The New York Times published an interesting article last week all about Vitamin D.

Lately, many people have been telling me that their Doctor's are saying their "vitamin D levels are low."  I didn't understand this as I've been working with people in this field for 15 years now and this year, alone, have heard that statement more than all other 15 years combined.

Is it that the levels have changed?  Have we stopped getting it in our diet?  Or, are the doctors full of it?

Well the article sheds a little light on it.  It's a very good read.  Check it out.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/health/27brod.html?_r=1

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I wrote this a year ago but many people have been asking me about it lately so I feel it should be re-visited.  Please read on…

Have you been confused about “eating the right fats?”

Did you think all fats are bad (since that’s what is often portrayed in our media)?  Well, here’s a little clarity on the subject:

THROUGHOUT our history we have ingested an approximate equal proportion (1:1 ratio) of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 and omega-6 are types of essential fatty acids – meaning we cannot make them on our own and have to get them from our diet.  Both are polyunsaturated fatty acids that differ from each other in their chemical structure.

In modern diets, there are few sources of omega-3 fatty acids, mainly the fat of cold water fish such as salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, black cod, and bluefish.  There are two critical omega-3 fatty acids, (eicosapentaenoic acid, called EPA and docosahexaenoic acid or DHA), that the body needs.  Vegetarian sources, such as walnuts and flax seeds contain a precursor omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid called ALA) that the body must convert to EPA and DHA.  EPA and DHA are the building blocks for many hormones that control immune function, blood clotting, and cell growth as well as components of cell membranes.

Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids have opposing effects — the "yin" and "yang". These fatty acids need to be equal in concentration in body tissues as they check each other in a delicate balance to regulate thousands of metabolic functions through prostaglandin pathways.

Nearly every biologic function is somehow interconnected with the delicate balance between Omega-6 and Omega-3.

Inflammation

Omega-3s are powerfully involved in the control of inflammation, cardiovascular health, allergic reactivity, immune response, hormone modulation, intelligence and behavior. The rapid change in dietary fat ingestion, where we consume Omega 6 far in excess of Omega 3, in the last 50-100 years has bewildered human bio-physiology.

Diets high in Omega-6 oils at the expense of Omega-3 promote inflammation. Omega-3s are strongly anti-inflammatory. As a result, Omega-6 has been coined as "bad" and Omega-3 as "good".  However, both are essential for human health, it is the balance of the two in relation to each other that is important. Dominant Omega-6 in the body can create a situation that promotes chronic inflammation, propagation of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and auto-immunity.

Interesting Studies

Japanese researchers have proposed the leading cause of westernized degenerative diseases comes from lack of balance in our fat intakes. Their work has gone far to suggest that degenerative diseases are due to a drastic reduction in the intake of Omega-3 in relation to Omega-6 fatty acids. Their findings came from a review of over 500 peer-reviewed studies. These are the words of the Japanese researchers in the study summary:

"In this review, we summarize the evidence which indicates that increased dietary linoleic acid (Omega-6) and relative Omega-3 deficiency are major risk factors for western-type cancers cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and also for allergic hyper-reactivity. We also raise the possibility that a relative Omega-3 deficiency may be affecting the behavioral patterns of a proportion of the young generations in industrialized countries."

It is proposed that dietary intervention with Omega-3 supplementation, and the reduction of Omega-6 in the diet – could successfully reverse rising trends toward westernized degenerative diseases in Japan, and the world.

That is very interesting…

From Dr. Andrew Weil’s website:

“At the 2006 Nutrition and Health Conference sponsored by the University of Arizona's College of Medicine and Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., cited a study showing that violence in a British prison dropped by 37 percent after omega-3 oils and vitamins were added to the prisoners' diets.”

Where Did Omega-3’s Go?

About 100 years ago, the introduction of the screw-nut expeller press for the processing of vegetable/seed oils was developed. Vegetable oils and seeds are dominant in Omega-6 fatty acids, but most are completely devoid of complementary Omega-3 fatty acids. The processing of oils derived from corn, soy, safflower and sunflower created an extremely concentrated source of Omega-6, at the expense of Omega-3.  Dr. Andrew Weil says, “Refined vegetable oils, such as soy oil, are used in most of the snack foods, cookies, crackers, and sweets in the American diet as well as in fast food. Soybean oil alone is now so ubiquitous in fast foods and processed foods that an astounding 7-20 percent of the calories in the American diet are estimated to come from this single source.”

