exercises work the core (back and abs) as well as the upper and lower body). Keep the workout fun and challenging by changing the exercise routine every two to three weeks.

A workout format for these circuits can consist of a four or five exercises done one right after another and should be specifically designed to work your upper body, lower body, and core at least three times per week with a day of rest between workouts. Alternate 50 seconds of exercise with10 seconds of recovery and rest. An example of one typical workout would be a series of squats, pushups, planks, lunges and bent-over rows all done back to back.

Repeat the exercise routine up to 4 times each for a high calorie-burning 20 minute total body workout.

Unleash the Power of Cardio Intervals: Sports science research has demonstrated that intense cardio interval training can burn 8 to 9 times more calories than a typical aerobic workouts like jogging or cycling. These high intensity Interval training can also increases the body’s metabolism for up to 48 hours after completing a workout – so the body continues to burn more calories well after the workout is finished.

Ideally these intense heart-pumping intervals should be done three times a week on alternating days from strength training. One example of a high-intensity cardio interval consists of alternating between 20 seconds of exercise and 10 seconds of rest, resulting in a 30 second interval. Repeat the interval a total of eight to ten times (total workout 4 to 5 minutes) followed by a one minute rest and recovery. Repeat the 4 to 5 minute workout for 20 minutes.

This routine works best on an indoor cycle or treadmill. If you can’t make it to the gym, a home or office workout could include jumping jacks, burpees or jogging in place.

Our San Diego sports medicine staff have been helping get them ready for the four-day golf tournament. Gino Cinco with UCPT has been very busy and popular with his skills as an Active Release Technique practicioner.

I’m still scratching my head on this ranking. Unless BBQ is considered a sport or a nutritious food group, I’m not sure how Kansas City beats San Diego as a fitness city. To top those cities, Honolulu ranked in the top 10 of fittest cities, leading the way with an ‘A’ ranking for nutrition, apparently paralleling the release of Diet-SPAM and and an all-organic version…

Here’s how San Diego did on the ranking:

Its an interesting pubic policy debate that is bound to be very controversial. Granted, the concept of taxing a product that may cause significant health issues such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes may have some basis in trying to shift the cost and the responsibility for those added health care costs onto the shoulders of those that make those less-than-stellar nutritional choices. However, in the bigger picture, I think without focusing on changing behavior, we won’t see a long-term positive impact from this tax.

If this tax on soda and fruit drinks passes, one has to wonder when the “candy bar” tax and “McDonalds/Fast Food” taxes will be passed.

At what point do we educate and reward people for making the right health and fitness choices?  Comments…

Use the five fitness and weight loss tips below to stop that holiday weight gain!

1. Step up the intensity!

Did you know that a study in a leading sports exercise journal showed that  its possible to  maintain your current fitness and strength with just one single strength training workout per week? That’s an important tip especially during the busy Christmas and holiday season when family and work commitments combine with colder weather and less daylight to negatively impact most exercise workouts and fitness routines

So, to best maintain your strength and fitness, schedule at least one good weekly strength training workout to keep in shape and stop that unwanted (and unnecessary) loss in fitness and conditioning.

2. Not enough time to workout? Divide up the workouts…

In most cases, your body and muscles don’t care if you just did 50 sit ups in a row or if you did 10 sit ups at 5 different times during the day. The total amount of work by those muscles is still…get out your calculators…50 sit ups! The same is true for cardio and aerobic exercise. Going for three 10 minute power walks before work, at your lunch break and after work still adds up to 30 minutes of exercise for the day. Count all the running around with holiday shopping and there is still enough opportunity to keep a base level of fitness or exercise during the holiday season.

3 . Don’t forget strength training!

For strength training, focus on exercises such as squats, lunges, deadlifts push-ups or pullups – all exercises that involve major muscle groups like the glutes, quads or deltoids and pecs. You don’t need any special equipment except of maybe a set of dumbvells or stretch cords for added resistance.
Concentrate on high repetition throughout the day if you can’t meet your “get a real workout in” goal. Again its ok to break up the exercises through out the day – but stay consistent!

Remember – it ALL adds up! Switch the exercises around each day for variety and to avoid an injury. One possible program is below:

The “Get Your Holiday Workout In” Program

Day #1
Push-ups: 50-100 total
Body weight Squats,  or Step Lunges: 100-200 total
Rows – with dumbbells or  stretch cords: 50-100 total

Day #2
Deadlifts or  Hip Extensions: 50-100 total
Chair Dips: 50 -100 total
Curls with dumbbells or stretch cords: 50-100 total
Pull ups are another great quick exercise alternative!

4. The “Shopping” Workout

Christmas shopping at the mall can be a full-contact sport as well as stressful and aggravating. But learn how to use these shopping trips to your advantage. Try parking the car further away from the mall entrance – you’ll get a longer walk in, and you may even find a parking spot quicker than circling the lot looking for the “primo” parking spot. Try taking the stairs instead of the escalators or elevator. You’ll find you have a lot more room on the stairs, avoiding the crowds and burning some holiday calories to boot!

5. Spend time outside!

Sad to say, but after 5 years in San Diego, my blood is officially “Southern California” thin – so much for growing up in New England and 5 years in Colorado. Still, our weather our here is great for being outside. Try to break free for a lunch-time walk or head to the beach for a ocean-front run. There will be less people out there and you’ll have the satisfaction of staying one step/stride/lunge ahead of the holiday weight gain.

Most importantly, take the time to sit back and enjoy your family, friends and loved ones during the holiday season!