John Myers
Even if you only do sports as a hobby, small nutrition tips can strengthen your performance and improve results. A complete change of diet is not necessary – we give you tips for everyday life!
Which sports suit you?
Regular sport is already one of your hobbies or would you like to make it a part of it? Wonderful, because regular training can do more than support our fitness. It can help with weight loss and is good for our minds. But before you deal with the exercise and nutrition tips for different sports, you should first ask yourself the following question: Which sport is right for me?
If you don’t have an answer to this question (yet), it helps to try different directions to see what suits you and your routines. We will introduce you to various routes and tell you which eating habits you can use to optimize your training.
Yoga – more than just a sport
Yoga is good for your body and mind
Since yoga in particular sees itself not just as a sport, but rather as a holistic lifestyle, this philosophy is also based on various nutritional principles. Of course, you don’t have to follow all of them to practice yoga.
In contrast to other sports, such as bodybuilding, increased protein intake is not recommended for yoga. This is because the protein in many foods is difficult to digest. You should therefore eat easily digestible proteins. These can be found in dairy products and legumes, for example. In addition, many yogis recommend a vegetarian diet. For ethical reasons, but also because many types of meat contain saturated, unhealthy fatty acids and proteins that are difficult to digest and are also acidic foods. Yogis tend to have a predominantly alkaline diet. A quick, vegetarian recipe that is also suitable for yogis is, for example, a stuffed aubergine. Learn more about the yoga diet here.
Endurance sports – shoes on and off
With a pair of good sports shoes, you are ready for endurance sports
If your exercise routine is all about improving endurance, then running might be for you. The advantage: You only need a pair of good sports shoes and you can start – complicated training plans or memberships in sports studios are not necessary for this sport. What you should not forget, however, is the adequate supply of nutrients to your body before and after exercise. Snacks while running should ideally contain high-fiber, i.e. “healthy” carbohydrates that supply our body with energy. So grab a banana or a muesli bar, for example, and a healthy porridge in the morning will strengthen you and prepare you for athletic performance.
Sport in everyday life – uncomplicated, but effective
If you like it even easier, try integrating small sporting activities into your everyday life. Bike to work, always prefer stairs to elevators, or get off a train station early and take the time for a short walk. If you want to set a goal for yourself, you can use the well-known 10,000 steps a day as a guide. The advantage of more exercise in your everyday life? You will also discover your surroundings and consciously create small breaks in your hectic everyday life.
It is essential for every sport and activity: drink enough! Because even if you don’t sweat as much in everyday life as with a cardio unit, your body loses fluid and nutrients, which you can take back with plenty of water and also unsweetened tea or juice spritzers (in a ratio of at least 1:3).
Sports to lose weight
You may not want to go to the gym every day or change your diet to a strict nutrition plan, but you still have a clear goal with your sport: you would like to lose some weight. Also and especially in this case, a healthy diet should not be neglected!
Sports that combine endurance with muscle building, such as skating, cycling, or swimming, are recommended for losing weight. In order to further optimize your fat metabolism and be able to lose weight more easily, you should not only rely on carbohydrates as a source of energy but also integrate protein into your diet. A delicious example of this is our low-carb omelet.
It is important that you do not become too rigid on a strict diet when losing weight, but continue to enjoy the food and treat yourself every now and then. Otherwise, the yo-yo effect threatens!
Do you want to discover more sports? Read our article about plogging – a special kind of workout.
