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What the heck are BCAAs - Do I need them?

3/8/2018

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Are you working hard during your workouts and still not seeing all the results you want?  
Do you find your body feeling sore after workouts preventing you from doing your workout as often? 

​Well if you said yes to one or both of these questions, BCAAs can benefit you.  

I recently had extremely bad myalgia issues all over my body.  I assumed it was simply due to my job coaching live fitness classes and my body was just over trained.  The problem wasn't that I was training to much - it was that I wasn't giving myself enough of the essential nutrients it needed to support all the exercise I was doing.  Once improved my diet my body began to heal itself.  If you are sweating it out with resistance training at home or at the gym, working that body regularly means muscle soreness is a common feeling post-workout.  If you want to prevent soreness and muscle fatigue, and see more results from your workouts - making sure you are consuming the best BCAA for your body is important. 
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When you strength train or do high intensity cardio workouts that put more force on the body (boxing, plyometrics, HIIT), your muscles are broken down in order to rebuild the muscle to become stronger and leaner. While many women know how important exercise is for their body and overall health, many are unaware of the important nutrients that can optimize their training and fitness results. 

So, how can you maximize your hard work and post-training recovery for the best results? The answer lies in essential aminos called branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs).  

WHT ARE BCAAs?
BCAAs are three amino acids that play a big role in your body’s daily function and also have a major impact on your fitness results. These three amino acids are classified as leucine, isoleucine, and valine.

First off, it’s important to understand these BCAAs are considered essential. This means they can’t be made within your body. You need to get these valuable BCAAs through outside protein sources — like meat, milk, yogurt, legumes and nuts. Keep in mind that certain protein sources provide higher BCAA content (like dairy products).  

BCAAs are essential amino acids your body can only get from either our food or supplements.  If you are eliminating meat and dairy from your diet you are naturally lowering your ability to get these essential nutrients from your food diet.  They play an important role in building lean muscle and revitalizing energy, and this means they will play an important part in your workout performance and recovery.  If you are always sore and lethargic it makes it harder to want to stay committed to your exercise program.  


Getting sufficient amounts of BCAAs will help you reach your goals by ensuring you are not deficient and that your body has everything it needs to rebuild and repair your muscles.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BCAA'S?


The goal when exercising is to build toned muscles, burn fat and build physical strength. While BCAAs alone won’t magically transform your body, when combined with exercise and a diet properly balanced in macronutrients, these branched-chain amino acids can definitely have an impact on your training and recovery, which is the next best thing.
  • Developing Lean MuscleAs your muscles are worked and used during resistance and cardio exercises, they are broken down and need to be repaired. This muscle-building process is improved by consuming BCAAs. 
    Supplying your muscles with important nutrients — like BCAAs aid in the recovery process by helping build stronger, leaner muscle. The BCAA leucine, in particular, has been is known to be directly involved in muscle development. Essentially, supplementing with BCAAs, and leucine in particular, can help maximize your hard work and time spent in the gym.
  • Muscle Soreness
    BCAA consumption after training helps reduce the feeling that often accompanies a good training session: soreness. While feeling sore a couple days after exercise can be a pretty good indicator you had a good workout, prolonged and extremely intense soreness may interfere with your workout schedule, your ability to work at your maximum effort and may affect your day-to-day activities

    Research shows BCAAs help combat muscle soreness. So, while you’ll still experience the muscle-building effects of training, the soreness that many experience one to two days after working out won’t be as intense.

WHY SHOULD WOMEN SUPPLEMENT THEMSELVES WITH BCAAS?
Considering all of BCAAs advantages, you can see how they can be so beneficial when coupled with regular exercise. BCAAs give you an edge on your training and recovery, placing you on the fast track to attaining your fitness goals.
That said, getting sufficient BCAA amounts throughout the day may be a little difficult… not to mention all the excess calories you may also be eating in order to try and get those precious BCAAs.

Supplementing helps you get the nutrients you need at the exact time it is most effective.  Consuming whey protein alone after a workout will not give you the same benefits as supplements with BCAAs.  

I have tried many BCAA post workout products and have found RECOVER to be my best product choice when it comes to more pure/natural ingredients, flavor, texture when blended and the effects and results on my body.  

Faster recovery helps you get faster results, and that's why you must take in the proper nutrients after every workout. The time-released proteins and phytonutrients in Recover maximize that critical post-workout opportunity to help reduce muscle breakdown, support muscle growth, fight exercise-induced muscle soreness, and jump-start your body's natural rebuilding process, so you can come back stronger tomorrow.

What are the key ingredients in Recover?* 
  • Pomegranate extract
    This powerful ellagitannin-rich extract is scientifically shown to promote faster muscle recovery while helping to manage exercise-induced muscle soreness. It's a natural recovery-enhancing ingredient that helps muscles return to normal strength faster, especially after intense workouts.
  • 20 grams of high-quality protein
    Fast-, intermediate-, and slow-release of both whey and casein proteins ensure a constant supply of nutrients to create the optimal environment to improve muscle recovery and promote muscle growth.
  • Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)
    Recover also includes an ideal 2:1:1 ratio of Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine, branched-chain amino acids that are unique for their ability to help promote muscle synthesis and support rebuilding.
  • No artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives.

The BCAA post workout product I use:  click product name to read more about it. 
CHOCOLATE RECOVER (tastes like Hershey's chocolate Milk) 
ORANGE RECOVER (tastes like an orange Julis drink) 



*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.  Consult your physician and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program or using any supplement or meal replacement product, especially if you are pregnant, breast feeding or have any unique or special medical conditions.

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Do You Have Guts to Succeed?

10/5/2017

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Examine any successful person and you will find they have guts.  It can be called courage, audacity, or bravery.  They weren't all extremely intelligent or highly skilled - which  proves that we can learn to become successful.  We are not born with it.  Most, if not all successful people will tell you they worked hard to earn success - they applied GRIT.  

So how do you know you have GUTS and how do you get it to achieve the things you desire the most? 

BE DETERMINED TO SUCCEED
Failure is not an option.  Those who succeed look at failure is a way to learn and grow.  They do not quit when things get tough - they persevere and keep fighting until they reach their goal, whatever it is they want to see themselves achieving. In order to succeed one is determined that no matter how hard, or how long it is going to take to get the results - you will keep going.

BE A RISK TAKER
“Those who seek safety rarely gain wealth?”  It is easy to seek new opportunities in every situation when you are not afraid to fail. You are also not afraid to ask for help even though you know you might get turned down. Success doesn’t come easily, and it comes to those who are willing to take risks and are willing to grow and learn.
​
TRAIN YOURSELF TO HAVE COURAGE
Combat fears by turning them into anticipation of positive future payoffs.
Stop seeing them as potential negative outcomes.
When you fear loss, shift your focus to what you might gain.
When you fear how difficult a process might be, focus on the excitement of achieving your goal.

and finally....
USE THE 
G.O.Y.A THEORY 
Every single day you have to use the “Get Off Your Ass” approach and make stuff happen! Nothing works unless you do - plain and simple.  Decide to continue to TRY - always. 

In summary - Stay focused, positive and in a state of mind that drives you to keep moving forward..when you do you will taste success.  
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