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Fueling your workouts: Nutrition tips for active women

Maintaining an active lifestyle requires more than just a well-structured workout routine. It demands proper nutrition to fuel your body for performance and recovery.

Sixty-one percent of women are engaged with fitness, meaning they exercise, wear a fitness tracker, or use a smartphone app to track physical activity weekly or more, and 20 percent of women are only engaged with nutrition. The power comes from combining both.

For women who engage in regular physical activity, understanding the nuances of pre- and post-workout nutrition, hydration strategies, and overall dietary choices is essential for achieving fitness goals and maintaining optimal health.

Pre-workout nutrition

Timing is key

Eating the right foods at the right time before your workout can significantly impact your performance. Aim to eat a balanced meal 2-3 hours before exercising. This meal should include a good mix of carbohydrates, protein, and fats.

Focus on carbs

Carbohydrates are your body’s primary energy source during workouts. Foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables provide complex carbs that release energy steadily.

Include protein

Protein is essential for muscle repair and growth. Incorporate lean sources of protein such as chicken, fish, tofu, or legumes in your pre-workout meal.

Avoid heavy fats

While fats are a crucial part of a balanced diet, they can slow down digestion. Opt for small amounts of healthy fats from sources like avocado or nuts.

Quick snack options

If you’re short on time and need a quick energy boost 30-60 minutes before your workout, try a small snack such as a banana, a slice of whole-grain toast with peanut butter, or a yogurt.

Post-workout nutrition

Refuel with Carbs and Protein

After your workout, it’s important to replenish your glycogen stores and provide your muscles with the necessary protein for recovery. Aim to eat within 30-60 minutes post-exercise. A combination of carbs and protein is ideal.

Ideal post-workout foods

Some great post-workout food options include:

  • A smoothie made with protein powder, fruits, and a handful of spinach
  • Greek yogurt with berries and a drizzle of honey
  • Grilled chicken with sweet potato
  • A turkey and avocado sandwich on whole-grain bread

Hydrate and replenish electrolytes

Rehydrating after exercise is crucial. Water is typically sufficient, but if you’ve had a particularly intense or long workout, consider a drink that replenishes electrolytes, like coconut water or a sports drink.

Hydration strategies

Drink water throughout the day

Stay hydrated by drinking water consistently throughout the day. Dehydration can impair your performance and recovery.

Pre-hydrate

Ensure you’re well-hydrated before starting your workout. Drink about 16-20 ounces of water 2-3 hours before exercise.

During exercise

For workouts lasting less than an hour, sipping water is generally sufficient. For longer or more intense workouts, you might need to consume an electrolyte drink to maintain hydration levels.

Post-workout hydration

After your workout, drink enough water to replace the fluids lost through sweat. A good rule of thumb is to drink 16-24 ounces of water for every pound of body weight lost during exercise.

Importance of balanced nutrition

Balanced diet

A balanced diet rich in whole foods, lean proteins, healthy fats, and plenty of fruits and vegetables provides the foundation for your workout nutrition.

Micronutrients matter

Ensure you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals to support your energy levels and overall health. Iron, calcium, and vitamin D are particularly important for active women.

Listen to your body

Everyone’s nutritional needs are different. Pay attention to how your body responds to different foods and adjust your diet accordingly.

Avoid fad diets

Stick to sustainable, balanced eating habits rather than falling for quick fixes or extreme diets that can harm your health and performance.

Practical tips for busy schedules

Plan ahead

Prepare your meals and snacks in advance to ensure you have nutritious options readily available.

Keep healthy snacks handy

Have portable, healthy snacks like nuts, fruit, or protein bars on hand for quick energy boosts.

Simplify meal prep

Opt for simple, wholesome recipes that don’t require extensive preparation time.

By focusing on proper nutrition, you can fuel your body for optimal performance and recovery. Remember, the key to success lies in balance, consistency, and listening to your body’s needs. Embrace these nutrition tips to enhance your workouts and overall well-being.

Kaia FIT is a women’s fitness and nutrition program that empowers women to become the best version of themselves through personalized coaching in a group environment. We prioritize community to help connect women to each other for additional support and accountability. Caren Roblin is the owner of Kaia FIT Sierra, with four studio locations in Reno-Sparks.

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Kaia Tri is a ten-week triathlon training program with workouts three times a week, which is an optional extra during our spring and summer CORE sessions. We swim, bike, and run, with some cross-training classes too. By being able to set a personal pace, our triathlon training program is suited to beginners tackling their first race and intermediate athletes looking to improve their finish time.

Our mock triathlons run several times to familiarize women with the course route. We finish the season with a Triathlon Training Camp which includes paddle boarding and power workouts. The next day is our exhilarating and fun Triathlon race day for all Kaia Tri women to enjoy working out in a beautiful location. Friends are welcome too!

SANDBAG

Kaia Sandbag combines traditional fitness with unconventional training methods. With sandbags, the weight shifts and moves in an unpredictable fashion. This piece of equipment is integrated into our conditioning & strength building workouts to simultaneously develop strength, power, endurance, mobility, and balance – with an additional emphasis on developing overall core strength and stability.

