Badass Fitness

The Protein Puzzle: What's what, and what's best for your Badass?

Protein can be really confusing. 

We know we need it. But which form of protein is best? How much do we need? When is it best to consume it? What does it do, or not do, for our Badasses?

All you have to do is walk into a GNC or Vitamin Discount Center or the like to feel totally overwhelmed and uncertain. So many choices! And they all promise to be everything you're looking for. Kind of like some lame dating service, huh?

This Badass Fitness CEO will never profess to have all of the fitness and health answers. But today I hope to at least provide a better roadmap as each of you in the Badass Army makes decisions on protein, and protein consumption.

First: How much do you need?

The basic recommendations are usually based on grams of protein per pound of your goal or ideal (not actual) bodyweight, for a 24-hour day. General recommendations call for healthy non-athletes to take in roughly 0.4 grams of protein per pound. That would be 40 grams for 100-pound me, but only if I were less active.

More active athletes and bodybuilders, many of whom (me included!) are looking to build or maintain muscle, look to consume anywhere from 0.8 up to 1.5 g of protein per pound of their actual body weight.

Second: What forms does it come in?

There are the obvious forms - meat, poultry, fish, eggs. It also comes in milk products including staright-up milk, cheese and yogurt (with Greek yogurt having a higher protein content than regular yogurt). You can absolutely get all the protein you need from these foods, and I advocate daily eating that is based primarily on real foods - not Frankenfoods.

But protein from protein supplements isn't all bad. In fact, I drink a smoothie every morning before my workouts that contains a scoop of chocolate protein powder. Often I add a few tablespoons to my oatmeal or my Greek yogurt - because really, how can it not taste better by adding chocolate?!

Still, I don't add it just for flavor. Protein is vital to building and maintaining muscle. And if there is anything I learned when I really started hitting the weight room hard, it is that progress comes only when you fuel that Badass properly. Yes, you need good carbs like oatmeal and sweet potatoes. But you also need protein. And in the crazy schedule of life, downing a protein shake or protein bar on the go is often a lot more feasible than sitting down to a plate of grilled chicken.

Last: OK, so which protein forms are better? Whey? Soy?

The answer depends in part on what your goals are, and even whether you are a vegetarian.

But the general consensus among nutritionists, trainers and the like is that the best daily choice in terms of how efficiently your Badass absorbs and uses it is...

1. Whey protein: Whey protein comes from milk, and it absorbs quickly, meaning it keeps your body supplied with the protein it needs to maintain muscle tone and strength. And because protein stays with you longer than carbs, a smoothie or shake made with whey protein is an ideal mini-meal in between your main meals.

Consuming whey protein can help you get or stay lean without a lot of fat, and carbs - but with the right kind of calories. If you restrict calories too severely, you will lose not just fat but muscle. Consuming whey protein as a supplement ensures your muscles have the protein they need to grow and get sculpted during all those weight training sessions and moderate calorie cutbacks.

There are many 100 percent whey protein powders out there. I like Isopure and EAS Myoplex, always in chocolate!

But whey isn't the only option.

2. Casein protein: AKA "milk protein." This is about 80 percent of the protein in whole milk (the other 20 percent is whey). Casein digests more slowly than whey, and it is a more complete protein (lots of essential amino acids and glutamine).

The slow digestion makes it a great choice for a before-bedtime shake or to replace a meal, because it fuels your Badass with protein over a longer period (be it through the afternoon or while you sleep and your muscles are in recovery mode). When I'm in a period of heavier weight training, I often have a salad with a small piece of fish for a light dinner and then a casein-based shake before hitting the pillow. That fuel also keeps the metabolism humming through the night.

I love Muscle Milk Light for meal replacement or before bedtime because it's a blend of casein, faster-releasing whey isolate, plus amino acids. Just 100 calories per scoop, and scant cabrs and fat. The best part: The taste of the chocolate-peanut butter makes that pre-bedtime shake feel like dessert!

And for vegetarians....

3. Soy protein: This is a high quality protein, and the only plant-sourced protein with all of the eight essential amino acids our Badasses need. The American Heart Association actually recommends consuming 25 grams of soy protein per day for heart health.

