Motivation by Challenge

[Yes - I forgot to post this early this morning. Sorry!]

April is almost over. Spring has sprung. We have had a chance to recover from a couple of fitness challenges, and now we're settling into the mundane, day after day challenge of staying active. I had some ideas in mind for my own summer training, but it took me nearly two weeks to adjust to the end of the fitness "challenges." I have not really done a sustained activity like that before, and, as it turned out, we ended up doing two, back-to-back. On my own, I know I would have NEVER done a fitness challenge. Now that I have tried it, though, I see how a good fitness challenge can motivate you to achieve much more than you ever thought.

The first thing I have learned from all of these recent fitness challenges is that I need a bit of time to shift gears when I'm winding down one training phase and winding up another. After the Kettlebells and then the Burpees, my body decided that I needed time to relax and take a break. But I also needed time to reflect on some new training objectives and come up with a plan for moving forward. I decided that two consecutive pedal-to-the-medal training blocks is a lot (and, since I'm not a professional athlete, I don't NEED to dedicate my entire life to training). The result was that, after the Burpees, I wandered aimlessly through the next two weeks. I felt a bit restless, but could only muster a half-hearted effort. So I'm now just calling those weeks a training holiday.

That little break was actually very nice. It gave me time to rethink my next training block and mix it up a bit. I even had a chance to try a run and was really pleased that all the Kettlebells, Burpees and Cross-Swim seem to have got me ready for the summer run season. Second take-away: basic core strength training and some cardio can significantly improve your performance in other activities even without "training" in that activity! That was a cool effect.

This leads to the third thing I learned: a fitness challenge really does push you beyond the point where you would stop on your own. I had a Kettlebell target and that kept me focused. The Burpees were a new thing, but once we figured out how much we could do, new targets kept us going. In the same way, when you do a fitness class, you basically put yourself under the coach's guidance and they push you beyond your personal I-want-to-stop point. Accepting a challenge has the potential to make you better. Having other buddies along for the ride encourages you to keep your commitment. And, at the end of the day (or training block), you have accomplished something fantastic.

Keep up the good work. Take a break if you need it, but don't stop altogether. Look what you've already accomplished!

Now That The Dust Has Cleared. . .

February's fitness challenge is now officially in the rear-view mirror. Aside from the ongoing fitness benefits, we have an exciting update to pass along. The 10,000 Kettlebells for Parkinson's challenge raised $3,403.33 which will support Parkinson's research.

Not only do we think that is fantastic, but the Royal University Hospital Foundation also thinks it is fantastic!

On behalf of our family, I would like to say a huge Thank You to everybody who participated and everybody who donated to the RUH Foundation. We were so pleased by how well this was received. Although the 10,000 Kettlebell challenge is done, you can still make donations to the RUH Foundation. If interested in making a donation, please visit www.ruhf.org or call 1-306-655-1984.

I have heard from many participants who continue to work away on one fitness project or another. A number of us are shifting now into sport-specific training for summer events. I can personally say that this is the best shape I have ever been in rolling into the summer season!

Thanks again, everyone. Have a great summer! Tune in on Mondays for the weekly blogs - you can even sign up to get them via email.

Best wishes,

Richard

Protein Powder - A Brief Explanation

First of all, if you prefer the graphic novel edition of this story, follow this SHORTCUT: scroll to the bottom of the post and click the graphic. Have fun!


Now that's out of the whey (sorry), I'm going to give you a very brief summary about where commercially-produced protein powder comes from. Short answer: a cow. More specifically, a cow's milk.

Note: I present the following links to give you a start on your own research. As I have told my students, with any online search, you get what you get. Anyone can create a website [case in point, this blog!!], and you are entirely responsible for evaluating the credibility and accuracy of the information you find online. I have done my best to present a variety of sources, but this list is neither exhaustive nor fully representative. This is a starting point for you to jump in.

As with almost anything, you will find extreme views both for and against any kind of food supplement - well, any kind of food, actually! I will say there are people who swear by protein powder and people who swear at you for using it [I took some editorial license on that last bit]. I am not pushing anyone to use protein powder, and, like I mentioned earlier, your best bet is always a well-balanced, nutritious diet. Bla bla bla bla bla. . . Let's get on with the story!

I'm not going to rewrite the whole story of protein powder here. Any online search will yield many strong views for or against protein powder and/or protein supplements. I am addressing the specific question of what whey protein powder (the most common protein powder source) is. I have identified a few articles related to that topic and pulled out a few of the key points from each. I encourage you to do your own research and keep learning about topics which relate to your own wellness.

