Nutrition 101: Protein

Nutrition 101: Protein

Most people know that you need protein everyday. What most people don't know is the importance of protein. Protein is one of the 3 macro nutrients that your body needs on a regular basis. Proteins are important because they contain amino acids, which are the building blocks of cells. Most people, even I am guilty of this, don't know how much protein to take in or when...which are both SUPER important. Protein intake will depend on your age, sex, and activity level. I will discuss ways to calculate protein intake later on.

So, what is the important information that everyone needs to know about protein? Ok so in the post I will go over the different types of protein as well as supplements for protein. At the end I'll given some info on types of protein as well as some little facts about protein.

1. Different types of protein: complete and incomplete proteins

-----Complete protein is a source that provides a person with all essential amino acids. Essential amino acids cannot be made in the body. These amino acids are important for the body in order to help repair and make muscle, tissue, cells, etc. Basically everything...duh! So you need to make sure that you are getting these types of amino acids in your diet. These amino acids can be found in animal based foods.

-----Incomplete protein are sources of food that provide some amino acids but not all 20 essential aminos. Incomplete proteins can be used together to create a complementary protein in which two or more sources is used to complete the 20 essential aminos.

Now I know this is a lot of information...and you're probably like whatever Cassie, why is this important. Well its important because you need to make sure that you are getting adequate amounts of protein in order for your body to function at its maximum potential! This is especially important for people who do not eat animal based proteins...you need to investigate your food to make sure that you are getting all 20 essential aminos!!

2. Supplements. Lots of people ask me about supplements that I take. Maybe one day I'll blog about that...it depends on the season that I am in and I have differing views about supplements than most I believe. First let me say that supplements are just that...SUPPLEMENTS. They are NOT replacements for regular food. Supplements should be used to supplement your diet to make sure that you are getting everything that you need. I only use protein supplements when ABSOLUTELY needed. And I'll let you know those times in just a little bit!

-----Whey protein: there are three different types of whey protein powder. Whey is a by-product of cheese production that is used because it is a rapid dissolving protein. Whey is great for the beginning of the day and making sure that you have something in your stomach to kick start your metabolism. Whey is also great right AFTER a workout to start the repairing process for your muscles. Right after a workout you need to get (at least) protein in your system within 30 minutes.

    1. Concentrate - higher fat ratio, usually the best tasting protein because it has more fat.

    2. Isolates - remove the most of fat and lactose, taste is mild and similar to milk

    3. Hydrolysates - less fat of the three, higher level of protein, taste is "ok" (remember to think it has less fat and that's the most important part of this). If you have a milk allergy this the whey to try first, less likely to have an allergic reaction.

-----BCAA - branched chain amino acids. You want to take this during your workout and after your workout. Helps aid muscle repair.

-----Glutamine - This is an amino that is in BCAA's as well as whey but in small amounts. This will help prevent muscle soreness if taken during workout and post-workout.

These are the supplements that I take everyday. I usually take whey only once, right after my workout. I take BCAA's and Glutamine during my workout and after to help prevent feeling sore the next time...because that is NO FUN!!!!!!!

3. Protein Intake - depending on age, sex, and activity level your protein level will be different. Most people who workout regularly need at least 1 gram of protein per body weight. One of my post earlier (I think the first) has a link to a calculator that will tell you the amount of macros you need for your goals, age, sex, etc. Use that!!!! If you don't take in enough protein your body will start to breakdown muscle. To much and your body won't process it and its basically wasted.

That is all I have about protein. I hope this helped. Let me know if you have questions...or anything else that is helpful for others!!!

WOD: Shoulders and Chest

Happy Monday ya’ll!!! :-)

I hope everyone had a great weekend!! I get a lot of people asking me for workouts, so I want to give you guys more workouts to use. At the end of this post there will be a WOD tag, use that to look up more workouts that I have posted in the past!

Over the weekend I did shoulders and chest. Remember to do weight that works for you…always start light and work your way up. If you start heavy you will hurt yourself and won’t be able to work out…and that is no good.

The way I have designed the workout out is that you do a warm up for the muscle group, then 2-3 exercises after, and then 1-2 to burn out.

Warm Up

1. Bench press (chest) – 4x15 (try using a barbell but can use dumbbells)

2. Arnold press (shoulders) 4x15

Regular

3. Front to Lateral raise (shoulders) – 3x15 (go lighter weight in the beginning, lateral raises can cause injury if you “jerk” the weight)

4. Incline chest fly (chest) – 3x15

5. Incline rear delt (shoulders) – 3x15

Burn Out

6. Cable Shoulder Single Arm Press – 4x15

7. Cable Chest Fly – 4x15

After this I did a little interval workout, you guys can find that on my instagram. Hope this is helpful!! Happy Lifting! :-)

Nutrition 101: Carbs :-O

Carbohydrates:

When talking about food most people will divide it up into macro and micro nutrients. Macro nutrients include protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Micro nutrients are smaller like vitamins and fiber. It is important to know the significance of all of these nutrients in order to use them effectively. So what I want to focus on first is carbohydrates. I think that carbs get a bad rep because of the way most people consume carbs.

