The supplement business is a billion dollar industry in America. This is in part due to the fact that this industry plays on human emotions in order to sell a product. When you walk into a supplement store there are bottles and bags of garbage lining the shelves that are disguised as "healthy" supplements. They take a picture of some woman with an eating disorder in a bikini and pass her off as using this product to have gotten so skinny. Same goes for the product sold to men where the guy on steroids is on the bottle and you automatically assume that this guy got ripped from the product. Guess again. These models have never used the garbage in the bottle. It really is up to us to be smarter than these companies and realize that nothing can replace hard work and a good basic nutrition. When you get your essentials from your food, sleep, water and exercise, you really do not need much more than that to lose weight or gain lean muscle.

A lot of people are looking for a shortcut. This is what makes you drive to the supplement store or to make that decision online to purchase supplements. You want it and you want it now. Well, it doesn't work that way. If you want to get results such as fat loss or lean muscle gain, you have to have a workout, nutrition plan and you need to stay hydrated. I always recommend drinking half your body weight in ounces daily in order to meet that need. Also, your body needs 7 to 8 hours of sleep. This is how your body repairs itself. All of these things are essentials. If you have not met these basic needs, forget trying to take something that will get you results. You can not have a lifestyle full of holes and fill it up with powders and pills. There is a new wave of garbage supplements out there that are sold through multi-level marketing techniques. This is where your coworker, relative, or "friend" on Facebook raves about how much weight they lost and how amazing they feel from this stuff. The motivation for them bragging about these garbage supplements is money. They get commission for passing this stuff off onto you. They come up with all sorts of ways to get you to take this crap; Facebook, free boot camps and shake parties. It really is sad to see people get wrapped up in this stuff rather than take the time to shop for good food, and meet their daily essentials. It does not cost you more to meet your needs. In fact you will spend a lot less on good food than you would on the garbage powders and pills.

I have been using sound nutrition and lifestyle techniques that center around people meeting their essential needs for 15 years. It makes me very happy to see people adhere to this basic concept. I have seen entire families become healthier due to one person in the family choosing to just eat cleaner and exercise on a regular basis. It can become infectious. The reward to buying into basic concept of meeting your essential needs is that the results last for a lifetime, unlike these here today gone tomorrow supplement companies.

You will notice that I do include good basic whey protein powder and high quality fish oil as part of meeting you essential needs. I do not consider high quality whey protein and fish oils as a supplements. If you are a man you need 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. If you are a female, you need .08 per pound of lean mass in order to lose fat, gain or maintain you muscle. So if you are a man and you weigh 200 lbs and you know you should be 160 lbs, you will meet that need in protein. Females will use the same formula but will use a little less than a gram. If you are a female that weighs 150 but you know you should be around 120 you will eat around 96 grams of protein a day. In order to meet this need, you will want a high quality whey protein that has just a few ingredients. The fewer the ingredients, the better. Some of the garbage that I mentioned above has a ton of stuff added to stabilize it, color it, flavor it and allow it to sit on shelves for a long period of time. Studies on these products have exposed lead, paint thinner, arsenic, and other toxic things that should never go into your body at any quantity.

Fish oil is another "essential" that I do not consider a "supplement." We should all try and get 1 to 5 grams a day of omega 3 fatty acids. Failing to meet this need leaves holes in your bodies ability to reduce inflammation and complete cells etc. I have also covered fish oil in past posts. I have always been recommending Carlson's Brand Fish Oil for over 12 years now. They have a high quality seal.

I know that telling you to eat a good salad, meet your protein needs and workout 3 to 4 times a week isn't as sexy as taking the latest fat loss, cleanse crap in a bottle. Trust me, the basics work. More important, the results last a lifetime. Watch this video and I bet you will think twice about buying supplements.

Many people have daily habits that sabotage their ability to lose fat. In addition to these obvious habits, there are also some less obvious habits stunting fat loss.

One of these bad habits is eating too fast. I witnessed someone the other day cut every piece of food on their plate before shoveling the entire meal down in a really short amount of time. If you are someone who does this ritual at most meals, you need to think about the effects it can have on you.

Digestion starts in your mouth. The action of chewing mixes natural enzymes in your mouth to start breaking down food before it goes into the stomach and eventually through to your digestive tract. The smaller you can break down the food in your mouth, the more your body will be able to utilize all of the nutrients in each bite of food. Here is the fact that you should remember: To properly break down food, you need to chew each bite 25 to 30 times. I know this sounds excessive. It sounded high for me when I first learned about it eight years ago at a seminar. The instructor told us all to try it that night so for dinner I ordered a 6 ounce steak. After chewing each piece of meat 30 times or so, I ended up not being able to eat the whole thing. I became full quicker. If I would have cut each piece individually and shoveled piece after piece into my mouth, I would have eaten twice as much in half the time. The average person will chew each bite 5 to 6 times. Your brain needs 20 minutes to register that you are full. If you are putting your fork down after every bite and taking the time to chew each bite properly, it should take about 15 to 20 minutes.

