Devotion Costs
"Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her." --Luke 10:41-42
Read: Luke 10
When I was 19 years old, my college buddies and I would base the week's success on how well we did in the squat rack. "Leg Day" was the focal point of our week, around which everything else rotated. Well one day, someone among us -- someone bigger and stronger -- put leg day on Sunday.
I'll never forget the feeling I had in our campus cafeteria. I sat there drenched in my old sweatshirt with traces of chalk from the gym still on my hands, when a group of students fresh from church joined us at our table. Having spent practically every Sunday in church since the 8th grade, I knew something was "off" for me. My legs might have been growing, but my heart wasn't. I determined at that point that if I didn't get my training done in six days, it wouldn't get done in seven. I couldn't help it. Someone bigger and stronger had set my schedule. And for the rest of my college days and for 20 years since, I haven't trained on Sunday.
Friends, I'm not suggesting you never train on Sundays, but I am saying to make sure that you rest. Renew your mind, your heart and your body. Let all three heal, repair and grow. It might mean a sacrifice. It might mean surrendering the dearest things in life. But He's honored by what we're willing to lay down.
--Jimmy Peña
RECOVERY, RELOADED Protein blend best for post-workout repair, study says
If you're not having some protein immediately post-workout, you should be. Providing your body with an influx of amino acids right after training helps you to optimally rebuild muscle to come back stronger for your next session. And while fast-digesting whey protein gets most of the attention, casein and soy are an important part of the recovery process.
Jim Stoppani, PhD, co-author of "PrayFit: Your Guide to a Stronger Faith and Healthy Body in 28 Days" has long advocated a blend of the these three proteins post-workout and a new study is lending credence to that position.
At the Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego this week, Blake Rasmussen, PhD, of the University of Texas Medical Branch, presented findings that show a blend of protein sources — 50 percent casein, 25 percent whey, 25 percent soy — was superior to whey alone for prolonging muscle building and recovery after exercise.
“Whey protein has been given considerable notice as the gold standard ingredient after exercise to enhance muscle growth,” Rasmussen said. “The main problem with whey is it’s fast digesting—the anabolic response in muscle is only about an hour. We wanted to prolong the anabolic response with other protein sources. We found muscle protein synthesis is elevated for a longer amount of time with a protein blend versus whey protein.”