Protein Power Up

Greetings EMPOWER-ed People

Thank you all for coming along on this health, wellness, and fitness, journey with me in one way or another.

Today I want to talk about protein.  One of the common issues I see with my fitness and nutrition client’s is not getting enough protein in their diets.  I used to hate talking about protein.  As a vegetarian I would roll my eye so hard when someone would ask, “How do you get your protein”.  It felt like a way to poo-poo on my nutritional choices, but as I learned more and more about training, body composition, and nutrition I realized this is actually a very valid question, not just for my vegan and vegetarian friends, but for everyone!

Pro tip: Don’t ask someone about their protein intake unless they ask you or bring it up first (wink, wink).

Because you are here on my mailing list I am going to take the giant leap and assume you want to make lifestyle, or body composition change, you want to learn more about nutrition, or get faster, or stronger, or build muscle.  Great!  You’re going to need to examine your protein intake to get there.  Some of the benefits of adequate protein include:

The RDA is very low.  So if you are looking at the number and thinking you are meeting or exceeding your needs take another look.  RDA’s were created to keep people from being malnourished, not for training, and certainly not for performing.

So how much DO you need? For people training and performing (and that includes you weekend warriors!) , protein needs might go up to about 1.4-2.0 g/kg (or around 0.64-0.9 g/lb) of body mass. Our hypothetical 150 lb (68 kg) person would thus need about 95-135 g of protein per day.  Now, there are some folks who need to watch their protein intake due to medical conditions, so always ask your doctor before embarking on a new supplement regimen.

Personally I find it hard to consume enough for the amount of training, playing and adventuring I do.  No matter how diligent I am with my meal prep, even on my best nutrition days. If you are in the same boat, that is when you may want to consider a protein supplement.  I have used protein supplements in my own training and with my clients for years, one of the biggest barriers I come up against with folks is taste.  To me, protein powder has a job to do, I don’t care much about it how it tastes, but I do get a hankering for something sweet every now and again.  But, some folks cannot stand a chalky unpalatable protein powder.  I also like to bake with my protein powders, and that can be hard to do because sometimes your bakes will go wonky, especially with whey.

Paid partnership, also a brand I enjoy: If you are looking for a high quality whey protein that bakes well, I have a treat for you.  LadyBoss Lean is back!  Everyone’s favorite vanilla cake protein.  Get yours here:  https://coachchristine.ladyboss.io and it’s not just for women (my husband loves the stuff!). It’s perfect if taste is your number one priority!  Try Lean in my FREE Empower Your Prep recipes and you won’t be disappointed! Even better if you love Lean you can become a champion or phoenix, get lots of extra goodies (many that I worked on), and share it with your friends.

Just a brand I enjoy: If you are looking for something a bit more performance based I love Ascent , they also have a plant based formula, as well as recovery and pre-workout formulas and sell it at my studio (Tahoe Flow Arts & Fitness) come by and pick some up if you are in the hood and we can chat protein all day!

Or join me in my Facebook group for more tips, and musings here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1104296846848402

Happy Protein Power-UP.