It’s January and that means it’s time for me to get in shape. I work out regularly but over the holidays I “relaxed” my diet way too much and gained 5 pounds. That’s what happens when it gets too cold to run outside and when you love pumpkin pie.

Lucky for me I am already in a gym habit and one of my fitness goals to help me lose weight is to build more muscle which will increase my metabolism and allow me to burn more calories day to day. So I have been making sure that I am lifting weights instead of just running or “running” on the elliptical. And part of that muscle building means pushing myself to lift more and to eat more protein.

One of the easiest ways to get protein is through protein shakes which are a great post-workout snack. There are tons of protein shakes out there on the market and many of them (I’m looking at you Smoothie King) are not conducive to losing weight, i.e. they have over 300 calories and some are even as much as a meal or more. That’s way too much for a snack if you are trying to lose weight.

Enter WFit Nutrition. They have delicious, low calories protein shakes that are perfect for keeping your diet on track and giving you a protein boost to help build more muscle. WFit graciously sent me over some samples of their protein powders to try and I was so impressed. Their Beyond Protein Vanilla Coconut shake is really good. No kidding really good (why is vanilla coconut not in every company’s product line?). And you don’t even need to add milk to it, although you could if you want to for added protein and another 80 calories. Just add two scoops of the powder, ice, and water in your blender. Remember, these protein shakes are not bulked up with ice cream (like some shakes are) so they are thinner and not the consistency of milkshakes.

The WFit Beyond Protein shake is only 140 calories (perfect for a snack) and gives you 25 grams of protein with only 6 grams of carbs and 4 grams of sugars, so it won’t spike your blood sugar and metabolizes efficiently. I felt full from the shake and it held me over for a few hours until dinnertime.

I also got to try WFit’s Tendon & Ligament shake in Natural Citrus Blast. It’s also thin is mixed with just water but has great flavor. It contains hydrolized collagen, hyaluronic acid, and chicken cartilage (no, its not vegan). Sounds gross but it tastes great and fruity and those ingredients help build, strengthen and support joint and connective tissue. That helps to support your tendons which support your muscle and can help to prevent injuries and tendon pains from running. My knee bothers me when I run and it’s these joints and tissues that are hurting so this shake is perfect for me. The shake is only 60 calories so it’s easy to enjoy anytime to get some extra vitamin and joint support without added calories.

If you are looking to jump start your year and build some lean, sexy muscle, I would highly recommend WFit shakes as an addition to your healthy lifestyle to help you build muscle and support your ligaments.

WFit/Media Talent Agency provided me samples for free but all opinions are my own.