The Window of Opportunity - Protein intake

There are many facts, and many myths, in the nutritional realm but none are perhaps more recognized than “the Window of Opportunity.” The idea that a window of time appears immediately after a workout, closing within 30 minutes post-workout, where protein intake is crucial and seemingly becomes more effective if taken within this time period.

So, do we just blindly accept this nutritional theory? Or do we choose to question the information we gather as we continuously progress in exercising and dieting techniques.

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But lets think about this phenomenon using logic. What foods/liquids of nutritional value do you know take immediate effect?

You don’t become hydrated after a wet night out with friends by drinking two water bottles the morning after; it takes time to reach appropriate levels, again. You don’t get lean because you eat healthy and eliminate all snacks for a week, it takes time. As does anything of nutritional value you put into your body - and that does not exclude protein.

Protein is stored in your body, so that it is ready for use whenever it is needed. The body does not absorb the protein immediately following a workout. It does not obtain it that fast, nor does it really matter whether you receive protein immediately after. Why? Because it will take from what it already has stored and ready to go, as opposed to waiting until the post-workout protein has run its course through the body’s system. That's why its crucial to constantly feed yourself with proper nutrition. If you have been starving yourself for days, one protein shake won’t do anything to help repair your muscles, but the chicken, eggs and fish from yesterday and the day before that will.

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