Modern methods of animal husbandry were developed to purposely fatten livestock for slaughter.  The protocol involves feeding livestock with carbohydrate rich grains rich in Omega-6 and devoid of Omega-3. Thus, the meat of domestic livestock has more Omega-6, at the expense of Omega-3.  Eggs, once a good source of Omega-3, have also fallen victim to the same process.  Chickens, like cattle, are fed a diet absent of Omega-3, as a result their eggs are also deficient.

This has resulted in a major reduction of Omega-3 in the food supply. At the same time, there has been an increase of commercially processed and refined Omega-6 (as noted above). With the exception of the trace amount of Omega-3 found in greens, sea-vegetables and some nuts and seeds, dietary sources are nil to none. The exception comes in the form of deep water ocean fish and flaxseeds. Unfortunately modern day dietary habits have shifted from whole-foods to that of highly refined foodstuffs, domesticated meats and soft-drinks.  Consequently, very little Omega-3 is consumed in the average diet.

Back to balance

Rapid changes in food processing technology and animal husbandry have created a severe imbalance of Omega-6 to Omega-3. This cannot be easily corrected through dietary modification alone.  However, the good news is that we can work to correct this imbalance in our body by supplementing our diet with Omega-3.

Currently the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 in the American Diet ranges from 10:1 to 20:1, and in Japan 4:1 — all grossly in favor of Omega-6.  In North America, Omega-6 constitutes 7-20 percent of calories consumed!  This is way in excess.

There are two things you should do now:

• Reduce your intake of omega 6 — the "bad" omega oil.

Consciously limit the amount of Omega-6 in the diet. This can be accomplished by limiting the use of Omega-6 dominant vegetable oils such as safflower, sunflower, soy and corn oils. Nearly all processed foods contain Omega-6 usually, but not always in the form of "partially" hydrogenated oil.  So limit your processed foods…hence the stuff you find down the aisles of the grocery store. Instead, circle the perimeter of the store for the majority of your shopping where you’ll find the fresh veggies, fruits and meats (preferably free-range or grass-fed meats).

• Increase your intake of Omega-3. The only way back to balance is by consumption of oils rich in Omega-3.

You can increase your intake in two ways —

1. by food
2. and by supplements.

The two rich natural sources of Omega 3 are cold water fish and flax oil. However, the big issue with fish is the toxins that pollute our oceans. Furthermore, avoid frying fish as it destroys the level and structure of the omega 3 contained (since you’re frying it in Omega-6 vegetable oil).

The other way is to take a fish oil supplement, or an “EPA/DHA” supplement like the one sold at Athlon Elite.  This way, you get a fixed and regular supply of your daily omega 3 fatty acids.  Be aware though, fish oil supplements can be contaminated.  This was recently highlighted by a very public recall of a leading fish oil brand in the United Kingdom, Singapore and Hong Kong as it was found to contain higher than allowed levels of dioxin — a potential carcinogen.

You should look at taking two to three grams of omega 3 fatty acids daily (we usually recommend a little more to our clients but two to three is a good start). As such, you should look for higher strength omega 3 supplements.

Make sure your fish oil supplements are in amber glass bottles. The amber keeps the light out. The glass keeps the temperature more constant. It also prevents rancidity and oxidation – the big problem with fish oils which tend to be highly unstable. (hence, those ones you've had on the shelf for the last year and a half should probably be thrown out)

Key points:

• Omega-3 and Omega-6 are essential fatty acids with powerful opposing effects

• Omega-6 causes inflammation and omega-3 is anti-inflammatory (because it regulates omega-6)

• They ideally should be in a 1:1 balance

• Modern day nutrition has severely affected this balance leading to excess in omega-6

• This has potentially lead to many modern diseases of degeneration and inflammation

• To address this balance you need to cut omega-6 intake and increase omega-3 intake

• Rich sources of omega-3 are cold water fish, flax seeds and grass-fed, free-range beef and poultry

• When supplementing with fish oil take supplements that are molecularly distilled (toxin free), higher strength and packed in amber glass bottles

More reading (and more complicated too) on the subject of Omega-3 vs. Omega-6 oils and the prostaglandin pathways:

http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/555-tripping-lightly-down-the-prostaglandin-pathways.html

Unitl next time,

Ryan

P.S. if you'd like to learn more about healthy nutrition, supplementation and how the two together will give you more health, fitness, vitality, leanness, energy, enthusiasm, longer-life and good-looks, request a FREE private consultation with us today.  I guarantee it'll be one of the best decisions you ever made!

