Don't Be Afraid of the "P" Word

~ PROTEIN ~

I was in the gym this morning and actually eavesdropping on a couple women talking in the sauna.  They were in their early 20's I would say and had just finished a cardio class.  They were discussing the fact that they were minimizing their protein as much as possible, so they didn't get "really muscular" (as they said) and "put on weight?!?!"  Really... this was actually the conversation! 

Eating protein does NOT do ^^THIS^^ to any one's body!

I am here to tell you this... unless your fitness goal is to become a jelly fish, you NEED protein in your diet!!!  And not just a little bit of protein.  It is recommended that you eat .8 grams of protein for every pound that you weigh.  Therefore, if you are a 150 pound even moderately active adult, you should be taking in 120 grams of protein per day.  If you are logging, calculating and analyzing your food intake then you will quickly notice, as I did, that you have to work at and focus on getting that protein in your diet.  I can promise you that you aren't getting it if you are eating at fast food restaurants.  That seems to be the only thing their food IS missing!

Protein is one of the basic building blocks of the human body.  It is an important component of every cell in your body.  Hair and nails are mostly made of protein, your body uses protein to build and repair tissue, protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood.  Along with fat and carbs, protein is a "macro nutrient" (a nutrient your body uses in rather large amounts.)  Unlike fat and carbs, your body does not store protein and therefore has no reservoir to draw on when it needs a new supply.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and protein is the building block of muscle. The more muscle your body has, the higher your metabolism is and the more calories you will burn. Every muscle cell that you gain is like a little factory that is constantly burning calories for you, even when you sleep!  So, if your goal is to lose weight, tone up and get into shape then you need to find ways to incorporate protein into your diet!  You need to add weight training to your routine as soon as you can also.  I did cardio for the first month - cardio alone - thinking that it would be the best route to take but have since learned that I should have started incorporating the weight training a little earlier for quicker results. 

I do not mean run to the squat machine and load the thing up - start out on the circuit if you feel comfortable using the machines instead of free weights and dumbbells.  You need to work on gaining muscle mass in order to tone your body and that means you need to be feeding your body correctly!

Eating protein can help do ^^this^^ to your body!

High protein foods include chicken, fish, pork, eggs, milk, cottage cheese, yogurt (Greek yogurt has the highest amount of protein), tofu, most beans (pinto beans, black beans, lentils), soy beans, whole grains, quiona, split peas, peanut butter, almonds, peanuts, cashews, pecans, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. 

Additionally, as I have suggested before, protein powders are a good option if you are finding it difficult to get your protein in!  They are quick and easy and some (like Jay Robb that I noted before) have all of your branch chain amino acids and is all natural... basically, it means it is really good for you!

I cannot stress enough how important it is to ensure that you are incorporating the appropriate amounts of all of your necessary macro nutrients (protein, fat and carbs) into your diet on a daily basis!  If you are relying on a "diet" that is cutting or drastically minimizing any of these vital nutrients then you are not feeding your body sufficiently, you will more easily veer "off track" and end up binge eating, "falling off the wagon" (if you will) and be back to square one!

“If you always do what you have always done, then you will always get what you have always got.”

 Ready for change?