There is some debate about soy and its affect on hormone levels - and I've heard many guys lament that they fear soy will mess with their testosterone levels.

I don't know about that, fellas, but one of my favorite 100-calorie tide-me-overs is the EAS AdvantAge Carb Control shake, with 110 calories and 17 grams of protein.  It's a blend of soy, whey, and caseinate.

I probably haven't answered all of your questions, but send me an e-mail or comment below about whatever you want to know and I'll do my best to address it.

In the meantime, here''s my daily smoothie recipe - consumed every morning, and sometimes in the evening too!

Shannon's (Sometimes Twice) Daily Smoothie

• 1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
• 1 scoop chocolate peanut butter Muscle Milk Light
• 1 scoop Amazing Grass powder
• 1/4 ripe avocado or 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (for creaminess!)
• 1/2 cup frozen berries or 1/2 banana
• A few cubes of ice

Blend it all together and enjoy! This weighs in at about 300 calories.

Coming next week: More legs, Shannon plays Badass Foodie, and the benefits of getting your veggies local and organic - and delivered!

Super hungry? You might need a Super Nap!

Confession: I don't always practice what I preach, including my sermon about the importance of sleep. This past week or so has been particularly egregious, and guess where the Badass gods are punishing me?

Right in my tummy!

Yep, as soon as I go a day or two without my usual sleep, I'm as hungry as a 13-year-old boy in the middle of a growth spurt. And while I'm perhaps the size of a 13-year-old boy, this is no spurt. It is, simply, an imbalance.

It is my body revolting against the fact that I'm not giving it enough rest. We are a nation, a society, of people short on sleep. We don't get enough, period. Celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels talks about the value of sleep in boosting metabolism in her awesome book, "Master Your Metabolism."

Hormonal imbalances affect our metabolism, in many cases slowing it down. And many studies have shown a link between sleep and the hormone leptin, which affects when and how long we feel full. Consider: The percentage of young adults snoozing for eight to nine hours a night is half what it was 50 years ago -- and during that time, the incidence of obesity has just about doubled.

Studies have found that after just two nights of sleep restriction, participants' leptin dropped -- and their ghrelin shot up. Guess what ghrelin is? The hunger hormone. And we don't just get hungrier, we get hungry for sweets and salty processed foods. (Confession Two: I really didn't need to dig into those organic-brand 'healthy' cheese puffs, OK? Because really, they're just cheese puffs and they don't do much for this Badass.)

It might not seem like much is happening to our Badasses when we sleep, but au contraire! During the so-called slow-wave sleep that comes about an hour after we fall asleep, the body releases growth hormones that burn stored fat. Don't sleep enough or deeply enough, and the fat-burning is disrupted. We want the opposite, right? We want our bodies burning that fat like a well-oiled machine.  

But that won't happen if we're like zombies, half-awake on a mix of caffeine and processed sugar just to get from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. And try motivating yourself to the gym when you haven't had enough sleep. Kinda sucks, right? And odds are, you never get to the gym.

So as you convince yourselves that you really need to see this late-night marathon of "South Park" or "Law & Order," remember that most Badasses need about seven hours for optimum performance. And as tempting as it is to burn the stick at both ends all week and then try to make up for it on the weekends, the reality is you can never get that lost sleep back.

But you can set yourself on a new, better-rested path of sufficient shut-eye.

As for this Badass, I'm sick of these junk food cravings! Ugh. So tonight, after a healthy grilled pizza and wine night with the Badass Trio, I am SLEEPING! For at least seven hours!

Enjoy your weekends, Badasses. Get out there and enjoy spring! MOVE those Badasses...otherwise, they'll start saggin'. Sad but true.

Coming next week: The Mexi-CAN Chop, Kettlebell fun, and the true story of a Badass and his P90X success!

Beware Sleepy-Ass Syndrome

This Badass blogger is beat!

I'm blessed with that genetic coding that makes me feel just fine on 6.5 to 7 hours of sleep. Sure, eight is nice, yet I don't need it every night to feel good. But this week, thanks to long hours, stressful deadlines and a high-octane pace at work, I've been getting more like 5 to 6 hours - some of it fitful.

As I feel my energy dragging, my exercise performance more Lame-Ass than Badass, I am reminded that sleep is one of the most important elements of our health.

