More and more people are starting their fitness journeys, with goals of losing weight, preparing for a marathon, getting more muscular, competing in powerlifting or even going into bodybuilding competitions. However, this is overwhelming enough on its own, let alone doing it while on a vegan diet. Luckily the vegan fitness community is growing bigger day by day and there are many amazing athletes who even compete at top levels while completely vegan. There is a way to have your cake and eat it too. Here are a few tips that will help you workout effectively on a vegan diet.
Start slow
When starting a new training plan or when switching eating styles, the body has to adjust. This period can take some time that is why it is essential that you create a transitional period that is optimized for long term success and performance. When it comes to training itself, you could always start out with light, low frequency and short workouts. This will ensure that your body gets enough time to recover before your next session. In weight training you could have a couple of ramp up weeks before your workout program actually starts, this means that you will do less total volume and add total weekly sets week to week. This is a good way to work yourself up to a good level of total recoverable volume that a workout program prescribes. In terms of dieting, if you are transitioning and want to fully commit to being vegan, you might want to do it gradually as your body might not be able to handle the amount of fiber typically present in vegan diets. The type of protein used also widely varies than the one found in meat. This is a good time to learn a couple of basic vegan recipes and use that as a solid foundation.
Make a plan
As you slowly start out on a vegan diet it is important to make a plan in advance. A good idea is to consult a professional dietician who can make the initial plan for you if you’re feeling lost, because it can be quite difficult to get everything right on a diet which is restrictive in nature. This will ensure that you are getting all of the necessary nutrients and in good ratios in order to maximize recovery and performance in sports.
Don’t skip on pre-workout nutrition
Making a plan is a good long-term solution, however you also need to pay attention to what you eat immediately before working out. A good preworkout meal should give you enough energy to perform at your best without causing any energy crashes or stomach issues. There are many tasty vegan snacks which give you exactly what you need in order to maximize your workouts.
Remove fatigue with B12 supplements
Since B12 is mostly found in meat and animal products, it is highly likely that you are not getting enough of it in your current meal plan. This vitamin is essential in the creation of red blood cells, which is key to transporting oxygen in your body. Our bodies recover and get energized by constantly transporting nutrients and oxygen through blood. So, it only makes sense to assess your B12 intake if you are feeling fatigued. Luckily B12 can be found in soymilk and grains, as well as additional supplements.
Take creatine
Taking creatine supplements is by far the easiest way to get immediate strength gains. Since it allows you to boost your ATP energy production, which is the main driver behind strength in sports, especially in weightlifting. Since creatine is found in meat, you might want to consider getting it from a powder supplement and you will notice the immediate strength boost.
Starting your fitness journey on a vegan diet is both challenging and exciting. Luckily there are ways to make it easy and much more efficient. Some things to consider are: taking it slow, making a meal plan with a dietician, taking amazing preworkout snacks which will give you enough energy for your workouts, and taking B12 and creatine supplements in order to eliminate fatigue and boost your strength.
