Protein shakes and morning yoga practice

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#21

Well said

Diet is a complex topic and the right balance is a personal thing. What you can do is educate yourself on the topic so you can review and refine your views on the topic.

While protein has a number of uses in the body, we generally review protein quantities in relation to repairing damaged muscles.

Body builders damage their muscles more than cyclists who damage their muscles more than yogi’s. Hence, depending on what you do, you will need more or less protein in your diet.

The body cannot store protein and protein only lasts around 4 hours. So if you are trying to use protein to strengthen your muscles or repair them after exercise, you can gain greater benefit from dividing the intake into 5 meals

There is a maximum amount of protein that the body can consume and that is generally recognised as 2.2 grams per kilo of lean body weight (how much you weigh - how much your fat weighs) per day. After that the body will convert the excess protein into stored fat. In reality you would only use that quantity of protein if you were a body builder.

Meat vs Vegetarian vs Vegan. This is completely stupid, you can get your protein requirements from whatever diet conviction you have. If you desire to increase your protein intake, then read the labels on the products you purchase, does one type of pasta have a higher protein content than another?

Protein powders. Only required if your diet doesn’t deliver enough protein.

  • Whey protein. Cheap, not suitable for vegan’s as made from milk. Some people have problems with it
  • Soya protein. Cheap, suitable for vegan’s Speculation as to whether suitable for males. I don’t know, perhaps someone can reference some studies on it.
  • Pea protein. I’m aware of a vegan female weight lifter who’s using it.
  • Others. Yes there are others, but at a price.

Carbs. The body requires some carbs to digest the protein, hence why there are protein powders that are mixed with carbs, but if your going to put it on your cerial or have a slice of toast with it, then you don’t need one that has been mixed with carbs.

Reference info. There’s tons of it around, here’s one from Australia;

http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition

Ah time to go make dinner…

#22

While I tend to eat mostly vegetarian, and things are hard to come by these days (especially raw), I use a protein drink in the morning (after yoga) and sometimes with a meal in the evening. [I]Source of Life[/I] makes a great protein shake. They are all-natural, GMO free and 100% vegetarian. Just add a cup of milk, one scoop of the mix, 4 ice cubes, banana or apple, and it tastes perfect every time.

#23

I am 37, and still counting.

I do not have very demanding daily physical activities, and I for long stopped growing in body. I am not saying 25-30 grams of protein are enough for everyone, but they are surely enough for me. (Vata type)

#24

[QUOTE=jon01;23505]Yoga is anything you choose to be.

It’s like martial arts, can be so different, but all stay martial arts[/QUOTE]

The Yoga sutras is a great book for learning the classical definition of yoga. Yes, human’s give meaning to all words and situations based on perception, but in general, yoga can be defined.

#25

I would say, drinking the protein shake depends on your body. Some people do require a little bit of sustenance prior to practice to be at there best. I would say try it and see. If your yoga continues to progress then it is fine.

#26

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;23373]What would be the purpose in drinking a protein shake before an asana practice? Even looking at it from a weight training paradigm, protein is consumed within 45 minutes of concluding a workout with the idea that the body needs it for repair.

“Getting muscular” and yoga, simply put, have very little in common.

But you may do whatever you’d like. There are no rules. If you discover that your particular body, your particular life, your particular purpose are all suited to having whey protein before asana then who is anyone to say otherwise, eh?

gordon[/QUOTE]

i think the point of drinking a protein shake before an asana practice is pretty clear cut. would you not put gas in your car before you went for a drive? you have a few hours to burn use the protein after its been consumed.

as for getting muscular and yoga not having anything in common, i think this opinion is a bit mis guided. i am fairly new to the practice and still have much to learn, but the physical benefits seem to be great. im burning fat while building long lean muscles.

#27

[quote=JordanR;27786]i think the point of drinking a protein shake before an asana practice is pretty clear cut. would you not put gas in your car before you went for a drive? you have a few hours to burn use the protein after its been consumed.

as for getting muscular and yoga not having anything in common, i think this opinion is a bit mis guided. i am fairly new to the practice and still have much to learn, but the physical benefits seem to be great. im burning fat while building long lean muscles.[/quote]

Hi JordanR and welcome, the “gas in the tank” is the glycogen stored around the muscles, of which you have more than enough for yoga of any sort. Putting protein/carbs in your stomach is about what time it is delivered for repairing the body from the activity. Some are of the view that it should be delivered immediately and placing it in the digestive system before the exercise will ensure its immediate delivery afterwards. Personally I’m not that concerned about speed of delivery, post yoga.

