The Benefits of Taking BCAAs while Fasting in Mom Terms with Amino VITAL

I want to first state I am not a medical doctor nor am I in the nutrition field. I have however done research from what I believe to be reputable sources and share what I have learned from my own point of view. My hope is if you are like me, my content will be relatable to your own life and circumstances. You will find all the sources linked and I do encourage you to do your own research on the topics I'm discussing.

MY SUPER QUICK BACK STORY ON INTERMITTENT FASTING

Intermittent fasting has become a way of life for me for about a year and a half. As long as I can remember breakfast (or eating first thing in the morning) hasn't been my thing. In high school my mom would make me drink Carnation Instant Breakfast. As an adult I found I was most satisfied and felt my best with just a coffee in the morning.

I didn’t start Intermittent Fasting intentionally though until January 2018 where I learned the healthy ways to fast, break the fast, stay hydrated, and consume the right amount of foods and calories. Within this process I also began eating a kept diet because my main goal was to reduce stored fat on my body. In an effort to kick that process into high gear I began eating a high fat, mod protein, low carb diet and eating within an 8 hour window. I believe intermittent fasting requires (and is most beneficial) when you pay attention to the full 24 hours, not just the "not eating" portion of your day. If you are new to intermittent fasting and the keto diet and would like to learn more I suggest checking out Dr. Berg's YouTube channel for some really good insight and knowledge. I also recommend watching the movIe Fasting and The Magic Pill both on Amazon Prime.

INTRODUCING BCAAs

I call my husband the supplement king because there is never a lack of supplements at our house. Being in the personal training and nutrition business for over 15 years he is well versed in all things supplements and chances are if it is out there he has tried it. BCAAs never run out in our house and I've actually been using them off an on for over 6 years as a form of recover after my workouts. Branch Chain Amino Acids or BCAAs are a group of three essential amino acids that boost muscle growth and enhance exercise performance. In addition CBAAs can be used to reduce fatigue during workouts, and soreness after workouts.

I recently described BCAA’s in Mom terms over on my Instagram stories as:

“If you’ve ever rolled out of bed in the morning and couldn’t fully straighten your arms and had to figure out how to pick your baby up out of his crib and then swore you’d never exercise again - then you need BCAAs.”

So while there are some pretty stellar benefits to BCAAs I have to say my top two favorite are increased energy and reduced soreness. As a mom of 3 who never gets a day off from the physical aspects of motherhood yet still enjoy a good laborious workout, I fully rely on BCAAs!

Amino VITAL BCAAs

When I was asked to review Amino VITAL BCAAs, I had a few stipulations in mind. Number one quality and number two low sugar and carbs. Because I fast until noon each day and eat a kept diet and the fact I workout before my first meal it was important to me the BCAAs I took supported my lifestyle. I know you hear many bloggers say they only rep what they actually use and love, I'm the same way. It would have been a poor representation of my blog if I introduced you to a product that didn't support my lifestyle.

Amino VITAL has a long history in the BCAA business. In 1909 their parent company was the first to do extensive research on amino acids and in 1982 Amino VITAL became the only pharmaceutical grade plant based amino acid in the US. They have become the world leader in the amino acid market.

Amino VITAL uses 5 key mains in the blend: leucine, isoleucine, valine, arginine & glutamine. All of their products are plant based and all natural. Some are zero sugar and zero carbs, others have minimum amounts (2-4g) of sugar and carbs.

Overall I felt Amino VITAL fit well into my lifestyle and would a great product to bring to my blog and social channels.

TASTE & BENEFITS

I've taken multiple flavor varieties of FAST CHARGE, ACTION, and RECOVERY. With each, the taste is pleasant, not chalky, and dissolves well in cold water.

The benefits of both the ACTION and RECOVERY BCAAs from Amino VITAL were noticeable almost immediately. With the Active, I drink half 30 minutes before my workout and then sip on the remainder throughout. I would classify myself as a moderate intensity exerciser - I make sure my workout has enough intensity and volume to keep my heart rate up, but I also don’t max out because I appreciate completion. ACTION helped me with the push I needed to go just a little bit harder.

I always follow up with RECOVERY. (My favorite is mixing half a blueberry and half a ACTION lemon pack!) As mentioned previously because I’m a stay at home mom I don’t have a lot of down time during my day, so I need to be able to move easily without feeling excessively sore. Recovery is magic! Don’t get me wrong I’m still sore, but not to the point I can’t do something fully. It’s the perfect amount of sore to let you know you put in some good work the day before!

THE BENEFITS OF CONSUMING BCAAs WHILE IN A FASTED STATE

To first address the most common question - technically yes, consuming BCAAs while fasted will kick you out of a fasted state. This isn’t to be confused with ketosis. You can remain in ketosis while consuming low sugar, low carb BCAAs.

In saying that the benefit to consuming BCAAs in a fasted state are much greater than consuming them while not fasted. The three main benefits would be muscle sparing, increased energy, and recovery.

Most of the research out there isn’t done for people like me (and possibly you) — a moderately active, mom of 3, who is just looking to remain healthy. However I can take the research and see the benefits of BCAAs are increased when taken fasted

So once again in mom terms what does all this mean??

If your sleeping is interrupted this could greatly benefit you not only throughout the day, but also during your workout. With increased energy you will more likely to keep up a daily exercise routine! For me personally, I find when I consume Amino VITAL ACTION 30 minutes before my workout, not only an I energized during the workout, I also have an increased energy throughout the day.

For women in general, as we age we begin to lose muscle tissue. BCAA’s will provide your muscles what they need to stay healthy. We may not be looking to greatly increase muscle mass, however healthy maintenance is still very important.

The recovery benefits alone are reason to consume BCAAs. I always take Amino VITAL RECOVERY immediately after my workout to rehydrate and recover. My 2 day soreness is drastically better meaning I can keep up with my daily chores, the kiddos, and continue with my fitness goals without being discouraged from the soreness.

If you’ve never consumed BCAAs for pre or post workout I encourage you to try Amino VITAL. Their brand is pure, it’s sustained many years in the supplement industry, and it’s tasty too! You’ll feel good about taking it and you’ll notice a difference in your performance and recovery almost immediately!

Disclosure: This blog post was sponsored by Amino VITAL and I did receive compensation for my content. Each word, however, was written by myself and is 100% my own opinion.