(805) 440-0215

or

www.SLOPersonalTraining.com/consult

I had a great lunch yesterday with a good friend catching up, talking about what's happening in "our world's" right now.  And because he's as interested in fitness and health and performance as I am these conversations inevitably turn to fitness and nutrition discussions.

And… as always I have a great revelation!

First, almost everyone I come across (both, professionally and personally) want the "answer" to how to get a firm, lean, fit and healthy body…

a beach-ready body!

And if you listened to the market research in this area you would know that pretty much all of them want that "answer" to be one of the following:

• A new nutritional supplement that will transform one's body without any other exercise, nutritional or lifestyle change,

 

• A pharmaceutical to do the same,

 

• A forgotten exercise which when performed randomly, with really bad form and technique at low intensities will simultaneously burn fat and increase muscle while they sleep,

 

• A miracle food not found in the civilized world, the absence of which in one's diet is responsible for all manner of misfortune, from lack of muscle tone to skin wrinkles and everything in between!

That market research is depended on very heavily in the fitness world (just read the magazine covers the next time you're at the check-out stand of the grocery store)!

There are some 80,000 nutritional supplements marketed in North America for their supposed medicinal properties, solving lack of muscle mass, lack of the "correct" hormones, too much body fat, too much stress hormones, too much joint problems, etc.  And there are almost as many "diet systems" that do the same.  But the FACT is, most people depending on these products have NEVER changed their bodies (at least not for the better).  They've just spent a lot of money.  Sad but true.

Ok, back to my lunch-time conversation…

My friend, who has really transformed his body in the last couple years, I mean REALLY transformed it, like went from walking around the block for exercise to now doing ultra-marathons and deadlifting 380 pounds, who just had to buy all new $500 suits because the tailor couldn't take any more inches off his old suits, I'm talking a real fitness success story, says to me,

"it's just my opinion Ryan but you should consider getting all your clients onto the paleolithic nutrition program…"

And he went on to talk about the successes that he's seen from switching to "paleolithic eating:"

    "he's lost well over 30 pounds of fat and has had major improvements in his blood chemistry,"

    "girlfriend lost 15 pounds with no change in exercise,"

    "receptionist lost 12 pounds in first two weeks,"

    "girlfriend's mom has less arthritis symptoms now after just a month of paleo eating,"

    "etc., etc."

Here's the thing, HE'S TELLING THE TRUTH!

I know most of these people and their transformations ARE real.

So, was it paleo that did it?  Is the paleolithic lifestyle the "answer" to fat loss, muscle gain, performance enhancement, etc.?  The answer to the perfect "beach-ready body?"

Well… yes and no!

There's no doubt that eating paleo (lots of lean meats, vegetables and natural fats, and cutting out all the crap you're eating right now) will make you leaner, healthier and more fit.  But so will Athlon Elite's 10 Habits nutrition system, so will the South Beach diet system, so will many other forms of natural healthy eating.

So why are these people on the paleo diet having so much success???

Simple.  It's 3 things:

1. A definitive system of what to do  (we need something to tell us what to do)
2. A little good coaching (from my friend) to help encourage them through the tough times, and
3. The personal motivation and commitment to make the change in their lives.

That's it.  That's what it takes.

So, my revelation?…

The system itself (the rules) is only 1/3 responsible for the actual success of someone's transformation.  The other 2/3 comes from within, and comes from having a good coach to help you really find that "within" and use it to better yourself.

It's not just the system.  It's not ONLY about whether you only eat "good" fats, or whether you DON'T eat any grains at all, it's about having some good help to get through a sound health and fitness program because most people do not have natural discipline, intensity and tenacity of my good friend.  He's a special breed and is able to find his "within" easier than most.

The fact is:  "most successful people in EVERY endeavor tend to actively seek mentorship and support."

READ THAT AGAIN!

