If a Muscle Milk Falls in the Forest…
Why the price you’re really paying for the convenient “twist off top” protein shakes may be your life—at least your health.
You’ve likely heard the saying, “If a tree falls in the forest does anyone hear it?”
It’s a oft used, well travel thought experiment that questions the nature of reality.
One I like to leverage when pointing to the fundamental flaw of the ready-to-drink, twist off top, protein shakes / drinks. Yes, like the ever popular Muscle Milk which now comes in convenient plastic bottle in nearly every store.
The fundamental flaw pertains to the nature not of reality—well sort of—but of your awareness. For convenience, the ease with which you can easily—without thinking or even experiencing it—shove a shake down your throat, comes with a price.
The price? The very health, strength and vitality you are seeking to support.
Dieting Practices
The most popular and lasting practices for supporting dieters (and diets) most all point back to awareness—a way to alter or awaken your attention. For example, the popular smaller plate, smaller cup, approach which helps you “trick your mind” into thinking you are eating more and eating slower.
And a top nearly every list of “diet don’ts” is the mindless snacking—while you’re doing anything else, especially when watching TV. When you do eat, it’s universally agreed that you should take some time, sit down, and eat with focus and intention.
Mindless snacking and eating is one of the most destructive habits known to promote weight gain and obesity. And while most will nod their heads in vigilant agreement to this logic, they completely miss that eating a “health food” mindlessly is still eating mindlessly.
(I’ll spare my rant on Ready-to-Drinks and Muscle Milk for the moment.)
So, as you reach for the twist-off protein drink, know that while you may succeed in feeding your stomach, and quieting hunger for a short time, you’re leaving your mind and soul in the dark. And face it, eating is as much about feeding your mind and soul as your body. That’s the essence of nourishment.
The Power of Powders
The instant access nature of the Ready-to-Drink protein shake and its fundamental flaw of convenience, transforms the art of making a Full Strength into an important benefit.
Yes, the creative art and engagement of making your very own shake is vital. When you take the time to blend a shake, be it by shaker or blender, you are investing yourself–heart and soul (to some degree)–in a similar way to making a home cooked meal. It may seem like a hassle to some, at first, but it’s a necessary step for your mind and body to very intentionally get better, stronger, fitter, healthier.
So, whatever the shake you choose—be it a simple protein shake or a nutritional powerhouse like Full Strength, make it powder and you do the making, please. It makes a huge difference in your engagement and ability to sustain a ritual.
And I don’t just mean that your missing some magic in some esoteric way. It’s an absolute fact that the necessary satisfaction (aka satiety) of eating requires vital elements of the experience of eating. Just getting calories down your throat is not enough.
Satiety is a complex event with a very tangible yet complex set of triggers, all which are effectively (and intentionally) triggered with Full Strength—making it an even more impressive one of a kind experience.
Same Failure For Bars
Yes, this same logic applies to bars. Even to reasonably good bars. If you’re stuffing them in your face, while running from office to soccer, or whatever—you’re feeding weakness. You’re teaching your body bad habits and reacting to the mind.
You deserve the time to feed yourself. You deserve to be present and your body deserves you too.
My advice is to make eating, be it a nutrition shake or a four course meal, a ritual—a mindful, present and attended to state. Be there—or be “here” to experience, to appreciate, to receive nourishment.
Treat yourself to a few moments of space, of calm, centered “me time.” You deserve it. Think before you eat. Consider the advanced practice of Intentional Eating. That is eating for purpose. To start this, you simply and relentlessly, without fail, ask yourself before every meal, “To what higher purpose do I intend this food?”
Of course, now you must answer. It needn’t be complex but it must be authentic. To what purpose are you intending this meal? “To my vital strength and energy.” That’s complex enough. It’s like saying, “I eat for the strength to carry out my purpose.”
You may also choose to dedicate your meal using a mantra like, “I eat for the Strength and Energy to bring my gifts to the world.”
One of my favorite and more enthusiastically recommended practices is The Shake Break.
The Shake Break is the standard, recommended way to enjoy your Full Strength Nutrition. It’s a daily nourishment ritual I’ve been sharing with people for over 6 years.
You can read more about it here. The Shake Break
It’s not complex, I promise.
It’s the simple act of taking the time to mindfully, and intentionally create your Full Strength Shake. (one of the other powerful benefits of the powder formula is this chance to engage with your creation.) Whether your blend it or shake it, make it how you want, your way.
Then take your shake and you to a place—preferably a quiet space—where you can take 5 minutes for yourself. Give yourself those few seemingly short minutes, which are much more than most people will daily. Know this is your time, your space.
Focus on the three points of light—bright spots of gratitude in your life at this moment. Feel the positive flow of the energy as you gradually and with great patience, enjoy your delicious shake.
As the minutes pass, your body and mind both invigorated by the nutrition and the flow of energy, rise back to full strength. And you are once again, on top.
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Huds
This post makes no sense. Muscle Milk ready-to-drink is missing something intangible that a powder, put into a plastic cup with water and shaken, has? wow. reaaaally reaching with that one.
Shawn Phillips
Hey Huds..
Thanks for stopping by. Do you like Muscle Milk RTD? Great. Not trying to take anything away. And not really singling them out.
I have a long standing position against the convenience element of RTD’s. It’s a step closer to fast-food approach that is wholly unnecessary and having been there for the origin of the Myoplex, the birth of the RTD, I understand the compromise required and the challenge of setting protein and nutrients in water for 2 years.
There’s a steady and arguably noble attempt to maintain some fraction of wholeness and stability but water is the universal solvent for a reason. it breaks things down.
More over, I prefer that you add YOUR water, so you know where it comes from. I also don’t have to SHIP water to you. Think about the cost of transport, the weight and waste required for companies to ship you water filled containers.. with water that comes from lord knows where.
I often blame the water source for the results of the tainted proteins in the recent Consumer Reports story on finding heavy metals in RTD’s.
But all that is what it is… the only thing that really matters is your experience. If you get the same “note” from both a RTD and a premium powder, that’s great. You go with what works. For me, I know there’s a stark and real difference. But I’m not filling a gap and trying to cross a few proteins off my list for the day, I’m really looking for a sustained lift to my day, my body and my life.
To each their own but I love your comment. Thanks,
TO Your Full Strength, Huds.
Shawn