Woman against Protein

Why do woman panic and run at the shear thought of taking a protein shake, especially when training?

Being new to the personal training world, advising my clients that it would be beneficial to their training and goal set to start taking a protein shake post workout. The thought of it seems to be causing panic and a stir!!! The comments I’ve heard so far “hell no!”, “but I don’t want to bulk up and look manly!”And “protein shakes are not for me!”

I have one client who’s a vegetarian and insist she won’t go near protein shakes and insists she doesn’t need one! At the end of the day as a personal trainer I can’t force anyone to take or buy shakes, supplements or anything nutritional in general. I can only advise to what I think may be beneficial to my client’s wellbeing and nutritional needs.

I would advise a client especially a vegetarian to take a protein shake especially post workout as it would make me question if she was getting enough protein intake for that day? Also would she be getting enough protein from her normal diet? Don’t get me wrong a vegetarian can get protein from natural foods,not just meat. Such as quorn, rice, beans, milk, quinoa, buckwheat, soy and tofu not to mention more. But for someone who lives a busy life style with huge expectations and demands from work not to mention family life too, it could make it extremely hard to plan meals, shop in advance or even have the time to fit in a meal during busy working hours. So taking a shake provides a simple and quicker form of getting the right amount of protein a client may need.

We've all experienced it, weeks of rigorous exercise and dieting meals filled with broccoli, brown rice and chicken you feel an uncontrollable urge to stray from well planned meals. Then that little voice you start hearing starts getting louder, especially if you're a woman! You hear ice cream and pasta calling your name.

According to a study published in the "International Journal of Eating Disorders, women tend to crave sugary snacks like chocolate, ice cream, and cakes. Men, on the other hand, prefer to sink their teeth into a well-marbled porterhouse steak. Women seem to lack protein in their diets, even when it comes to cheat meals! A lack of protein can be problematic for anyone, but it's especially troubling for women who workout.

While your body needs carbs and healthy fats for energy, protein is essential for tissue growth and repair. If you're in the gym sweating out a tough set of squats, lunges or a rigorous spinning class, a lack of protein in your diet can hinder your body's ability to recover and grow!

The reasons for adding more protein to your diet plan are numerous. Of the 20 amino acids that make up protein, nine are essential. "Essential" means that your body can't manufacture these aminos on its own. The only way they can be consumed is through food. Dietary protein supplies the building blocks of muscle tissue. It also supplies the materials needed for neurotransmitters and hormones.

So in other words our bodies produce eleven amino acids but for our muscle fibres to grow and repair we need the other nine amino acids which are bodies cannot produce. So therefore we have to acquire them through foods or supplements. But the only two scary words woman seem to hear is MUSCLE GROWTH! Which seems to scare most woman away from taking shakes.

What most women don't know is that woman's testosterone levels are lower compared to men. So for that reason,woman’s bodies/muscles cannot bulk up massively producing large muscle growth. What you’ll find will happen from taking a protein shake, is your more likely to tone and have more of a lean body which helps to reduce body fat.

So each time you hit the gym for a workout, you now know you’ll be breaking your muscle tissues down, you will actually build muscles back outside the gym. To do that, however, you’ll need enough fuel with proper protein intake. Amino acids come to the rescue of your damaged muscle, repairing those tissues so they grow back even stronger.

Other benefits of protein:

Protein: stabilizes your energy levels and appetite

If you're constantly hungry throughout the day, you're probably not eating enough protein at every meal. Compared to carbohydrates, protein takes longer to break down and digest.

Meaning slow digestion times you'll stay fuller for longer and keep your hunger at bay, making it easier to hit your calorie intake and macros for bodyweight maintenance.

Protein: helps you burn calories more effectively

Protein has the highest thermic effect of food (TEF), which is the amount of calories it takes your body to process and utilize a nutrient. At 20-35 percent, protein has the highest TEF.

This means that your body actually uses 20-35 percent of the energy from protein consumed just to digest and absorb it!

Out of every 100 calories you get from protein, 25-30 are burned in the digestion process.

Since your body uses more energy to process proteins than it does to digest carbohydrates and fats, people who consume more protein throughout the day might see faster fat-loss results than people on a lower-protein diet plan.

Protein: safeguards against the loss of muscle

As your caloric intake drops, and carbohydrates and fats become scarce on a strict diet, there's a greater chance that your body will turn to incoming protein for energy. This leaves less protein for various bodily functions.

If insufficient amino acids are present, your body will start breaking down muscle tissue to get individual aminos. For you, this could mean a loss in muscle and a slower resting metabolism. Protect against this by prioritizing protein!

Protein: boosts your immune system

Oh, the wonders of whey. If you choose to add protein powder to your diet, you'll be taking in more than muscle-building strength gains. You get an immune boost, as well. Whey protein contains glutathione, a tripeptide that helps strengthen immune function