When you have good coaching you're surrounded by motivated and knowledgeable peers.  And when you take advantage of that you realize your goals.  Every successful person inevitably pays homage to a coach that helped them get there (faster and more effectively than they would have otherwise)!

Get qualified coaching and you can do ANYTHING you want to do.  It's all about someone helping you find what's within yourself, organize it into measurable, definable goals, and then help you realize those goals following a good set of "rules" and helping you with guidance through the tough times.

GET A COACH.

Just listen to Sheri Bruner who recently completed our Athlon Fitness Challenge, losing 24 pounds and 9% body fat in just 3 months:

"Thanks to Athlon Elite, and especially Amy for all of her support and encouragement.  I really do feel "transformed" and know I couldn't have achieved this level of success without her…"

Call today for a FREE consultation (805) 440-0215, or click here.

We'll help you get there.  All you need is a good coach!

Until next time,

Ryan

Einstein's Brain (really!)

(taken from Mark Sisson's Daily Apple)

Nourish your noggin. Here are 10 excellent foods that enhance hormone production, brain chemistry, memory, mood, and cognition. Think of these foods as brainiac batteries. (Solutions to Sudoku not included.)

10. Omelet

Eggs contain choline, one of the superstar brain nutrients. Choline is necessary to produce acetylcholine, which plays a critical role in memory. (Studies have linked acetylcholine deficiences to memory loss and Alzheimer’s.)

9. Smart Oils: Olive, Walnut, Avocado, Flax

A no-brainer! Er, wait…

These oils are far superior to canola, corn and soy oils, which contain Omega-6 fats rather than the brainy Omega-3’s. Dunk and drench everything (edible) in sight.

8. Tempeh

Tempeh is a smart protein that helps stabilize your blood sugar. And because it’s fermented, you get an extra health boost!  Meatatarians can get a brain boost from grass-fed beef, which provides plenty of energizing and balancing B vitamins.

7. Flax Seeds

So they aren’t exactly truffles, but flax seeds are a true super food.  Use them sparingly until you adjust to the taste.  It’s worth it to cultivate your taste buds because flax seeds are literally made of nothing but fiber, vitamins, and Omega-3’s. (Flax seeds are a must for vegetarians!)

6. Beans

Beans contain B vitamins, “slow” carbohydrates, and plenty of fiber.  Fiber has been shown to improve cognition. Get some in that stomach!

5. Greek Yogurt

Yogurt – the really fattening kind – contains tyrosine. Tyrosine perks you up and improves mental alertness.  But avoid those sugary yogurts!  Can’t find Greek yogurt?  Look for “European style” yogurts (essentially the same thing).

4. Vegetable-Packed Salad

A big, flavorful salad is full of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.  Your brain really loves antioxidants C and E, so pack that puppy with nuts, seeds, olive oil, bell peppers, broccoli and fruit, too.

3. Strawberries and Blueberries

These fruits contain antioxidants that help boost cognition, coordination, and memory.  Eat some berries daily if you can!  They go great with that yogurt I know you’re already eating from above.  Yes?

2. Nuts

Almonds make a perfect smart snack. Not only will the sensible mix of fiber, protein, and fat stabilize flagging blood sugar, but the vitamins and minerals in nuts (B, E, magnesium, and more) are excellent for your grey matter!

1. Oily fish

This is probably the single most important element required for optimal brain health. The brain is 60% fat, but it doesn’t like processed fats, trans fat, or Omega-6 fats. Your brain needs those Omega-3’s! Oily fish like wild Alaskan salmon, mackerel, and tuna contain DHA (docosahexanoic acid), the best form of Omega-3.  Increased Omega-3 intake has been linked to alleviation of a spectrum of mental health concerns, from anxiety and irritability to depression and even schizophrenia.  Go fish!

From the Brain Food Pyramid: “Essentially, fats build your brain, and proteins unite it. Carbohydrates fuel your brain, and micronutrients defend it.”

Remember: the best source of carbohydrates is produce, not refined starches, sweets, and grains.

How often do you eat these smart foods?  If you're looking for more nutrition and exercise/fitness help give us a call:  (805) 440-0215 or email us at info@athlonelite.com.  We're here to help!