I agree with you about yoga having physical benefits and I’m guessing that your practice may well be similar to mine. On this site the major contributors come from a wide variety of practices where the muscular demands vary considerably and hence there needs and views will vary accordingly.

#28

It is very possible I am misguided.
But I’ll take a try at a gentle reply nonetheless.

Classically speaking (about Yoga since that is the topic of this forum):

a - an asana practice is not yoga. An asana practice is a small fraction of yoga. Ergo the assertion that getting muscular and Yoga do not have much in common. Further, I think getting “muscular” tends to be perceived differently than maintaining muscle tone or even achieving long lean muscle. But this can be subjective. For those who perceive yoga as ONLY asana AND perceive asana as ONLY physical “exercise”, yes, it would appear to be very much like “working out”.

b - the practice of asana is done on a relatively empty stomach. It is not always so nor is it a “rule” but it would likely be ratified by most practitioners of some depth of study. For this reason I inquired as to the purpose of the protein shake before the practice. It’s actually quite a rational question as in Yoga there is no room for dogma only that which is right for the person in question. So I was exploring to ascertain the intention of the OP.

Even at the height of my own weight training, even at the height of my career in designing and implementing conditioning programs for college basketball teams, at no time did “we” ascribe tot he concept of protein consumption immediately before physical exertion. Just one more reason to ascertain the intention of the OP before I responded.

My apologies if I was unclear the first time around.

#29

After reading you’re second post Gordon I would also like to say that I was neither offended, angry nor hostile, I was simplying trying to engage in an intellectual debate for the purpose of both of us learning some new knowledge, but it is now clear to me that you felt threatened by my response and would not answer any of my insightful questions, so now that a considerable amount of time has passed and you know my intentions were pure, Im still curious as to what your response would be to some of my original questions. Anyways I have been practicing yoga consistently since that time and I have also stopped weight lifting.
Here are some conclusions that I have made on my own: I dont reccomend drinking protein shakes before practicing yoga, it makes you feel somewhat bloated and creates gas, which can be annoying during pratice. Also Yoga is extremely beneficial for weight training: Using the natural breathing pattern learned from yoga allows better oxygen delivery to muscles during exercise, which allows for more reps at a higher weight (which every weightlifter desires) also as your body starts to open up and you become more aware of yourself, you find ranges of motion to do the same exercise which benefits the definition of muscles. I could list many more advantages but they are not very significant, I just wanted to share this knowledge that I have gained and will continue to use for the rest of my life. Cheers

#30

hi everyone

you may want to take a look at The China Study (http://www.thechinastudy.com/about.html) to check out how proteins have an impact on our health.

#31

My post just above was in reply to Jordan, nothing more.

As for your post Peter, I’m quite secure and not at all threatened. But I think the body of my contributions on this forum speak to that with far more volume than I could in one thread:-)

As for unanswered questions…which questions did I not answer? I would gladly respond to any “insightful questions” you’d like to point me toward.

Relative to your feelings I would ask how the sentence “I ridicule your notion…” sets a stage for an “intellectual debate for the purpose of both of us learning”? And I’d direct you to the point earlier where you state that I criticized you. I’ve re-read my text and I’ve actually given you as much leeway as possible to pursue your personal practice in any way you see fit. What specific statement did you feel was critical?

#32

[QUOTE=jlg;23690]How old are you Hubert? 25-30 grams protein a day. I sure hope your puberty is long gone :p[/QUOTE]
how much protein does a gorrilla eat? some say that the sugars from the bananas and the greens from the leaves, make protein while in the body and we all know a gorrilla is mighty strong.

To the origninal poster
in yoga there are many different theories. The reason some will recommend doing Yoga on an empty stomach is based on the principal that the less one is doing while doing something, the maximum focus and attention can be put on what one is doing. SO, if you are exercising and Digesting, your bodily functions will be split amongst two things. kind of like driving a car, if you are eating while driving less attention can be placed on driving. When you eat, you eat, when you exercise you exercise, this allows the body to be more one pointed focus. One pointed focus/concentration, is a limb of yoga. However if you are starving and cannot allow yourself to focus while doing yoga, then to eat may be necessary.

