Did you know that there are different ways of eating to support your personal fitness goal? Whether you are hoping to build up your endurance during every cardio session or you are aiming to build strength and show off your muscles through intense bodybuilding routines, there are eating plans for you. So, keep reading to learn about the best eating strategy for each of these goals so that you can get results more quickly and more easily.
Cardio Endurance Fitness Goals
To build your endurance, you should focus on eating foods that will support your stamina and give you sustained amounts of energy. And don’t be afraid to get your carbs so that you can burn them for energy.
Some of the best foods that will help to boost your endurance include peanut butter, bananas, pomegranates, turkey, oranges and orange juice, beets, and sundried tomatoes, so adding these ingredients to your pre-workout meal plans is a fantastic idea.
As a few examples, you could enjoy raspberries with quinoa for breakfast, have a snack of peanut butter and crackers or peanut butter and bananas before lunch, and have a turkey burger for lunch or indulge in a veggie wrap that contains kale and tomatoes instead.
Strength and Bodybuilding Fitness Goals
To build your muscles, focus on eating plenty of foods that are rich in protein and in the amino acids that are the building blocks of protein that your body will use to grow and maintain your muscles. Remember: the right diet combined with the right strength training routine is the key to growing strong, sexy muscles.
Some of the best foods for building muscle, without compromising your health by ingesting high-fat and high-cholesterol foods, include nuts, beans, protein shakes, pea protein, quinoa, almond butter, chickpeas, lentils, brown rice, yogurt, hempseeds, flaxseeds, and tempeh.
Eating these lean sources of protein means that you can more easily maintain your weight or lose weight, while at the same time nourishing every muscle. For example, tempeh will give you nearly half of your protein requirement for the day, but it only contains 3 grams of saturated fat.
By keeping your fitness goals in mind whenever you plan your meals, you can give your body the nutrition that it needs to meet those goals. Keep the tips above in mind as you work on making your body stronger and healthier, whether you are trying to slim down or tone up.