Week 13: Ninety days later

Week 12: All about that protein

I cannot believe there is only one week to go of this fabulous fitness challenge.

Mike and I have had such a great time with our team and don’t want it to come to an end, but alas it is and I will get more retrospective and sappy in next week’s post.

Oh, also, we do not have weight or measurements to share this week as the final numbers are being tallied and will be presented at next week’s finale party, so stay tuned to the last blog for final numbers next Friday :). 

Okay, so for this blog we are talking all about protein!

UBCO Professor Dr. Jonathan Little, a researcher in diabetes and fitness, shared some crucial information on the importance of protein in our diet to Get it Back participants this week.

How much protein do we need? When should we consume it? What kind of protein should we eat? Etc. etc.

I will do my best to summarize his talk here, but for more information you can also check out his twitter account. 

First of all, let's talk about why we need protein. Put in very layman terms, protein or amino acids, build our muscle; the stuff that makes us strong, that holds us up and allows us to do everything from sitting, to running, to holding a pen. Without taking in proteins our muscle mass will eventually decline, as will our mobility and ability to do everyday tasks.

There are two ways our body can regulate protein and build muscle (Hypertrophy).  One of course is our diet and the second is exercise. 

Everyone of us in the Get it Back 2014 challenge of course wants to turn all of, or most of our fat into muscle, so how can we do this?

Dr. Little says protein intake is key, but how much and when?

The very simple answer, according to Little, to get the best results, is to intake 0.25 grams of protein for every kilogram you weigh right after your workout.

So, if you weigh 100 kg, you would want to take 25 grams of protein directly after a good workout, which included resistance or strength training.

According to research conducted by Little and several of his colleagues, there is an ideal amount of protein to take in and an ideal time to do it.

The research found, in conclusion, that an 80 kg man saw the best results and most muscle gain when he took in 20 grams of protein directly after a workout and at every meal for the next 48-hours.

That works out to about four meals a day, with 20 grams at each meal. So about 80 grams for a 80-kilogram adult.

The research found that the effects of a workout can last for 48-hours after, and thus protein eaten in that time can continue to benefit in the muscle gain.

Now, we know that very beefy, very big, bodybuilders eat double, triple or even more grams of protein than what is suggested, but research shows the additional protein adds no value and the “bodybuilder” is unwillingly ending up with some very expensive breath and urine. Because the body can only process a certain amount of protein, the rest is discarded. 

So what does this 20 grams look like?

• Two cups of skim milk
• A small fist of beef – 3 oz
• One small chicken breast
• ¾ of a cup of cottage cheese or Greek yogurt
• About 3 egg whites  (the ‘ideal’ protein)
• 20g of whey protein powder

Should the protein be plant-based or animal-based? According to Little, there is no right answer.

Both are effective for supporting muscle growth. Little notes that diets that have more plant-based foods versus animal based foods have shown benefits to your overall health, but animal-based diets have proven better at synthesizing muscle.

Muscle we need when we are young and muscle we really need when we are older.

It may be surprising to know that a 75-year-old man requires more protein daily then a 25-year-old bodybuilder, but it is true.

According to Little older adults, those over 55, require more protein to maintain and build muscle mass. As we grow older, muscle mass diminishes and our bodies require more protein intake to keep the mass up as aging muscles decay and are more resistant to muscle building. Those muscles are crucial as we age to provide strength, mobility and prevent falls and injuries.

While an 80 kg younger man needs 80 grams a day of protein, an older 80 kg man requires more like 120 grams a day.

A new concept that is being widely studied now, is taking advantage of muscle building that can occur in your sleep; a major advantage to those less active, like someone elderly or in hospital that is frail and losing muscle mass.

The research has found that one's gut does function during sleep and that taking protein before bed may be a good thing in these cases.

Protein ingestion prior to sleep can stimulate muscle protein synthesis during the overnight recovery period.

The ‘before sleep meal’ is a new idea and new opportunity that Little says is interesting for both bodybuilders and the aging population.

To wrap it up, here was Dr. Little’s take home points!