The Articles:
1. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/protein-powder

• addresses the question of whether you need protein powders
• looks at what they are (their origin) and who might benefit from using them
• appears fairly balanced to me - decide for yourself

2. http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/supplements/whey-protein

• explains the connection of Miss Muffet to this story
• distinguishes whey protein isolate and whey protein concentrate. Hint: one form is more pure
• discusses how the protein powder works
• identifies both benefits and risks

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey_protein

• any of my students will probably recoil when they see that I referenced Wikipedia (because anyone can say anything on Wikipedia and you might read it before the community fixes the weirdness. . .). However, as I also told them, it should not be your ONLY source of info and it should not be your MOST IMPORTANT source of info
• the article presents a lot of interesting info and my approach is to use it as a springboard to further research: for example, do some more searching into "whey" and "caseins", and not just following the Wikipedia links!
• having said that - pretty interesting. We learn that whey protein starts off as a byproduct of the cheese-making process!

So, I'm going to do two things, one now and one in the near future. The now thing is I'm just going to summarize some of he hoopla about protein powder:

• Protein powder is processed from a byproduct of the milk-to-cheese process
• After filtering, concentrating, drying and packaging, it is sold as a more concentrated and - what do you know? -  lower-carbohydrate protein supplement
• All things being equal, if you eat a well-balanced diet of nutritious foods, you probably don't need protein powder, but there are exceptions (detailed nicely in the WebMD article above)
• Protein powder supplements will provide extra protein with a low proportion of carbohydrate, so, from a protein point of view, they are an efficient source of protein
• The point is that you may or may not really need it - read the articles and do your own research to see if it looks like a good option for you
• As with any kind of nutrition, I am not qualified to recommend anything beyond what our food guide (or, actually, my new favorite - the Brazilian food guide) recommends, so talk to a registered dietitian if you have questions

Here's the near-future thing I am going to do. I know it is a risk (like egg-on-the-face), but I am going to ask a registered dietitian to look over these last few posts and give me their feedback, pardon the pun. If I need to re-align things, I will.

Thanks for following along. I hope I have provoked your thinking. Stay tuned, because we will definitely be coming back to this as time goes on. I also want to have the aforementioned dietitian write a piece or two for the blog.



SHORTCUT BRINGS YOU HERE!
Here's where you would have arrived (sooner!) if you had taken the shortcut I offered at the very beginning. The picture which tells the whole story!!

Protein Powder Revisited

Some of you may remember the Great Protein Powder Experiment from mid-February. It involved a large number of blending devices and created a substantial layer of powdery dust. But the data was conclusive: we created protein powder. The data also indicated that what we had really created was carbohydrate powder! Commercial protein powder runs about 3:1 protein-to-carbohydrate. Our powder had nearly the same protein content (well, about 80% of target), but we had LOTS of carbohydrate. We had a 1:5 protein-to-carbohydrate ratio. Technically, it would be more accurate to say a 5:1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio!

So, after the dust cleared (literally), I looked into the whole protein powder issue more closely. First, I learned that, in many cases, an active person doing modest exercise does not NEED protein powder. If you eat a well-balanced, nutritious diet, you are probably getting the protein your body needs. The implication is that, regardless of your activity level, you need protein. There is a tipping point, though, where a high level of physical activity puts you in a bit of a protein deficit, so that is where the commercially-produced protein powders come in.

If you are engaging in regular, high-intensity exercise where you are really making your large muscles work hard, your protein needs will be higher. Food is a great choice here. Thank you, Captain Obvious. What I mean, though, is that planning your food intake to include high-protein foods will be important for you if you are doing strenuous workouts. You have other nutritional needs, but it is THIS scenario where protein supplements come in. If you can deliver high protein without packing a large carbohydrate punch, you will be providing rocket fuel for your muscles (okay, that was taking a liberty) without adding too much extra. . . let's call it "stuffing". At 3:1, the protein powder gives you relatively a lot of protein without much carbohydrate. So it is simply a more efficient protein source if it's just protein you want.

An after-workout smoothie made with 2% milk, a banana, and some protein powder will give you a great boost - the milk has calories (energy) without too much fat, the banana contains slow-releasing sugars/energy, and the protein powder provides some easily-digestible protein. And it tastes pretty awesome after an hour of variations on a theme by Burpee.

There's way more to say, but I'm sure you're done reading for now. This article was really just food for thought (sorry), to whet your appetite (sorry, again) about the idea of protein supplements. I have decided to do a follow-up piece on what the stuff actually is (the commercially-produced protein powder) and where it comes from. My question, after we created our own protein powder and looked into its nutritional makeup, was this: "What is the real protein powder (high-protein, low carbohydrate) made of?" The answer may surprise you. Unless you've been talking to Miss Muffet.