BY CLAIR WHITTY
With longer days and brighter evenings, now is the perfect time of year to focus on your fitness goals.
Whether it’s weight resistance training, a light jog or joining your local dance class; your body will thank you for getting your heart pumping and limbs moving.
Here are some tips from Aoife Rose, my colleague in our Wexford store. She is a Personal Trainer and product advisor in store: It is important to support your body as best you can; what goes out (energy) must come back in! Replenish your body and improve your health and fitness by supporting it nutritionally throughout your fitness journey.
First, be sure to stay hydrated: the average female adult needs a minimum of 2 litres daily, the average man needs a baseline of 2.5 litres. Dehydration is the culprit for so many issues that many people struggle with: fatigue, brain fog, muscle pain after training (DOMS- delayed onset muscle pain) and digestive issues. Hydration really is essential.
A common question is how much protein is needed per meal. Protein is an essential macronutrient that we need to survive and thrive. For maintenance, you need roughly 1.1 g of protein per kg of body weight, this means that if you weigh 60kg your baseline needs would be 66gm per day. However, it you want to build muscle and strength, your needs rise to 100-120g of protein per day. The most important thing to remember is to include protein with every meal: a complete meal will have a balance of healthy fats, carbohydrates and proteins.
Protein is found in varying quantities in fish, meat, eggs, dairy products, lentils, pulse, nuts, seeds, and grains. A healthy balanced diet should provide you with enough protein. However, if you are looking to supplement your protein, Aoife Rose’s advice is to stick with a clean, natural protein such as pea protein. A bioavailable powder like the pea or hemp could be more easily absorbed by the gut and minimise risk of digestive issues. It will almost guarantee you will get the full 20g it states, as oppose to other proteins that may only leave you absorbing 7-8g of the 20g you’d expect.
One more top tip- whatever you choose to do… enjoy it.
Now, let’s get those limbs moving!