1. Consuming 20 grams (0.25 g/kg body mass) of high-quality protein (e.g., amount of protein in 500 ml skim milk) immediately after a workout will maximize hypertrophy for most people.
2. 4-5 “doses” of 20 grams per day is likely the maximum amount your body can utilize to incorporate into muscle, or about 1-1.2 g/kg per day is plenty.
3. Pre-sleep protein “dose” may be a new opportunity with hypertrophic potential.
4. Older adults (>55 years) may need MORE PROTEIN to maximize hypertrophy – up to 40 grams after a workout and at least 1-1.5 g/kg per day.
5. Although proteins found in foods are sufficient, whey protein is convenient and may be particularly effective at stimulating muscle protein synthesis because it is rapidly digested and has a high leucine.

As we embark on the last week of the competition I want to say good luck to all the participants - kick butt and can’t wait to see the results!

Weekly health tip and quote from our trainer Stephanie!

Weight loss

Green tea can help increase and even change your metabolism, so you burn more calories from fat. Studies show that green tea can also help you keep weight off once you’ve lost it.

It's also a smart swap for sugary drinks. "All things being equal, if you sub 1-2 cups of green tea for one can of soda, over the next year you'd save over 50,000 calories," says Ochner. That's more than 15 pounds.                                                                  

Why is green tea so good for you? "It's all about the catechin content," says Beth Reardon, RD, a Boston nutritionist. Catechins are antioxidants that fight and may even prevent cell damage. Green tea is not processed much before it is poured in your cup, so it is rich in catechins.

If a bird that could fly only wished for flight as it sat on a limb… before long it would be unable to fly.  Same goes for anyone wishing for anything… if all they do is wish. ~The Universe

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

Week 11: Scale frustration

After weeks of success on the scale, Mike and I had had some recent disappointing ones.

Those are of course inevitable in the journey to a better, healthier you but they are a downer nonetheless.

It is hard to keep motivated, to keep working, when those silly numbers don’t keep you inspired.

I know I feel stronger physically, I know I can run and climb and jump and work harder than before, but that damn scale can make it all seem null and void sometimes.

The scale can often been more de-motivating than motivating and I know I share those feelings with many of my team members who have struggled with the same up and down frustrations.

So... as inspiration to Mike, you, and hopefully myself, I have done some research on why the scale is not the end-all-be-all of fitness challenge success.

 

Why the number doesn’t always go down and why that isn’t always a failure:

 

• You weight fluctuates, day-to-day, hour-to-hour, week-to-week

No matter what you do, your weight is going to fluctuate, you have no choice in the matter. For us girls those fluctuations are even worse - woman who change nothing in their diet and/or fitness will see fluctuations of several pounds throughout a single month.

• Muscle weighs more than fat – it’s true, really!

Yes I know it is cliché, and an all too common catch phrase for those dismissing numbers on the scale, but it is true. Of course a pound does equal a pound, whether it is bricks, feathers, muscles or fat – that is science people!!  But science also says that a piece of muscle weighs more than an equal size piece of fat. So, if you are reducing your size and getting into better shape, that poor scale performance might be a good thing.

• A person's weight is not always a reflection of their health.

We all have ‘skinny’ people in our lives, who will rock that BMI number on the scale, but look near death in person. Skinny people do not always live healthier lives and in fact a skinny person who does not eat healthy, or smokes, or that doesn’t exercise may be much worse off then an overweight individual.

Many other factors other than weight matter including cardiovascular health, genetics, and lifestyle.  All play a role in a person’s overall health. 

• High stress, little sleep

Changes in you life whether it be financial, emotional, physical or more, play a huge role in whether or not your body lets go of its stores, and thus lets go of weight.

Stress has been referred to as the single biggest factor in the body holding onto weight. The chemicals that stress releases wreak havoc on the body and can prevent weight loss.

Knowing this we now need to look at other ways of measuring our success... 

