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If you are a regular at the gym, then you know that bulking up isn’t just about picking up the heaviest weights you can handle. It’s about fueling up with protein powders. That way you get the energy and endurance you need to go as hard as you can, as well as all the nutrients you need to make those muscles improve more than you thought possible. The only issue is that a lot of protein powders don’t taste good. That’s why you need to find the best-tasting protein powders around.
Our Top 3 Picks
There are a lot of protein powders out there, but not all of them taste good. This can be a bit of an issue, because you might have a hard time getting those drinks down. And at a certain point, you might just give up on them entirely. But you can get great-tasting protein shakes that won’t hinder your progress. If anything, they’ll make the whole process go a whole lot smoother.
Looking for the right protein powders that come with great flavors is not easy, if only because there are so many protein powders to look at. And they all come in different flavors. There are the old standbys of Chocolate and Vanilla. But you also get some great alt options like Fruity Pebbles flavoring. Not to mention having to look for the right one if you are a vegan or not. It’s not easy. But it can be done.
It can be done because we have gone and done. Below you can find 5 of the best-tasting protein powders around. All of which will do the job of fueling and bulking you up at the gym while making the process of drinking these shakes down as easy as possible. So all you need to do is check them out and see what each is good for and then pick the one that catches your eye. Whichever you pick is sure to be a fast favorite.
The Best Tasting Protein Powders More

In June 2020, depression and anxiety were up threefold across America compared to the same time last year, reports the CDC. The knee-jerk reaction is too often popping a pill. What if we looked at food more methodically to engineer homeostasis within? Eating healthier can improve symptoms like headaches, fatigue, and nausea, says psychiatrist Leela Magavi. Feeling more alert and energetic can domino into other mood-boosting behaviors like exercise and self-care. What’s more, a growing body of research suggests certain nutrients may help rein in anxious feelings and curb depression.

 
Fatten Up Your Diet
People who eat a Mediterranean-like diet—high in omega-3-rich fish, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains, but low in meat and dairy—are the least likely to develop anxiety. Healthy fats lower inflammation (linked to depressive symptoms) and boost production of a specific brain protein (BDNF) that influences neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to form new connections and communicate effectively, says Jody Bergeron, RN.
Try it: Eat fatty fish, flaxseed, walnuts, chia seeds, and avocados, or take a supple-ment with EPA and DHA to get up to 2,000 milligrams of omega-3 per day.

The Whole of It
Twelve key vitamins and minerals—including iron, omega-3s, magnesium, zinc, plus vitamin C, B6 and 12—help prevent and treat depressive disorders. An international meta-analysis concluded that ingesting a full spectrum (30+) can ease mood dysregulation, ADHD, aggression, and anxiety. Your gut and brain have a direct line of communication, so micronutrients impact inflammation levels and mood, Bergeron says. Vegetables and whole grains keep your gut microbiome diverse and healthy—necessary since nearly 90 percent of the happiness hormone serotonin is produced in the GI tract, she adds.
Try it: Every day, load up on leafy greens, fresh herbs, whole grains (oats, farro, wild rice), quinoa, beans, nuts, cruciferous vegetables (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage), berries, and other colorful produce. Get more probiotic foods like miso, kimchi, kombucha, and yogurt, too.
Ditch the Sugar to Dampen Depression
Men who consume a lot of sugar are nearly a quarter more likely to develop anxiety or depression over five years, while the low-sugar DASH diet helps older adults stave off depression. Too much sweet stuff creates insulin resistance, which increases inflammation and releases chronic stress hormones, Magavi explains. Higher glucose levels slow brain cell growth and lower overall connectivity.
Try it: Cut back on added sugar, at least to the RDA of 6 percent of daily calories.

The Nutrition Plan to Boost Mood and Fight Depression
Breakfast: Green tea, half a grapefruit, an omelet with sautéed veggies, fresh herbs, a small amount of cheese, and olive oil, plus a side of whole-grain toast.
Mid-Morning Snack: Cottage cheese and blueberries topped with honey crunch wheat germ.
Lunch: Mexican bowl with black beans, farro, corn, red cabbage, leafy greens, avocado, salsa, and cheese.
Afternoon Snack: A few squares of 60 percent dark chocolate with almonds.
Dinner: Broiled wild sockeye salmon or steamed mussels with a side of brown rice and steamed asparagus or broccoli.
Dessert: Plain Greek yogurt topped with berries and whole-grain granola.

