The Pure Barre Fall Fit Challenge is in full swing, and you are so close to completing 30 full-body workout classes in 60 days. Taking on this challenge requires commitment and planning – not just for your barre classes, but for your nutrition, too! Check out these tips from Registered Dietitian and Nutrition expert Brittany Jones on optimizing your nutrition to gain lean muscle and strength during the challenge.
The Science Behind Building Muscle and Losing Body Fat
Let's first talk about what body fat is. Body fat protects our organs, provides energy, and regulates hormones. We all need a certain amount of body fat to stay healthy. It's natural for our bodies to store energy in the form of fat when we take in more than we use. Completing a Pure Barer class initiates a repair and growth process in your muscles, resulting in increased muscle mass over time. Muscle tissue naturally burns more energy than fat tissue, even at rest, which can help support a balanced body composition over time. Staying consistent with a strength training workout, like regularly incorporating Pure Barre Define into your Fall Fit Challenge schedule, produces these results.
Strength training through barre is a fantastic way to promote overall wellness. At the same time, nourishing your body with a diverse array of foods ensures you stay energized and feel your best!
Avoid Starvation Mode
Gone are the days of "eat less, move more." The human metabolism is much more complicated than calories in vs. calories out, particularly for women. Your body uses energy from food to perform daily activities and all of the functions needed to keep you alive! This includes energy used to maintain basic functions (like breathing), breaking down and digesting food, and physical activities such as Pure Barre classes.
When you don’t eat enough to sustain all of these activities, your body enters a state known as “starvation mode.” When calories are restricted, the body slows your metabolism down to prevent starvation. This is why “eat less and move more” doesn’t work!
When exercise levels increase and food intake is insufficient, your body will hold onto more fat stores because it doesn’t know when the next surge of energy will come. Under-fueling can slow down your metabolism, break down muscle tissue, and ultimately prevent you from achieving your health goals.
Insufficient nutrition can hinder your progress towards your strength and endurance goals. When calories are too low, the body prioritizes essential functions such as breathing and regulating body temperature, rather than burning fat and rebuilding muscle tissue.
Exercising while under fueling poses several health risks including:
● Reduced muscle mass
● Slower metabolism
● Increase in body fat
● Increased cortisol hormone (stress) - this can lead to hormone imbalances like insulin resistance and leptin resistance
● Increased risk of stress fractures
● Decreased bone density
● Loss/decrease of performance in workouts
● Reduced T3 (active thyroid hormone)
Under fueling also makes recovery from workouts more difficult, making it harder to complete the Fall Fit Challenge. During a workout, your muscle tissues break down. Without adequate calories, carbs, and protein, your muscles will not have the materials they need to rebuild. Instead, that muscle will just be burned for energy, resulting in less lean muscle mass and more fat stores.
So how should you fuel for the challenge and your barre workout? Keep reading!
5 Essential Nutrition Tips to Increase Lean Muscle Mass with Pure Barre
1. Stop Dieting and Restricting Food.
Persistent food restriction puts stress on your body, making it more likely to hold onto fat because it doesn't know when it will get enough energy next. This can also stall your strength and endurance progress in the studio. Remember, there's no such thing as a "perfect diet." Instead of trying to follow rigid rules, focus on finding a healthy balance of enjoyable and nourishing foods that fuel your body and make you feel good.
2. Balance Your Plate
For sustained energy during your workouts, including all macronutrients in your meals is important. A balanced place includes protein, carbohydrates, non-starchy vegetables, and healthy fats at lunch and dinner, and protein carbs, and fat at breakfast (bonus points for veggies!). Don't skip the carbs - they're your body's preferred source of fuel, and without enough, your body might break down muscle for energy.
3. Prioritize Protein
Protein supports muscle repair and growth. Try to include it not just at meals, but also in your snacks. Eating a protein-rich snack or meal within an hour after your Pure Barre workout can help maximize muscle recovery, muscle build and decrease fatigue. Great protein sources include lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy (like Greek yogurt), beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
4. Eat Consistently
Consistently fueling your body every 3-4 hours helps support lean muscle growth and prevents feeling overly hungry or bingeing later. This also helps optimize nutrient intake and keeps your energy levels stable. Listen to your body's hunger and fullness cues - it's normal to be hungrier after a workout, so honor that and eat when you need it!
5, Stay Hydrated
Hydration plays a key role in metabolism and overall performance. A dehydrated body won't function optimally, and this can affect how you build muscle and burn fat. Aim to drink about half your body weight in ounces of water per day (e.g. a 150-pound person should aim for around 75 ounces). Keep a water bottle with you throughout the day and don't forget to bring one to the barre studio!
To maximize your results during the Pure Barre Fall Fit Challenge, fueling your body with the right nutrition is just as important as showing up for your workouts. By focusing on fueling adequately through balanced meals, prioritizing protein, and staying consistent with hydration, you’ll support muscle growth and recovery, providing the energy needed to conquer those 30 classes in 60 days. Save these tips to help you build lean muscle, improve endurance, and keep your body feeling strong and energized throughout the challenge, and beyond!
Brittany Jones, MS, RD, LD is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian with over a decade of experience and the owner of Brittany Jones Nutrition Group, a weight-inclusive, non-diet practice of Registered Dietitians. She began attending Pure Barre classes in 2013 and served as the Pure Barre Corporate Content Marketing Manager in 2015-2016, combining her passion for wellness and marketing. She is excited to be working with Pure Barre again. She lives in Greenville, SC with her husband, son, and their Siberian cat, Callie.