I have now been drinking protein shakes and eating a high protein diet for about 4 years, but one of the questions I always get asked is should GIRLS drink them. If you want to get a strong, toned, healthy body like these girls who are ALL protein shake users . . . . .

 

. . . . . and you’re prepared to put some work in at the gym, then YES.

The first myth about protein shakes is that ‘will make you bulky’. Drinking a shake isn’t going to change your body at all. Protein powders are a nutritional supplement, they simply allow you to increase your protein intake in an easy and cheaper way, eating mountains of meat is expensive, time consuming, and also can be quite unhealthy if you are not keeping track of the amount of fat in that meat also, most protein shakes will have little more than 1g in.

So that’s great, and if you’re just looking to increase your protein intake, and perhaps help your body get stronger if you are recovering from an illness/injury/trying to cut your carbs down a bit and replace the calories with protein, having a scoop of protein everyday could really benefit you, but protein itself doesn’t change the appearance of your body.

Protein from both supplements and food work by helping your muscle fibres repair more quickly. When you do any exercise, and in particular and kind of weightlifting or weight work, your muscle fibres actually tear, they repair naturally, you wouldn’t even know it was happening, but protein simply helps speed up this process. If your muscles have repaired more quickly, your body is ready to go and will perform better in your workout the next day, you’re muscles will be able to withstand more weight, and more reps, and thats how you actually change your body – it’s the exercise not the protein, protein simply aids you!

Another element of protein shakes that there seems to be a lot of confusion around is when/how to take them. A typical whey protein is likely to be about 100 calories per scoop, it is not a meal replacement by any means, you really won’t be doing your body any favours by only eating 100 calories as a meal, but equally it isn’t something you can just keep drinking all day on top of your food if you’re looking to maintain/lose weight (if you’re trying to put on weight and gain mass, go for it). A protein shake is a snack essentially, although always check the nutritional information on the back as some diet formulas can be higher in calories (and are more of a mealreplacement).

I personally always have protein shakes immediately after my workout. There is many many many articles and research into the timing of protein intake, and a very popular theory is that you have a 30 minute anabolic window immediately after exercise, in which there is the greatest opportunity for muscle growth – THIS IS A GOOD THING, girls have the tendency to freak out a bit when they hear muscle growth, you’re not going to become a bodybuilder, you will just look toned and strong, girls don’t have the testosterone levels needed to put on serious muscle! If you don’t give your body the nutrients it needs to grow, you will go into a catabolic state more quickly, and this is when your body starts to use it’s energy reserves it already has, i.e. your muscle, and you effectively would waste away if this was your permanent state – this is not good AT ALL.

Of course improving your protein intake and having a protein shake at any time is beneficial, and you don’t need to panic if you don’t get some protein in you immediately after you workout, everything helps, just do what you can.

SO, in conclusion protein shakes are an easy way of upping your protein, which is going to help you build a body like the insta girls do, don’t be scared of them, and go get your squats on girls!

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