You probably aren't short on food. But, if you're like most people, you're probably short on nutrition. Especially amino acids. Amino what?? Amino acids.



Don't let the title of this article keep you from reading. Your (optimal) health depends on it. You need to know about amino acids.



I saw the power of protein and amino acids first-hand, as my personal training clients got leaner, felt better, and improved their health and fitness by starting with a single focus of  increasing their protein or amino acid intake. The more I saw them getting results, the more fascinated I became with protein and amino acids.



I realize that most people won't feel that same level of excitement, read this entire article anyway. Once you realize how powerful protein and amino acids are, you won't look at your meal choices the same way ever again. You also might be motivated to make an amino acid supplement one of your core nutritional supplements, especially if you're over the age of 30.



I've addressed the following questions throughout this article:



What are amino acids? How do they work? Why are they so important to your health and fitness? Why are they so important as you age?





Protein and Your Body



Your body is about 60% water. Remove all the water, and almost half of what’s left will be protein. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.



Every day, about 250-300 grams of the protein that builds your body breaks down. That’s the amount of protein you'd get from six chicken breasts! When you're sick or injured, you break down even more.



As protein breaks down, amino acids are released.



In case it's ever a Trivia question, or you want to sound extra-smart with your friends, amino acids are compounds made of nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon and oxygen.



Twenty-two amino acids combine in different patterns throughout your body, to form the proteins, that create each of the tissues, that make you, you.



As the 250-300 grams of protein break down each day, some of the amino acids are reused, kind of like you can recycle cardboard and make printer paper.



Other amino acids are released into the blood to maintain its normal “pool” of amino acids for normal metabolic functions. Your heart and skeletal muscle use certain amino acids for energy production.



And still other amino acids are lost. Your body can't store extra protein, like it can store fat or carbohydrates, so you have to consistently eat enough protein to support your daily needs.



Read more: What You Need To Know About High-Protein Diets



Types of Amino Acids



Amino acids are either proteinogenic (protein-forming), or non-proteinogenic (non-protein-forming). The only reason I mention the two categories is that there are a number of non-proteinogenic amino acids that provide health and performance benefits, which I won't cover in this article; amino acids like carnitine, ornithine, citrulline, glycine, and beta-alanine. I'll get to them in the future.



In this article, I focus on the proteinogenic amino acids, as they are the most important for maintaining optimal health and peak performance.



Proteinogenic amino acids fall into three different categories:



* Non-essential amino acids* Conditionally essential amino acids* Es...