You’ve heard the saying, “the more you do, the more you get done.” Every year I like to load up my plate with as many projects as possible, then I start chewing away at them one by one until I’ve cleaned my plate. But I don’t just start consuming these tasks in a random order, I always take care of the important ones first.

The same approach applies when I eat a meal – protein is first.

Protein translates to “priority” or “of greatest importance” and it should be the center of every meal. Take care of your protein requirements first because they are of greatest importance, then you can finish the rest of the meal.

A moderate protein intake is best. Don’t go overboard! There’s a rate at which muscle protein is broken down and built up. Of course, there are ways to influence that rate, but your system can only go so fast. Piling up more and more raw materials at the beginning of the assembly line is not necessarily going to increase production at the end.

It will, however, increase the amount of material that’s wasted and even worse, it may cause you to become efficient at “wasting away” precious material. Dr. Ron Rosedale has talked about this process where the body can adapt to a high protein intake by digesting and breaking down body protein. Yes, that means muscle!

Too much of a good thing can be bad and protein is no exception. The amount of carbohydrates and fat that you consume daily will vary depending on several factors, but for optimal health and performance, a moderate protein intake spread evenly throughout the day is best. Just remember that protein is the priority – eat it first at every meal.

It’s no different when you deal with your daily tasks. The ones with the greatest priority get done first. Tomorrow we’ll take a look at how to quickly gain control when you feel overwhelmed with tasks.