Nutrition to Support Your Pilates Practice
Pilates is so beneficial for yours and your clients’ health and wellbeing. It supports physical fitness, cardiovascular health, strength and balance, improves bone health and posture, and even enhances mental wellbeing. The effects of a consistent Pilates practice are endless – and one of the most powerful elements of either teaching Pilates to clients or integrating clinical Pilates into your practice as an allied health professional is that you’re able to facilitate these positives for your clients every day in your work. Plus, you’re also able to experience them for yourself as Pilates continues to be a fundamental aspect of your own lifestyle and fitness routine.
However, it’s important to consider another core element in the equation that is health – for both you and your clients. When it comes to Pilates and movement, it’s essential to make sure you’re fuelling your body adequately with proper nutrition to support the mental and health benefits you’re aiming for. Without considering nutrition, you may be compromising your potential results, the enjoyment you’re able to get out of your practice, and your general health and wellbeing too.
So for these reasons, here are our nutritionist’s powerful nutrition tips to help elevate yours and your clients’ Pilates practice, results, and general health and wellbeing.
1. Eat enough, regularly.
Often, particularly when starting out a new fitness routine or movement style, people forget to take into consideration the additional demands on your body this creates. Suddenly, your body is being put through a lot more in terms of strengthening, lengthening, toning, pulsing. And it needs to be fuelled accordingly to cope with these demands!
Just as a car can’t run on an empty tank of petrol, your body can’t operate properly if it’s not getting the energy from food it needs. If you’re adding in more Pilates sessions to your week (or supporting your clients as they do so), it’s crucial you increase the amount of energy you’re consuming throughout your week too. (More on what kinds of foods to prioritise shortly!)
If you’re not eating enough to compensate for this demand being placed on your body, you risk sending your hormones out of balance, compromising your immune system health, decreasing your lean muscle mass, and slowing down any results or improvements you can achieve from your Pilates.
Make sure you and your clients are looking after yourselves with adequate, regular, nourishing meals at least three times per day (plus snacks as needed!) and remember, limiting the amount of food you’re eating isn’t helping you achieve your goals – it’s hindering your health and your progress! Your body deserves to be cared for and nourished for all the hard work it’s putting into your Pilates practice!
2. Protein is powerful!
Eating enough protein is essential for supporting your lean muscle mass and improvements in your technique, form and results in Pilates. Most people aren’t actually sure how much protein they require each day, and the answer might surprise you: male adults need 0.84-1.07 g per kilogram of bodyweight daily, and adult females require 0.75-0.94 g per kilo of bodyweight, depending on age and life stage. For most people, this doesn’t require too much planning to achieve. However if you do follow a plant-based diet, it might be a little more tricky to achieve, and may demand some forward-planning.
Protein is crucial for supporting muscle repair, muscle synthesis, and the building of lean muscle mass – which are the elements which help you progress in your Pilates! These elements are fundamental to being able to pulse for longer, push yourself to try out a heavier spring on the Reformer, use more challenging weights or accessories in your Pilates movements. It’s also vital for supporting your metabolism, immune health, energy levels and many other important aspects of your health.
If you’re not getting enough protein in your diet, your muscles are less able to repair and strengthen after each Pilates session, meaning your strengthening and progress goals will be hindered. Your immune system will also be impaired, and you may experience skin and hair changes, as well as bone and muscle loss and weakness.
Protein is paramount to any Pilates practice, so make sure you and your clients are hitting those daily targets consistently!
3. Don’t ditch the carbs.
While carbs have become feared by many thanks to fear-mongering media messaging, they are the most important element of your diet to prioritise – whether you regularly practise Pilates or not! Carbs are your body’s (and brain’s!) preferred source of energy, and if you’re not getting enough of them in your diet, then your body resorts to breaking down muscle and important tissues in your body to compensate. So it’s essential that you’re eating your carbs!
Carbohydrates provide your body with readily available energy, making your workouts feel more enjoyable and less challenging. They support gut health and digestion, facilitate hormone health, and allow you to progress in your Pilates too.
