As part of my passion for staying strong, healthy and fit, I want to share some great and easy recipes that will add a bit of muscle to your body. We are not trying to be like bodybuilders here, but you have to admit that some shape in the biceps, taut hamstrings, and shapely calves all work towards making you look good, let alone FEEL good! I‘m sure we all know that it’s protein that helps you build muscles so the basis of the recipes will be just that. But there are some ways to prepare food so that it tastes and looks great.
Here’s a smoothie that you can whip up before your workout to take AFTER your workout, okay? Your nutrient-packed protein smoothie should have 5 key ingredients. They are:
- A protein source
- A Liquid
- A green vegetable
- Fruit
- A nutritional boost
- This is a protein shake.
1 scoop of chocolate protein powder
1 tablespoon of Chia seeds
1 handful of spinach leaves
½ cup of egg whites
3 coffee cubes (coffee frozen into ice cubes)
½ cup of water
- This one is called Tropical Paradise
½ cup of tofu
1 cup of orange juice
¾ cup of kale
1 banana
1 cup of pineapple
Let’s look at some dishes that will add some protein to your diet.
- Chili Chicken and Basil. This is a low-fat dish which has less than 200 calories and contains more than 28 grams of protein per serve.
- Thai Beef Lettuce Wraps. These are like a meat burrito wrapped in lettuce, not the usual tortilla you would use so as you save on calories. Just the one serve and you have your day’s load of protein.
- Chicken Marsala. Why go to a restaurant when it takes only 25 minutes to prepare this meal? One serving contains almost 37 grams of protein to repair your muscles overnight.
Why Does Muscle Matter?
Muscle eats fat. You shouldn’t be afraid of lifting weights because while you don’t burn as many calories during the workout, you will burn them over the next few hours. This is called after burn and these are the calories your body burns off after the workout.
Aerobic exercise burns calories at the time of the workout. Strength training burns calories long after you leave the gym.
It will improve your posture. A strong neck and shoulders keep your shoulder-blades down, so you look longer and leaner. Poor posture takes a toll on your spine, hips and knees.
You’ll have hotter sex. Having a body that’s primed for amazing sex doesn’t necessarily mean you look good naked. Muscles that you have strengthened in your lower body, your pelvis, helps you in handle any position you might get twisted into.
So ladies, get working on that body and you will see an improvement in every facet of your life. Some weight training, build muscle and stay fit.