4 Reasons Hitting Your Protein Target Is Crucial To Reaching Your Recovery Goals

​If you’ve been through the Neuro Therapy process, you’re well accustomed to the following send-off after sessions (perhaps even as you’re walking out the door).

“Don’t forget your protein, water, and sleep!”

Whether you are recovering from a sport/exercise related injury or doing what you can to put years of persistent pain behind you, all 3 play a vital role in the recovery process.

Out of these 3 recovery factors (protein, water, sleep), the protein is the one we get the most questions about.

“Do I have to eat protein?” (Yes!)

“It makes me so full!” (That’s a good thing!)

“Won’t I gain weight?” (No!)

We know – Optimizing your lifestyle to increase the body’s ability to repair isn’t easy. But as anyone who’s experienced it knows, the point of Neuro Therapy isn’t to be easy.
It’s to get better.

So why do we constantly preach protein when clients offer so much resistance to the idea?

Here’s 4 reasons hitting your protein target is crucial to reaching your Neuro Therapy goals:

1)  Protein is the essential building block required to repair muscles, bones, and nerves.  If you’re injured, your body is damaged, or suffer from nerve pain, your body literally cannot repair itself without sufficient amounts of protein.  Hoping that Neuro Therapy can help you recover without hitting your protein targets is like trying to build a house without wood or brick (ask the 3 Little Pigs how that worked out…).  It just won’t happen!  
After writing this, I’m starting to think just this reason alone should be sufficient to convince you protein is needed…but we’ll continue with the other 3.
 
2)  Protein helps to prevent muscle atrophy associated with injury.  Injuries often cause a state of anabolic resistance in the affected muscle, which decreases the ability of the muscle to create protein. This causes immediate losses (atrophy) in muscle size and strength, sometimes in as little as 5-7 days.  Hitting your daily protein targets will decrease the effects of anabolic resistance, and thus decrease the chance of muscle atrophy in the affected area (boosting your ability to recover quickly).
 
3)  Protein helps to decrease muscle soreness between Neuro Therapy sessions.  One of the reasons Neuro Therapy is so effective is because it directly targets muscles and ranges of motion that the body is not accessing properly.  Often times, re-introducing the body to correct muscle activation and movement patterns causes muscle soreness – something we keep an eye on throughout the Neuro Therapy process.  While muscle soreness is expected (and generally is a good sign of progress), if the muscle soreness becomes too intense, it may limit our ability to be as effective in Neuro Therapy.  So how can we prevent the onset of soreness and optimize the Neuro Therapy process?  Hit your protein targets!  Protein will help to repair and re-vitalize muscles between sessions so you can arrive at your next session ready to get to work! 

4)  Protein increases your capacity to do work during Neuro Therapy sessions.  In order for Neuro Therapy to be the most effective, you must arrive every single day ready to get to work.  If you’re coming in hungry or malnourished, your body will start to reserve energy for vital functions, meaning you won’t have as much energy to put into your session.  There’s nothing worse than having to deal with a growling stomach and a max tolerance set of Neuro Therapy.  Hunger will limit your ability to push yourself to higher output powers, meaning your results will be limited.  Hit your protein targets, and I can promise you, hunger will not be on your mind during sessions, allowing you to put all of your energy into pushing yourself and driving results. ​

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