Wednesday, September 5, 2012

1. Power of Protein

Over the next five weeks, I would like to share with you the five dietary principles I live by to keep my diet in check. This week, we'll look at The Power of Protein.

We have all heard the experts tell us to eat more protein in the past but do we really know why it is so important and how much should we have? Protein is the building block of all the muscles in our bodies and without it one cannot achieve muscle hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is just a fancy way of saying building muscle - which by the way isn't just restricted to body builders. Don't panic. Increasing your protein in take won't lead you to build muscles like Arnie. It takes a lot of self discipline, a strict diet and lifting serious heavy weights before you can achieve well sculpted physique like the Terminator. So think light weights for toning, heavy weights for bulking up

When you train, the muscles that you have used end up with microscopic tears (that's the muscle soreness you feel the next day after your work out) which your body needs to repair with the aid of adequate rest and proper nutrition. Protein helps the body repair itself by providing the proper nutrients, so new tissues can be built, making the muscle bigger and stronger so it can cope with the demands for next time.

Everybody has the same number of muscles. These muscles allow us to walk ,talk, breathe, pump blood in fact every thing we do is done by our muscles. It takes over 200 muscles working at once just to walk. Your heart is just one big muscle and we all know what happens if that stops working. So when you exercise, you build more muscles which in turn helps you burn even more calories in comparison to someone with minimal muscle tone.

How much do we need? Roughly 2 grams for every kilogram of body weight. So if you weight 80kg that's 160 grams per day (80 kg x 2).

I know this can be confusing and not everyone is a fan of weighing their food. Personally, I found the simplest way is to have equal parts carbohydrates and protein at every meal except dinner where I have either a minimal or no carbohydrates policy - think plenty of vegies not pasta, bread or rice.

My breakfast for example, is all about oats and berries. A typical lunch would be chicken or fish with a serving of mashed sweet potato and a variety of vegetables such as brocolli, asparagus, cauliflower, capsicum and carrots all in equal portions of each other. For dinner, I would have fish with spinach and chickpeas topped with yoghurt.

So if you want to lose weight and tone up then get your serve of protein every meal. It keeps you fuller for longer and keeps those cravings at bay. Remember, weight loss is 90% nutrition, 10% training. For most of us who are time poor, it's about training smarter, not harder.

If you need assistance with training or just looking for a bootcamp to join call or text Ashley on 0402 267 69 or email info@ashleydapiran.com or visit www.ashleydapiran.com