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Feel like your commute is killing you? It’s not just the side effects of being sedentary for so long, or the mental fatigue of slogging through traffic. A new study published in Environment International found California commuters are likely inhaling alarmingly high amounts of chemicals that can increase the risk of cancer and birth defects. And here’s the kicker: It’s not from air pollution or exhaust.

Researchers gave 90 study participants silicone bracelets to wear for five days. The molecular structure of silicone is ideal for capturing airborne contaminants. The goal was to test peoples’ exposure to chemicals typically found in vehicle interiors. Participants’ commute times ranged from 15 minutes to over two hours.

Ultimately, researchers found benzene and formaldehyde in unsustainably high levels within vehicle interiors. Benzene is used in the production of synthetic fibers in automobile manufacturing, while formaldehyde is a binder in plastics. Both chemicals are carcinogens (known for causing cancer), and benzene carries additional risks for reproductive and developmental toxicity.
“These chemicals are very volatile, moving easily from plastics and textiles to the air that you breathe,” explains study co-author David Volz, UCR professor of environmental toxicology.
One concern raised by the study was that participants with the longest commutes had the greatest amount of chemical exposure.
“Of course, there is a range of exposure that depends on how long you’re in the car, and how much of the compounds your car is emitting,” says Aalekhya Reddam, lead study author.

For Volz, the results of the study were not expected—but highly alarming.
“I went into this rather skeptical because I didn’t think we’d pick up a significant concentration in that short a time frame, let alone pick up an association with commute time. We did both, which was really surprising.”
As for what can be done to address the problem, Reddam suggests commuters dilute the concentration of airborne chemicals by opening windows, while Volz says car manufacturers need to find alternatives to dangerous chemicals.
In the long run, Volz says that the study provokes further questions on the effects of airborne contaminants and a more dangerous form of car sickness.
“If we picked up this relationship in five days, what does that mean for chronic, long-term exposure, for people who commute most weeks out of the year, year over year for decades?”
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As you get older, general fitness seems to be one of the first things to slip. Perhaps you are too busy, too tired, too stressed––the list of excuses goes on. However, one excuse that’s simply not true is that you are too old.
While nobody said getting older is easy––especially when it comes to maintaining fitness––there are countless examples of older athletes who defy their age and continue performing at a high level. Two prime examples are Laird Hamilton and Joe Rogan. While both men are in their 50s, training and fitness remain at the forefront of their focus.
In this 10-minute video, the two discuss the importance of staying fit as you get older, tips for staying motivated, and why saying that you’re “too old to workout” is not true.

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On a typical day at the office, Troy Scott Parker found himself searching for a better trail. Working just outside of Sykesville, MD, a 25-minute drive from Baltimore, Parker’s go-to trail was flat, straight, rutted and in the open. In the summer it was sweltering and in the winter frigid.
“It was miserable,” says Parker. “And boring.”

Parker knew there had to be a better route for connecting a paved path system to the historic downtown. Not only would it be more interesting and enjoyable, it would be more sustainable too (which matters more than ever). Good thing that Parker works as one of America’s preeminent trail designers.
From urban greenways to epic bikepacking routes, trails have never been busier. They were already growing in popularity before the pandemic and lockdowns sent us outdoors in record numbers. That’s a good thing: The more people who are using trails, the more people who care about them, and the more people who stand up for protecting green and wild spaces, like public lands, says Parker.
But while any trail will do during stay-at-home orders, biking and hiking indiscriminately will not always be the case. Inspiring long-term interest requires not just any strip of dirt, but a well planned and built network.
Mountain biking singletrack trails in Bentonville, Arkansas. Shutterstock
Natural Fundamentals
There are plenty of trail builders and designers who know about grade, slope and drainage: the fundamentals of erosion-proof construction and key ingredients in a time of increased use and climate change. But Parker was one of the first, and remains one of the few, who understands that great trails are only 30 percent technical. The rest is psychology.
“It’s about understanding human nature and the user experience,” he says from his Boulder, CO, home office. “It comes down to two factors: the quality without a name and natural shape.”

Mats Hagwall on UnSplash
Parker has spent more time thinking about the qualities of the best trails than just about anyone. He wrote many of the early trail-building standards that evolved into the how-to manuals national parks, mountain bike organizations and volunteer trail stewards use to build paths. And he wrote and self-published the definitive book on the art of trail building in 2004, Natural Surface Trails by Design.

