I think there's always been some sort of, for lack of a better word, stigma, attached to the endurance athlete lifestyle. And that is that we are synonymous with carbohydrates. Now, that's all well and good as we need to store glycogen to use during long or rigorous exercise, and Glycogen is the secondary long-term energy store behind fat. But a lot of what I see, hear and read is 'How many carbs should I be eating?" And truthfully, for most athletes out there, you really don't need more than what an average person eats. Especially not the over-gorging amounts I see some people put down the night before a race.
What a lot of endurance athletes seem to miss out on is the best thing for your muscles, and that is protein. And good amounts of it, consistently. I'm talking about 10-30 grams a handful of times throughout the day. Those can come in the form of lean meat proteins (chicken, fish, pork, lean cuts of beef, etc.), plant based protein (Quinoa [one of my favorite], beans, and most vegetables), protein bars and protein shakes.
For me, it's tough to hit all these groups of protein sources throughout the day, especially in the plant based proteins. Especially being a work from home dad, I'm constantly in flux between working and taking care of my daughter. Which leads to long work days, early mornings and trouble fitting in my meals at the proper times. So instead of reaching for whatever is handy at that exact moment, I prepare myself by making sure I have things that are handy in my times of need.
Sometimes, I'm working hard on a project and I need to stop to feed my daughter for 20 minutes, and by the time I'm done, it's my usual lunch time, but I had a good flow going on the project so I don't want to quit and make a meal. Instead of quitting, I have protein bars handy. I can grab one quick and eat it while I'm working and my daughter is calming down from eating.
Another thing I have started to notice since I have been introducing more protein into my diet is my energy levels. I seem to be ready to go at a moments notice for whatever I need to do. Whether I finally get my time to get outside and put in a run after my wife gets home from work, or I'm up early to put in some laps in the pool, I seem to always be on top of my game in each session. That's me having protein both before and after each training session.
Depending on how hard or long I've worked during my training session will vary the amount of protein I'll take in after. Which is usually between 15-30 grams in form of a shake. If you're like me, it's tough to take in food after a solid workout, so having a good-tasting chocolate protein shake mixed in with chocolate milk is ideal. If I've just done an easy, shorter run, I will usually opt for just a big glass of chocolate milk and start getting a meal ready to eat about 45 minutes later. If I go out long or really hard, I'll mix up a 30g protein shake and add in some watermelon or banana on the side, and sometimes a spoon of peanut butter or almond butter for some healthy fats mixed into the matrix.
Another thing I have started to notice is my weight. I'm not necessarily dropping the pounds, but my weight has shifted more from stored water weight and/or fat into a little more lean muscle. Instead of being so focused on the number I see on the scale below me, I usually try to rate my success of weight control on what I see in the mirror. While losing weight is ideal for a guy my size to get faster, I want nothing to do with doing it in an unhealthy manner. And I still want to enjoy a slice and a beer from time to time.
By adding in more protein throughout the day, I have just been feeling and (to me) looking better. Maybe that's just my haircut though? I am feeling healthy, refreshed and ready to go. Besides adding more protein to my diet, I really haven't changed my eating habits much, and I notice the difference. Will this work for everyone? Definitely not. But it is worth a try. If you're putting in the time out on the road, in the pool, gym or on the trainer, reward your body with some protein to adequately recover. Then you can do it all again the next day!
Don't go overboard and eat chicken five times a day and have 4-5 protein shakes and bars, your body can only handle so much protein and the rest will more likely get excreted or stored as excess weight. Now that's a waste of money! But I challenge you to take a look at how much healthy protein you have in your diet and up it. Unless you're already hitting a healthy amount for your size, gender and goals. Especially as the off-season comes up and some of us start hitting the weights a little more and the road a little less. Adding in some protein will help you get through those aches and pains as you start throwing weights around.
-Dave
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