Protein and your Health.
We aim to empower all health conscious individuals to achieve specific goals what ever they are in terms of Health and wellness. We will try provide you the correct knowledge about what the body is doing during different stages of the journey. By understanding the state that your body enters into for many reasons is important, you can either enhance or counteract this complex process.
An example is when your body breaks down stored fat cells it will allow you to become the hybrid bio system which nature intended. With this knowledge, this process of eating in a specific manner at specific times combing certain nutrients before, during and after exercise will greatly enhance your bodies function, adaption and condition. This will allow you to achieve your goals more easily and in a more time efficient manner.
It is so so important to supply the body with sufficient protein and essential fats as these are the key nutrients the body needs to fuel, repair and rejuvenate during any form of exercise, recovery or for general healthy living and aging. These two nutrients do this by giving the body what it needs to maintain muscle and connective tissue, regulate muscle-friendly hormones and bio processes and re-synthesis of all the key biochemicals which your body produces every second.
An estimated + 20%- 30% of your diet should include protein to maintain muscle mass. This increases to +30% if you exercise every day. You can use protein supplements to assist you if you battle to get your protein requirements from your daily diet, but you need to ensure that the majority of your diet consists of real food. Good sources of natural protein include meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds and legumes. Est. 20%-30% + depending on health regime should consist of healthy fats ( Various ). Good sources of healthy fats are oily fish (like salmon, pilchards, herring, mackerel and trout), Omega 3, MCT’s, Coconut oil, tallow, olives, avocado, nuts, seeds and dairy products. Eat fresh fruit and vegetables to keep healthy. When looking at a new diet, you always need to include a good amount of fresh fruit and vegetables for optimum health. This is essential to get all the micro nutrients that your body needs to be optimally healthy. Failure to get these micro nutrients can lead to illness (a significant cause of muscle break down). Also, these are needed to improve digestion, which ultimately helps your body to absorb the nutrients it needs to achieve your goals.
During Prolonged work loads, exercise (and training)The Journal of Applied Physiology showcases a study that investigated the effects of muscle breakdown during prolonged exercise. They measured the breakdown of protein by looking at urea levels. Urea is the end product that is made when protein is broken down. High urea levels, for example, indicate highly broken down muscle mass. They measured the urea levels of participants who cycled for 1 hour at 61% of their VO2 max to determine the correlation between muscle loss and exercise duration. The researchers found that 13.7 grams of protein was broken in 1 hour of exercise. 10.4% of the total energy cost (measured in calories) was obtained by breaking down protein. The study reports that protein is broken down at a much greater extent than what is commonly estimated. That is why it is important to refuel and supply this key nutrient so as to maintain and build back what has been lost.
Muscle and Protein Intake: The Key to Building and Maintaining a Strong body and Physique.
In the world of fitness and bodybuilding, the phrase "muscle and protein intake" is often at the forefront of discussions. It is widely recognized that building and maintaining strong muscles requires a well-balanced diet, specifically one that includes an adequate amount of protein. Let's delve deeper into the importance of muscle and protein intake and how they go hand in hand.
Muscle: The Foundation of Strength
Muscles are not only responsible for our physical strength and power, but they also play a vital role in our overall health. A well-developed muscular system supports good posture, aids in preventing injuries, and enhances our daily functional movements. Whether you are an athlete aiming to excel in your sport or an individual looking to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle, an optimal muscle mass is key.
The Role of Protein: Fuelling Muscle Growth and Repair
Protein, often referred to as the building block of muscles, is crucial for muscle growth and repair. When we engage in physical activities such as resistance training or intense workouts, our muscle fibers experience micro-tears. It is during the recovery phase that protein plays a crucial role by repairing and rebuilding these damaged fibers, leading to muscle growth and increased strength.
Finding the Optimal Protein Intake
Determining the optimal protein intake for muscle growth and maintenance requires considering various factors such as age, sex, body weight, and activity level. Generally, it is recommended that individuals looking to enhance their muscle mass consume between 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. This means that a person weighing 150 pounds would aim to consume approximately 105 to 150 grams of protein daily.
Sources of Protein: Variety is Key
Meeting your daily protein requirements can be achieved by consuming a combination of animal and plant-based sources. Animal sources, such as lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products, are popular options due to their rich protein content and essential amino acid profile. Plant-based sources like legumes, soy products, quinoa, nuts, and seeds are also excellent choices for those following a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Also remember Why and Collagen proteins as they provide the key amino acid profiles also.
Timing and Distribution of Protein Intake
The timing and distribution of protein intake throughout the day can also influence muscle building and repair. It is commonly recommended to distribute protein intake evenly across meals rather than consuming a large amount in a single sitting. This approach ensures a continuous supply of amino acids to fuel muscle recovery and growth.
Additionally, consuming protein within an hour or two after exercise is highly beneficial due to the increased sensitivity of muscle tissues to protein during this period. This post-workout protein intake aids in efficiently replenishing energy stores, reducing muscle breakdown, and stimulating muscle protein synthesis.
Muscle and Collagen Protein Benefits
Protein is an essential macronutrient that plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy body. While most people associate protein with muscle growth and repair, many are unaware of the specific benefits that muscle and collagen protein can offer. Let's take a closer look at these two important proteins and their unique advantages.
Muscle Protein: Building and Repairing Muscles
Muscle protein, often referred to as myoprotein, is primarily responsible for the growth and repair of muscle tissues. Engaging in regular physical activity, especially strength training exercises, places stress on our muscles, leading to microscopic damage. By providing the necessary building blocks for repair, muscle protein aids in the recovery and development of stronger muscles.
