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Archive for March, 2010

Mar
27

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-03-27

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Mar
25

Natural Whey Protein Powder Comparison – Dymatize vs Optimum

posted by admin in Food & Nutrition
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If you are looking for a whey protein powder without the artificial sweeteners, then you’ve probably come across Australia’s two major natural products:

Both of these products are big sellers within our supplement store and I have had the pleasure of trying them both. As a result, I felt it appropriate to compose a comparison article on the two very similar products.

Both Optimum and Dymatize are big (BIG) international companies renowned for high quality products. Although both products may seem similar at first glance being free from artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame potassium, the two products cater to two very different markets within the health and fitness industry.

Let’s take a closer look at how each product performs in various categories!

Natural Protein Powder Price

Why not begin with product price? Optimum is a more expensive brand internationally. They have a very good reputation for high quality products and their natural whey protein powder is no exception. On the other hand, whilst Dymatize also has products of an exceptionally high standard, they cater for customers at a lower price point. Consequently, the Dymatize Natural Elite Whey is about $13 cheaper than the Optimum Natural Whey in our supplement store at the time of writing.

If you have consumed a variety of protein powders, you’ll be well aware that price isn’t everything. Price is not always a reliable indicator of how well the product suits you and your goals.

The Size of the Natural Whey Tubs

Although these tubs are typically marketed as 5lbs tubs, supplement companies will often adjust the tub volume slightly to attract more business. This is the case here as the Optimum Natural Whey is 5.11lbs (2,324g), being 2.5% larger than the Dymatize Natural Whey at 5lbs (2,268g). Admittedly, not a significant difference as the cost per gram equals 0.0387 and 0.0338 cents/gram respectively. Optimum is still more expensive gram for gram.

Moving onto serving sizes, the Optimum Natural Protein contains 74 serves (31.4g each) and the Dymatize Natural Protein contains 68 serves (33.35g each). This equates to $1.22 and $1.13 per serve respectively. Again, Dymatize being cheaper in this regard.

The Nutritional Composition of Each Natural Protein Powder

Let’s look at each individually, starting with the Optimum Natural Whey:

  • Serving size: 31.4g
  • Energy: 130 cal
  • Fat: 1.5g
  • Carbohydrate: 5g
  • Protein: 24g

And the Dymatize Natural Whey:

  • Serving size: 33.35g
  • Energy: 125 cal
  • Fat: 2g
  • Carbohydrate: 4g
  • Protein: 24g

Let’s manipulate the Optimum Natural Whey Serving size to 33.35 so we can compare these figures head to head:

  • Serving size: 33.35g
  • Energy: 138 cal
  • Fat: 1.6g
  • Carbohydrate: 5.3g
  • Protein: 25.5g

Based on this data we can conclude that:

  1. The Optimum has significantly more calories based on weight
  2. The Dymatize is slightly higher in fat
  3. The Optimum is higher in carbohydrate
  4. The Optimum is higher in protein

If we consider current pricing, the Optimum equates to 5.1c/gram of protein, while the Dymatize Natural Whey comes to 4.7c/gram of protein.

The reason why the Optimum Natural Whey contains more carbohydrate is because it contains both fructose (fruit sugar) and stevia (a natural sweetener). Meanwhile the Dymatize Whey contains no sugar and stevia as the sweetener.

Both protein powders contain digestive enzymes including Lactase.

The proteins contained within each product are similar in nature:

  • Optimum Natural Whey contains (in order) whey protein isolate (both cross flow ultra filtration and ion-exchange), cross flow ultra filtration whey protein concentrate, whey peptides
  • Dymatize Natural Elite Whey contains (in order) ion-exchange whey protein isolates, cross flow ultra filtration whey protein concentrate, whey peptides

Ion-exchange proteins can have a lower bio-availability as compared to other whey proteins. Consequently they are generally regarded as less desirable proteins.

How the Natural Protein Powders Taste & Mix

When I first tried natural protein powders, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Actually, I was expecting a bitter and somewhat unpleasant taste. Well, I was very surprised upon trying both of these products.

The Dymatize Natural Elite Whey was the first natural protein powder that I had ever tasted. Initially, it tasted quite different due to the presence of stevia (of which I had never knowingly tasted before). While it is sweet, it isn’t quite like sugar and has a distinct taste to it. Initially it was nice and then the taste grew on me. My favourite of the three flavours (chocolate, vanilla, berry) would have to be the chocolate.