This issue is not only about your habits, it is also a lifestyle issue. If you are use to eating in your car on the way to work, you are probably scarfing food down mindlessly. Eating meals really should be about preparing good quality food and sitting down and enjoying it. I know you are thinking, "get real Tim, my life is way too busy to sit down and enjoy my meals". I can relate, but just give it a try. While eating try putting your fork down and chewing 20 to 30 times. You will become leaner and your immune system will get stronger because of the nutrients your body is now absorbing.

There's no denying that by doing cardio you'll lose weight. But who cares what you look like on a scale, it's all about what you look like in the mirror at the end of the day. You could be at a weight that's considered healthy until you look in the mirror and all that you see is a flabby, weak, soft body. So enough about my opinion let's look at the facts:

The metabolism issue:

Steady State Cardio (jogging, bike, elliptical at the same speed) has been shown by several experts to increase your metabolism for only about an hour after exercise then it drops back to normal; whereas strength training has been shown to elevate our metabolism for hours after a workout. When you weight train you break down muscle fibers, which takes energy to rebuild. When these muscle fibers have been rebuilt they are stronger, firmer, more toned, and now take more energy to maintain. So who wins the battle of burning more calories throughout the day? Can I get strength training for a thousand please!!!

I recently read an article found on the Livestrong website quoting "The National Women's Health Information Center recommends strength training at least twice a week in addition to aerobic activities and stretching. Only 21 percent of women follow this advice, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, despite the potential of a sleeker, stronger body for a modest time investment." So you're telling me I can look better, feel stronger, and it'll happen faster if I incorporate resistance training into my program? The response I get from most women (and some men) "No thanks, I don't want to look bulky!" This response reminds me of a quote I heard not too long ago from a strength and conditioning expert we trainers really look up to..."Most people don't want to learn new things. They only want to hear about things that validate the crap they're already doing." —Mike Boyle

"To sculpt, you must first have concrete."–Anonymous.

You cannot shape fat, you need muscle; your foundation; your concrete, in order to sculpt. It has been studied and shown that in order to get "washboard" abs (because let's face it that's always the area us Americans are obsessed with), men need to have a body fat percentage around 10% or less and women around 13% or less. As a woman, I've been close to 13% ; my lowest body fat percentage was 14% and my abs looked awesome. What did I weigh you ask? Um, who the heck cares I have a six pack thank you very much! The funny thing is I get asked all the time how much I weigh and am always guessed at being about 20 lbs. less than what I really am. So why is that? I think at this point the answer is obvious, you've heard that muscle weighs more than fat? Well, I have a lot of muscle, obtained not from "cardio" but weight lifting! I'm not saying cardio is bad, I think cardio is great for relieving stress, promoting a healthy heart, and many other reasons, just not too much cardio and never just cardio.

Just to emphasize what your goals are: are they to look like Jessica Beil (pictured left) who stated herself when trying to lean up and cut fat she weight trains for an hour and does cardio for 30 minutes. Of course not all of us have that kind of time, but my point is to show you her priority is in weight training. If your goal is to look like fellow olympic long distance runner (pictured right) then keep doing your cardio.

Jessica Beil lean body, distance runner sick body, jessica lean sexy body, cardio distance body, sexy, sick, sexy, sick....hmmmm let me think!

At Fit for Life, we believe no matter what your goals are, implementing resistance training plays a large part in how we help you achieve those goals. We create a fun, friendly, environment with programs that are balanced and catered towards building stronger, leaner bodies. Our circuit training class, held during the weeknights, is a great way to get started. We do a mixture of resistance exercises using bands, medicine balls, stability balls, dumbells, kettlebells, and the list goes on. From bootcamp to bootcamp, circuit to circuit, and from personal training programs in the gym we use the periodization rule. Meaning, we evolve and change the programs, so you are never doing the same things over and over and over, because afterall that's insane!

Tiffany Encinas, CPT.

If I told you that I had a new supplement that would do all these things…

1. Get You Stronger
2. Help You Lose Body Fat
3. Increase Energy
4. Cut Down Your Cravings For Sugar and Salty Foods
5. Improve Your Skin
6. Lubricate Your Joints (Which Leads To Less Joint Pain)
7. Boost Your Immune System
8. It is Free or the Cost is as little as 20 cents per bottle.

