Amino acids are essentially the building blocks of proteins that are critical to life, having many functions in a person’s metabolism. The human body uses twenty amino acids, ten of which are naturally produced by the body.  The remaining ten acids need to be ingested because they are not naturally made by the body. They are essential and indispensable and can be found in products such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and milk.

Like the letters of the alphabet make words, amino acids make all the proteins used in the human body. The body produces thousands of different proteins and it cannot use the protein as it is naturally found in food. The body has to break down the consumed protein by using digestive enzymes. These enzymes then cleave off peptides and rebuild the protein into human compatible proteins such as:

• Body tissues like hair, nails, skin, bones, blood, muscles, and organs
• Hormones that regulate metabolism
• Enzymes that enhance the chemical reactions in the body
• Antibodies that enhance the immune system

Many amino acids are used to synthesize other molecules, for example:

• Tryptophan is a precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
• taurine is a major amino acid in muscle and brain tissues
• Some non-standard amino acids are used as defenses against herbivores in plants

Basically, Amino Acids are more important to a persons well-being than what they realize. Provide 1 Shot Liquid Protein is collagen based protein and has been broken down to the basic amino acid and peptide units by a proprietary blend of mild enzymes. It contains all the essential amino acids necessary making it easily digested by your body in the shortest amount of time. Your body will absorb over 97% of the amino acids– within 30 minutes — necessary for optimal body performance and repair.

Dosage Recommendations:

Everyday Workout: 1 one-ounce shot 30 minutes before workout/training and 1 one-ounce shot within 30 minutes after the workout/training.

Heavy Strength Training: 2 one-ounce shot 30 minutes before workout/training and 1 one-ounce shot within 30 minutes after the workout/training. The 2 one-ounce shots before workout/training help with stamina during an extended, high-intensity workout.

Extended Workout:Take an additional one-ounce shot during extended periods of exertion such as long day of training, triathlons, etc.

Recovery: Take 1 one-ounce shot within 30 minutes after workout or physical activity

We are consistently asked if there really are differences between Whey Protein and Provide Gold One Shot Liquid Protein and if there are, then what are they?

We’re going to tell you about two main differences between these types of protein: Time and Absorption.

What does that mean?

Well, the main differences are the time it takes for your body to absorb the different types of protein into your system, and the actual percentage that your body absorbs.

The optimal time for protein consumption is 30-40 minutes after your workout ends. A common way people supplement their protein intake is with protein shakes and protein powder. When you use powder, you take that 1 oz scoop of protein and make yourself a shake that actually ends up being about 8-10 oz of liquid, which you drink right after your workout.

Most athletes have learned that the best time for their body to have the protein necessary to rebuild, repair and restore muscle is between the strength training (weight lifting) and conditioning (running); however, drinking 10 ounces of a heavy protein shake during those two workouts has the typical side effect of nausea and/or actual throwing up. Dedicated athletes will still plow through and drink the shakes, but your basic athlete (high school etc) more than likely will avoid the heavy shake during the workouts.

Even if you do drink  the entire protein shake, this type protein is very difficult for your body to digest, and actually takes your body up to 24 hours to absorb the protein completely. The final outcome is that 24 hours after your workout, your body has finally absorbed the protein it needs to repair and restore your body for more exercise, only the amount it absorbed is roughly around 40%.

There are several types of liquid protein supplements available, but there is only one that we know of that was developed by a team of health research professionals. Utilizing their vast knowledge, they came up with the perfect recipe that allows for nearly 100% absorption of the protein (vs 40% of the other types of protein) at the cellular level. This protein is pre-digested with fruit enzymes and also contains Taurine.

Taurine is one of the key ingredients which acts quickly to open cells for the protein to enter the cells for muscle rebuilding and to aid in the recovery process. Faster absorption means faster recovery and better performance.

