Have you been asking yourself what to eat before you go to your sports session?
Before physical effort, our body needs energy.
To build your endurance, to have more energy, and to build muscle (and lose body fat) our body needs energy. Here are a few ideas to have well balanced meals…
Pre-workout options
We all agree: its a bad idea to over-eat! You cannot do a good workout session on a full stomach. But it is definitely important to have eaten something beforehand. So:
If you are practicing sport in the morning:
1 or 2 hours before sport : you can either have some eggs- fried or boiled with a slice of wholegrain bread and a smoothie; some greek yoghurt with fresh fruit (you can opt for cottage cheese to replace the yoghurt); a banana and a handful of almonds ; along with a nice warm drink.
[x_alert type=”warning”] What does your coach eat before a morning session ? A light breakfast 1h15 before the class. It varies between :
Fruit (apples, peaches, kiwis, whatever is in season), with greek yoghurt and a few almonts
Boiled egg with a slice of ham
Fried egg on wholegrain toast
Porridge
Overnight oats with fresh fruit and almonds
I drink a big glass of water when I wake up, and enjoy a coffee with my breakfast! [/x_alert]
If you practice sport during midday or towards the end of the afternoon
Aim for a snack around 11am- or 5pm : go for fruits (rich is water, it helps keep our body hydrated), nuts, yoghurt…
[x_alert type=”info”] What does your coach eat before an evening spin session? My snacks vary between:
A good handfuls of almonds (unsalted!)
A glass of milk Kefir
A yoghurt
An Pasteleion energy bar- low in sugars and calories, 100% natural- and available at the studio
[/x_alert]
What should we eat after a workout?
Our body needs to rebuild. Our body is most receptive to the foods we eat 30-60minutes after physical effort, so this makes it the ideal time to eat proteins that favour the rebuilding of muscles.
For lunch or dinner, think of salmon and quinoa, chicken and sweet potato, lentil and chickpea salad… the choice is vast!
Think of what is good for our health:
• Proteins derived from vegetables are an excellent alternative to animal products
• A mix of whole grains and legumes are fantastic: think of quinoa or brown rice mixed with broad beans or lentils… These are all a great source of nutrients, vitamins and fibres.
• Sweat potato, in addition to its carbohydrates, is a good source of vitamins and nutrients such as vitamin B6, C, D, magnesium and potassium.
• Wholegrain rice and pasta are also great allies to avoid cravings and help recharge your batteries.
[x_alert type=”success”] What does your coach eat? • For lunch : I love salads, so I like to prepare nice big mixed ones. I use whatever is in my fridge- and usually always have lettuce with it. I add either steamed vegetables, tuna, ham, cheese, pasta, sardines… During the winter time, I love homemade vegetable soups! • For dinner : I eat with my children- meat, fish, chicken, vegetables… I avoid pasta if I can- but who can resist a good pasta bolognese!! 😉 • No dessert ? Not usually! Sometimes I will have a yoghurt… [/x_alert]
BUT… !
Nobody can or wants to eat healthy ALL the time! We all have our favourite snacks and meals! Mine are: pancakes, hamburgers (with fries!), pizza from our neighbours Les Cancres, popcorn… We shouldn’t deprive ourselves- but just decide to eat in a balanced way!
Finally- don’t forget to drink enough water throughout the day. Its vital to stay properly hydrated- this will help you recover and avoid cramps and muscle fatigue.
The snow season is finally around the corner! But how can we get fit and make the most out of skiing down the slopes?
Your enjoyment of the slopes is all down to your level of fitness. The fitter you are, the more fun you will have and the faster you will improve.
Why? Because skiing is an intensely physical sport!
Yes, we can all feel fit in our normal everyday environment. BUT, add a big mountain, thinner air, crisp cold, and a lot of cardio efforts, our bodies will always get tired faster.
What’s the solution? As with most other sports, we can improve so much thanks to Indoor Cycling!
But why? It helps you in so many ways- from building stamina to reinforcing your core muscles. But that’s not all! Since it is a non-impact sport, there is very little chance of missing the season because of an injury you got while doing another sport!