I read an interesting article yesterday by John Berardi, PhD on protein intake in your diet.  Now, as you all know from reading my blog and working with me in the past, I recommend a higher protein intake, up around 30%+ of our total daily food intake, for athletes as well as general fitness enthusiasts trying to lose body fat.

There are a number of reasons for this (which you can read below).  But, according to Dr. Berardi there have been two recently published studies on protein intake that have gotten a bunch of people arguing against high protein intakes.  For you research nerds (like me) here are the references:

• Ingested protein dose response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis after resistance exercise in young men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009.

• A moderate serving of high-quality protein maximally stimulates skeletal muscle protein synthesis in young and elderly subjects. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2009.

What these two research studies are saying, in a nutshell, is that protein synthesis in the muscles (building of muscle) was maximally stimulated at 20 to 30 grams of protein intake per meal.  And eating over 20 to 30 grams of protein in a single sitting did not increase protein synthesis any more than the lower dose… hence 20 to 30 grams should be the upper limit of protein intake per meal.

At least that’s what a bunch of people on the internet are now saying as a result of these two studies.

Well…

Does This Make Any Sense?

Let’s do the math.  If I were to eat 20 grams of protein per meal (5 meals per day) that would give me 100 grams of protein in a day and hence 400 calories worth of food.  Since, my diet regularly needs to be 3000 to 3500 calories per day to fuel my basic job and fitness activities that would mean that protein would only make up about 12% of my total intake.

That’s not very much!

Where would the other 88% of my diet come from…

Carbs or Fat???

Carbohydrate and fatty foods are far less "thermogenic" than protein (meaning they don’t burn as many calories to digest and hence don’t raise your metabolism as much).  And, they tend to affect your body fat composition more negatively than protein (hence more frowns in the mirror).

Typically, protein rich foods are also very rich in other vitamins, minerals and compounds which are very beneficial to your health and performance, (see below).  Plus, building muscle and losing fat is not the only reason to consume protein in every meal.  There’s satiety and the positive effects it has on your immune system.

And, there’s probably a few other reasons too that science hasn’t yet figured out how to measure.  There’s no doubt that our hunter/gatherer ancestors, whom had to be very healthy individuals just to survive, ate a bunch more protein than a measly 20 grams in a sitting.  And I know from being in the sports performance and fitness industry for over 15 years now that when a client trains hard and they up their protein intake they do better.  Simple as that.

Other Benefits of Protein Intake:

Here’s a more comprehensive list of the positive benefits of eating protein (lots of protein) taken from an article Dr. John Berardi wrote a while back:

• Increased Thermic Effect of Feeding — While all macronutrients require metabolic processing for digestion, absorption, and storage or oxidation, the thermic effect of protein is roughly double that of carbohydrates and fat. Therefore, eating protein is actually thermogenic and can lead to a higher metabolic rate. This means greater fat loss when dieting and less fat gain during overfeeding/muscle building.
• Increased Glucagon — Protein consumption increases plasma concentrations of the hormone glucagon. Glucagon is responsible for antagonizing the effects of insulin in adipose tissue, leading to greater fat mobilization. In addition, glucagon also decreases the amounts and activities of the enzymes responsible for making and storing fat in adipose and liver cells. Again, this leads to greater fat loss during dieting and less fat gain during overfeeding.
• Metabolic Pathway Adjustment – When a higher protein (20-50% of intake) is followed, a host of metabolic adjustments occur.  These include: a down regulation of glycolysis, a reduction in fatty acid synthesis enzymes, increase in gluconeogenesis, a carbohydrate “draining” effect where carbons necessary for ridding the body of amino nitrogen is drawn from glucose.
• Increased IGF-1 — Protein and amino-acid supplementation has been shown to increase the IGF-1 response to both exercise and feeding. Since IGF-1 is an anabolic hormone that’s related to muscle growth, another advantage associated with consuming more protein is more muscle growth when overfeeding and/or muscle sparing when dieting.
• Reduction in Cardiovascular Risk — Several studies have shown that increasing the percentage of protein in the diet (from 11% to 23%) while decreasing the percentage of carbohydrate (from 63% to 48%) lowers LDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations with concomitant increases in HDL cholesterol concentrations.
• Improved Weight-Loss Profile —Research by Layman and colleagues has demonstrated that reducing the carbohydrate ratio from 3.5 – 1 to 1.4 – 1 increases body fat loss, spares muscle mass, reduces triglyceride concentrations, improves satiety, and improves blood glucose management (Layman et al 2003 — If you’re at all interested in protein intake, you’ve gotta go read the January and February issues of the Journal of Nutrition. Layman has three interesting articles in the two journals).
• Increased Protein Turnover — All tissues of the body, including muscle, go through a regular program of turnover. Since the balance between protein breakdown and protein synthesis governs muscle protein turnover, you need to increase your protein turnover rates in order to best improve your muscle quality. A high protein diet does just this. By increasing both protein synthesis and protein breakdown, a high protein diet helps you get rid of the old muscle more quickly and build up new, more functional muscle to take its place.
• Increased Nitrogen Status — Earlier I indicated that a positive nitrogen status means that more protein is entering the body than is leaving the body. High protein diets cause a strong positive protein status and when this increased protein availability is coupled with an exercise program that increases the body’s anabolic efficiency, the growth process may be accelerated.
• Increased Provision of Auxiliary Nutrients — Although the benefits mentioned above have related specifically to protein and amino acids, it’s important to recognize that we don’t just eat protein and amino acids — we eat food. Therefore, high protein diets often provide auxiliary nutrients that could enhance performance and/or muscle growth. These nutrients include creatine, branched chain amino acids, conjugated linoleic acids, and/or additional nutrients that are important but remain to be discovered.  And don’t forget the vitamins and minerals we get from protein rich foods. (And lest anyone think I’m a shill for the protein powder industry, this last point clearly illustrates the need to get most of your protein from food, rather than supplements.)

