Protein is a glue that holds our body together. It is a chain of amino acids, which are basic building blocks for body. Did you know that strong muscles can cut cancer risk by 40%? That is a very good reason to get firm. Muscles are made of protein and with all the building blocks, all the amino acids present, they can become firm. Are we taking in enough protein? People who exercise should take around 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight, ie someone who weighs 170lbs should aim for 170g of protein per day, but no matter how much protein you are taking, unless you are taking enough essential amino acids in the right balance you could have protein deficiency.

There are different strategies to ensure protein retention. The quality of the protein is very important to stay firm, which can be measured by NPU. NPU is net protein utilisation of protein quality, which means how well protein is actually used in the body. Incomplete protein can cause low energy levels and you could even get depressed. Great examples of eating a complete protein is eggs and redskin peanuts, or rice and beans. There are many more good complete protein combinations, but if you want to make your life that little bit easier you can take pure amino acids in form of a supplement called Amino Energise. When you take them, they are assimilated directly and do not need to be digested. They form firm tissue in your muscles, skin and hair. Anti-catabolic protein is great for preventing protein breakdown. It’s also important to include good blood circulation foods, anti inflammatory and nucleic acids. Exercise plays huge part of protein retention! High intensity training with heavy weights for 20 minutes and a good recovery will ensure protein gets into the muscle effectively. Extra protein also pulls more calcium into the system and calcium is great for muscular contraction. Adding a casein protein drink like Proform into a diet could be a brilliant strategy as well. Proform is an excellent low-fat protein food supplying the body with generous amounts of protein and absorbable calcium. Studies have shown that casein protein can remain in the body for up to 7 hours after it is taken and has a prolonged anti-catabolic effect, so it’s a fantastic food to be added into an athlete’s diet.