Make sure your buff gym body survives university with these simple, healthy tips to keep you in shape
1. Hydration
As a student, life can be hectic and we’re constantly being told to make sure we stay hydrated, but for a strict gym goer staying hydrated is doubly important as your muscles are made up of 75% water.
This can be sorted by simply adding hydrating foods into your diet plan. This is easy to do, and also won’t make any overly-dramatic changes to your regime.
Replace your peanut butter protein bar with apple slices and dip them into natural peanut butter. Cereal bars are dry, and don’t add any hydration to your body, but fruit is packed with water and are just as easy to eat as a snack.
- 1 small apple, cored and cut into 8 wedges
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
2. Muscle retention
A number of regular gym goers want to add lean mass – there’s no point in adding mass that is mainly body fat, even if it’s just a couple of pounds.
Building muscles requires an increase of calories, so you need to eat more calories than you burn at the gym in a session, but if you start eating too much it’ll then kick start the fat storing process.
A common mistake is people scarfing down the same amount of carbs on rest days as they do on training days, this can set off the fat storing as your body doesn’t need as much energy. Instead, only include carbs in one meal, preferably in the morning. For the rest of the day stick to proteins, for example eggs are diverse as well as easy to make, while pork has as a high source of leucine that is key for muscle retention.
Lemon and pork meatballs with kale:
Serves 2, prep: 15 mins, cooking: 35 mins
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 400g cans plum tomatoes
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 500g pork mince
- 250g of kale
3. Stamina
Having a high stamina doesn’t always mean that you’re able to lift more in the gym than your pals. It actually means that you’re healthy and fit all year round, fending off coughs and colds that sap your energy and to prevent any long setbacks.
Vitamin C is one of the biggest contributors to a strong immune system and also protects you from infections, so if you want to keep a high stamina you need make sure you’re consuming foods that are rich in it.
Yellow bell peppers contain 341.31 milligrams of Vitamin C and are only 50 calories each, making them a great addition to your meals for an extra punch of nutrition. If you aren’t sure where to add them to your diet, try mixing them in with your pasta sauces or fry them in light oil as an extra side.
4. Energy
Protein shakes are a classic pre-workout ritual for most gym goers, but they aren’t always the best choice for everyone and can be boring in your diet. Thankfully, there are plenty of other easy options to make sure you’re taking on as much protein for a high source of energy.
Morning Energy source: Fruit smoothie
Smoothies provide a series of micronutrients and are packed with sugars including fructose, so they are ideal for a great pre-workout meal option that will provide you with a substantial source of fast acting glucose.
Banana and walnut smoothie:
- 500 ml skimmed milk
- 1 large banana
- 1 tbsp honey
- handful of walnut pieces
Afternoon Energy source: Chicken, rice and vegetables
As well as combining a good source of lean protein, this meal provides amino acids to promote muscle anabolism and a slow releasing source of energy, but it must be consumed 2-3 hours before your workout.
- 4 chicken thighs preferably with skin and bones but boneless and skinless will also work
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp butter or olive oil, divided
- 1 large carrots diced
- 1 celery stalks diced
- 1/4 white onion diced
- 1 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup brown rice
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
5. Replenishment
After a hard workout it’s critical to replenish the glycogen stores in the muscles, as future training sessions can be affected. In order to do this, large amounts of carbohydrates need to be taken after a work-out. Sweet potatoes (or white potatoes if preferred) are a specifically complex carbohydrate, so are an ideal choice after a tough session, and will provide a hit of energy to replenish the muscles.
Try mashing them, or baking in the oven with seasoning alongside chicken goujons for a balanced carb and protein replenishing post-workout meal.
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