ARE YOU LOOKING TO GET TONED WITH PILATES? ensure you are doing this!

If you started your Pilates Journey to feel and look more toned, then it’s imperative that you EAT before your workout.

If you are working out on the Reformer fasted, a few things are at play (which may impede your results ).

Now here’s what happens when you exercise on an empty stomach: 

🙅‍♀️ Firstly, your body cannot reach its full power potential during a class because your nutrition doesn’t meet the energy demands, resulting in less muscle growth.

🙅‍♀️ Secondly, when your body doesn't get enough energy from food, it starts breaking down muscle to compensate for the deficit.

🙅‍♀️ Furthermore, when you exercise, your body releases adrenaline and cortisol in its normal stress response. Unfortunately, cortisol dampens your immune system and causes you to retain body fat and more water retention in the lower body, and high levels of cortisol can quickly erode muscle mass.

"Continuously doing this over the span of several months and years can result in an increase in stress hormones within your body. This down-regulates your metabolic rate, leading to poorer recovery, performance, digestion, mood, sleep, and lack of muscle tone"

So what should you do?

To reduce the production of cortisol, you need to consume enough energy (in the form of carbohydrates) before and after your session to minimise this response. In addition, eating good quality protein before and after your workout, will stunt the cortisol response of training and help begin the resynthesis of muscle tissue.

✅ Consume a balanced meal 60-90 minutes before your Pilates class.

✅ Your Pre-workout meal should be low in fat and higher in carbohydrates and protein.

✅ These foods should feel light and easy for you to digest.

If this is something you haven’t been putting into practice, you’ll be sure to see a change when you begin implementing this approach.