After watching the amazing (second best ever) Summer Olympics medal haul by Canada, and being wowed again and again by human talent for an entire 2 weeks, you may be inspired to start getting back into shape after summer 😉 . What better time than now to get into a more regular routine and feel awesome?!
Here are some fitness nutrition tips and essentials that can help you get into a regular fitness routine, whatever that looks like for you!
Give your body some clean, pre-workout energy!
In order to maximize energy during a workout, a great option is to have a “pre-workout” shake. There are a lot of these on the market… The problem is, that most of them are FULL of chemicals, fillers and sugar. Sure, they’ll give you a crazy surge of energy, but they’ll also send your internal body organs into overdrive, potentially damaging them with long term use!
Good news is that there are cleaner options!
One of our favourite pre-workout powders is Vega Sport Sugar Free Energizer. This blend tastes great, is sweetened with stevia, and has some amazingly nutritious and beneficial ingredients added to help you get the most out of your workout. Vega adds rhodiola and ginseng to this blend to enhance focused energy throughout your workout. They add coconut and turmeric to increase endurance and support your body in combatting inflammation throughout exercise. This pre-workout powder comes in a delicious Lemon-Lime flavour as well as a fruity Acai Berry flavour for whatever your taste preference is.
Stay hydrated!
Staying hydrated is extremely important for our bodies, especially during physical activity. When we sweat we excrete water as well as electrolytes, and it is crucial that we replenish these stores. Drinking lots of water and taking in electrolytes throughout the day to help keep your body’s stores topped up will help you perform well during a workout, improve endurance, and support recovery. Something as simple as adding a dash of mineral rich Pink Salt, or an electrolyte tablet to your water can be extremely beneficial for ensuring optimal hydration when increasing the physical demands on your body.
One of our favourite electrolyte supplements are Nuun Electrolyte Tabs. These tabs are full of essentials vitamins and minerals. They are quick, easy, portable and taste amazing. Each tablet can be dissolved in your water bottle for a boost of electrolytes throughout the day, or during a workout!
Help speed recovery after workouts.
Post workout nutrition is extremely important both to help you make progress in your physical endeavours, and also to help boost the speed of recovery between training sessions! When we work out, we break down muscle tissue that needs to be rebuilt and repaired. Taking in a source of protein can be extremely helpful for your body as it works to make our muscles strong! Like pre-workouts, there are SO MANY post workout protein powders available that are jam packed with fillers and chemicals that must be processed by internal organs and can do more harm than good. The sourcing of protein directly correlates to the quality of the protein and how well our bodies will absorb it.
Whey protein:
Whey protein is a quickly absorbed, highly bioavailable protein that is a great post-workout nutrition option! So long as you tolerate dairy well, this type of protein is our go-to post workout option. It is extremely important that the whey you use comes from a good source, however, otherwise you’d be robbing your body of many of the benefits of this superfood. What the animals consume, is essentially what we’re consuming so looking for a grass-fed source is best!
One of our favourite whey proteins is St. Francis GoPro Matrix. This amazing protein comes from goat milk, that closely resembles the properties of human milk and can generally be tolerated by most anyone, and is absorbed very quickly. This particular goat whey powder comes from grass-fed goats. The whey is processed so that all of the amazing immune boosting properties and benefits of raw milk are in-tact, which can be beneficial for anyone, especially those who are training intensely!
Plant Based Options:
If you’re someone who either doesn’t tolerate dairy well, or prefers plant-based protein sources, there are plenty of plant-sourced protein powders available. It is important to look for the sprouted and fermented varieties as we don’t tend to be able to digest the proteins in plants very easily. Fermenting and/or sprouting grains and seeds can make the nutrients inside of them far more bioavailable!
Iron Vegan Sprouted Athletes Blend is a fantastic plant based protein powder. This amazing blend is full of fantastic nutrients that will help speed recovery. The protein in this blend is sourced from fermented peas and sprouted brown rice for increased bioavailability. It also contains fermented BCAA’s, which are quickly absorbed amino acids (protein building blocks). Along with the great protein sources, the Iron Vegan Athlete’s Blend has other ingredients added to help speed recovery such as quercetin to help with inflammation, and beet root to increase blood flow. Available in a Natural Vanilla & a Rich Chocolate flavour!
Do you use any of these products? What are your favourite workout essentials or tips that keep you healthy and motivated? We love hearing from you!