More why’s:
Aches and Muscles
Ski: The afternoons and the days-after we start skiing, what aches the most are our core muscles and legs, which is what we need the most when shredding through snow.
Spin: When we pedal at Spinbreak, the muscles we use the most are in the legs and our core. The more we work them, the more agile we become on the slopes.
We also activate these muscles faster which helps us maintain speed and balance, allowing you to do more fun and crazier slopes.
Action and Cardio
Ski: You have periods of intense activity while you are skiing which is followed by downtime when you recover- either waiting for the lifts, or enjoying the amazing views.
Spin: Sprints during our routines are the best way to prepare you for sudden outbursts of energy.
-Have you tired our “anaerobic” classes? They incorporate fast cardio work in a way that promotes fast recovery rates. Ask us to coordinate an anaerobic class to fit with your schedule!
-Our regular aerobic classes promotes improved breathing and better use of the different muscle groups.
-Our endurance classes will work each muscle group in more depth- and build your overall stamina and endurance rates.
Whichever class you do, they all incorporate great cardio which helps improve your lung capacity- helping you stay motivated and happily skiing 😉
Mobility and flexibility
Ski: You need to be as flexible as possible to avoid injuries… A good range of motion improves your coordination, use of muscles and alignment of your nervous system- all of which helps manage each sport session.
Spin: The build up of mobility happens thanks to the different positions- in ‘clmbing, ‘running’, ‘super-slow’, and ‘left and right in break it down’… And of course, the stretches at the end of the class make sure our muscles are rested and relaxed after each effort…
Thanks to spin, you can enjoy every minute on the slopes!
Its not always easy to eat well before a workout. If you arrive at the studio on an empty stomach, you won’t have the energy to make the most of your indoor cycling or pilates session.
But fear not! We have you covered… You will discover the amazing energy bars from Pasteleion.
We chose these for the studio because they are 100% natural: vegan, bio, gluten free, low in calories… And they are a mix of the best ingredients from Crete (Greece), including dates, almonds, nuts, raw honey, dark chocolate, dry fruit… and includes a lovely ray of greek sunshine to brighten up our day!
There are no additives or added sugars; and they are cooked at low heat in order to fully preserve all the nutrients. So: enjoy without ANY hesitation!
Old habits are not automatically worth continuing. This challenge is a good chance to find one habit you would be happy to stop.
Stopping something you are used to doing can be difficult. This is why, at the same time, it is great to start a new habit to replace it. Its worth knowing that new habits bring new energy, new friends, and new ways of thinking and reacting.
So with that in mind, think “Objective Happiness”. What is an old habit you want to say goodbye to ? What will you replace it with ?
We know some of our members are giving up smoking at the moment. Bravo! What is helping them ? Seeing the progress they are making when they come cycling. Better cardio, better breathing, better mood ; less conscious of eating more… There are lots of benefits ! The results of your new habit will help you crack the dependency you have on your old one… Give it a try!
If we can help your motivation levels, let us know. We are all sharing the same objective, and a road travelled together is always more fun !
For more on our series: “Objective Happiness” visit the following links:
Sadly, it seems normal these days to feel stressed for most of our day. ‘Stress’ is what drives many of our thoughts and behaviours. And responsibilities- like work, family, home- each play a part in us continually feeling stressed.
How can we step back from this?
• First: understand that this does not have to be ‘normal’.
• Second: know that thoughts can be changed !
Intention is the key to this transformation .
Make the decision to be happy.
You will then start observing all your ‘normal’ stressed thoughts. Then it is simple: you can just decide to ignore them! Don’t forget, these thoughts never make your life better, so feel free to just push them to the side!
Have you noticed that if you surround yourself with happy people, the happy spreads and everyone feels the positive energy around us ?
Just like in a spin room ! Sport releases our happy endorphins… Spinning helps your mind and body create a new happy place. You ALWAYS feel better after your cycling session for a reason…so go book your next ride now and come and make more HAPPY!
For more on our series: “Objective Happiness” visit the following links:
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