It took Parker decades to figure it all out. Now nearly 60, he started building trails at age 5 on the Ohio acreage where he grew up. First it was for his Tonka trucks and then for his Schwinn banana-seat bike. Design and architecture always fascinated him. As a teen, he dug his own pond and then a system of “Roman aqueducts” and ditches to feed it with clean water (and keep the leaky septic system out).

Trail Philosophy
After college he moved to Boulder and put his self-taught skills—a knack for seeing grade, managing water flow and building stone work—to good use on volunteer trail projects. Eventually that led to paid trail designing and building work, a job he continues. Through it all he philosophized about the elusive attributes of a good trail.
Parker finally found the words in the architecture classic, The Timeless Way of Building by Christoper Alexander. Over more than 500 pages Alexander simplifies why some cityscapes feel better than others to two factors: design patterns and the quality without a name. The theory resonated with Parker.
Wandering in the woods he knew something in our DNA makes us universally attracted to openings and meadows, viewpoints and unique features, and rivers and lakes. We’re also attracted to small things: a big stump, a rock all by itself, a gully. Trails that lead us to these places are pleasing. Ones that link these points, one after another, are a joy.
Shutterstock

We’re equally predictable in our bad habits. Pass within earshot of a waterfall, but not to it, and we will find our own way to check it out. We’re more comfortable walking along the edge of an open area, unless there’s a cool boulder in the middle of it. Then we want to climb it and look around and so should the trail. Stacks of switchbacks are annoying. Just like an empty maze at airport security, we will cut right through them.
“Build a trail that resists our lazy tendencies and plays to our curiosity and you’ll find the quality without a name,” says Parker.
It’s hard to explain, but simple to do: He just acts like an 8-year-old and links whatever catches his eye. Alexander’s “design pattern” (Parker’s natural shape) is even easier to find. Just pick up a stick.
“Something nice and crooked from a native species,” he says. “Put it on the ground and scale up and you’ve got your natural shape.”

Shutterstock
In other words, straight is boring. Twisting and turning, going up and down, keeps us guessing and motivated to see what’s around the corner. Trail builders call it rolling grade. Mountain bikers call it flow. And hikers knock off miles with surprising ease.
Natural shape is naturally sustainable too. Even a slight up and down or side to side, helps shed water off the trail, reducing erosion. It slows riders down, so there’s less braking. Both are important with climate change in mind.
Dryer, hotter weather turns dirt to dust and boots and skidding tires, especially, lift it into the air. Wind literally blows trails away. Even more destructive is water. With bigger rain events, more often, ruts, wash outs and in-cutting add maintenance when trail crews are already struggling to keep up with the impact of more tires and boots.
Troy Scott Parker Courtesy Image
“Erosion destroys trails,” says Parker. “But what sets up that destruction is poor design.”
We need to build to a more robust standard, capable of handling more traffic and extreme weather, he says. And, as we expand trail networks to keep up with demand, we have to think about what is the best and highest use of the land.

Land Relations
Hikers, bikers, horseback riders and motorized users: They all have different relationships with the trail, he explains. ATVers and dirt bikers are more focused on their machine than what’s flying by. On a horse, the interaction with the animal is as important as the scenery. Focused 20 feet in front of them most of the time, mountain bikers care more about what the trail does then where it goes. Hikers are the most demanding, especially if they drove two hours to the trailhead. They expect the path to connect them to the environment and immerse them in the landscape.
Land managers need to keep these relationships in mind as they consider where to put new trails, thinks Parker. Old industrial sites and damaged landscapes make great motorized zones. Quiet areas with few other users work best for horses. Places with lots of ups and downs and ins and outs are ideal for mountain biking. Reserve the most spectacular places for those who appreciate it the most: hikers.

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“With more interest in being outside and more interest in our public lands, there’s more pressure to make the right choice for the right reasons,” says Parker. “It forces us to up our game and prevent bad ideas from happening.”
Back in Sykesville, that’s what he was doing. Parker left the high ground of the existing trail and headed down the slope toward the South Branch Patapsco River. The forest felt wild. Ravines and creeks teased him along. Bird calls filled the air.
Looking on social media he couldn’t find a picture or mention of the area. “It’s 25 minutes from Baltimore,” he says. “I can’t believe it.”
Cameron Venti on Unsplash
He created a proposal for a trail that would slowly roll its way down the slope from the path system, through the forest, in and out of gullies, all the way into town. Following the topography it has natural shape and the quality without a name.
“It will be so much more interesting,” he says. “I think people will really love walking it. Now we just need to build it.”

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