Liquid Calories...Should You or Shouldn't You?

Today I'd like to talk about the protein shake as a preferred choice for breakfast.

Other beverage options: cow's milk, soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, fresh-squeezed juice, tetra-pak juices, and refrigerated juices.

Clearly there are many beverage choices for the average breakfast-eater (and this is not a post about the benefits of breakfast, although it may sound a bit like one...).

I'm not going to talk about the benefits of or the detrimental effects of drinking coffee or tea here. Nearly 52% of North Americans over the age of 18 drink coffee every day. And in the US alone, there will be approximately 50,000+ coffee shops by the year 2010. Suffice it to say that almost everyone's drinking a cup of coffee or tea in the morning.

Nor am I going to talk about drinking your 8+ glasses of water per day, which you already know I promote.

I'm going to stick with talking about the protein shake as a breakfast choice.

Why do you want to drink a protein shake in the morning?

Well, you've just worked out. You're feeling pretty depleted and hopefully somewhat exhausted - you just gave yourself a really good workout, you're feeling proud of yourself, and you want to reward yourself for a job well done. You hit the shower, scrub up, and start scrounging in the kitchen for something to fill up with.

Increasing your muscle mass, even if you're not trying to be a body-builder, is very important as you age. If you do nothing to preserve your muscle mass, by age 50 you will have lost about 10% of it.

This is the best reason to choose a protein shake, over any of the other beverages on the list. The other beverages have mostly carbs and fat to offer you, which you hear enough about - that there are too many carbs and fats consumed in the average diet.

The following links will take you to two of the many experts that I follow, when making my program recommendations. Working out, without combining that effort with proper nourishment, is basically wasting your time.

Your protein shake offers a tasty, healthy, filling breakfast choice. It replenishes your system with the nutrients it needs to maintain and build lean muscle mass, also referred to as your fat-free mass. Send an e-mail with your mailing address to bsinclaircoaching@hotmail.com and I will mail you a sample packet of the Body Wise protein, either in chocolate or vanilla.

Throw 2 scoops in the blender (that's what's in the packet) with 1/2 c. of your favorite fresh or frozen fruit. Add water, rice milk, or almond milk up to the 1 1/2 c. mark, and you're on your way. Start your day right with a delicious protein shake, compliments of Billie Sinclair!

Or, if your goal is to increase muscle mass in a bigger way, and you're working out with heavy weights, follow Rico's advice and load up your post-workout shake. Enjoy the following links and have a healthy, happy, and youthful day! I look forward to your e-mails!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5yf9FnVwP8

http://burnthefat.com/affiliate_area/liquid_calories.html

Please make a special note of Tom's comments: "After weight training workouts, liquid nutrition may have benefits that outweigh any downside, especially on muscle-gaining programs..."