Why Protein Alone Is Not Enough | 011

Dr. Grazyna Pajunen: One of the biggest conversations in fitness

and wellness industry is propane. We have been at the

show, fitness show, and those young people, that's all what

they were interested in, more and more protein, and in

general, everywhere you look, people are just talking, eat my

protein, because you have to rebuild your muscles, and

especially it's very important for healthy aging, and it's very

important for keeping balance as you get older, and honestly, I

absolutely agree with it. Protein matters, especially if

you want to build your muscles, if you want to stay strong and

get as you get older, but over the years I started noticing

something that made me really think most of my clients,

actually a lot of them are people who are doing everything

right, they eat right, they exercise, they take a lot of

protein, they take other supplements, and they go to gym

several times a week, and still they are complaining because

their some joints are hurting, they are not as flexible as, as

before, they cannot recover as fast, they feel stiff in the

morning, and, and even the joints start to bother them, so

they, they may think that they are doing everything right, but

something is missing, and I noticed also that a lot of

coaches, especially fitness coaches and trainers, I started

seeing that also, and even there I a lot, I have several of them

as my clients, and especially that happens after 40 for some

reason that's a magic number because at some point fitness

it's much more than just building muscles and this is the

very, very important, not many people realize that that muscles

are important, actually very important, and you can feel and

look great when you have muscles, but muscles don't work

alone, the body also depends upon connective tissue, your

fascia, your ligaments, and extracellular matrix, and

synovial fluid, and cartridge. All of it are very, very

important, and that I mentioned that show fitness show, nobody

was interested in these issues, extracellular matrix. I don't

know, even if they knew what it is, but they were interested,

just protein and building malware muscles, and

unfortunately all the structure that held the body together, it

allowed to move it properly are important, and this is also

included extracellular matrix, and when this is degenerated,

nothing can work properly, so that's where the things are

getting very, very interesting, because the protein gives the

body building blocks. Okay, but the body still needs more than

that. It needs signaling, it needs communication, it needs to

start rebuilding itself on a much deeper level, so it is. You

have to understand that there is a difference between feeding the

body and helping your body to respond, and they are not the

same things. So, let me give you examples, even with my husband.

So my husband was doing everything right, he was never

fat, he had exercised all his life, he was eating correctly,

and he, you know, it was like a perfect example. He was fit, and

still he had a problem with his joints and recovery, and so

outside he was looking extremely fit, but he told me. You know,

my, my, my, especially his right right arm, like joint shoulder

was really bothering him. He was not able anymore to lift the

right arm without the help of the left round arm, and his

muscles were very strong, but the rest of the body was

struggling to keep up, so we needed to find a solution for

that, right? And I also work with some women, especially one

woman who are, who is, again, she was eating correctly, she

was exercising, she was fit, beautiful, but still her lower

back was bothering her, and the doctors told her that she would

be on a wheelchair, and they have no solution for her, so we

started working together, and we, we found the solution by

putting all the program together with rebuilding the

extracellular matrix, because again, when this extracellular

matrix degenerates, then nothing can work, nothing can work, and

there is another, another person who is an athlete, and he said

he was training consistently, he was very strong, he, he did

every day the strength training, he took a lot of proteins, he

ate correctly, he took supplements, and still he was

saying, I feel tight all the time, body feels my body feels

inflamed. So, in other words, we are not going to recover the

same time anymore, and this, this I hear over and over again,

and we have to start. I have to put, try to explain to them that

it's necessary to not only worry about your muscles but also

about extracellular matrix, about your joint hyaluronic acid

hydration, and everything together, giving the body the

chance to rebuild itself properly, and this is all about

signaling, because if we send the proper signals, if we put

the right genes on and off at the time when they're supposed

to function properly, then everything will change. So, and

I remember why trainer once told me that my clients can rebuild

muscle faster than their body can tolerate stress, and I

thought it was extremely powerful statement, because

sometimes muscle improve while fascia joints, tenders, recovery

systems are an extracellular matrix are falling behind, so

honestly, this is where I think the fitness industry sometimes

oversimplifies things, because many people think if I just eat

enough protein, my body will repair automatically, but the

reality is aging changes the way the body functions, and recovery

becomes slower. This collagen production slows down, and then

becomes a deficit, hydrogenic acid production slows down, and

there is a huge deficit, and then hydration tissues is

related to it, that it changes, inflammation accumulates, and

that's a big one, and connective tissue becomes less resilient,

so suddenly people start noticing changes, not because

they stop trying, not because they become lazy, but because

the body itself is changing, and honestly, I think that this is

why so many active people feel frustrated, they are put in the

work, they are disciplined, but the body not long the response

the same way as when they were 25 and this is why I became so

interested in the idea of bioactivity. So it is not

bioactivity, it's not what you just put into your body, but how

your body is responding to it. Does it create a signal for

rebuilding? You know that is the question. And this is a

completely different conversation, because it's

healthy, it's not the become healthy and fit, it's not just

only about maintaining muscle tone, but it's also about

maintaining the quality of the entire body, so about the

movement, mobility, recovery, flexibility, and resilience and

the ability to continue doing the things you love without

constantly feeling broken down and honestly I think this is

where fitness is heading towards longevity towards smarter

recovery toward protecting the body while still rebuilding

strength, because what good is muscle if your joints hurt all

the time? Think about it, what good is strength if recovery

takes forever, or what good is training hard if your body feels

older every year. I think more and more coaches are starting to

realize that, especially the ones who truly care about

long-term health and performance, because real

fitness is not just about looking strong, it's about

staying happy, capable, staying mobile, stay active, still

independent, feeling good inside your body, and not only now, but

1020, and or 30 years from now, and honestly, this is why I

believe that the future of fitness is not only about

building muscles, it's about building a body that continues

performing for decades, a body that stays mobile recovers well,

feels strong, feels resilient, not just room, looks strong on

outside. So, to sum it up, yes, protein absolutely matters, but

protein alone is not enough. The body needs support in a much

deeper level. I truly believe that understanding this, that

the tissue recovery, hydration, signaling, and structuring

health may become one of the biggest shifts in healthy aging

and fitness, because the goal is not just to build muscle, the

goal is to build a body that lasts. So, thank you very much

for being here with me today, and if this conversation

resonated with you, share it with somebody who exercises,

trains clients, or cares about healthy aging and performance,

and as always, thank you for being a part of this

conversation, and I'll see you in the next episode.