Consuming an adequate amount of muscle protein has several benefits. Firstly, it promotes muscle hypertrophy, which refers to an increase in muscle size and strength. This is particularly relevant for athletes and individuals who engage in intense workouts, as it supports enhanced athletic performance. Additionally, muscle protein plays a role in maintaining a healthy metabolism and effectively burning calories, which can be beneficial for weight management and body composition improvement.
You exercise to get into better shape, but your body breaks down muscle when you do. The good news is that by understanding the above process, you can take steps to minimize the amount of protein that is broken down. Here are the ways that you can improve muscle retention during physical activity.
Don't prolong exercise for too longFind the optimum length of time that you are going to train for, depending on your goals. Marathon runners have less muscle mass because they exercise for extremely long periods of time.
If your goal is to become a marathon runner, you shouldn't mind losing muscle mass as much as other athletes, because it will make you lighter and therefore require less energy to move your body over a long distance. You can still retain some muscle mass, though, by following the next few points.
If your goal is to build as much muscle as possible, like bodybuilders do, you should limit the amount of time that you spend on each workout to 90 minutes.
Collagen Protein: Supporting Joint Health and Skin Elasticity
Collagen, on the other hand, is the most abundant protein found in the human body and is responsible for providing structural support to various tissues, including tendons, ligaments, skin, and bones. While collagen is found throughout the body, it is particularly crucial for maintaining joint health and promoting skin elasticity.
As we age, our body's natural collagen production declines, leading to the development of wrinkles, joint stiffness, and reduced mobility. Consuming collagen protein can help counteract these age-related effects. Research suggests that collagen supplementation may improve joint pain and increase joint flexibility, making it an attractive option for individuals suffering from conditions such as osteoarthritis.
Furthermore, collagen protein plays a significant role in maintaining the integrity and elasticity of the skin. It can enhance skin hydration, smoothness, and firmness, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and promoting a more youthful complexion. This makes collagen protein an essential ingredient in many skincare products.
Balancing Muscle and Protein Intake with Other Nutrients
While protein is crucial for muscle development, it is important not to overlook other essential nutrients. A well-rounded diet rich in complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals is vital for overall health and optimal muscle function. Adequate hydration is also crucial for muscle recovery and performance, as dehydration can limit exercise capacity and hinder muscle repair.
Consuming the nutrients that your body needs for energy before, during and after exercise will also lower muscle catabolism.
Sleep - The two sides of the coin when it come to the relationship between sleep and muscle breakdown. Firstly, sleeping without the right nutrients in your system can lead to catabolism because your body needs energy and resources to repair all of its tissues. Secondly, insufficient sleep leads to muscle breakdown because it does not have the time it needs to recover and rebuild.
The nutrition you consume before sleep determines what resources your body has to rebuild. Nutrition timing determines how much your body can repair and grow during sleep. If you have enough of what your body needs, it can use these resources to replenish energy levels, maintain physical tissue, grow muscle and repair the central nervous system (a very important system that every athlete must look after).
If you don't have the right nutrients during these times, your body can recycle the protein in your muscles into the energy and building blocks that it needs to ensure that you recover and function at your best the next day. This decreases muscle mass. Your body will rather recover and function properly instead of retaining muscle and risk degrading into oblivion. Give your body what it needs to be able to do both.
When you don't get enough sleep, you don't get enough recovery. This is because a large portion of recovery happens when you sleep. Your body needs to recover in order to become better at using energy more efficiently. When you haven't recovered, it takes more energy to do normal activities and function properly. This is why you crave food that is high in calories on days following poor sleep. Lack of sleep forces your body to prioritize regular function instead of muscle growth. It prioritizes regular function over retention as well, meaning that it will break down muscle tissue if it needs the resources.
Stress and how cortisol, the stress hormone, breaks down muscle mass. When your body is stressed, it undergoes changes in order to prepare for the impending dangers that it faces. It thinks that your survival is threatened and therefore releases cortisol to prepare the body for fight or flight. In preparation for this anticipated danger, your body will slow down recovery processes so that the energy that is used for those functions can rather be used where it might be needed more. Additionally, the body will gather its resources for quick energy that it can use. One of the resources that it will tap into is... you guessed it... muscle mass.
The opposite is also true. Serotonin (the happy, relaxing hormone) speeds up recovery because this hormone signals to the body that there is no impending danger. This lets the body know that it can relax and rather focus its resources on other functions like recovery.
Aging has a caveat and explains muscle loss as a result, also numerous studies show a decrease in muscle function. It also contributes to the increased risk of accidental falls and injuries. However some of these risk factors may be slightly slowed as exercise can improve muscle function and help with aging in a over healthier manner. Maintaining a good exercise routine right into old age can not only keep you around for longer, but keep you healthy. Numerous studies have found that elderly people who start exercising can possibly reverse some conditions associated with old age and may appear younger than before they started.
Conclusion
Muscle and protein intake are intertwined elements that play a pivotal role in building and maintaining a strong and healthy body & mind. By incorporating an appropriate amount of protein into a well-rounded diet and following a consistent exercise routine, individuals can maximize muscle growth, enhance strength, and achieve their overall goals easily and quicker. Both muscle and collagen protein offer distinct benefits that contribute to overall health and well-being. While muscle protein supports the growth and repair of muscles, collagen protein aids in maintaining joint health and promoting a better balance of amino acids which has numerous benefits. By incorporating these proteins into our diets, either through natural food sources or supplements, we can take proactive steps towards optimizing our muscle function, body composition and delaying the signs of aging.
