How Nutrition Impacts Fitness for Women: The Power of Meal Planning, Macro-nutrients, and Supplements

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Table Of Contents
  1. Why Does Nutrition Matter in Fitness?
  2. Factors to consider when planning your nutrition for your workouts
  3. References
  4. Disclaimer: The information is for the purpose of education only. It does not assess individual needs and does not constitute personal advice, hence, should not replace professional consultations with your health care practitioner or trainer. This information should not be used to make health related diagnoses or to treat any health problems. Consult with your health care provider before depending on any information in this article or on this website.

When it comes to fitness, what you eat is as important as the exercises you do. Do you know that your diets help your body and muscles recover after workout? So, good nutrition supports your overall health and helps you make the best of your fitness plan. It is necessary therefore that you understand the right balance of diets such as proteins, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables before planning meals that fit your lifestyle.

You should also not forget to choose the right supplements that will enhance your fitness journey. We are here to help you achieve your fitness goals by helping you understand how diets affect your fitness, how to plan your meals, how to balance nutrition and supplements.

Why Does Nutrition Matter in Fitness?

For women, nutrition plays a significant role in supporting their body’s unique needs. But there are some things to consider such as metabolism, hormonal cycles, and your specific fitness goals to achieve best effects of nutrition during workouts and recovery. Proper nutrition for fitness means giving your body the right nutrients it needs to perform well and recover fast.

What are the Top Reasons Nutrition is Essential for Fitness in Women?

      • Provides Energy: Your body needs good nutrients to help you exercise effectively and sustain energy throughout the day.

      • Promotes Muscle Repair: Some diets are important such as proteins and essential amino acids to help repair and build your muscles after each workout.

      • Supports Recovery: Taking right nutrients will reduce your fatigue, prevent soreness, and help you get ready and prepare for your next workout.

    Factors to consider when planning your nutrition for your workouts

    1. Macro-nutrients Play Important Roles in Women Fitness

    If you want to eat adequate diet to make your exercise more rewarding as a woman, it is essential that you concentrate more on macro-nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Each of these diets plays a vital role in your fitness journey. It is important to find the right balance for women looking to improve strength, endurance, and energy. Let us look at these nutrients closely below:

    Taking Adequate Protein

    Diets rich in protein are essential for your muscle repair and growth especially for women who want to maintain fitness. As examples, adding chicken, fish, lean meats, eggs, beans, and Greek yogurt to your diets on daily basis. Women can benefit from eating enough protein because it supports their muscle tones and strength.

    Do you know that protein rich foods can help regulate your metabolism, and make you feel full for longer time? You may ask how much protein should women add in their foods? According to ISSA (2024) a good general guideline is 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For example, a woman who weighs 68kg, will need to eat between 80 and 136 grams of protein per day to maintain fitness. So, depending on your level of exercise, if you are doing a lot of strength training, preparing for fitness competitions, or you are a committed athlete you may go towards the high end of this range. However, try not to remain at the upper level for a long time as suggested by some experts (ISSA, 2024).

    Eating Enough Carbohydrates

    Carbohydrates are your body’s main energy source that you need for your workouts, especially if you are doing high-intensity exercises like cardiovascular and strength training exercises. As a woman, carbohydrates are essential to maintain energy and prevent burnout during the time of physical activity. If you are less active you will benefit from low-carbohydrate diets, but if you are very active you will need sufficient carbohydrates to supply energy during your workout routines. You may benefit from whole grains such as oats, rice and others, sweet potatoes, yam and even carbohydrate rich fruits, and vegetables.

    Now let us see how much carbohydrate women should take:
    As recommended by Bean (2022) you should take 1 to 4 g carbohydrate per your kg body weight, depending on the intensity and duration of your exercise, and should be taken between 1 and 4 hours before your exercise. If your workout is going to last longer than an hour you can take 30 to 60g carbohydrate, but note that for low-moderate intensities, 30g/ hour is probably enough. You can increase it depending on the intensity and duration of your exercise. To enhance post-exercise recovery, you may eat between 1.0 and 1.2 g carbohydrate per your kg body weight per hour for the first 4 hours after exercise (Bean, 2022). I may suggest 45-65% of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates depending on the level of activity.