#33

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;27913]My post just above was in reply to Jordan, nothing more.

As for your post Peter, I’m quite secure and not at all threatened. But I think the body of my contributions on this forum speak to that with far more volume than I could in one thread:-)

As for unanswered questions…which questions did I not answer? I would gladly respond to any “insightful questions” you’d like to point me toward.

Relative to your feelings I would ask how the sentence “I ridicule your notion…” sets a stage for an “intellectual debate for the purpose of both of us learning”? And I’d direct you to the point earlier where you state that I criticized you. I’ve re-read my text and I’ve actually given you as much leeway as possible to pursue your personal practice in any way you see fit. What specific statement did you feel was critical?[/QUOTE]

Gordon - Don’t waste your time. This guy is turning this forum into typical internet intolerance. I don’t know why it is but it happens on every forum - though hard to believe it would on a yoga forum…

#34

Namaste y’all!

#35

I was talking about your 2nd post in this thread your reply to Jordan was your 4th post. Anyways re-reading my post I realize now I went to far in claiming I was more than zen then you. For multiple reasons that I need not get into as I’m embarrassed and I know you will forgive me without needing to go into further detail, and even further re-reading reveals my questions weren’t really phrased properly so I would just like to know what insight you have on UFC fighters doin yoga and the correlation between their weight training. I am also not trying to be intolerant in the slightest this is just how I talk to people, maybe its a curse but it doesn’t seem to effect my social life.

I just want to add one more thing I see your credentials and I respect that, I also have seen what you have contributed to this forum and they are certainly altruistic and meritorious and I respect the time you take to share you knowledge.

#36

to Gordon as well. i didnt mean to come off in a hostile manner. as i too have taken the time to reread my post, i realize i went overboard a little bit.for that i apologize. you all seem very to have a lot of good information to share and i consider myself lucky to have stumbled upon this thread.

Gordon i agree with you that generally speaking, most yoga around the united states is asana/hatha? yoga. i have practiced kundalini and feel great physical benefits there as well. i am very interested in exploring every avenue that yoga opens for me, not just physical.

[QUOTE=mikesbytes;27789]Hi JordanR and welcome, the “gas in the tank” is the glycogen stored around the muscles, of which you have more than enough for yoga of any sort. Putting protein/carbs in your stomach is about what time it is delivered for repairing the body from the activity. Some are of the view that it should be delivered immediately and placing it in the digestive system before the exercise will ensure its immediate delivery afterwards. Personally I’m not that concerned about speed of delivery, post yoga.

I agree with you about yoga having physical benefits and I’m guessing that your practice may well be similar to mine. On this site the major contributors come from a wide variety of practices where the muscular demands vary considerably and hence there needs and views will vary accordingly.[/QUOTE]

#37

i have an extremely fast metabolism . so many this is why i feel the need to consume a shake before i work out. and when i say before , i mean at least an hour before. i typically use about 48 grams of whey, a banana a few strawberries and some yogurt. let me know what you guys think, thanks a lot. namaste

#38

Sound really yummy but that’s a lot of protein. Is the whey about 80% protein?

#39

I suppose I would direct those interested in healthy ways to build the physical body (beyond the definition of healthy in the yoga context) to give Robert Cheeke a listen. He’s a bit hyper for my taste - though I understand his approach and appreciate it for what it is and where he’s at. And I’m not all that keen on hyping people up (anymore) about only working on their muscle mass. But it is clear that is what some people want so might as well do it without torquing appropriate eating habits. (I find the 48g of whey protein to be a lot too).

Relative to Peter’s question about Yoga and UFC fighters…Yoga is used in one of two ways. It either counters your living or compounds it. Both of these can have apparent benefit. So a fighter might add an aggressive style of yoga practice to their current training, thus finding yet another way to be stronger, faster, leaner, more limber. Or that person might find a gentle practice which might ease the nervous system, calm the mind, enhance focus, heal the body. Obviously that has another set of benefits when that person gets in the ring.

These days there’s no shortage of “new” training methods to be quicker, faster, stronger, more agile…to me, yoga is the diamond in the rough as it has the potential to support the body in ways those other methods do not. But it takes a mature mentality to gravitate to yoga in this way over the other.

#40

Peter, aka the Iron Yogi, is a local for me, though I haven’t met him. I see that he offers nutrition and other classes that look they can be modified for long-distance students. Perhaps he will be a resource for you both as well.

*nichole