Would you buy it?

Of course you would. The problem is, most people do not understand the power of being hydrated. They look elsewhere for the “reason” that they are not losing fat and feeling bad. Supplement companies, your friends on social media and trainers will try and sell you the next magic supplement that promises to do all the things I mention above, but with a high cost. In the end, those supplements do not stand a chance to work if you are not drinking water. In fact, if you start to meet your water needs while taking their garbage, you will pee them right down the drain along with your money.
If you are dehydrated, you are not going to be successful on any exercise program. It does not matter how well laid out the program is. Your body will pull back resources to protect you. Our bodies system will not allow us to give an all out effort on anything physical when we need water.
A lot of our programs are based on you giving 80% of your strength for a period of time. If you start your day dehydrated, you are walking into Team Training at 50% at best. It is like walking into the gym with your parking brake on. The result of those efforts will not yield what you could have accomplished by simply being hydrated.
Hopefully I have sold you on water at this point. Maybe even convinced you to stop taking those magic pills. Here is what I recommend:

1. Drink half your bodyweight in ounces of water
2. Drink the amount above, 7 days per week
3. Lay out water bottles that equal your ounces needed the night before
4. Cut down on “other” beverages. This includes coffee, teas, juices, sodas. These drinks will make it tough to meet your needs
5. Use sparkling water whenever you crave carbonation
6. Get in the habit of drinking 6 ounces of water 30 minutes before and after every meal. It aids digestion and helps get your number of ounces up
7. Do not take a break from water. The major “needs” of your body require you to be consistent. If you take just one day off, you will have negative effects. I do not say this to stress you. I mention itso that you understand how important it is to be consistent.

Meet your needs and reach your full potential!

Tim Gojich, CPT

Places like GNC make millions of dollars selling people supplements. The supplement business, as a whole, is a 60 billion dollar industry in America. So if so many people are buying supplements, shouldn't we be the healthiest country in the world? Unfortunately, we are not! The countries that are in the Top 10 of healthiest countries, probably do not take near as many supplements as Americans do. If you go to a supplement store, they will fill your shopping bag with fat burners, vitamins, some magic berry pills, and a host of other crap that is going to do absolutely nothing if your lifestyle and diet are bad. You have to start with a healthy diet rich in nutrition and clean up your lifestyle before even thinking of ADDING anything to it. Until you have accomplished a balance of food, lifestyle and exercise into your life, you should not try and fill in the holes with supplements. The holes will become too big, and the supplements will fall right through into your toilet.

Eating healthy is simple, you just have to shop for healthy whole foods. I always talk about the importance of shopping at Trader Joe's and Lassen's. These stores offer a higher quality of whole foods. If you eat out on a regular basis you are more than likely starving for real nutrients. Please do yourself a favor and only eat out 20% of your week. Your shopping list should include quality proteins like free range chicken, free range eggs and high quality beef and pork. You should have plenty of organic fruits and veggies and high fiber carbohydrates. So you ask: Where is the fish? Well, I could tell you all day to eat wild salmon and fresh fish, but you probably will not listen to that advice. If you shop for all of the items that I just mentioned above and you leave out fish, then there is going to be a hole in your diet. This is where Fish Oil comes in.

Fish Oil is not a supplement. It is essential to the human body. Calling it a supplement would be like calling water a supplement. You need water to live. You need Omega 3 Fatty Acids to live healthy. I look at fish oil as filling that gap and delivering something that every cell in your body will use. I learned of the importance of fish oil about 7 years ago. I started telling all my boot campers and clients to start taking it. The problem back then was that it was not mainstream enough for people to really listen to me. They kind of thought I was crazy. Well, fast forward to now and you see fish oil sold in almost every supermarket. When I learned about fish oil I was taught to only take high quality oil that is free of pcbs. I personally take Carlson's Brand Fish Oil and that is why I sell it at the gym. The amount that adults should take is around 5 grams. If you purchase capsules you should know that each capsule is only 1 gram. If you take the oil, you just need to take one teaspoon and that equals 5 grams. I do reccomend you stay away from cheap fish oil. There is a major lawsuit against several companies that sell fish oil with pcbs. Below is a paragraph written about the lawsuit. If you have any of these products, throw them away.

SAN FRANCISCO—Mateel Justice Foundation, in conjunction with two individual plaintiffs, brought a lawsuit against six fish oil manufacturers and two retailers for labeling violations of the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, also known as Proposition 65. Filed March 2 in Superior Court of San Francisco, the suit alleges several fish oil products sold in California failed to include label warnings for levels of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl compounds) found in the products by testing initiated by the plaintiffs, which include Chris Manthey and Benson Chiles, both consultants with the environmentalist Blue Line Network. Named as defendants in the suit were two retailers—CVS Pharmacy Inc. and Rite Aid Corp.—and six manufacturers—General Nutrition Corp. (GNC); NOW Health Group Inc.; Omega Protein Inc.; Pharmavite LLC (Nature Made brand); Solgar Inc.; and TwinlabCorp.