The Take Home Message

Clearly from the list above it’s apparent that we eat protein for a number of reasons and not just to build muscle.  People that eat a higher, lean protein intake through natural foods (not just protein powders, which do come in handy at certain times of the day) have a better health profile than those that live by the minimums… 20 grams per meal or 0.8 g/kg/day.

If you’re concerned about your diet and whether or not you’re getting adequate protein to reach your fitness and health goals call us for a FREE consultation.  We’ll discuss your current nutrition habits and show you how you can alter those to be more successful at losing weight and gaining lean muscle…

and being really healthy like we were intended to be!

Call (805) 440-0215 or click here to set up a FREE consultation.

www.SLOPersonalTraining.com/consult

Until next time,

Ryan

More reading on protein for athletes: 

http://www.athlonelite.com/2008/10/the-secret-of-optimal-sports-nutrition/

The world of health and fitness is constantly changing as new research and technology is released, and we at Athlon Elite are always testing and improving the services and products we offer based on this.  It is our mission to continually strive to make things simpler, easier, faster and better for you, our clients.  This is how we can offer a money back guarantee on everything we do.

As you all SHOULD know by now, you get out of your body what you put in to it!  So, you should be puting the best possible nutrition into it, including nutritional supplements.  After a long and tedious process of sampling and researching the best products out there we have decided to change Athlon Elite's supplement line to Jarrow Formulas.

There are a few reasons for doing this but a big one is independent laboratory testing.  Jarrow Formulas' products have been backed by an independent testing laboratory, people that are not affilitated with the company that test the products for:

• Content  (it has what it says it has in it),
  
• Purity (it has good quality of content), and
  
• Additives (it doesn't contain illegal or banned substances).
  

   Posted by Travis Harwood, CSCS, Lead Personal Trainer at Athlon Elite

Many of us love our Starbucks, but did you know that a vente’ café’ latte’ runs you around 300 calories with almost half of those calories coming from saturated, nasty fat; WHAT A WASTE!!!

   Well, our very own Kristen Longcrier (who, by the way, showed a decrease of 5% body fat in her last evaluation) has come up with an amazing combination we have now coined “the Longcrier Latte’.”

The recipe is simple:

• - 16oz of your favorite home-brewed coffee (hot or cold)
  
• - 1.5 scoops of your Athlon Elite whey protein isolate (chocolate or vanilla, whichever you prefer).
  
• - If you are drinking it cold put the whole thing in a shaker and shake it up!!!
  
• - If you are drinking it hot, mix the protein in a few ounces of coffee or water first then dump it in and stir!!!

I also like to add a little coffee mate French Vanilla Creamer (fat free 5g of carbs) to give it a little extra sweetness!!!

