Overtime

So what’s the deal on protein? We hear about it all the time as athletes and we are always told to consume more because it’s important to our bodies. But why is it so important? Well I looked into it and this is what I interpret from looking into it.

Protein is important to our bodies because it is a building block for muscle. It’s common knowledge that as we workout our bodies are depleted of protein and become fatigued so that is why we supplement protein into our diet. Protein replenishes these muscles and helps combat the fatigue you get from a workout. Something interesting about athletes though is that we often eat way too many carbs because we think that carbs are the most important thing to us because they supplement our energy which is partially true but in reality all these carbs we are eating is causing a protein deficiency in our bodies. We already burnt our protein reserves so we need to replenish them and often times we really don’t, we only partially replenish them.

A basic rule of thumb that we athletes can do is to consume protein with each meal. It doesn’t have to be a lot every meal but just incorporate it with every meal or snack you have. What I like to do is consume a protein shake right away in the morning, after practice, and then just before I go to bed that way my body has the protein it needs to function and heal properly. Protein is very important so I encourage you to be conscious about it and take it into consideration the next time you eat.