Sleep does much more than just leave you feeling rested and energized and ready to take on the gym and the world.

It reduces stress levels, it bolsters memory, it provides time for your cells and muscles to recover. It even helps you maintain a healthy weight.

Ever notice you crave junk and sugary carbs more when you're overtired? Well, Researchers have found that people who sleep less than seven hours a night are more likely to be overweight or obese. They think lack of sleep messes with the balance of the hormones ghrelin and leptin that affect appetite.

I know I've been feeling all out of sorts and way less than Badass this week. A cookie here, lame excuses for dinner, too much coffee, not enough water. I know my body well enough to know I need more sleep!

You probably do, too. Plenty of studies have found the average American gets less than the recommended 7 to 8 hours, or whatever number of hours their body really requires. So we drag ourselves out of bed, try to revive with a danish and a Coke, and thus begins a day of poor eating and sluggishness that probably does NOT end with an exercise session.

The weekend is so close I can smell it, Badasses. I plan to get plenty of sleep, and hope you do, too. Otherwise, Badass leads to Sleepy-Ass leads to Lazy-Ass leads to Blob-Ass.

And that's not what we're working toward, right? Nope. We're Badasses. So we'd better sleep like it...

Coming up: Tick tock...How long until you see results?

Chill out, Badasses! With a healthy cocktail!

OK, I'm about to preach something that I, admittedly, am not so religious about practicing: The power of rest and recovery. By my Badass and yours must get rest. Same goes for our quads, calves, arms, backs, and shoulders.

Anyone who spends, oh, 15 minutes with me can see I don't do the whole "sitting still" thing very well. I walk fast, even when I'm not in a hurry. I thrive on juggling multiple tasks and deadlines. Even at my desk, I  often sit at the edge of my seat as if prepared to bolt at any moment -- something a fellow Type A journalist/editor once observed with a mixture of puzzlement and admiration.

So if I had my druthers, and if my body were superhuman, I would probably exercise at full steam every day. Alas, I am definitely not superhuman, so my muscles get sore and tired and need a break. Sometimes, my heart and energy wants me to keep pushing it. But I put my Smart Badass hat on and say, "Nope. Today, we rest."

You should, too. When you lift weights and run and cycle, you are breaking down muscle through that effort. The muscles repair themselves and get stronger in the 24 to 48 hours in between. That's why weight lifting routines have you alternating muscle groups: Legs one day, shoulders the next, etc.

Even as you work hard to get stronger, beware of bolting out of the gate at 100 mph and going full throttle for day after day. That enthusiasm is so great, but if you go too hard, you risk burning out. Then your "rest day" turns into two, and three, and four. Before you know it: Couch Potato-Ass. Not so pretty as the Badass, right?

But if you rest a day or two, you'll return to your exercise regimen feeling stronger and performing accordingly. Some of the best workouts I've had came after a vacation. That was my body saying, "Thanks for the time off."

So as we enter the weekend, think back on the week of exercise you had. If it was light or non-existent, take advantage of the extra hours this weekend to do something with that body of yours. Why keep the Porsche in the garage where it's gonna just get dusty and old? Take it for a ride, Badasses! Show off whatcha got!

But if you've gone hard core since Monday, do like I plan to do Saturday: Rest. That doesn't mean you have to sit on the couch all day. There is such a thing as "active rest," like going for a nice walk or stretching for 20 to 30 minutes. I might even do a yoga class. But I won't be running or cycling or lifting.

And a little end note as happy hour Friday cometh: Consider libations that wreak less havoc on your healthy eating. A vodka soda with lime rings in at about 75 calories. A glass of wine is less than 150 calories for a typical pour. Compare that to just a single shot of liquor, which can ring in at as much as 175 to 200 calories. (There I am below left with my friend Jenn, practicing what I preach about wine.)

A light beer? 100 or less per bottle, and low in carbs. If you're doing rum and Coke, go for Diet Coke (that's what's in my red cup there at the UF-FSU game...)

So do your Badass some good -- skip the banana daiquiri and the three-shot special. Savor a great glass of wine instead. There's antioxidants in there, ya know...

Coming up: The practical benefits of being a Badass