Can you bulk up without protein shakes

The elderly and the infirm who often have decreased appetites but potentially higher protein needs due to illness, may often benefit from the effects of protein shakes without exercise — especially as they can be more palatable than solid foods. For everyone else, they're more of a "want to have" instead of a "need to have. If you want one every once in a while as a treat, just make sure that you reduce your overall calorie intake for the day to compensate.

Either way, avoid shakes that have added sugar and other unhealthy ingredients. Otherwise, you should just call that protein shake what it is — a dessert. Pack them with fruits, vegetables, lean protein and healthy fats, and only drink one 8-ounce serving.

When you're done, think about starting an exercise program, which will not only allow you to enjoy an extra protein shake now and then, but will also help you more easily lose weight and improve your overall health. Nutrition Nutrition Basics Protein. Jill Corleone is a registered dietitian with more than 20 years of experience. Jody Braverman is a professional writer and editor based in Atlanta, GA.

She received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maryland, and she is a certified personal trainer, fitness nutrition specialist, and yoga teacher. She has written for various online and print publications, including Livestrong. Visit the writer at www. Connect on LinkedIn. Protein shakes have a lot of calories. Video of the Day. Tip Drinking protein shakes without exercising can cause you to exceed your daily calorie needs and lead to weight gain. You only have to wander around the weights room of any gym to see buff dudes chugging fluorescent drinks to realise that protein is having a moment.

Food labels on everything from cereal to muesli bars promote their protein power, while famously bulky bloke The Rock boasts about eating a kilo of cod, a dozen eggs and almost a whole chicken each day. You could be forgiven for thinking you too need to wave the protein flag if you want to tone or bulk up. But Katherine Shone from Sports Dietitians Australia, says there's some serious misinformation being bandied about how much protein we should eat.

Aerobic exercises prevent the decreases in OPA1 caused by sedentarism and aging and help prevent muscle loss. Resistance exercises, mechanical devices and dietary aids have a similar effect. Most important, these treatments foster gaining muscle without protein shakes.

Gaining muscle mass does more than fight disease and aging. It offers you many advantages. For example, it's often associated with increases in strength and decreases in body fat. It can also lower your blood sugar. Scientists still don't know the mechanisms underlying these effects.

However, resistance exercise may increase antioxidants and decrease inflammation as well as enhance muscle mass. Using these treatments may allow you to live longer, according to a report in Rejuvenation Research. Because all treatments have a certain level of risk associated with them, it's important not to self-diagnose or pursue treatments without help. Working closely with a health-care expert will help prevent mistakes and decrease your risk.

Being honest and open about your limits and goals will help as well. Strive to find a treatment that's right for you. Resistance exercises such as weightlifting offer you the easiest path to muscle mass. These exercises are effective and safe. It's important, however, to work with a trainer or coach who can not only teach proper technique, but also possibly catch an undiagnosed condition and refer you to a physician. It's also important to eat breakfast before exercising.

A report in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research showed that skipping breakfast had a negative impact on weightlifting performance. The authors recommended eating high-carbohydrate meals to make sure you get the most out of your workout.

Other types of exercise may help you build muscle as well. In addition to increasing fitness, sports offers you many psychosocial benefits, including unique feelings of solidarity and fidelity.

These feelings motivate people to participate and thereby increase adherence. A article published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports looked at the impact of playing soccer on the muscle mass of homeless men. Participants played street soccer twice a week for 12 weeks. Use high-protein ingredients, such as milk or soy milk, yogurt, dry milk powder and peanut butter or almond butter. You can also blend your shake with ice and fruit to make it taste more like a smoothie.

Just changing your diet will help you gain weight, but increasing your muscle mass requires regular resistance workouts. Weight-training is the most common resistance exercise used to increase muscle mass and bulk up. But you can also perform exercises that use your own bodyweight—examples include pullups, pushups, squats and situps.