The Bakersfield heat is finally here. I am pretty sure it is going to be hot from now until September. Boot Campers really need to pay attention to their hydration levels, especially the evening class. To ensure proper hydration make sure to drink good, clean water first thing in the morning. One rule to live by is to drink 8 ounces of water right after brushing your teeth, wait about 15 minutes and then eat breakfast. Drink another 8 ounces within about 20 to 30 minutes after you have eaten to help digest food correctly. Now you can have your coffee. Another rule for hydration is to get enough water for your body weight. If you take your lean or ideal body weight and divide it by 2, you now have a goal for the day. Remember: if you drink caffeine add another 8 ounces for every cup of coffee or tea. Caffeine will act as a diuretic and it will force water out of your body. So, make sure to replace what was lost.

When choosing water, try to drink spring water. Fiji and Evian are great choices because they have a good amount of natural minerals that your body needs. Try to avoid water that has just been filtered, they do not deliver any minerals at all. In fact, filtered water has been shown to strip nutrients away from your gut. I know that there are those who will say water is water, but I have been educated on the subject to know better.

Gatorade is tempting when it is hot. The problem is the sugar content. Most of the Gatorade products will have almost as much sugar and calories as a soda. If you are doing an activity for over an hour and plan on going for another hour or longer, Gatorade will be effective. The average person doing the average workout will be just fine with good water.

1. Fish oils, rich in the Omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent depression, stabilize the moods of maniac-depressives, and alleviate symptoms of schizophrenia.
   University of California's Johnsson Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA health.com
2. Fish oils is one of the few substances known to lower concentrations of triglycerides (fatty substances) that pose a cardiovascular risk, in the blood.
   J Raloff Science News
3. Increasing the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids has direct effects on serotonin levels.
   Andrew Stoll M.D.1999 Archives of General Psychiatry
4. Fish oils, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) help prevent heart disease, depression, and cancer.
   Hans R. Larsen, Msc chE "Fish Oils: The Essential Nutrients" International Health News
5. Research has shown that supplementation with fish oils can markedly reduce interlukin-1beta production and results in a significant reduction in morning stiffness and the number of painful joints in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
   Darlington, L Gail and Stone, Trevor W. Antioxidants and fatty acids in the amelioration of rheumatoid arthritis and related disorders. British Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 85, March 2001, pp.251-69. Oilofpisces.com
6. Several clinical trials have concluded that eating fish regularly or supplementing with fish oils can reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death by as much as 50%.
   Bigger,J. Thomas and El-Sherif, Tarek. Polyunsaturated fatty acids and cardiovascular events: a fish tale. Circulation, Vol.103, February 6, 2001, pp623-25 (editorial). Oilofpisces.com
7. Researchers at Mayo Clinic report that supplementation with fish oils, EPA and DHA is highly effective in slowing down the progression of IgA nephropathy, a common kidney disease.
   Donadio, James V.,et al. A controlled trial of fish oil in IgA nephropathy. New England Journal of Medicine, Vol 331 November 3, 1994, pp1194-99 Van Ypersele de Strihou, Charles. Fish oil for IgA nephropathy? New England Journal of Medicine, Vol 331, November 3, 1994, pp 1227-29 (editorial). Oilofpisces.com
8. Epidemiological studies have shown that populations with a high intake of fish oils have a lower incidence of inflammatory diseases such as asthma.
   Dry J. and Vincent D. Effect of a Fish oil diet on asthma: results of a 1-year double bind study. Int Arch Allerguy Appl Immurol, Vol.95, 1991,pp.156-57. Oilofpisces.com
9. Researchers at The University of Tromso now report that fish oil supplementation lowers blood pressure significantly in people with hypertension and has no effect on glucose control even in people with mid diabetes.
   Toft, Ingrid, et al. Effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on glucose homeostasis and blood pressure in essential hypertension. Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol 123, No 12, December 15, 1995, pp 911-18. Connor, William E. Diabetes, fish oil, and vascular disease. Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol 123, No 12, December 15, 1995, pp950-52. Oilofpisces.com.
10. Medical researchers in New Zealand provide convincing evidence that an increased consumption of fish oils helps reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.
    Norrish, A,E, et al. Prostate cancer risk and consumption of fish oils: A dietary biomaker-based case-control study. British JournalBy:Charles Poliquin