Time for Change Fitness: Protein Powders and Shakes

Why Weight Training

Why does Time for Change Fitness promote resistance training?

Many people focus on calories alone. The slash and dash mentality develops destructive patterns, like extreme calorie cuts and/or excessive aerobics. This sets off an alarm-state in the body where the body sheds muscle tissue to lessen energy demands, and stores body fat as a survival response. Once this physiological state is reached, it becomes nearly impossible to lose any more weight no matter how many calories you cut or how much aerobic work you add. What you end up with is a person who is on a starvation level calorie count and performing excessive exercise, yet is still flabby.

The calories burned during an exercise session are relatively small compared to the amount burned during the other 23 hours of the day. Most fat oxidation occurs between training sessions, not during. This means your exercise sessions should primarily be geared towards building muscle and boosting your metabolism.

After a strength training session, the metabolic rate raises (the after-burn effect) for longer periods of time than after aerobic work (up to 48 hours). This is because all of the steps involved in the recovery process from strength training (satellite cell activation, tissue repair, protein synthesis, etc.) require energy (calories).

Monday, October 5, 2009

Protein Powders and Shakes

Protein Powders and Shakes

Real food is always best, but if you are in a hurry and don't have time to eat, a protein shake is certainly better than not eating at all. I do recommend protein shakes for post-workout refueling. Too many people train hard and then run around doing errands without ever having stopped to eat. This is actually detrimental to your training and your health, because after a workout, your cells are waiting for replenishment. To maximize your efforts, a protein shake should be consumed within about 30 minutes from the end of your workout. A balanced meal should then be eaten about 1 hour after your protein shake (this is especially important for people trying to build muscle, but not necessary for those trying to lose fat). The appropriate refueling ratio of carbohydrate to protein 4 to 1. This means that your protein shake should have 4 grams of carbohydrates to every 1 gram of protein. For added carbohydrates, have a glass of fruit or vegetable juice with your shake if it is pre-mixed. Most pre-packaged protein shakes do not have the proper 4 to 1 ratio (too few carbohydrates).

Combining a whey protein with 2 ounces of juice or almond milk or skim milk and 4 to 6 ounces of water, then mixing in some fresh berries or cardamom or cocoa, is a great way to refuel the body with simple carbohydrates, which are helpful after a workout. Adding them to the protein powder after a workout is the best way to use them, because they will help move the amino acids from the protein powder into the cells more quickly to be used in the growth and repair. This is the one time you want to increase insulin.

For the best digestion, it is recommended that people rotate their protein powders. Whey protein will be the most efficient for moving amino acids into the cells, but an excess of concentrated dairy products, like whey, can increase mucus and congestion in some people, so pay attention to how you feel. The same holds true for soy protein: it can be difficult for some people to absorb and digest, so try to use it no more than once or twice a week. Organic rice protein is not as biologically beneficial as whey protein because it doesn't contain all the essential amino acids, but if it's mixed with almond milk, it becomes a complete protein, and if it's the only one you digest well, it will serve the purpose.