Your Workouts Don't End When Class Does

For a lot of people, health starts and stops with the workout. We want to change that! You come into class, sweat, push hard for a hour and you leave the gym feeling really accomplished! And then the rest of the day these things might sound all too familiar:

• Coffee instead of breakfast.

• Skipping lunch because you are busy.

• Snacking randomly at night

The world has helped us normalize these trends, but we at Fort Fitness want to remind you that your body is still working insanely hard after that one hour class ends! Your body is recovering, repairing, rebuilding, refilling energy stores and trying its’ best to adapt to the good stress you placed on it!

But your body can only work as hard as you allow it too because remember, the workout is only the stimulus and nutrition is what helps your body respond to it.

Hear me out… without enough fuel:

• Recovery slows down

• Energy crashes harder

• Soreness lasts longer

• Cravings increase

• Sleep quality decrease

• Performance plateaus faster

And if you are anything like me, when multiple of those items are happening simultaneously it can be really defeating and frustrating. You feel like you really are doing everything right since you are showing up, working hard and staying consistent. But one thing is missing from the equation…you aren’t recovering in a way that supports the stress you are putting your body through.

It’s important 1) not feel shame or guilt if you know that recovery isn’t your expertise 2) know that improvements can be made 3) acknowledge that a lack of sufficient recovery post workout can go beyond your fitness and into things like:

• Mood

• Focus

• Stress management

• Hormones

• Sleep

• Immune System Function

• Sustainable energy throughout the day

All this is to say that nutrition is not just about aesthetics, it is the bridge between fitness and health. Of course at Fort Fitness we want you to feel strong inside of the gym but we also want you to have energy outside of the gym! We want you to recover well, sleep better, feel less exhausted and build habits that support your life long term. Because the goal isn’t just to survive workout, it is to build a body that feels supported by the life you’re living.

And like I’ve said time and time before. To build this body you don't need to eat perfectly. You don’t need to be perfect, expensive meal plans, restrictive diets or live life where every bite of food you feel like you need to track.

You need consistency, awareness and enough fuel to support the demands you are  placing on your body every day. Eventually your body is going to reflect what you repeatedly go, what you repeatedly ignore, and how you consistently recover.

So let’s work on this together. After your next workout:

• Eat within 30-60 mins

• Drink water before reaching for coffee or an energy drink

• Add extra protein or carbs to your next meal

Then listen to your body. Remember, it is always give you feedback!

Coach Lauren