    You also Need Foods Rich in Healthy Fats and Oils

    Do you know that healthy fats are important for your body energy, hormone health and satiety? Healthy fats play a key role in maintaining your hormonal balance, which is especially important for women’s health. Fats are also needed for the health of your brain and to keep you feeling full. Foods rich in fats that you can eat include avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fatty fish such as salmon, sardines among others.

    How much fat do women need to maintain fitness?
    According to Vercelletto and Johnson (2023) most women will need about 1,600 to 2,400 calories daily, depending on their age, activity level and body size. Based on a 2,000-calorie daily diet, the Acceptable Macro-nutrient Distribution Range translates to 400 to 700 calories from fat a day, which means 44 grams to 78 grams. I will suggest that 20-35% of your daily calories should be from healthy fats.

    2. Effective Meal Planning for Fitness Success

    Do you want to remain consistent with your nutrition goals? If your answer is yes, you must have a meal plan which is a powerful tool for your fitness. Do you know meal plan will help you save time? This is to ensure that you have nutritious options available when you are hungry and to avoid unhealthy choices.

    Tips for Creating a Fitness-Focused Meal Plan for Women

    Plan Meals Around Your Workouts: Schedule your meals to maximize energy for workouts and support recovery afterward. An adequate diet with carbohydrates and protein around 1-2 hours before exercise will enhance your performance. You also need to eat protein and carbohydrate rich foods after your workouts to aid recovery.

    Maintain balance between all the three Macro-nutrients: I will suggest that you maintain a mixture of protein, carbohydrate, and fats in each meal to increase your energy and make you feel full.

    Prepare for your Meal Ahead: You may need to spend some time each week to put together all food stuffs you will need to make your meal. This may be like cooked chicken, grains, and chopped vegetables. Having these ready-to-go ingredients makes it easy to gather them and make meals quickly.

    Plan for Snacks: Sometimes snacks may be the most available diet at the time you need to eat something, especially between meals when you are active. But remember to choose nutrient-dense snacks like healthy nuts, yogurt, or fruit to avoid blood sugar changes.

    You will also love the following healthy eating tips for fitness to make you enjoy your foods with the whole process:

        • Prepare and Plan: always plan your meal for each week before hand. When you plan your meal, you will save time, and this will keep you on track with your workout nutrition goals.

        • Monitor Your Body Needs: Do you know that you need to pay attention to signs your body is giving you? For example, when your lips or skin are dry and cracking it may mean that your body needs specific nutrients.

        • Enjoy the Whole Workout Program: To appreciate your fitness you must see it as a journey, and which healthy diet regimen is part of. Try to include nourishing foods that you enjoy.

      Example of a Healthy Meal Plan for Your workout Program

      Breakfast: Eat a combination carbohydrate and protein rich foods such as Greek yogurt with berries, chia seeds, and a sprinkle of oats

      Lunch: You should choose diets rich in carbohydrate, protein, and healthy fats such as quinoa salad with chickpeas, mixed greens, and avocado pear and others.

      Snack: You may want to go for carbohydrate and healthy fat diets like apple slices with almond butter

      Dinner: You should add carbohydrate, protein, and fibre in your dinner, such as grilled salmon with roasted sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli

      3. Top Supplements for Extra Support for Women’s Fitness

      I must say at this point that it is better to get your nutrients from whole foods during workouts. But the truth is that some supplements can support your fitness, especially when you have a target to achieve, or you have any nutrient deficiencies.  Try to choose your supplements wisely and you may also seek expert advice from your healthcare professional to assist you make the right choice.

      Let’s see some important things to look out for when choosing your supplements for your fitness program:

          • Protein Powder: Protein powder is very good when you want to meet daily protein needs, especially post-workout when your body needs fast-absorbing nutrients. I will suggest that you go for whey or plant-based protein powders which don’t have added sugars.

          • Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs): Branched-Chain Amino Acids such as leucine, isoleucine, and valine help reduce muscle soreness and support muscle repair. So, I will suggest that you take them during your intense training or when you are planning to grow your muscles.