Meanwhile the Optimum Natural Whey did not take any time to become accustomed to. The first taste of this product and I was hooked! It tastes fantastic. The reason why is because they have utilised fructose as a sweetening agent which replaces the more distinct stevia taste that you obtain with the Dymatize product. I was particularly impressed with the vanilla in the Optimum Natural Whey range, it is a particularly good flavour.

Both brands mixed into milk and water exceptionally well using a spoon and shaker bottle. The Dymatize tends to mix better than the Optimum.

Conclusion of the Natural Proteins

There is no doubt in my mind that both of these products are excellent. As mentioned within the introduction, both products do have their place in the market. Here are my conclusions as to the benefits of both products:

Optimum 100% Natural Whey Protein Powder Benefits:

  • More better quality whey protein isolates (as not all WPI’s are ion-exchange derived)
  • Better taste

Dymatize Elite Natural Whey Protein Powder Benefits:

  • More cost effective
  • No fructose sugar added
  • Mixes more easily

If you are considering purchasing either of these exceptional products, please be sure to visit our supplement store where we offer them for the best value within Australia! The links to each product are below:

Mar
20

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-03-20

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Mar
16

The Effects of Not Eating Breakfast in the Morning

posted by admin in Food & Nutrition
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You’ll find on the main Amino Z website some articles and Q&A’s on the importance of eating breakfast. Two for quick reference include a study on skipping meals and a Q&A on exercising on an empty stomach in the morning.

Personally, I eat breakfast immediately upon waking up. Before I do ANYTHING (with the exception of visiting the bathroom), I head to the kitchen and eat immediately. This is not only to coincide with my personal health and fitness goals, but just to get my energy levels up for a highly successful day.

This morning was a different story. I requested to have a general health check-up whereby I needed to have a blood test taken in a fasted state. I was fortunate to sleep in until 6am this morning, skipped breakfast, had a shower, began work immediately and then headed to the pathology unit at 7.30am. There was a half hour wait and I finally managed to get back to the office at 8.30am when I ate my first meal.

Going from 6am to 8.30am was a real drag. Around 6.30am, I really felt my energy levels slump. Although I almost never consume caffeine, I really felt like having a morning coffee because my focus was so poor. I felt particularly lethargic and very hungry. Sitting in the pathology unit, I was reading a magazine that I brought with me. My concentration levels were poor and I was very easily distracted. Often I had to re-read a paragraph due to particularly bad comprehension skills.

At 8.30am, I consumed the first meal and it wasn’t until about 9am that my energy levels began to pick up. I actually overcompensated with the size of my breakfast meal due to a very uncomfortable degree of hunger and lightheadedness. Due to the very small amount of blood taken, I am confident that the lightheadedness was not due to blood loss :)

Many years ago, I used to skip breakfast on a regular basis. I do not remember feeling nearly as bad as what I did this morning. But you know what, I probably did – it was just that I did not realise how much better I would feel had I integrated a regular breakfast meal into my regime. Today was a very rude awakening of just how important breakfast is to your energy levels (both physical and mental).

If you have the bad habit of skipping breakfast, it would be highly advantageous to force yourself to consume a nutrient rich meal upon awakening in the morning. You are breaking an all night long fast, so your body is running on emergency energy supplies. This means breaking down muscle mass and reducing physical/mental energy levels to conserve as much energy as possible.

I am aware that many people struggle to eat breakfast as this can cause nausea first thing in the morning. Recently we answered a Q&A where someone asked us for some practical advice on what to do if you cannot eat breakfast in the morning.

Mar
13

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-03-13

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Mar
10

Your Weight Loss Beliefs & Your Overweight Body

posted by admin in Mindset
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What if I were to propose that your body is a manifestation of your mindset? If you are overweight, given this premise, you are therefore overweight because of the way that you think.

Disregarding extraordinary circumstances, your body weight is ultimately a consequence of the way in which your brain operates. All the habitual behaviour that you exhibit is a result of your thought patters. Because your body weight is a consequence of the environment that you subject it to, your thoughts will determine how heavy you are.

There are four area’s to your life, the:

  1. Physical
  2. Mental
  3. Emotional
  4. Spiritual

The physical is what you can see and feel around you. The mental, emotional and spiritual are all intangible. However, these intangible dimensions to life determine our own belief systems and thus influence our behaviours, in turn affecting our physical environment. Here are some weight loss examples:

  • You have low self-esteem and do not believe that your body is worth being looked after. This can manifest itself into a behaviour of overeating and thus gaining weight.
  • You become anxious and believe that food is a useful tool to settle your anxiety. You therefore overeat and gain weight.
  • You believe that you have a body that has an “overweight gene” and are therefore bound to be overweight. Thus, all your behaviours contribute to gaining weight.

