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Protein Jar

What are the pros of taking creatine?

For people who work out regularly, studies show that taking creatine supplements may:

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  • Improve their exercise performance.

  • Help their recovery after intense exercise.

  • Increase their muscle mass.

  • Prevent severe muscle injuries or reduce the severity of muscle injuries.

  • Help athletes tolerate more intense activity.

  • Reduce dehydration and cramping.

  • Minimize muscle tightness, including muscle strains and pulls.

 

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you may see more significant muscle gains by taking creatine supplements because you don’t get creatine through animal-based sources. However, building up creatine levels in your muscles may take longer.

In addition to its athletic benefits, creatine supplements may benefit people who have:

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Citrus Fruits

My one year Ovo-Vegetarian

I have always been keenly interested in healthy eating and balance diets. After struggling with my health and having trouble after every meal, I realised that animal products were not doing my digestion any favours. So, I had no qualms whatsoever in eliminating them entirely from my diet. Just keeping Eggs and Honey on my diet, eggs more regularly. Friends and family were alarmed, telling me that I needed animal products for protein, calcium, etc, etc but the results I was experiencing told me otherwise. 

Almost immediately, my energy levels soared, my sleep became deeper and more refreshing, mood swings balanced out to be barely noticeable, and my recovery times after exercise reduced so much that I could be active in some form every day without experiencing DOMS or fatigue.  I knew that I was onto something amazing, and I wanted to broadcast it to the world, but nobody seemed to want to listen. 

I watched other men who seemed to think that maintaining a healthy weight meant exercising to exhaustion and/or restricting their diets/denying themselves to absurd levels and it seemed madness to me.  Here was I eating and enjoying as much (whole), delicious vegan food as I wanted, full of energy and joy and maintaining my weight. I felt like I’d discovered the elixir of life but people just didn’t want to believe it!  

The positives just keep on coming once you go animal products free. It is a win-win situation when you feel fit, healthy, and vibrant. I also found that I no longer caught almost annual colds and coughs.  Even if I did succumb to some persistent bug, I recovered from it much faster than those around me.  I truly believe that the reason I am very active and athletic at my current age is completely due to my whole foods’ ovo-vegetarian diet.

Carbs.jpg

The Carb Myth

You’ve probably seen the plant-based diet is high in carbs right? You’ve probably heard that carbs are bad for getting in shape. With that in mind, you might think a plant-based diet is hard, and the high carb intake will hinder your performance and results. 

Put simply, this is a myth - carbs are necessary and should be an important part of your diet, whether you’re looking to lose fat, gain muscle, or just stay healthy. 

 

Carbs have many functions in our body, here’s just a few of them:

  • Increasing strength & power output in your workouts

  • Your brain runs on glucose (carbs!))

  • Your energy levels are driven by your carb intake 

 

Cutting carbs out, or aggressively reducing them, will make you feel low energy, can contribute to brain fog, and can cause your exercise performance to plummet. In my experience, a lack of carbs also makes me feel unmotivated to train. Also, life is for living - who would want to go without carbs for the rest of their lives?!

My exact beliefs and nutrition protocol, saw pasta on my diet! Fast forward a few weeks, I lost 3kg of stubborn fat I`d been wanting to lose, and I did it eating the food I love.

So instead of being afraid of carbs, use carbs to EMPOWER your results.

Used the right way, carbs will unlock your true potential not just in your workouts, but everywhere in life. You’ll have more energy to play with your kids, keep up with your dog, and just have a general lust for life. 

 

3 Ways to Use Carbs to Accelerate Results:

1. Set your daily carb intake to be 30-50% of your daily calories. The amount depends on your body and goals, but once you work in that range you’ll immediately feel the energy benefits. This % range is based on research and is a proven approach that I’ve seen work time and time again.

2. Start eating carbs pre-workout. Having simple carbs before your workout like fruit, dates etc. will immediately push your workout performance and increase power output as well as making you look fuller and more toned. Try it, you’ll love the effect!

3. Incorporate protein rich carb sources into your diet. These are foods that have carbs but also come with protein, which will trigger muscle growth, accelerate recovery and increase satiation. I’d recommend kidney beans, lentils and peas.

I hope you’ve found this advice useful! 

All the best from Fit4life Coach Fitness Studio.

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