One of the questions I get most at the Samford gym is not about training at all. It is about the kitchen bench. Members want to know how to fit a protein powder into a morning that already has kids, work and a 6am session in it.

The answer I give is to piggyback on something you already do. Nobody needs a new habit if an old one will carry the load.

The coffee method

If you have a coffee every morning, you already have a delivery system. An unflavoured hydrolysed collagen powder dissolves in hot liquid, so a scoop stirred into a flat white or a long black barely changes the taste. Stir it in after the coffee is made, not into the dry cup, and give it ten seconds. That is the whole method.

The smoothie method

For members who do a post session smoothie, collagen goes in with everything else. Banana, oats, frozen berries, milk or water, a scoop of collagen. Blend. Because it has no flavour of its own, it does not fight with the fruit.

The yoghurt or oats method

A few of our early crew stir it into yoghurt or a bowl of oats. Mix it into the liquid first if you can, as it blends more smoothly that way.

What I tell people to check

Read the label. I like a single ingredient powder because you know exactly what you are getting. The Hydrolysed Collagen Peptides from Propel Health Australia is one ingredient, bovine collagen, with 9.0 g of protein in each 10 g serve and nothing else in the jar. No sweetener, no flavour. If you prefer a formula, there are combined options too, but read what is in them first.

Stocking up without overpaying

Members always ask when the cheapest time to buy is. This November, Propel Health Australia is running a stepped sale: 10% off from 9 November, 15% from 16 November and 20% from 23 November through to Cyber Monday. It comes off the pack prices automatically, so if a few of you train together and want to split a 4 Pack, now is the time. All four collagen products and their weekly prices are on their black friday collagen deals page.

The bigger picture

Protein powders are a convenience, not a requirement. Most of what matters still happens on your plate across the whole day: real food, enough of it, and regular meals. A scoop in your coffee is just a simple way to add some protein to a morning you were already having.

See you on the floor this week. Bring your questions, kitchen ones included.