We all now know that if you drink a green healthy juice you will be getting some goodness in your diet. However, when you’re turning your health journey towards becoming fitter and stronger, is the usual green juice the best one? Or are there other better suited nutritious ingredients we could include?
Juicing is emerging as a very powerful tool to help support female fitness. Most of us are always trying to find natural ways to help improve or enhance our well-being. Juicing is one of those ways, as it promotes health, improves our vitality and gives our overall well-being a boost.
In this article we will cover how juicing can benefit your fitness journey, and can get you on track to being a healthier and fitter you.
Understanding Juicing
The basics of juicing is extracting liquid from vegetables and fruits to create a healthy and nutritious drink. It is this liquid that gives us essential minerals, vitamins, phytonutrients and antioxidants. Juicing is a brilliant way of increasing the intake of these important elements in our diet.
If you’re after a juice that is going to help you achieve increased strength and fitness, then the content of your juice becomes more important. The juices you are consuming start to take on a more important purpose for example; enhancing your performance, preparing you for a workout or assisting you with recovery. Certain foods give you a particular set of nutrients, vitamins or minerals, and different forms of exercise require different ones.
How does juicing benefit female fitness?
- Boosts nutrients
The main benefit of juicing is that it allows you to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables in one single serving. This will give you a huge boost and key vitamins which will provide you with the necessary energy to undertake fitness. In fresh juices you also consume minerals such as potassium and magnesium, the latter being very important in Women’s Health.
- Hydration
It should always be noted that to keep yourself in a healthy hydrated state you must consume at least 1.5L of water. However juices do offer a good source of hydration, due to their water content. Therefore women consuming juices will feel well hydrated as well as energised.
- Weight loss
if you are looking to lose weight, juicing can become a valuable tool within your weight management. When you consume a nutrient dense juice it can leave you feeling satiated which can result in controlling your appetite. However juices should not become a meal replacement, as this will impact your overall health and wellness.
- Energy Boost
Juices give you essential carbohydrates and nutrients. They also give you a natural source of energy. When consumed before a workout it can help improve your performance and also endurance.
Juices and Exercise
Let’s take a look at which juices and ingredients suit certain different activities and fitness goals.
Weight training: Build muscle and strength
There has been a study which showed that individuals who drank juices containing beets found an increased blood flow to certain muscles which give you bursts of speed and strength. This is ideal for strength training. Nuts are a brilliant source of protein and help you build muscle. You can add nuts into your juice by including a nut milk such as almond, cashew or walnut, or a scoop of a nut butter.
Running: Endurance
When you’re looking at wanting to find a juice to give you a boost with your running, what you are after are ingredients that help raise your energy levels and also support recovery. The key ingredient here is dark leafy greens, they are packed with vitamin B and will be sure to raise your energy.
Yoga: Flexibility
If you are a budding Yogi, or you are keen to start Pilates, then you will need to start working on your flexibility. In your juice you would look to find ingredients that help improve blood circulation and also stimulate the circulatory system. Adding in ginger and citrus fruits, such as lemon and lime, would help support your flexibility.
Key ingredients for Female Fitness
When you take a look at different exercises like we just did, it shows that thinking about the types of ingredients you include in your juice can have differing roles. Below are some of the key ingredients that cater to the specific needs of women’s fitness.
Leafy greens: Greens such as kale and spinach are popular and also good choices for a juice. They contain high levels of folate iron and calcium. All of these are essential for Women’s Health particularly to support your menstrual cycle and also pregnancy. Leafy greens are also high in vitamin B which converts to energy.
Root vegetables: These vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals, they help muscles recover post workout and also enhance your energy. Start to include vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots and beets, which will all give you a natural sweetness and good colour to your juice.
Citrus fruits: Oranges and lemons are packed with vitamin C. They are good ingredient to include as they support the production of collagen, as well as helping the immune system. Which you want to be strong in order to be able to have optimal health so you can exercise.
Berries: Berries are your source of antioxidants, which help to protect your body against free radicals. (Free radicals being damaging molecules that can be produced in your body through poor diet or disease). Include berries such as; strawberries, raspberries or blueberries in your juice.
Hormones and Fitness
As a woman, when you are trying to improve your health and fitness, we have to consider our hormones. Throughout our monthly cycle our hormones fluctuate causing an imbalance in the body which can be symptomatic for some. You may also be experiencing the perimenopause, which again has a whole host of symptoms.
Therefore, supporting your hormones while trying to improve your fitness is really important. There are certain ingredients that you can add to juices to help balance them out.
Chia seeds: An easy one to add to any juice. They are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which support hormonal balance and help reduce inflammation.
Flaxseeds: These are a good addition as they can help reduce the symptoms of PMS and also support perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. They are rich in lignans which is a type of phytoestrogen, and mimics estrogen effects in the body.
Turmeric: Turmeric is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory ingredients that you can add to your juice. It can be really effective in managing hormonal imbalances and reducing inflammation and symptoms.
Maca: Maca root been shown to provide comfort during women’s menstruation, and also relief from menopausal symptoms. It can help boost your energy, and also alleviate stress.
Juices for Workouts
Juicing can be a good tool to give you the necessary nutrients needed for both a pre workout, and also to consume post workout.
Pre Workout Juice Recipe:
When you are planning to work out, have a juice before that provides you with a quick energy boost and will not cause any digestive discomfort.
· Handful of Spinach
· Handful of Kale
· Carrot
· Apple
· Half a cucumber
· Squeeze of lemon
Post Workout Juice Recipe:
After a workout, you are looking for a juice that will give your body the nutrients to recover and replenish energy levels.
· Beets
· Blueberries
· Banana
· Small cube of ginger
· Small scoop of a nut Butter
· Almond milk
Juicing Reminders
Whilst it shows juicing can be a healthy tool for a fitness journey. It is always important to remember that excessive juicing will increase your sugar content significantly, and they should also be consumed alongside a balanced and whole food diet.
If some of the juicing ingredients are new to your regular diet, introduce them slowly to allow your body to get used to them. This is important for juicing too, introduce it gradually, and don’t let it replace any meals entirely. Listen to your body.
Have fun with it. Mix and match different ingredients to find the juices that you enjoy, and meet your needs.
Summary
Juicing is an enjoyable addition to your health and wellness journey as a woman. It has so many benefits, from increased nutrition, balancing your hormones and increasing your energy levels. Alongside a healthy and wholesome diet, juicing will help you achieve your fitness goals. Explore our range of slow juicers here.
It is always important to remember, that if you do suffer from any the digestive disorders or have specific dietary needs, then consult with your healthcare provider before beginning your juicing journey.
