The human body is made up of water, fat and protein, in the simplest of descriptions. The protein is in your muscles and bodily organs, as well as your skin. When you exercise, these muscles go through some major metabolic changes. If you want to support your muscles (and your body as a whole), adding protein supplements to your diet and exercise routine can have quite the impact. Here is how these supplements impact your routine and why you would want to add them (if you currently do not partake of them).
Body Builders, Protein and Supplement Use
Body builders eat more protein than the daily requirements set by the FDA, and with good reason. Because these athletes spend hours working out to build up their huge muscles, they are both building up and breaking down muscle tissue to get bigger. As such, their muscles need a little extra protein to help rebuild the cells in their bodies that have broken down during intense workouts.
Strained/ overworked muscles need water and protein to rebuild and keep building, and that is why these athletes consume the protein bars and shakes that they do. If they also lack protein in their diets because they do not eat enough meat, eggs, dairy or cheese, then the protein supplements can replace the lack of meat and animal protein in their diets. Supplements that contain amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein, are often the better choice too, since the amino acids may be more readily absorbed and used by the body than protein alone.
What This Means for Your Workouts
If your workouts are not nearly as long, rigorous or demanding as a body builder's you may not need as many supplements. However, if you find that you cannot incorporate five to seven ounces of pure protein into your daily caloric needs, you may need to consume one or two servings of protein supplements in the form of shakes or bars. If you do not eat meat, fish, dairy, cheese or eggs at all (because you are vegetarian or vegan) you will have to consume more protein in the form of supplements. (There are some supplements you can buy which allow you to adhere strictly to the vegan lifestyle too, if you are concerned about that.) A couple extra ounces of protein on your heaviest workout days may be be beneficial, but you will want to avoid consuming too much protein on light workout days.
Why You Would Want to Include Protein Supplements
Including protein supplements for all of the above reasons may be enough for you, but you should also know that protein can help you feel fuller too. It satisfies hunger during workouts that might otherwise sidetrack your exercise goals. Your muscles may bounce back a little faster from your workouts when you have had a sufficient amount of protein daily. Just be sure to ask an expert about which supplements you should buy before you buy protein online or buy a lot of different supplements from a vitamin store.
Share6 July 2016
When I started thinking about ways to lose weight, I knew that I needed to focus on exercise. I started hitting the gym about five times a week, and the difference that it made in my life was astounding. I found myself with more energy and more stamina, and it was really invigorating. I realized that I had changed my life, and it was really incredible. I decided to start this blog completely dedicated to health and exercise to change the way other people think about movement. With the right exercise, you can enjoy a healthier, happier body that you feel more confident about.