The whole drink yields 102.5 calories of "thermic" metabolism-boosting high quality whey protein…

and less than 1g of sugar!!!  (unless you add the creamer which bumps it a little)

NOW THAT’S WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT!

AND IT’S DELICIOUS I MIGHT ADD… IN FACT THIS WHOLE BLOG WAS "FUELED" BY ONE OF THOSE BEAUTIES!!!

Thanks Kristen, and keep up the good work!!!
 

If you’ve been involved with Athlon Elite at all since we opened you already know how much importance we give to proper "recovery nutrition."  In fact, we feel so strongly about it we supply all our clients with a specialized recovery drink, FLUID, to help with their recovery.

Well, I’m finally starting to see this concept of quick post-workout recovery nutrition pop-up in the mainstream media.  Last night I saw a commercial for "Muscle Milk," a type of post-workout recovery drink, and a famous football player saying ‘his workout isn’t over until he finishes his drink.’

While I don’t particularly like Muscle Milk and it’s formula, I’ll give them credit for getting the timing right.

You see, there’s a pretty crucial window of time where the body can repair itself and develop at an accelerated rate after exercise. This is due to hormonal changes within the body during intense exercise, but the changes are temporary and return to normal rapidly (some estimate as quickly as 30 minutes).

Everything about recovery nutrition is about the speed at which nutrients can get from the mouth to the cellular level. This window is a roller coaster curve, greatest immediately after exercise, and rapidly declining.  Ingestion of solid food can take hours to digest, empty the stomach, enter the blood stream, and arrive at the cellular level. At this point, the hormonal window from your exercise bout is long gone, and no "added" benefits from post-workout recovery nutrition can occur.  Solid food simply takes too long to capitalize on the window of opportunity.  Post-workout recovery drinks are based on supplying the body with the right balance of the right nutrients at the right time (right time meaning right away).

Here’s the problem… many of the "experts" seem to disagree on what that "right" balance of nutritients is.

Some feel it’s mostly protein,

some feel it’s mostly carbohydrate

and some are now saying it’s all in the "formulation" of the ingredients (like highly refined, almost vaporized powders that can be absorbed and used more effectively by the body).

Last week at the National Strength & Conditioning Association’s conference in Las Vegas research was presented on the many forms of supplementation, carbohydrate, whey protein, soy protein, casein protein, etc. for recovery nutrition.  Each presentation had good scientific evidence to support its use as a recovery food.

So which one is best?

Well it would appear (as with everything in the world in my opinion) that variety is best.  A little of each seems to be the way to go, though the animal proteins (whey & casein) were a little more superior than soy protein for building muscle.

—Whey protein is more rapidly digested and absorbed and has a greater concentration of branch chained amino acids and hence causes a greater increase in protein synthesis (the building of muscle) immediately after exercise…

—Casein protein is absorbed more slowly and thus it doesn’t increase synthesis as well as whey protein, but because of its "slower" properties it maintained levels of the "good stuff" longer in the blood and lead to less "breakdown" of the muscles during the recovery period over whey protein…

—Carbohydrate supplementation after exercise has shown a better replenishment of the "fuel" in your muscles and an improved immune function after the harsh effects of intense exercise…

So, the take home message here is they’re all good for you and a little of each is probably the best bet.  The key is in the timing of ingestion (drink it down right away).  The body is primed and ready to really use the nutrients immediately after exercise so get the fuel in soon, within 30 minutes.

On a personal note, I prefer the drink FLUID over all the other formulas because it has a good ratio of carbohydrate to protein and it has a little vitamin C and glutamine (an amino acid shown to aide in the recovery from exercise, but that’s a whole different blog post).

For those of you on a budget, guess what…

a little skim milk mixed with some Hershey’s chocolate is almost as good and in some cases even better.

Again, the key is to get it in right away… anything… even a can of soda according to Dr. Chad Kerksick from Oklahoma University.  Any kind of fuel taken immediately after exercise is going to inhibit the "catabolic effects" of exercise (the muscle destruction that occurs after a hard bout of exercise).  So go eat something right away!

Until next time,

Ryan

P.S. FLUID can be purchased at Athlon Elite and we even have it in little single serving packs so you can give it a try first!  (805) 440-0215