For those weeks when the scale is really getting your down, the experts recommend you check out your amazing accomplishments in other ways like:

• Inches lost – remember your clothes tell the truth! I know I am spending half the day pulling up my jeans now and that is kind of awesome.
• Decreased blood pressure.
• A fitness test – Can you do more pushups before, or run faster, or lift more weight?
• Decreased body fat percentage.  For example, if you start at 350 lbs, 5% loss is 17.5 lbs.  If you start at 150 lbs, 5% loss is 7.5 lbs.   5% is 5% - period.

For extra help here is our trainer Stephanie’s weekly health tip and quote!

Salt - the risks: Foods loaded with sodium can increase your blood pressure. Chronic high blood pressure, or hypertension, is a leading cause of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Another problem with sodium: A high-salt diet can make it harder to give up high calorie foods. By adding salt to chips, pretzels, sweets, and many other foods, manufacturers increase the foods' addictive powers. And as long as you keep eating these foods, your taste buds aren't going to be satisfied with lower sodium levels. 1500 - 2300 milligrams is a safe range.

Funny, most folks "there" are waiting for a sign of sorts from folks "here", before they make a move, take action, or commit. Same "here". - The Universe (Good thing we have eternity, huh?)

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

Week 10: This week went to the dogs!

A group of around 40 of us braved the wind, rain and cold to walk Knox Mountain for the Kelowna SPCA on Sunday.

The SPCA Charity Dog Walk was part of the ‘Give it Back’ portion of the Get it Back, Give it Back challenge.

It allowed us to donate to the SPCA, go for a good walk and bring awareness to the worthy charity.

Team Purple was out in great numbers, as were some of the other teams and many brought along their four legged friends for the ride.

Knox Mountain is of course on-leash but when we got to the end at the beach the dogs went wild :)

Despite a walk in the rain and cold, they hit the lake without fear, the lake of course is freezing but the dogs just want to swim and have fun.

Dogs teach us funny things, they teach us unconditional love and loyalty and commitment but they also have this amazing ability to crave fitness and exercise.

A dog always wants to go for a walk, a swim, a run. They never have a bad day that ‘justifies’ skipping the gym or have hurt feelings that ‘justify’ a double bacon cheeseburger, they just live.

Of course their lives are a little less complicated then ours and if we are a good dog owner they shouldn’t have many worries, but my point is … until their age or health limits their physical ability they want to run!

We don’t want to run, I don’t want to run, and physical activity is hard and challenging and seemingly impossible sometimes, but does it need to be?

Why can’t we be more like dogs? Can we be more like dogs?

I’ll tell you, I think we can, because we have been. When we were young, when we were kids, playing outside was awesome, not a chore, not painful, not punishment - it was a willing choice.

We get old and that changes but it never does for dogs and I love that.

If we can try to broach physical activity like a dog does maybe we can change, maybe we can rework our thinking, maybe we can even enjoy it.

Physical activity is fun, invigorating, exciting, awesome, powerful.

For a dog, it is a given part of life and they love every second. For many of us, it's punishment we force ourselves to do.

Hmm…I think I am going to try thinking like a dog for a change!

Here is this week’s fitness tip and inspirational quote from our trainer Stephanie.

Have an awesome week everyone.

 

New approach to overcoming food’s strong pull:

1. Rethink deprivation:
   1. You’re going to be cutting back on fattening fare, which has become a part of your life. The challenge is to do this without feeling so deprived that you focus even more on the foods and go rushing back to them.
2. Agree to handle a little discomfort:
   1. Go for the easiest sacrifices first, such as not trying out a new ice cream flavour or ordering a small serving of fries instead of large one. Accept some discomfort.
3. Give addictive foods a metal makeover:
   1. Figure out what the association is with the food and then break or severely weaken those associations so that piece of chocolate (or whatever it is) becomes a much more neutral object that no longer has a grip on you.
4. Imagine the food is not always available:
   1. Usually cravings reach a fever pitch when you know the food is available. So your mental trick is to tell yourself that foods that are physically in your reach are not available

Exactly where you’ve been has been made possible exactly who you are, I wouldn’t change that for the world. Clever thinking. (The Universe) 

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.