Hi friends,
It is holiday season once again! Don’t you just love the colors that Halloween brings, burgundies, orange glows, and a wonderful tapestry of warm smells and spirit. The holidays are blessed, and we don’t all have time for a Los Angeles personal trainer like myself, but then again so is every day special, unique and brand new. Enjoy each day with what it brings and let your gratitude for each reward you with more!
With this month’s newsletter i am going to address a topic that will answer some questions you may have on how much protein you need for optimum health and wellness.
How Much Protein Do You Need?
It is surprising but many fitness enthusiasts do not pay close attention to the protein requirements of their bodies, whether by society’s abundance of carbohydrate or just simply a lack of knowledge, or confusion from all the misinformation out there?
Regardless of one’s activity level we all need protein to function. Protein is one of the most important macronutrients, together with carbohydrate and fat. It is essential for muscle repair from intense workouts, immune function and maintaining the muscle mass you already have.
How many times have you heard the statement, “you can get all the protein you need from a normal diet?” The question is, “need for what?” There’s quite a difference between the need to stay alive and the need to achieve an athletic, muscular body.
For a person weighing 140 lbs based on a 2000kcal diet per day with a minimum protein requirement of 10% of daily caloric intake one should consume a minimum of 50 grams of protein each day (protein is 4kcal per gram).. In actual fact if you desire to obtain a peak performance athletic body you may need 1.5 – 2 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight. That would translate to 210 – 240 grams of protein for the same 140lb individual.
Special notes on protein
Protein has many benefits and functions depending on how you want to use it? It can be used to gain muscle, burn fat or gain body weight. By increasing your protein to the upper threshold, 1.5 – 2 grams per pound of body weight you increase your amino acid stores (that’s what protein metabolizes into), giving your muscles a harder, more toned, hence fuller appearance. Increasing your protein intake almost always results in greater muscularity. Protein excretes Glucagon, a hormone that aids your body to move from fat storing to fat mobilization mode. The more you elevate your protein, the more likely your Glucagon levels are to remain boosted, resulting in greater fat loss.
There are two key sources of protein, animal and vegetable. The main thing that they have in common, is that they both metabolize into amino acids once ingested. The difference is that plant protein has an incomplete amino profile, while animal is complete, meaning that the former does not supply your body’s total needs. However if you supplement with egg white protein the profile will become complete. Soy also has a complete amino acid profile, and is good for those on a vegetarian diet. There are 20 amino acids found in proteins, with 10 essential ones that the body cannot make by itself,or like other foods stored so they need to be ingested everyday.
Enjoy your training AND also eat right… EAT SMART.
God bless,
Nick.
-NicholasIf you are in the Los Angeles area and you would like a complimentary one-on-one assessment with Personal Trainer in L.A. Nicholas Barrett, please don't hesitate to get in touch! Personal trainer Los Angeles. Los Angeles personal trainer. Personal trainer marina del rey.