Your beliefs dictate your behaviours. If you are overweight and are struggling to lose weight, this is going to be due to your internal and subconscious belief system. For if you truly believed that you can and should be at your desired weight, your habits would be conductive of this lower bodyweight.

Being overweight is a symptom of a deeper belief system. If you have been seeking to lose weight and wish to overcome this weight loss rut once and for all, you need to look beyond the physical.

Consider this analogy of fruit growing on a tree. If the fruit that is being produced is of substandard quality what do you do? Do you aim to take care of the fruit itself (ie. the physical manifestation that you can see)? Of course not. Rather, you go to the root of the problem by nurturing the tree itself. This means dealing with issues that you cannot see (moisture, soil nutrients, tree health etc.) so the fruits are grown optimally.

Weight loss is no different. If you are to treat the physical symptoms alone, you will never achieve sustained weight loss. This is like embarking upon a fad diet for a finite period of time. This drastic band-aid solution does not bring with it any long-term consequences unless you were to dig deeper and address the mental, emotional and spiritual issues at hand.

To accomplish a sustained physical change, you need to go to the root of the problem and entertain why you have this belief system in place. Maybe your lack of belief in yourself is holding you back from accomplishing extraordinary feats.  Maybe you have been overweight all your life and that’s all you know. Maybe there is another powerful belief at hand preventing you from taking control of your weight. Whatever it is, you need to address it. If you do not, you can almost guarantee yourself of indefinite weight cycling (up/down fluctuations) for the rest of your life.

Mar
9

Thinking About Stopping Your Exercise Routine Temporarily?

posted by admin in Mindset
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Has something in your life changed that is making a structured exercise regime difficult to follow? A common example would be extended (and quite stressful) working hours. Alternatively, family obligations or changed living circumstances may make your exercise session quite difficult to accomplish on a regular basis.

Before continuing, I wish to emphasise a point discussed extensively in many prior blog posts. They key to success with any fitness endeavour is consistency. The cumulative effects of multiple workouts is what delivers amazing results – no single workout in isolation will ever provide you with progress of any great magnitude. It is important to keep this in mind as the premise of this article.

Circumstances change – nothing is ever constant. Pausing an exercise routine will almost always become a necessity for all of us from time to time. In my professional experience, I have seen this situation culminate itself in a number of different ways (including changing jobs, longer working hours, moving house, lack of motivation, tragic events and financial circumstances). What may start out to be an honest and valid temporary pause on one’s fitness routine will more than likely turn out to be a long-term rut. When I say more than likely, I have seen it happen 95% of the time (at least) from a professional perspective.

So what differentiates this 5% minority to the  95% majority of people who struggle to resume their training, although they have the best of intentions when they initially pause their regime? It’s all to do with mindset. The few 5% of people who do resume exercise as quickly as possible are the people who are absolutely passionate about exercise and have managed to integrate an enjoyable routine into their lives. Exercise is something that is an integral part of their lifestyle. It is a priority in their life because the benefits of exercise (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) run right down to their core. From my experience, this is not the case with the majority of people, because exercise is often considered to be a burden of some means (effort, financial, time etc.).

You will know in which category you stand. The 5% minority have absolutely no question in their minds that exercise is a necessity to maintain the quality of their lifestyle. The 95% majority may go through peak periods of regular exercise, yet this is also accompanied with long troughs where other life influences affect their consistency.

Consider your training history in an objective manner to determine where you fall. Don’t be fooled by your current mindset – this can be quite misleading, for nearly all people will get excited about exercise in one point in their life. The critical determining factor is whether or not you have displayed a consistent approach to exercise over a sustained period of time (years). If this is the case, you can objectively say that you do fall into the 5% minority.

So why such an emphasis on the distinction between how “most” people think about exercise? Well, if you’re thinking about pausing your exercise routine, here’s why:

The 5% minority prioritise exercise very highly all the time. Therefore only very (very) high life priorities will affect their consistency. Nothing affects how highly exercise is prioritised, it is a necessity of a good quality and enjoyable life.

