Want a better sweat session? Find out which fitness foods can help improve your workout. Want to give your routine a boost? Five key ingredients can give your body an extra edge when exercising or recovering from your workout. Here are the ingredients that can help power your next exercise session.

1. PEANUTS

The most protein-rich nut of them all gives you quality protein, which is important for muscle building.

Pre-workout: A little protein staves off hunger without overtaxing digestion.

Post-workout: Protein helps repair muscles and stokes your body’s muscle-building machinery, especially when consumed within a half hour after exercise.

2. OATS

Oats are rich in carbohydrates, the fuel your muscles prefer.

Pre-workout: Fiber-rich oats supply sustained energy.

Post-workout: They provide a healthy amount of carbs to replenish depleted glycogen stores.

3. DRIED BLUEBERRIES

Dried blueberries are a super tasty and antioxidant-rich alternative to raisins.

Pre-workout: The easily digested carbohydrates in blueberries fuel muscles, and their fiber provides staying power.

Post-workout: Polyphenolic compounds in blueberries may help combat oxidative stress in muscles, potentially preventing soreness and inflammation.

4. CHOCOLATE CHIPS

You probably don’t need us to justify why you should snack on a handful of chocolate chips or an energy bar containing them, but there actually are some great health reasons for adding them.

Pre-workout: Antioxidants in dark chocolate help prevent muscle soreness later on. One study of cyclists showed that dark chocolate helped reduce oxidative stress in muscles, a component of soreness. Animal research suggests chocolate’s epicatechins can boost leg strength and endurance capacity.

Post-workout: Dark chocolate provides flavonols, compounds that can help improve blood flow, which brings more oxygen to replenish your hardworking muscles.

5. PUMPKIN SEEDS

Pumpkin seeds are good sources of alpha-linolenic acid, a plant form of omega-3 fatty acids that can help fight inflammation, a factor in muscle soreness. While they’re not as potent as fish-based omega-3s in producing these benefits, they’re also  (like exercise) good for your heart.

Pre-workout: Snack on some pumpkin seeds a few hours before your workout to bolster your energy.

Post-workout: Pumpkin seeds are a good source of zinc, a key nutrient for recovery that helps repair muscle tissue.

Don’t spend all your energy on the treadmill if you’re trying to drop a pants size. Strength training is an important way to boost your weight loss. Here’s why—and how. Trying to lose a few pounds, but the scale won’t budge? Try adding more weight at the gym. Weight training—using free weights or weight machines to build muscle—is a type of strength training that not can only help you slim down but also offers a ton of other health benefits.

The best part: You don’t have to spend all your time in the weight room. You can even do it at home, without any fancy equipment. Here’s why weight training may be what you need to get the scale moving in the right direction, plus a few tips and exercises to get you started.

Burn More Calories

It’s really pretty simple: Weight training builds muscle, and muscle burns more calories than fat—up to three times more, according to some estimates. “Muscles are fat-burning machines.” So the more muscle you have, the more calories you’re going to burn.

It doesn’t end after you leave the gym, either. Your body keeps torching calories for the next 24 to 48 hours as it works to repair stressed muscle tissues. That’s known as the afterburn effect, another name for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). The more oxygen you use both during and after a workout, the greater the EPOC. And studies show that strength training is one of the best ways to do it.

All of this is very good news if you’re trying to lose weight. Think about it. With weight training, you’re revving up your calorie burn. You’re boosting your metabolism—possibly by up to 5 percent, according to one nine-month study. And since you’re likely already watching what you eat, your exercise routine is now working with your diet to help you shed unwanted pounds.

Obviously, burning more calories throughout your day, combined with a sensible diet, is going to maximize your weight loss. Not only that, but it helps keep the weight off. One study found that less than an hour and a half of resistance training each week helped keep dieters from gaining back weight, especially harmful belly fat. 

The Health Benefits of Strength Training

The benefits go beyond the bathroom scale, too. Weight training improves your posture, helps your endurance, builds strength and reduces your chance of injuries. Research shows it can also boost heart health, improve cholesterol levels and increase bone density. It also slows the inevitable decline in strength as we age, because it keeps our muscles from turning to mush and being replaced with fat as we get older.

Oh, and something weight training doesn’t do: It won’t make you bulk up. If you’re training to be a body builder, you’re going to be eating more. You’re going to be training with heavy weights, doing fewer reps and isolating different muscles. To lose weight, you’re going to monitor your calorie intake and do more reps with lighter weights. The end result: a leaner, stronger, more toned body. Who doesn’t want that?