“The Taurine in Provide Gold™ also reduces oxidative stress under extreme physical exertion where lactic acid builds up in the muscle. The taurine decreases this fatigue of oxidative stress and aids in recovery,” added Dr. Gilbert. “Additionally, at the cellular level Provide Gold™’s Taurine regulates inter-cell calcium levels, balancing the sodium levels outside the cell and potassium levels inside the cell, keeping electrolytes stable across the cell.” – Dr. Joyce Ann Gilbert, PhD, RD, LD Director, Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science at California State University Northridge

One Shot Protein has no lactose, requires no preparation, no refrigeration, is sugar-free and gluten-free. There is no caffeine or harmful substances in this powerful protein supplement and contains 15 oz of pure protein in a 1 oz shot.

Now you know.  So go get yourself some powerful Provide Gold One Shot Protein.

Earlier this week we talked about eating habits that can help you to have a dramatic weight loss. Now we are going to talk about the simple things you can do to move the weight loss forward.

1. Health App – Whether it be for your phone or on your computer, you really do need some sort of tracking system. This will help you to keep track of the food you eat and the exercise that you do. There are numerous ones out there that can track this information for you, helping you see how many calories you burned and consumed. This information is critical in the weight loss process.

There are also Apps available that will track the distance that you run, walk or bike and calculate not only the mileage but the amount of calories that you burned. This is motivation at its best and helps you realize that when you walk from the back of the parking lot to the grocery store entrance, you are burning calories.

2. Elevated Heartbeat for a min of 30 – 45 minutes daily. This means that if you hate running, not to worry. You just have to make sure that you are walking briskly enough to elevate your heartbeat for 30 minutes. You should be able to talk with your walking partner, but it should labored. This means you are working your body, and burning calories.

3. Rest. Make sure you rest your body adequately between each exercise session, so you don’t damage your muscles. Make sure that you consider protein supplements. This will help your body rebuild the necessary muscles and cells that we use when we exercise and really, just function day to day. If you are tired after you exercise you need to provide your body with the essential proteins necessary to rebuild, rejuvenate and restore your muscles.

4. You don’t have to go to the gym to exercise. There are a lot of different exercises that you can do, at home, that don’t require a gym membership. Squats, lunges, sit-ups and push-ups to name just a few. Adding these exercises to your daily routine will increase your endurance.

5. Ask for Help – Get a workout buddy or someone to help keep you accountable. There is something to be said for knowing someone is outside or at the gym waiting for you to keep you motivated and working out.

If you follow these five easy steps, you will see a gradual weight loss. The toughest part of losing weight is that it doesn’t just slide off like a bad outfit. You have to work it off and that work is hard. Just remember: Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels.

What are some of your tried and true tips for easy to do exercise?

Over the past eighteen months I have lost 62 pounds. That’s the equivalent of two small children! I have been asked a variation of the same three questions when they realize how much weight I have actually shed:

1) What did you do?
2) Did you starve?
3) Did you quit eating out?

What I did, quite truthfully, is very simple and everyone could, and frankly should, do the same thing. Most people look at me like I’m crazy, but I’m living proof that this works.

1. I quit eating fast food, processed foods and pre-packaged foods– which are incredibly high in saturated fats. Simply removing the bad fats found in that type of food will help drastically with your weight-loss desires.

2.  I concentrated on eating the good fats . These are the fats that are found in lean cuts of meat, fish and nuts. I  eat my vegetables and proteins first and save the rolls, and bread (carbs) for the end of the meal. By filling up on the Vegetables and Proteins first your overall calorie intake will be lower because you will feel full and avoid overeating–which typically occurs when you fill up on the rolls or bread first.

3. I tracked what I ate. Now, before you roll your eyes at me and tell me you don’t have time to do that, let me explain the method of my madness. I downloaded a fitness training app to my smart phone and during the set-up process honestly listed my weight (198 lbs) and my current exercise level (none). I was honest with the app — I had nothing to lose except the weight and I was sick of being fat. At the end of the day I would input all the food that I ate that day and what types of exercise I did — and it would list out the calories that I consumed and burned. If I ate more than I burned, then I was in the red zone.

Quite honestly, it only took about three days of me seeing that my Biggie Sized Extra Value Meal was TWO DAYS worth of calories in one meal. Finally I could see how my food choices were negatively affecting my weight.

