No Magic Pill

Welcome to afitnewyou!  This week I want to address a common misconception about supplements, particularly with protein shakes and bars.  Many people believe that when they use a supplement such as these that they are going to magically get stronger, bigger, leaner, etc.  There becomes this delusion that just because a supplement is used that the person automatically becomes fitter.  It is as if the supplement is a magic pill that allows the person to achieve their fitness goals without actually having to do any work.  But unfortunately, this just isn’t true and you still have to put in the effort to reach your goals.  Supplements are there to support your fitness, not magically give it to you.

Protein supplements are most commonly misused in this magic pill scenario.  There are many people who irregardless of their fitness goals, start using protein supplements when they first start working out.  Furthermore, many of these people think that by using a protein supplement that they will immediately build muscle.  While it is true that using a protein supplement could help you reach your fitness goals, you still need to understand that not only do you still have to put the work in but you also have to use the supplement appropriately. 

Protein is a nutrient that our bodies need and use for cell repair and production.  Ideally you could get enough of the nutrient from your regular diet.  You can find it in lean meats, beans, nuts and even some vegetables…why do you think spinach gave Popeye his muscles?  But unlike a fictitious character, protein does not make you stronger as soon as you ingest it.  It is a bit more complicated than that.  And, in order to be used effectively for fitness gains, you need to both consume protein in the proper ratio with carbohydrates and fat, as well as properly time when you take it.  It should be easy to understand that someone who is trying to lose body fat will have different dietary needs than someone who is trying to build muscle mass.  If your goal is to lose body fat, you could use a protein supplement as a meal replacement.  If your goal is to gain muscle mass, you would want to add a protein supplement to your regular diet and time taking it with your workout.  But in both cases, the body still needs to process the protein, you don’t immediately see results.

It also needs to be remembered that protein is a supplement, and a supplement is just that; supplementary to what you are already getting.  Any supplement whether it is protein or a multi-vitamin should be used to make up for deficiencies in your regular diet.  They do not make you immediately and/or automatically healthier.  In order to get lean and/or build muscle you still need to exercise and lift weights.  The protein should be used to supplement the work you are putting in at the gym.

In this day and age, people are constantly looking for the “quick fix” and this applies especially to becoming fitter.  It’s an all too common misconception that by using a supplement such as a protein shake that one becomes fitter automatically.  Although the supplement industry is very successful financially, it is so because people are often misinformed, and sometimes just lazy.  We are not cartoon characters like Popeye who can eat a can of spinach and immediately become stronger.  We have to go to the gym, work, sweat, and put in the effort.  Then, to get to the next level supplements can be used.  There is to magic pill that will help you get to a fit new you!