Getting Started

Where people get into trouble is when they start by lifting too heavy. “They go to the gym, pick up 10 pounds and then try to lunge or squat or curl. And the next day they’re so sore and miserable that they get discouraged and quit.”

Instead, she suggests starting with your own body weight (read on for some suggested moves). Your goal is to do 12 to 15 repetitions—they should feel like a challenge, but you should still be able to keep your form. As you get stronger, you’ll gradually add more weight.

No dumbbells at home? Household items will do. Start with soup cans and slowly work up to lifting milk or laundry detergent jugs (partially filled). Try carrying a full laundry basket while you do a set of walking lunges. You don’t have to have a really heavy weight in the beginning, especially if it’s for weight loss.

Finally, remember to change things up. Do something new every week—even if it’s just a little change—so you’re challenging your body in a different way. “You’ll be using different muscles and expending more calories.” If you always do cardio first, switch the order and start with weights instead. One study suggests weight training first gets your heart rate up, making your cardio workout more efficient.

Weight-Training Exercises to Try

Try the strength-building moves below. Be sure to warm up first. Watch your form, and keep a slow tempo. If you feel pain, stop.

FLOOR BRIDGE Lie face-up on the floor, with knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Keep arms at your sides with palms down. Lift hips off the ground, squeezing your glutes and core until your knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line. Hold for three seconds at the top, then lower back down to starting position.

HIP THRUST Start in a seated position with your knees and feet flat on the floor and your shoulder blades (not your neck!) against a bench. Add weight to your hip crease using a pad, if needed. Squeeze your glutes and core and lift your hips until your back is parallel to the floor.

BODYWEIGHT SQUAT Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, toes slightly turned out, arms at your sides, palms in. Squeeze your core and keep your chest lifted and back flat as you shift your weight into your heels, push your hips back, and bend your knees to lower into a squat. Bend your elbows and bring your palms together in front of your chest. (You can also just hold your hands in front of your chest the entire time.) Push through your heels to stand back up, and squeeze your glutes at the top for one rep. 

This calcium superstar’s bone-health benefits have been called into question. Here’s what you need to know. Milk has been billed as a mighty bone-bolsterer since well before the days of the celebrity milk mustache. Bones are made up mostly of calcium, and research shows that getting plenty of this nutrient early in life builds bone mass. “So of course you’d think, keep eating calcium as an adult for strong bones—and in turn, prevent fractures,” The specialists say so.

However, recent research has turned this conventional wisdom on its head—at least when it comes to adults—and caused a lot of public confusion. A study published in the British Medical Journal found that every serving of milk increased the risk of a bone fracture by 9 percent. And a 2017 meta-analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that calcium supplements did nothing to reduce the risk of breaking a bone. What gives?

First, the BMJ study showed only that people who drank more milk had more fractures. What it didn’t prove? That the dairy product, rather than some other factor, caused those fractures. Even the researchers say that women who have osteoporosis— which means they already have an increased risk of fractures—may be seeking out more milk for its bone health reputation, not that the milk itself weakened their bones.

If drinking milk doesn’t cause fractures, will it help prevent them? “That’s a little complicated,” says the specialists so. “The calcium you get from dairy is essential  for building bone mass through your early 20s. It also helps prevent bone loss later in life. But the association between dairy consumption and a lower risk of fracture isn’t well established. There haven’t been enough studies.” And some studies show it can reduce breaks, while others say it can’t. The research has been just as inconclusive about calcium supplements. In 2018, an independent panel of experts, reviewed all the data and concluded that there’s not enough evidence to recommend women take calcium supplements to stave off bone breaks.

So how can calcium help prevent bone loss but possibly have no influence on fracture risk? Again: It’s complicated. Your personal risk of breaks involves a lot more than just one mineral. “Hormonal changes after menopause, low physical activity, low muscle mass, balance issues—all of these factors greatly influence your odds of fracture,” says the specialists, think about it like this: If you have osteoporosis, your goal is fracture prevention. If you don’t, then you want to prevent osteoporosis—and to do that you should, among other things, consume calcium.

