Are You Using Protein As Fuel For Exercise?

What’s Your Fuel For Exercise?

Every cell in your body requires protein to stay healthy. For mental and physical health, protein is absolutely essential.  Protein isn’t considered a major player as fuel for exercise, as far as an energy source while exercising, because only about 5% is used in this way. But protein is crucial in the recovery process.

During exercise, muscle fibers tear, called microtears, and it’s in recovery these tears are repaired and the muscle enlarged. The muscle repairing process requires protein.

Free Report: 15 Foods To Eat Before & After Your Workouts

What Does Protein Do?

Protein builds long, lean muscles, while simultaneously promoting overall health and well-being. Whether your fitness goal is to develop sculpted muscle, lose weight or just stay in shape, building muscles will help you get there. Like every other part of your body, your muscles need a lot of healthy protein.

Your muscles become stronger when they’re resting, not when you’re using them. As you exercise, you actually tear down the muscles you currently have. Your body will rebuild those muscles stronger than before, in an effort to keep them from being fatigued and torn in the future. This is how protein supports stronger muscles.

This process is not limited to bodybuilding but also occurs in endurance-type sports whether recreational or at the professional level.

How Much Is Needed?

Depending on training levels, protein needs will differ. For example, recreational exercisers need anywhere from 1gram per kilogram (or 2.2 pounds) of bodyweight up to as much as 1.8 grams. Endurance athletes need a minimum of 1.4 grams up to as high as 2.0 grams.

And the quantity of protein isn’t the only consideration. Timing, or when you take in the protein, is important also. Studies have concluded that around 30 minutes prior to working out and again within 2 hours post-workout are the optimal times to take in a high-quality protein.

The protein beforehand has a chance to breakdown and provides your body with a ready source of amino acids it needs during a workout. If not readily available from food, it will pull the necessary amino acids from the protein in muscle, thus sacrificing muscle tissue. Afterward, protein is used to start the repair, recovery and rebuilding process in muscle.

Type of Protein

To keep it simple, we’re only going to look at animal and non-animal types of protein. The main difference is the animal protein tends to be complete meaning it contains the 9 essential amino acids. These aren’t made or stored in the body so they must come daily from the food we eat.

Non-animal protein generally comes from plants and are usually not complete proteins as they are missing one or more of the essential amino acids. However, two can be combined to form complete ones. For example, rice and beans. Rice is missing what the beans have and visa versa, so when paired together form a complete protein.

Whey verses Soy

These are two other types of protein usually come from supplementation in the form of protein powder. Both are used to supplement protein found in food and each has its better use.

Because soy has less of a tendency to create ammonia, which causes muscle fatigue afterward as part of the breakdown process, it’s better suited to ingest before and during exercise. Whey, on the other hand, is better absorbed and has the highest percentage of amino acids, exactly what is needed after a workout to which it is more suited.

While the other two macronutrients carbohydrates and fat are primary sources of energy and fuel for exercise, adequate amounts of protein should be ingested prior to, during and especially post-workout to facilitate the post-workout recovery process.

15 Foods That Provide Fuel For Exercise

Do you actively think about what you should be eating before and after a workout? If you are like most people, you don’t and that’s a mistake. Why? Your body needs a certain kind of nutrition in each stage of an exercise workout. Protein, carbs (both simple and complex) and healthy fats all play a role in your body’s fuel for exercise. Not only getting you ready for a workout, but refueling you afterwards and starting the recovery process.

Download this free report to discover 15 Foods To Eat Before & After Your Workout and why these types of foods are best at both ends of an exercise session.