New to sandbag training? No problem! Beginners are always welcome.

TRX SUSPENSION 

TRX® Suspension Training® body-weight exercise simultaneously develops strength, power, endurance, mobility, durability, balance, flexibility, and core stability. Whether you’re younger or older, out of shape or a pro athlete, injured or at the top of your game, TRX Suspension Training meets you where you are and takes you where you want to go. TRX Suspension Training leverages gravity and the user’s body weight to enable hundreds of exercises that can be instantly scaled for any user to reach any fitness or training goal. The easily-scalable nature of TRX Suspension Training makes it a practical solution wherever you are on the fitness continuum.

Need a little extra boost to keep your body guessing? Our TRX/Cardio class is an excellent complement to any Kaia FIT session. TRX workouts, which can be used by anyone at any level, builds true functional strength and improves flexibility, balance and core stability all at once. Mixed with cardio, the classes give every member the perfect balance of challenge and success.

*TRX classes not available in all areas. Please contact us your local studio.

CROSS-TRAINING

Our trademark Kaia Cross-Training™ classes are a unique mix of cardio, functional movement, and both weighted and non-weighted exercises.

Cross-Training benefits:

Each day brings a new workout. We have an elite group of advanced coaches who infuse each workout with their own flair and focus, meaning you’re never going to repeat a workout, avoid burn-out, and fitness plateaus.

Keeping the body guessing is key to sculpting lean muscle mass. We also have a 3-part modification foundation: Balance (non-impact); Strength (mid-impact) and Kaia (high impact). Each exercise has its own progression so that everyone can feel successful.

As a part of our program, we also offer nutritional guidance to help you make healthy food choices and keep your fitness on track.

What are you waiting for? Join us today!

BARRE

Our barre-based class is a unique combination of postures inspired by ballet, yoga, Pilates and Kaia. Using the barre as a prop to balance, you’ll complete a series of isometric holds combined with high reps of small range movements to elongate and tone your major muscle groups.

In addition to the barre, classes incorporate pilates balls, yoga blocks, and/or resistance bands for increased endurance, challenge and focus. Following each set of holds, you’ll rest and recovery with a short series of stretches and poses to increase flexibility prior to advancing.
Kaia Barre is a low-impact class that perfectly complements our program offerings. Meet us at the barre and try your first class for free!

Participating locations may vary. See the schedule page for more details.

DANCE 

Our dance fitness class is rooted in traditional dance. We use those foundational moves and offer a class that is easy enough for beginners yet challenging enough for the more seasoned dancer. The simplicity of the routines allows you to keep moving with ease. Although this is a workout, it feels more like a dance party with your girlfriends.

RUNNING 

Improve your speed, skill, endurance, stamina, and strength with our Kaia running program. The program works on developing running skills that can increase speed, endurance, and overall fitness. The program is designed for you to run at your pace and and help you see improvements every step of the way.

The Kaia training is a simple, progressive program designed for women of all ages and all fitness levels. Whether you are a walker, jogger, or runner, you will be able to join this program and move at your own pace. Research has shown that even 20 to 30 minutes of running (two to three times per week) is enough to help you lose or maintain weight and improve many other important health markers, i.e. your cholesterol, blood pressure and insulin response.

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POWER YOGA

Kaia Yoga combines mind and body with a power yoga and core-strengthening weekly workout with Pilates-style techniques. We focus on balance, strength, and cardiovascular fitness through stretching, strength training and dynamic movement to improve overall fitness levels.

By creating long, lean muscles, Yoga promotes improved coordination, greater flexibility and a fuller range of motion, with a strong body that’s less prone to injury. Yoga keeps the mind centered and reduces stress through positive thoughts and a sense of mindfulness, which also inspires mental strength and confidence.

Yin Yoga, or restorative yoga, is a quiet contemplative practice. It targets the deepest tissues of the body, our connective tissues – ligaments, joints, bones, and the deep fascia networks of the body. Poses are held for 1 minute or more and transitions between poses are gentle and slow. This class is an excellent compliment to our other classes, provides dedicated stretching, and is known to reduce stress and anxiety.

6-WEEK BRIK BOOTCAMP

Our BRIK Bootcamp sessions are offered three times a year and are designed to help you reach your health and fitness potential, and you’re welcome to start anytime!

Our BRIK Bootcamps are six weeks long and feature classes daily.* This programming fits in seamlessly with our regularly scheduled classes, and it’s as easy as 1-2-3:

  1. Register for BRIK Bootcamp HERE (included for Platinum & Gold Memberships)
  2. Book your classes through our branded app and Show Up
  3. Let our expert coaches do the rest!

These sessions offer great results in weight and body fat loss and an increase in strength and cardiovascular endurance. Our nutritional support will boost energy, help you de-bloat, increase sleep quality, and enhance your overall glow.

BRIK Bootcamp includes:

In between BRIK Bootcamp, we offer a variety of classes to meet you at your level! We also have nutrition and fitness challenges, in addition to fun opportunities to spice up your routine. What are you waiting for? Join us today!

CYCLE

Cardio based, calorie torching workout with certified spin instructors. It’s a party on a bike!

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WHAT IS KAIA FIT?