It'srecommended  that most adults get 1,000 milligrams of the mineral a day. Aside from dairy, good sources include soybeans, salmon and leafy greens. The bulk of your calcium should be coming from your diet, because when you focus on food, you garner other benefits.“Lean protein, vitamin C, carotenoids, magnesium and other nutrients are all needed for bone health. A study published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that people following a Mediterranean-style diet, filled with produce, nuts, fish and whole grains, had a 21 percent lower risk of hip fracture than those who ate a lot of sugar, refined grains and red meat. So consume a variety of calcium-rich foods. If you want to talk to your doctor about a supplement, that’s fine—just think of it as a safety net, not a primary calcium source. Also, make vitamin D a priority—it helps your body absorb calcium.

Although calcium gets much of the attention when it comes to bone health, it’s far from the only solution. Regular exercise may be even more important, and there’s no controversy there. The proof is amazingly consistent: Physical activity, like resistance training and weight-bearing exercise, is very good for preventing fractures. “It’s probably the most important thing you can do to keep your bones healthy.

We need more. We need less. Beef is best. Beans are better. Fed up with your friends’ conflicting Facebook posts? Here’s how you can power up your plate for real. Protein is crucial to nearly every bodily function. We need it to have energy, to feel full, to build and repair muscle to process nutrients and boost immunity, to send chemical signals—basically, to stay alive. And with so much new research pointing to the nutrient’s power as a hunger buster and super sculptor, it’s easy to think the more protein, the better. Many women I see are making a conscious effort to get more protein in their diet. But is that wise? Ahead, the most evolved advice.

How Much Do You Really Need?

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA), which is the minimum amount you need to be healthy, is 0.8 grams per kilogram (0.36 grams per pound)  of body weight per day—46 grams for an average woman. That equals as little as 10 percent of your daily calories. If you’re not super active, that’s likely adequate, and you’ll hit the target effortlessly if you follow a typical Western diet. In fact, American women already eat about 68 grams of protein a day, according to the latest data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. “There’s no reason to go out of your way to get protein,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, dean of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy. “Just eat a variety of fish, nuts, beans, seeds and dairy, including yogurt.”

However, increasing your protein well above the RDA may make sense if...

You're very active. That means you get at least 35 to 40 minutes of moderate exercise four or five days a week, including resistance training two or more times a week. Consider eating 1.2 to 2 grams of dietary protein per kilogram (or about 0.5 to 0.9 grams per pound) of your body weight each day, says Nancy Rodriguez, PhD, professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Connecticut. That amount is best for rebuilding muscle tissue, especially if you do a lot of high-intensity workouts, research suggests.

You're trying to lose weight. Protein takes longer to digest than carbs, helping you feel full, and it also pushes your body to secrete the gut hormone peptide YY, which reduces hunger. “When you bring protein to about 30 percent of your daily calories, you’ll naturally eat less,” says Lauren Slayton, RD, founder of Foodtrainers, a nutrition practice in New York City, and author of The Little Book of Thin. “Protein decreases appetite and also, in my experience, helps you manage cravings.”

While research is mixed about whether consuming more protein leads to weight loss, it’s pretty clear that protein can help you retain more lean muscle as you lose fat. A studies suggests amping up protein to as much as 1.8 to 2 grams per kilogram (roughly 0.8 to 0.9 grams per pound) of body weight per day to stave off muscle loss when restricting calories. Cut back on refined carbs to balance out the extra calories from adding protein.

You're in middle age. Eating more protein as you get older may help you maintain muscle and ward off osteoporosis, “so you can stay stronger and more functional,” says Rodriguez. In a study, adults over the age of 50 who roughly doubled the RDA (eating 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram, or 0.68 grams per pound, of body weight per day) were better able to rebuild and retain muscle after only four days, compared with control groups eating the RDA.

Doubling the RDA gives you “optimal protein,” a concept that Rodriguez and more than 40 nutrition scientists advanced at a recent Protein Summit, the findings from which were published in 2015 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Optimal protein works out to be about 15 to 25 percent of your daily calories, still below the level recommended by many popular high-protein diets. Over a day, that could look like 20 to 30 grams per meal and 12 to 15 grams per snack, for a total of 90 to 105 grams daily.

The Dangers of Loading Up

When experts decry protein-heavy diets, the issue is usually not quantity but quality. “It’s not protein per se that’s a problem, but the ‘passengers’ it brings with it,” explains Tom Rifai, MD, regional medical director of metabolic health and weight management for the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. “You can’t compare egg whites, fish or beans to fatty porterhouse steak.” Eating a lot of meat means getting a ton of calories and saturated fat as well as a digestive by-product called TMAO, all of which can contribute to higher risks of certain cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Indeed, a  study showed a hike in cancer mortality risk for people who ate more animal protein in midlife. On the flip side, a new study found that adults who ate a plant-based diet and dropped one or two servings of animal-based foods (to four or fewer servings a day) cut their risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 20 percent. The takeaway: If you want to bump up your protein, grab  those extra grams from plant sources or even fish (both of which offer additional beneficial nutrients on top of protein) rather than red meat.

