Exercise and Protein – What’s Right for You?

When it comes to exercising and nutrition together, many people’s initial thought goes to protein intake, and rightfully so! Protein is an important part of a healthy diet, and assists in preserving and building muscle. So, if you are working out, you need to make sure you eat a lot of protein right? While this is more true than not, you want to ensure that you are eating the right amount of protein for your body type/weight and your goals. Many people already over-consume protein, so knowing what you need is important when trying to lose or maintain weight, or build muscle.

So how do you know how much protein you need to consume? As mentioned, it’s different for both men and women, and also depends on your fitness goals. To determine how much protein to intake a day you need to multiply your lean muscle mass (not your body weight) between the variables (.08 – 1.2) For females who want to lose or just maintain their weight they need to multiply their lean mass by .08. For men wanting the same multiply by .10. If they want to increase their size they just need to increase the percentage. So how do you determine your lean muscle mass? It’s not as difficult as it sounds! First, you would have to find out what your body fat percentage is. The two common ways to do this are getting a skin fold test and using a bio-electrical impedance device (usually done by a personal trainer, or you can purchase hand held devices) or you can purchase a scale that can read measure your body fat percentage. After you get your body fat percentage multiply that number by your body weight – this number will be how much body fat you have on you. Subtract this number from your body weight, and the result is your lean muscle mass. (Then just multiply by the number above applicable to you!)

So now that you know how much protein you should consume, what are some good sources for this muscle-building amino acid? Overall, the best source is going to come from the food you eat. Your body digests this better and more efficiently, making optimum use of it especially when your working out. There are tons of great sources of protein out there, both animal and plant based. Here are some top sources:

Protein shakes are often popular among those working out, and while they are good second choice, the protein in the powder my not be complete so you will need to take a supplement – for example Branched Chain Amino Acids (B.C.A.A.) to make it a complete the protein. There are also a lot of pre-made protein shakes out there which can make it diffcult to decide which one is the best. Some protein shakes say they have 35grams of protein while others say 55grams. The truth of the matter is, is that your body can only process about 40grams of protein at a time – so take this into consideration, along with the amount of protein you actually need to consume, when deciding if you want to go this route.

Do you have more questions, or can you benefit from working with someone who is an expert in both fitness and nutrition? Contact me today, and I can help you get on track with your diet and exercise program! Call me at (954) 701-4256 or through email at edwinsfitness@gmail.com