Today we’re talking about BCAAs, why they matter, especially during exercise, and how Young Living’s AminoWise can be a powerful part of your workout and recovery support. This post is a combination of content created by Angie, a Certified Personal Trainer and Stefanie, a trained Massage Therapist. Angie will be presenting more information on BCAAs and Stefanie will share her experience using them.
What Are BCAAs?
BCAAs are branched-chain amino acids. There are three of them: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. These are essential amino acids, which means your body cannot make them on its own, so you need to get them through food or supplementation. Amino Acids are molecules that all living things use to build protein.
BCAAs play an important role in muscle support. When we work out, especially during more intense exercise, our muscles experience stress and breakdown. That sounds negative, but it’s actually part of the process of getting stronger. As muscles are challenged, they use amino acids as part of repair and recovery. BCAAs are especially important because they are directly involved in muscle protein synthesis and recovery support.
During exercise, your body can use BCAAs to help fuel muscles. And after a workout, those same amino acids are needed to help support muscle repair. That’s why replenishing BCAAs during and after workouts can be so beneficial, especially if your goal is to support endurance, reduce muscle soreness, and encourage recovery.
If you are familiar with electrolytes and the need to replenish electrolytes after being in the heat, while breastfeeding or after working out then the need to replenish BCAAs after a workout is clear.
BCAAs & Resistance Training
Now let’s transition into an area where BCAAs become even more important: resistance training.
Resistance training is any kind of exercise where your muscles work against a force or resistance. That could include lifting weights, using resistance bands, bodyweight exercises like squats or push-ups, or even strength machines at the gym.
When you do resistance training, tiny tears occur in the muscle fibers. Again, that may sound alarming, but it’s actually a normal and necessary part of building strength. As your body repairs those muscle fibers, they can become stronger over time. But that rebuilding process requires the right support, including rest, hydration, nutrition, and key building blocks like amino acids.
Resistance training is so important, especially as we age. As we get older, we naturally begin to lose muscle mass if we’re not actively working to maintain it. This age-related muscle loss can impact strength, balance, metabolism, mobility, and overall quality of life. Resistance training helps support muscle tone, bone health, joint stability, and functional strength for daily living. It can help us stay active, independent, and resilient.
But with that important work comes a greater need for recovery support.
If you’re doing resistance training consistently, recovery matters just as much as the workout itself. This is where supplements that include BCAAs can really help support your routine. Because BCAAs are involved in muscle repair and recovery, they can be a smart addition before, during, or after exercise depending on your needs and your routine.
Why We Love Aminowise Compare with Other BCAAs
AminoWise is more than just a basic BCAA supplement. Yes, it contains branched-chain amino acids to support muscle recovery and help your body during and after workouts, but it also includes additional ingredients that make it a more dynamic wellness product.
AminoWise is designed to support muscle recovery, exercise performance, and hydration support. It can be a helpful option for those who are physically active, those beginning a new strength-training journey, or those wanting to support healthy aging and muscle wellness.
One of the things that makes AminoWise stand out is that it goes beyond straight BCAAs.
It includes a mineral blend, which can help support hydration and overall muscle function. Minerals are essential when you’re sweating, training, and asking your muscles to perform and recover well.
It also includes polyphenols and antioxidants, which help support the body in dealing with oxidative stress that can increase with exercise. That added support can be especially helpful when your body is working hard and recovering from physical activity.
And of course, AminoWise includes Young Living essential oils, which make it unique. The essential oils in the formula help make AminoWise a more elevated supplement experience, and many people appreciate that it supports absorption while also reflecting Young Living’s commitment to thoughtfully formulated products.
So rather than getting just a straight BCAA product, with AminoWise you’re getting amino acid support plus additional ingredients that support recovery, hydration, and overall wellness in a more comprehensive way.
Stefanie’s Experience
Stefanie here, I’ve been coaching with Angie for a few months now. I started out just doing 20-30 minutes of cardio. Then we sprinkled in resistance training. This is when I remember Angie making me take BCAAs. I’ve used both the ones they sell at her gym and Aminowise.
Eventually, I moved from working out 1x a week, two 2x a week and now I am fairly consistent at 3x a week. I know I’ve got a way to go before I am at what’s recommend for women of my age and stage (not quite to perimenopause, but we know it’s coming soon).
What I’ve noticed with one brand is that it’s way too sweet. Now, don’t get me wrong I like sweet things-but prefer that in dessert form. As a former massage therapist, I love that it contains not only potassium, sodium and magnesium but also calcium–which our muscles use during muscle contraction.
It contains that same BCAA combination of Angie mentioned above, plus L-glutatmine, l-taurine, l-arginie, Beta-Alanine and L-Citrulline. It’s lightly sweetened with stevia.
Steff’s Bottom Line
BCAAs are incredibly helpful in reducing post-workout discomfort. You know that feeling of the muscle that’s tired and not used to crunches or bicep curls. While you’re always going to feel it after a workout that pushes you a little bit, there’s a difference between a little “hurts so good” ache and debilitating pain. I think that Aminowise outperforms standard BCAAs. For what it’s worth, my husband does not have a sweet tooth finds the other brand intolerably sweet.
A Cautionary Tale
I typically drink 16 ounces of water on my way to the gym and when I’m first arriving and then drink 16-20oz of water with a scoop of Aminowise. I find it so useful that I never forget to mix some in before leaving. I happen to like it with a few ice cubes.
Last week, I decided to try a yoga class at the gym. It was great and I didn’t find it to be too challenging (except crow pose was too hard for an ankle that I suspect had a torn muscle that I never treated in 2002). The ab work really stretched me and felt so good. I didn’t take Aminowise to the yoga class, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it.
Saturday night, I woke up in the middle of the night to an extra person in the bed, #momlife and my right shoulder was HURTING me something fierce. The pain was so bad I was using breathwork to cope in addition to my essential oils and some aleve. Eventually, I was diagnosed with a strain to the trapezius muscle and all the muscles around the scapula (subscapularis, infraspinatus, supraspinatus, teres major and minor and of course levator scapula). I’ll save another blog post for how I’m taking care of that. While we don’t know if it was the yoga class or an awkward sleeping position–or both; I feel fairly certain that forgetting to take the Aminowise made my recovery harder.
More Bang for Your Buck
Since resistance training is absolutely essential for health againg and women in or past menopause; Aminowise is a perfect solution for supporting gentle recovery and helping to protect your overall muscle and bone health. Knowing that Aminowise contains the polyphenols, vitamins, minerals and BCAAs, it truly gives you more benefit per dollar spent. That can make a real difference for people who want a supplement that works harder for them, especially in seasons of resistance training, increased activity, or simply focusing more intentionally on muscle support as they age.
If you’re thinking about your wellness goals, your fitness routine, or how to better support your body after workouts, AminoWise is be a great product to explore as part of your Young Living lifestyle.
Thanks so much for checking out this post. Be sure to stock up on Aminowise and while you’re working on building a workout plan that suits your age and stage: book your free consultation with Angie to get personalized recommendations. Book with Angie
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