          • Omega-3 Fatty Acids: You may go for Omega-3 Fatty Acids from fish oil or algae because they are important for reducing inflammation and supporting your joint health. These are also important when you are doing high-impact exercises.

          • Calcium and Vitamin D: As women age, they become at a higher risk for reduction in bone density making it necessary to take some supplements that will promote the health of their bones. You know what? Calcium and vitamin D can support your bone health effectively especially if you are lifting weights during workouts.

          • Multivitamin: A high-quality multivitamin can help supply the basic and essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function well. These vitamins and minerals also work with other nutrients to promote your energy and performance when exercising (National Institute of Health, 2024).

        4. Importance of Water in Your Fitness  

        You may be wondering, why staying hydrated important in your fitness journey. Well, taking adequate fluid when you are physically active is just as important as the food you eat during this time. You know what? Inadequate fluid intake will lead to dehydration which can make you weak, dizzy and perform poorly in your fitness program. The best fluid to drink is water. You should drink enough water to promote metabolism, regulate body temperature, and your overall health. Remember, you are also losing fluids through sweats and in the air you expel when you exhale. The lost fluid needs to be replaced, and you also need extra fluid to prevent constipation and promote your gut and kidney health.

        Hydration Tips for Physically Active Women

            • 1. Maintain copious fluid Daily: According to the general guideline women should drink 8-10 glasses of fluid every day. But remember to take more when you engage in intense physical activity.

            • 2. Drink water regularly: I will suggest that you drink water before, during, and after workout. Target to hydrate yourself well few minutes before you start exercise, sip water during exercise, and take enough water immediately after workout to help your muscle recover fast.

            • 3. Take Electrolyte Drinks: If you are planning to do high-intensity workouts or training for long duration you may need to have an electrolyte drink. Some of these fitness programs will make you to sweat a lot which will result to loss of important minerals, so, you need to consider electrolyte drinks during this period to replenish them.

           

          5. The Role of Nutrient Timing in Fitness

          If your aim is to optimize fitness performance, you need to take your nutrient at the right time. What does this mean? Every nutrient has a particular time in your fitness plan when it should be eaten for best outcome. Now, when is the best timing for your meals and snacks to maximize results? These are discussed below:

          Pre-Workout Nutrition

              • Take Carbohydrates for Energy: The best kind of food to eat before your exercise to supply you the energy you need for your workouts is carbohydrate rich diets. You may need to eat healthy carbohydrates, such as whole-grain cereals (with low-fat or fat-free milk), whole-wheat toast, low-fat or fat-free yogurt, whole-grain pasta, brown rice and fruits and vegetables (American Heart Association, 2024).

              • Consider Quick Protein Source: A small amount of protein can support muscle performance and help prevent muscle breakdown.

             

            Post-Workout Nutrition for Women

                • Take Protein for Muscle Repair: Target to have a protein rich diet within 30-60 minutes post-exercise to promote muscle recovery. You may choose healthy sources of protein such, as skinless chicken breast, salmon, trout, lean or low-fat ground beef (American Heart Association, 2024).

                • Replenish with carbohydrate diets: Taking carbohydrate rich diets after your workouts will help restore glycogen (energy) levels in your muscles and give you quick recovery.

                • Consider Healthy fats: You may eat foods that are high in unsaturated fats including avocado, nuts or fatty fish, such as tuna, salmon or sardines. Use non-tropical vegetable oils, such as olive oil or sunflower oil when cooking instead of solid fats such as butter, coconut butter or oil. The body stores these healthy fats which increases the availability of energy during endurance exercise (American Heart Association, 2024).

              Always remember that you need to consider what you eat if you want your fitness journey to be worthwhile and successful. Focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods, balance your macronutrients, and pay attention to your meal timing. Healthy diet equals increase in your energy level. You should also target foods that will help to repair your muscle and make your fitness program feel rewarding and not stressful.

              References

                Author: Ikenna Nathan Ojiegbe. Date: 4th December, 2024.

                Disclaimer: The information is for the purpose of education only. It does not assess individual needs and does not constitute personal advice, hence, should not replace professional consultations with your health care practitioner or trainer. This information should not be used to make health related diagnoses or to treat any health problems. Consult with your health care provider before depending on any information in this article or on this website.