The 95% majority normally have exercise as a much lower priority, or at a variable priority level. Therefore many life factors will affect their consistency. During specific periods of time, exercise may be prioritised higher (eg. preparing for a race, an upcoming event like a wedding, a weight loss challenge, warmer weather, a holiday etc.). However during other times, exercise is not of great importance and thus consistency is affected.

Because consistency is the key to long-term, sustainable and exceptional results, it is obvious why the majority of people fail to accomplish their goals in a sustainable manner. Exercise must be prioritised permanently, else you will continue to be “stuck” indefinitely.

Coming back to the topic at hand, if you have been exercising consistently for a short period of time and are considering placing a hold on your exercise regime, ask yourself why that is:

  1. Do you fall into the 95% majority? If you do:
  2. What is your reason for ceasing your exercise routine? Is it a legitimate reason and is it truly more important than continuing to exercise?
  3. Can you honestly say that you will resume your exercise routine in the near future? If you can, on what date will this be and will you commit to this?

Ask yourself these questions honestly. Kidding yourself will only work to your detriment.

If at all possible, take every necessary step to avoid ceasing your exercise routine. Try making workouts less frequent, shorter, or try training outdoors/closer to home – whatever it takes to fit in with your changed circumstances. If you’re feeling de-motivated, hire a professional to get you back on track. If you fall into this 95% majority and cease exercising, I can say almost certainly that it will be significantly more difficult to resume an exercise routine in the future, than to continue exercising at present. This is because:

  1. Habits are easier to maintain (whether that be habitually exercising or habitually remaining sedentary)
  2. You will most likely feel discouraged after months of inactivity after the realisation of the physiological regression that has taken place (loss in fitness, loss in muscle mass, loss in strength etc.)

My professional advice is to avoid putting an exercise routine on hold AT ALL COSTS. I cannot emphasise this enough, as it is commonplace in this industry for people to initiate a routine, adhere to it temporarily and then cease training (for whatever reason), only to find themselves back at square one.

If you are currently at the point where you are still not convinced that continuing to exercise will work favourably to your goals, I would consider having a long hard think about your goals. Spend time to determine exactly “why” you want to achieve them, rather than “what” you want to achieve. Why you want to achieve something has an emotionally motivating force behind it and is something very close to your heart. This could be intertwined with self-worth, fear of heightened medical risk, confidence etc. If you can identify the core reason as to why exercise is important in your life, maybe you can work out a way to fall into that minority of people and accomplish some amazing personal feats.

Mar
6

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-03-06

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Mar
1

Do You Need Carbohydrate (Carbs) To Build Muscle and Bulk Up?

posted by admin in Food & Nutrition
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It’s very widely accepted that protein is a necessity when aiming to build muscle. After all, muscle is a highly abundant source of amino acids (the building blocks of protein), so it makes sense that in order to build substantial muscle mass, you require an above average intake of protein. Science too confirms this. Yet when it comes to your carbohydrate consumption, there is a lot of confusion on the topic. Do you need carbs to bulk up?

The answer is yes, you absolutely, unequivically require carbohydrates to build muscle. Reducing or even attempting to eliminate carbohydrates from your diet will impede muscle growth and most likely result in muscle loss. Carbohydrates are not only required to build (and maintain) muscle, they are required to facilitate proper brain function and maintain energy levels.

The question now becomes – if amino acids (which form proteins) are a primary constituent of muscle tissue, why are carbs necessary if they do not play a direct role in the structure of a muscle fibre? Let’s consider why.

Protein synthesis is the act of creating proteins. When muscles are developing, protein synthesis is occurring by connecting amino acids together into proteins and thus into muscle cells. This is what causes muscle growth, or hypertrophy. In order for this to happen, muscle cells must be able to source amino acids from the blood stream. This is not possible without the presence of insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas. Insulin acts as a blood glucose regulator. In order to prevent blood sugar levels from rising too high and becoming dangerous, insulin is secreted to reduce blood glucose levels.

Now the question becomes, if hypertrophy requires amino acids, and amino acid uptake is only possible with the presence of insulin, how then do we increase insulin levels?

Carbohydrates

Upon ingesting carbohydrates, our body’s attempt to break them down into glucose, a simple sugar. Too much glucose in the blood stream can lead to hyperglycemia, so insulin comes along to maintain a healthy blood glucose level.

Ultimately, eliminating any nutrient from your diet is a mistake. Proteins, carbs and fats are all required for optimal muscle development. Removing carbs is a big mistake for anyone seeking to gain muscle tissue.

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