Of course, some carbs are more health-promoting than others. Ideally, you want to prioritise high-fibre, complex carbohydrates, including whole grains, vegetables and fruits, lentils and legumes. These carb sources are more slowly digested by your body, meaning they help you feel fuller for longer and provide slower-releasing energy, so you feel fantastic for longer after eating them. Plus, they’re higher in fibre so will enhance your gut health and digestion more so than refined, simple carbs like pastries, white bread and processed foods.
Make sure you’re including a decent serving of carbohydrates with each of your main meals and add them into your snacks too. Be sure to get plenty of vegetables into your daily diet, especially, and keep the skin on where possible – as this is where much of their fibre content lives! Expect to see your Pilates practice go to the next level when you’re including plenty of complex carbs in your diet regularly.
4. Fats are your friend.
The final macronutrient is not to be forgotten; fat is just as important as carbs and fibre. Healthy fats support your hormone health, along with many other important body functions, and are an essential part of a healthy and balanced diet. While regular exercise can impact your hormone balance – particularly when it’s too intense or regular (which, sidenote, is one of the great benefits of Pilates – the low-impact nature makes it much more gentle on your hormones, allowing it to be suitable for a greater range of people and abilities!), eating enough healthy fats helps to ensure your hormones are balanced and healthy at all times.
Healthy fats, including extra virgin olive oil, oily fish, avocado, nuts and seeds, support your hormone production, and allow your body to keep all your hormones in check, preventing a situation where you’re producing too much of some and not enough of others. Fats also help to prevent your blood sugar levels from spiking, and support the health of your skin and hair. Aim to include a source of healthy fat in each of your main meals.
Some fats, such as trans and saturated fats, are less beneficial to your health. Consider reducing your intake of fast foods, baked or fried foods, and processed meats, and replace these foods with healthy, unsaturated fats instead to support optimal health and your Pilates practice.
5. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
And don’t forget the hydration part of the equation! Ideally, aim for at least 2 L of water per day – or more if you find yourself sweating it out a lot during your Pilates sessions. Staying properly hydrated helps to regulate your appetite and hunger levels, supports your performance during your Pilates practice, again improves your hormone health and immune function, and plays so many important roles in your physical health. It also helps you feel energised while you exercise – and remember, you always want to replenish your fluids after a Pilates session!
It’s simple, but effective. And make water your go-to when it comes to hydration. While herbal teas and some beverages can provide some hydration, other drinks like coffee and alcohol can actually be dehydrating. And sugary drinks like soft drinks aren’t helping you stay hydrated either – in fact, these aren’t doing your body any favours at all, so consider limiting your intake of these kinds of drinks. Water first, always – and plenty of it!
As a Pilates instructor or allied health professional, it’s probably not within your scope or expertise to advise your clients on the most effective nutrition to support their Pilates practice. In fact, many people within the fitness and health industry actually know little to nothing about nutrition, and the fundamental role it plays in supporting yours and your clients’ health and results.
Now you understand the key concepts and fundamental basics, you can take these with you and encourage your clients to ensure they’re eating enough of the more important types of food. We always want to advocate a food-first approach, focusing on what we’re including and prioritising instead of the foods we’re minimising or reducing.
The main thing to emphasise for yourself and for your clients is to ensure you’re consistently eating enough, and making whole foods (and water!) a priority. If you’re able to achieve this, your performance in your Pilates sessions is sure to improve, and you’ll experience the benefits this promises to your general health and wellbeing, as well as to your results and health outcomes.
Looking to further elevate your knowledge and expertise when it comes to supporting your clients in their Pilates practice? Consider one of Unite Health’s many upskilling opportunities – whether you want to add Mindfulness to your Pilates practice, learn to support Ante and Post Natal clients, or anything in between, we have the perfect course for you and your goals! Book a free chat with our course experts today to figure out which option is best for you and your unique goals!