Southern States Championships top contender Melissa Transou, a figure competitor, wife and mother, blogs about the unique sports nutrition needs of female athletes exclusively for Vitacost.com.
We all want to gain fat-burning, lean muscle, but in order to do so we have to feed our muscles protein. If you don’t get enough protein from the foods you eat, your body’s ability to make new protein slows down, and it may even break down existing protein (i.e. muscle tissue) in order to supply its needs. If your body starts breaking down its own muscle tissue, your metabolism slows down further, which results in burning fewer calories and fat.
Sports nutrition supplements can be intimidating. With their tough, often masculine-sounding names, many women wonder if they’re OK to take and if they offer any real benefits beyond hardcore, muscle-building goals. One example might be amino acid supplements. Sound complicated, don’t they? But amino acids serve many important functions in the body, and taking a supplement can be helpful for anyone, regardless of fitness goals.
Jiggly arms. Pudgy belly. Saggy bottom. For many women, these “problem areas” cause a lot of frustration. I’m often asked what can be done to tone up and get rid of stubborn fat once and for all.
There are times when life gets so busy and you’re stretched so thin, finding enough energy to exercise seems impossible. I know. I’ve been there. And the last thing I want to do is to reach for an energy drink loaded with artificial ingredients and sugar. But I also hate to miss my workouts.
You’ve finally gotten into a groove—going to the gym every day, eating right, feeling good about your progress. Then it happens. You get sick. And as you cope with a steadily worsening cough, runny nose and sore throat, you start to battle with yourself: I can still exercise! I’m not that sick. I should stick to my routine. Right?
Sweat…happens. It’s the sign of a great workout for many of us, although not everyone sweats the same way. Maybe you sweat less while weight training than you do during a cardio workout session. But that doesn’t mean your body isn’t working just as hard.
Now that winter is well underway, there are days when harsh weather (or an annoying cold, or sick kids or a hectic new-year schedule) will keep you from making it to the gym. But that doesn’t mean your workout plans have to be scrapped. There are many things you can do right at home to stay active and stick with your exercise routine.
