To ensure you’re bringing your all to each class during KX40 you need to fuel your body correctly! To help you through KX40, we've called on our KX Yarraville trainer, Daria, who has a background in nutrition. Read on for Daria’s top tips on how to fuel your body before and after workouts.
With so much conflicting information out there, it can be overwhelming to know the optimal diet you should be eating in order to reach your goals – whether they be performance, weight loss or muscle gain.
When it comes to attending KX, our workouts are designed to be a high intensity, dynamic workout that focuses on lots of major and minor muscle groups in the body – therefore takes a lot of energy. Because of this, diet is just as important to your recovery as sleep and hydration to obtain optimal results within your KX journey.
The purpose of this blog post is to help you to understand how to fuel your body appropriately during KX40 to ensure you can bring your best to each class!
Before you come to your class it is really important to have breakfast or a small snack of some sort at least 30 minutes to an hour prior to starting your workout. This will give you that extra boost of energy.
Each individual has a different Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) which is the number of calories your body needs to physically function – that’s not including your KX workout!
Those of you who wake up at 5:30am and attend a 6am class may not have time to have something to eat. In that case something really easy to add to your diet and have ready the night before is a piece of fruit (I recommend a banana) or a protein ball.
Think of your body like a car needing petrol to get from A to B, the same principle applies to your body in terms of growing muscle and getting stronger. Without sufficient energy to fuel your workouts your body is not going to be able to grow and perform at it’s best.
Some alternative pre-workout snacks are a piece of wholegrain toast with nut butter, Greek yoghurt with berries, a boiled egg or even just a protein bar. These foods are also a great source of protein which will increase strength and overall muscle performance.
After a KX workout your body is depleted of energy – especially a full body workout like KX. That is why it is so important to refuel this energy within 30 minutes to an hour after your workout with a good source of protein and lots of water.
By having a good source of protein after your workout, you will enhance your recovery time, as well as replenish your glycogen stores and aid muscle synthesis – meaning growth of your muscles! You will be feeling stronger each time you come back to your KX class.
Some examples of post-workout meals are:
It is important to keep in mind that each goal is specific to the individual. If your goal is building muscle it is important to eat enough calories during the day so that your body can build muscle. If your goal is weight loss it is also important to eat lots of fruits, vegetables and wholegrains which are all examples of high-volume foods to keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Overall just try to listen to your body and respond to your natural hunger cues. But more importantly remember nutrition is all about balance so don’t sweat the small stuff like enjoying food with family and friends.
During this KX40 be sure to follow @KXPilates on Instagram for fun, nutritious recipes you can easily try at home!