4. I still eat out – I just make healthier choices. If I can, I try to decide before I get to the restaurant what I’m going to eat. I will look at the menu and find the healthiest choice that the restaurant offers. This helps me not to be tempted when I get to the restaurant to make poor choices because the food smells so good. I have now know exactly what healthy choices I can make at a drop of a hat at various local restaurants, and I don’t have to spend time mulling over the menu– at home or at the restaurant.

5. I eat a salad every day. This is a simple way to make sure you are getting the daily required vegetable/fruit intake necessary for healthy living. It’s also a healthy choice when eating out, especially when it’s not possible to check the menu of an eating establishment prior to your meal. If you frequently eat green salads, you’ll likely have higher blood levels of a host of powerful antioxidants and its an easy way to lower your cholesterol.

Check back on Wednesday when we’ll go over simple steps to exercise and burn calories. In the meantime, tell us what some of your favorite healthy eating tips are in comment section below.

We are entering the time of year when parents everywhere are one fuse short of a blow out. We try to make the holidays absolutely perfect for our off-spring. Typically the time and effort we put into making the holiday’s all shiny and rosy goes entirely unnoticed.  Unless Mom ends up blowing up the bank or something else entirely plausible.

In light of that, Provide Gold has come up with a very simple and easy way to de-stress your holidays.

1. If it’s worth doing its worth doing wrong. What the heck does that even mean? It means that no one is going to notice if your front door has a fresh coat of paint or if all the presents are elegantly wrapped with homemade gift tags. While all the little details are nice, you can let a large majority of them go and the holidays will still be wonderful.

2. Turn off Technology Every Night At A Set Time. At our house we have a rule that all cell phones and computers are off and plugged into a huge outlet in the kitchen to charge. Nightly and no excuses. Everyone has until 11:00pm to finish their homework because once 11 rolls around our handy filter turns on and no one can access the Internet. The filter is the bad guy, not Mom or Dad.
I know. I freaked out when this new rule was presented to me, too. No one is allowed to keep their cell phones or computers in their rooms– including Mom and Dad. It seems drastic, and honestly I nearly had a heart attack to not feel my phone under my pillow; however, I can honestly tell you that I sleep more soundly because I’m not constantly checking my phone.
Try it. You’ll love it.

3. Take A Walk. That’s easy enough to understand. Exercising is a natural way to let off the pent up steam created from stress. However, walking in the winter is just plain cold. Don’t give up on walking because its -40 outside (or at least feels like it) think outside of the box for places you can walk.

• Drop your kids off at the elementary school and then walk the halls. You can figure out how many times around the halls you need to walk to equal a mile. I’ve seen the teachers doing this at several schools (check with the administration to make sure they’re ok with it) .
• Most Malls open their doors early for people to mall walk.
• A lot of the newer high schools and junior high schools have indoor tracks, and if they don’t walk their halls (again, check with administration).

4. Store Bought Is the New Homemade. Of course we all love to eat home baked goodies, but with the schedules that we all keep it’s near impossible to bake like our Grandma’s did. No one needs to know that Mr Piggly-Wiggly made those awesome cookies or salad that you brought to the holiday party. When you’re complimented, just smile and say Thank You. And then silently thank Mr. Piggly-Wiggly.

5. Remember What Nancy Reagan Taught Us… Just Say No. That is the most liberating word in the English language. NO. You don’t have to go to every single party on the planet, bake twenty-four dozen cookies for the PTA or provide a Sub-for-Santa for three families. No. You won’t be thought less of, nor will your family stop loving you. You simply we not be stressed because you embraced the most powerful word on the planet: No.

What are your favorite Holiday de-stressors?

Did you know that the human body, minus water, is 75% protein?

It is.

Our bodies are made up primarily of protein and knowing that little fact helps a person understand why they need to make sure they are getting the suggested amounts of protein daily in their diets. If not, then making sure they are taking protein supplements to reach those required amounts.

Our bodies NEED protein not only to function and stay healthy, but to stay alive. The Amino acids found in protein are vital in every human bodily function. Protein is crucial in formatting bones, teeth, and tissues.

There are three different types of protein Globular, Fibrous and Membrane.

The average person, when hearing those three terms, my find themselves thinking they know nothing about protein. However when you use the more common terms, people are surprised by how much they really do know.