***Carbs are extremely important for your diet and need to be consumed daily.***

So why do carbs get a bad rep?? Well because of things like pop-tarts, candy, and white bread. These things are what we call fast digesting carbs and beyond that have very little nutritional value. Carbs can be divided into three different categories; slow, medium, and fast digesting carbs.  Examples of different types of carbs will be later on, don’t you worry :-)

Carbs are important because they are vital for energy produce and muscle replenishment. Different body types will use carbs differently, but mainly carbs are for energy. When you ingest carbs they are converted into sugar (aka glucose), which in turn gives you energy. If you ingest fast digesting carbs you will have an insulin spike which will make your body store that energy as fat. Slow digestive carbs give your body the ability to store those nutrients as energy in your muscles to use later.

When I put together a meal plan I like to make sure I have a well balanced meals. I also like to consume mainly “whole” foods. I think to eat things with very few ingredients, and if it has more than a few I like to make sure that I know what they are. Some of the things people eat these days is crazy, and if you look on the box you can’t pronounce half of the ingredients! So when putting together your meal plan…look for carbs that are as close to whole and natural as possible!!

Examples of Slow/Medium/Fast Digesting Carbs

Slow – sweet potatoes, wild rice, beans, red potatoes, and fruit

Medium – banana, potatoes, brown rice, oranges, orange juice, whole wheat pasta

Fast – white bread, white rice, cold cereals, rice cakes, fruit juices

Carbs are needed in any diet and all of these types of carbs can be used on a regular/semi-regular basis, you just have to know the appropriate times.

 - Slow digesting carbs can be taken in at any time. Good to take in at all three major meals. These carbs are going to keep you fuller longer because they take your body longer to digest.

- Medium digesting carbs can be taken right before a training session. As you work out your carb storage from early will start to deplete, so taking in these carbs right before a session will help maintain a steady blood sugar throughout your workout.

- Fast digesting carbs should be taken immediately after a training session. You always want to make sure that you are refueling you body after working out. Your body is in prime mode to effectively use and storage fuel at this point. Use fast digesting carbs and protein for maximum benefits. These types of carbs do not have to be ingested, one could use medium digesting carbs after a workout…it is simply the best (and only time) to take in these types of carbs.

Examples of carbs for meals – (these are some of my faves :-D)

Breakfast: oatmeal, Ezekiel bread, sweet potato hash

Lunch: brown rice (or wild rice), sweet potatoes, black beans

Post workout: brown rice or sweet potato

Dinner: brown rice, rice pasta, sweet potato

One thing to remember…that veggies are the best carbs! The more and more veggies you eat the better. Veggies not only are low in carbs, they are full of fiber and other micro nutrients that help you feel fuller longer without throwing your diet off a bridge! 

I usually take in about 1/3 cup of any carb and then 1-2 cups of veggies. Some of my favorite veggies are green beans, spinach, and broccoli! 

Look for my nutrition 101 to come! 

HIIT Workout - Outside Addition :-)

Workout Of The Day - 

So yesterday I posted on Instagram that I would be posting an outside workout. I want to do this for a couple of reasons.

 1. Sometimes people do not have access to the gym and want things that they can do at home. I have bought a pair of weights that were inexpensive to use at home.

 2. The weather is so beautiful it sucks to be stuck inside a stuffy…smelly...dim gym. 

 3. Vitamin D is AMAZING for you to get regularly! Being outside in the sun has been shown to increase neurotransmitter release, therefore making the correlation in your brain that exercise is fun! :-) 

So yesterday I went to the gym for a quick arm sesh and then decided to go outside for some sun and cardio! :-) So here is a little workout. (I used bleachers but they are not a necessity) 

Circuit 1 - 

Up and down the stairs (or high knees) for 1 min 

Lunges up bleachers (or lunges on track) for 1 min 

Step up and kickback on bench or elevate surface – 10 each side 

Break for 1-2 minutes (If you have a heart rate monitor, wait until your heart rate has returned to a normal level. If you don’t use your breathing as a monitoring tool. You should be able to breathe “normally” with only slight impairment.) 

Circuit 2 - 

Toe taps on stairs (or fast feet) for 1 min 

      Moving feet one at a time forwards and backwards as fast as you can go 

Up and down the stairs (or high knees) 1 min 

Sprint one length of bleacher x 4 (or spring for 15 secs x4) 

Circuit 3 - 

Run one lap 

Sprint for 35-45 secs 

Walk one lap

This little workout took me about 20 minutes. Remember to rest and get your heart rate back to normal. This is going to help later on with your hormone level, which at night will help with muscle repair. Hope you like this workout. I am going to be posting more I promise!! Life has been so crazy, but I am getting back to my roots ;-)