Benefits of Protein in Your Diet

Most women do not incorporate enough protein in their diet. If you're just starting out on your fitness journey, you will likely want to start working on getting your protein intake up to best support your fitness goals. 

Your protein goal is there to help you develop the best possible body composition as you transform. It’s going to help you build muscle and recover properly. If you have fat loss goals, it's going to ensure that you don't lose a lot of muscle in the process. 

Many of us know the power protein has in our muscle growth and repair. In addition to this, protein helps to develop and repair ALL tissues in the body.

Our body needs protein for pH balance, immune function, and to regulate hormones. Protein is also used in cell turnover - so think about when your skin cells regenerate for example. Replacement of old cells with new cells requires protein. 

Here are my top tips for hitting that protein goal every single day. 

1. Start Small and Work Your Way Up

You might have read that the rule of thumb for protein intake is 1 gram protein per pound of bodyweight daily. While this is an ideal, I find that MOST of us cannot start there and stay consistent. In fact, I don't even recommend you jump into weighing and tracking your food right away. 

Instead, I recommend starting out by measuring portions with the palm of your hand. 1 serving of protein is 1 palm sized portion. This is a pretty accurate estimate and it's going to make this new habit so much easier for you to stick to. No need to lug around a food scale everywhere you go. The more simple you make the goal, the more consistent you will be, and the more progress you will see. 

Start with a number of servings that is just a little bit greater than what you're currently eating. If you're averaging about 2 servings a day, maybe you up it to 3, for example. Allow yourself a could weeks to nail down this current goal before increasing protein again. 

2. Have Low to No Prep Protein Sources on Hand

If you're just starting out increasing your protein, you probably aren't ready to start prepping your proteins for every meal... and that's okay! Take it one step at a time. Add in some low to no prep sources of protein that are convenient and easy. 

This will help you get the hang of just consuming more protein first. It will make the habit more sustainable for you. 

Some easy low to no prep sources you can try are:

• Protein bars
• Protein powder
• Edamame 
• Greek yogurt
• Cottage cheese
• Hard boiled eggs (you can buy them hard boiled so you don't have to prep at all or use an egg cooker to cook a week's worth at once)
• Rotisserie chicken 

3. Batch Prep 1-2 Protein Sources for the Week Ahead of Time

If you're not into cooking big, extravagant meals, you can totally make your protein goal more convenient by batch cooking at the start of the week. Keep an ongoing list of protein sources that you like. Each week, pick 2 or more protein sources you really enjoy and make enough for your week. 

You can freeze a portion to keep it fresh for longer. This way, when the week gets crazy, you don't need to worry about cooking. You planned ahead!

Make sure you schedule a time for yourself each week to do your grocery shopping and meal prep. If you don't decide what you will do with your time, someone else will. By scheduling this as a commitment to yourself, you will help yourself stay more consistent in the long run. 

4. Get Help and Added Accountability

As a coach who has also been coached myself, I don't think we were ever meant to do our health and fitness journey alone! Having support, guidance, accountability, and knowledge from an experienced coach is only going to improve your results with a nutrition and workout program. 

We all need people in our corner to cheer us on, give us a push, and help us to actually execute on our goals. 

If you're really wanting to improve your progress and transform your health, I would love to help you get there! You can apply to work with me at Emily Cramer Fitness 1:1 Coaching.

My 1:1 coaching program is for you if:

✔ You want to build lean, feminine muscle without your workout or nutrition program taking over your whole life. You want something sustainable and realistic so you don't just keep starting and stopping.

✔ You want help learning how to eat and workout for your goals and how to consistently execute on these healthy habits

✔ You've been struggling with all or nothing thinking. You're tired of feeling like you need to do everything perfectly in order to see progress.

✔ You want to radiate confidence and strength - not just look fit, but feel it too!

✔ You want to make changes surrounded by women who get you, get your goals, and make fitness fun.

Not convinced it could work for you? Take a look at my Client Success Stories.

I look forward to coaching you! 

To Your Good Health & Success,