Unlocking the power of protein!

As most of you will be aware I'm over a month into the 75 Hard Challenge - Day 33. One of the 5 critical tasks is to follow a diet. Mine is a high protein wholefood diet - the rules of the challenge don't allow any junk food, cheat meals or alcohol. My daily protein intake is 126g - that's roughly 2.2g of protein per kilo of bodyweight. I wanted to focus on protein so I could see what impact it has on my training and body composition. I also wanted to build a habit that I could continue once the challenge is complete. I'm 48 years old so protein is more important than ever for optimal health and longevity. Why is protein so important? Anyone who knows me knows I'm always 'banging on' about protein! I do this for good reason. It's not just about protein, it's actually more about muscle. As we age - from our 30's onwards, both men and women start to lose muscle mass every year. In women, this loss is accelerated during peri-menopause and menopause as oestrogen production declines. Skeletal muscle (muscle that we move voluntarily - think quads, biceps, hamstrings etc.) requires a constant supply of essential amino acids, of which there are 9 that we can only get from dietary protein. If we get enough protein in our diet, we can stop this muscle waste in its tracks and preserve our much needed muscle mass as we age. A caveat to this is that in order to really improve our chances of preserving muscle, we also need to exercise regularly - I'll dive into this in more detail in another blog! Why do we need to keep hold of our muscle? If we want to remain independent well into our later years, maintaining as much muscle as possible is crucial to having a good quality of life. Of course there are other factors that help us, such as staying strong through resistance training, keeping your heart healthy through cardiovascular exercise but today I'm just focussing on dietary protein and muscle. Muscle helps us to stand up tall, walk upstairs, get up out of a chair, to keep us balanced and stop us from falling over. Sadly, if a women over the age of 65 falls, this dramatically decreases her chances of walking and being mobile alone and it's often catalyst for a steady decline in overall health and independence. Generally speaking, sedentary individuals with lower muscle mass are also more at risk of illness and injury compared to active individuals with higher muscle mass. How much protein do we need? Whilst protein needs generally increase with activity levels, people who are less active can also benefit from higher protein diets to help reduce muscle waste through the ageing process. For most people, the easiest way to measure protein is to use your hands. Women should aim for 1 palm of protein with every meal, men 1-2 palms with every meal. For those of you who like to track and measure more specifically aim for 1.5-2g protein per kilogram of bodyweight as a starting point. Protein sources The most obvious protein sources with the highest bioavailable protein are animal based lean meats and fish. Plant based protein has a lower bioavailability but is still a very good option for those people that choose not to eat meat. Non-meat high protein foods such as tofu, seitan and tempeh are now widely available in supermarkets. Eggs and dairy products such as milk, yoghurt, cheese are good options for vegetarians. Rice, quinoa, beans and pulses all contain protein and are a great source of fibre too. Is protein timing important? Arguably the most important meal is the first meal of the day. Contrary to popular belief, this doesn't need to be within an hour of waking. Everyone is different and some people don't eat breakfast at all. When you first wake up or before your first meal of the day your body is in what's called a catabolic state (think breaking down/reducing) due to the increase in cortisol levels. To counteract this, the first meal should be high in protein - which is anabolic (think building up/growing) - and for most people it should be low in simple sugars/fast digesting carbs (there are always exceptions). If your first meal is high in protein, this kickstarts the protein synthesis that is so important for preserving and building muscle. My first meal is usually a protein smoothie which contains whey protein, milk, spinach, oats and a banana. It contains roughly 45g protein which is over a third of my daily protein intake. Once I've had this, I know I've only got to get another 80g or so which is easy to split between 2 big meals and possibly a mid afternoon snack depending on my schedule. Post-training protein? The 'anabolic window' myth has been pretty much debunked. As a recreational athlete/general exerciser getting your protein needs throughout the day and having a decent well-balanced meal within a couple of hours training is sufficient. To summarise: - More lean muscle = better health and longer life - Muscle needs protein to thrive and survive - Prioritise protein in every meal - Make your first meal protein rich and low in sugar (no more crunchy nut cornflakes!) - Vegans and vegetarians can hit their protein needs adequately too

Action point: Write down everything you eat and drink over 3 days. How many meals contain protein? Where can you make some quick wins to increase your protein intake if you need to?