Take for example the term Fibrous Protein. This type of protein is found only in animals. Why? Because Fibrous protein is Collagen – the key component in connective tissue growth—and Keratin—the protein that is found in hair and finger nails.

Globular proteins are typically made up of enzymes and unlike fibrous proteins, globular proteins can act as messengers. It transmits messages to regulate the biological processes. This function is done by hormones, like insulin. One of the most well-know globular proteins is hemoglobin which is the iron containing oxygen transportation system to red-blood cells.

Hemoglobin is found in the blood and carries oxygen from the respiratory organs to the rest of the body (i.e., the tissues). It then releases the oxygen to burn nutrients to provide energy to power the functions of the organism. Then it collects the resultant carbon dioxide to bring it back to the respiratory organs to be dispensed from the body. In mammals, this kind of protein makes up 97% of the red blood cells’ dry content, and around 35% of the total content (including water).

Membrane proteins serve as the receptors and provide transit channels for the protein to pass in and through to the cell membranes. More than half of all proteins interact with membranes.

Understanding the roles that these three types of proteins play within our bodies helps us to make sure we are supplying our body with the healthy types of protein in the correct amounts. Look for more posts later on all the various types of proteins you can eat, and supplements you can take, to help your body get the nourishment it needs.

It’s that time of year when everyone starts sharing the one thing you wish they’d keep to themselves: Germs. Here are some quick and easy tips to help you stay healthy this winter.

1. Wash your Hands and use hand sanitizer. Bacteria and viruses find their way into our bodies via all of the various things we touch. From the grocery store shopping carts to the door handle coming out of the public restrooms, bacteria and viruses are lurking and waiting for us to touch. Use a paper towel to turn off the water in the restrooms and open the doors; Use disinfectant wipes to wipe down your shopping cart at the store; Once a day wipe down your phones and computer keyboards at work and carry hand sanitizer in your car (or keep it at your desk) so you can use it once you get back into “the safe zone”. Consistently washing your hands and using hand sanitizer will help keep you healthy.

2. Don’t Touch Your Face. The average person touches their face three to five times a MINUTE which translates into 180-300 times an hour. Think about all the places you go and all the various things you touch that have been touched by other people. Yeah, gross. Conscientiously think about not touching your face to minimize the germs you spread.

3. Herbs. Contrary to popular belief they are not just for cooking any more. Gargling with Sage will soothe a soar throat and guards against infections; Elderberry Extract will decrease the length of the cold and soften the symptoms; Gargle with Salt water. It soothes the soar throat and loosens nasty mucus in the throat; Drinking hot ginger tea is a great method for preventing the flu; Garlic pills will ward off illness. And vampires. So, double whammy.

4. Eat Healthy Well-balanced Meals and Snacks. When we are healthy eaters, our bodies retrain the nutrients necessary to fight off the illnesses. Try snacking on Brazil Nuts. They are heavy in protein, which is good for the body, but they are also high in selenium, which increases production of proteins called cytokines that are important for the immune system. Have a 1 oz serving a few times per week.

5. Good Nights Sleep. Sleep is the first thing that we sacrifice to get our huge to-do lists done. And, that is one of the major contributing factors of illness. A tired body cannot fight the bacteria and viruses that plague the places we go. The average adult needs between seven and nine hours of sleep a night and yet most adults are getting less than six. No wonder so many people are sick. Put the to-do lists away and allow yourself the rest you need. Especially once you are sick. Rest is the best way for your body to heal itself.

6. Drink lots of Water. Water makes up over half of your body weight. Every single part of your body needs water to be able to function correctly. Most healthy people can stay well hydrated by drinking water and other fluids whenever they feel thirsty. For some people, fewer than 8 glasses may be enough. Other people may need more than 8 glasses each day.

7. Regular Exercise a few times a week can help decrease stress which increases a persons chance of getting sick. It also strengthens the body’s ability to fight germs.  Yoga is a great way to not only strengthen, stretch and tone your muscles but Yoga also boosts your immune system.  My yoga instructor suggested practicing the Lion pose a few times a day when you feel a cold coming on because it brings fresh blood to your throat and scares away germs. Win win.

How do YOU keep your family healthy?