Eat Early, Eat Often

Folks who ate 35 grams of protein at breakfast consumed 400 fewer calories throughout the day and lost more body fat than those who ate a breakfast with 13 grams or skipped an a.m. meal entirely. I’ve seen many women who, after shifting more of their daily protein to breakfast and lunch, stay more satiated, preventing overeating in the late afternoon and evening. A sample high-protein breakfast: 6 ounces of nonfat Greek yogurt (17 grams of protein) with ¼ cup of almonds (8 grams), 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds (4 grams) and ½ cup of mixed berries (1 gram).

More incentive to add protein earlier in the day: Other research suggests that it does the best job of keeping your muscles in rebuilding mode if you spread your intake over the day’s meals and snacks rather than cramming in most of it at dinner. Eating all your protein at one sitting also backfires because your system can process only so much at once—about 25 to 40 grams, for most people. “If you can’t use the extra protein, your body just turns it into carbs,” explains Dr. Rifai.

Go Complete

“Complete protein” is a term often used for foods that contain, in the right proportion for our dietary needs, all nine of the essential amino acids our bodies can’t manufacture themselves. (We can make the 11 other amino acids from scratch.) Think of your amino acid requirements like a Scrabble game: Some letters you need over and over again, like E, and some you don’t need as many of, like Z. Animal products, such as chicken, fish and eggs, provide the right letters (amino acids) in close to the right proportion that we need to spell words (build proteins in the body). Certain plant-based foods (quinoa, soybeans, amaranth, buckwheat) also provide roughly the proper proportion of amino acids.

Other plants contain all the essential amino acids, but not in the optimal proportion—usually there’s not enough of one or more of them, which is why the classic advice for vegetarians and vegans has been to pair complementary foods, like rice and beans, in order to make a complete protein. The good news is, it doesn’t need to be that complicated. As long as your weekly diet includes a reasonable variety and amount of beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds (for example, lentils, chickpeas, oats, brown rice, walnuts, almonds and sunflower seeds), it’s likely that you’re getting what you need.

Workout Wisdom

Ideally, you should get 20 grams of protein within 30 to 40 minutes post-workout for optimal muscle recovery and growth. That said, you can’t chug a protein shake after spin class and skimp on protein the rest of the time. You still need a healthy total amount spread out through your day. 

Power Trip

Here are the steps protein takes in your body, from first bite to final exit.

Step 1: You eat some grilled chicken or a plate of beans.

Step 2: Stomach acids and gut enzymes break down the proteins in the chicken or beans into amino acids, the building blocks of protein.

Step 3: Amino acids are absorbed through the walls of your small intestine and enter the bloodstream. In addition to helping build muscle, these amino acids help produce, maintain and repair numerous proteins throughout your body, including antibodies, hormones and neurotransmitters.

Step 4: Extra amino acids aren’t stored for much longer than 24 hours (that’s why you have to eat protein every day), so once the body has used what it needs, the leftovers go to the liver. There, some are converted into glucose and used as a fuel source. Nitrogen by-products from amino acid breakdown are excreted in urine.

10 Real-Food Boosts

Powders have their place (assuming you’re picking one with superclean ingredients), but they’re not the only way to amp up your intake. Try these easy hacks to add whole-food protein to a meal or snack.

1. Prepare ½ cup oatmeal with 1 cup milk (8g) instead of water.

2. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons chia seeds (6g) onto 2 slices avocado toast.

3. Blend ½ cup silken tofu (6g) into soup or a smoothie.

4. Toss ¼ cup cashews (5g) into a stir-fry.

5. Blend 3 tablespoons hemp seeds (9g) into salad dressing (try one made with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and herbs).

6. Add 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (5g) to granola.

7. Scatter 1 cup green peas (8g) over pasta.

8. Top pancakes or waffles with 2 tablespoons almond butter (7g) instead of maple syrup.

9. Add ½ cup canned black beans (7g), drained and rinsed, to salsa.

10. Trade cream cheese for ¼ cup cottage cheese (6g) on a toasted bagel.