Are you looking to hit the gym and become a lean, mean, muscle-building machine? It may be hard to build that muscle and keep it on. A Lot of muscle building has to do with what you eat as well as the exercises you’re doing.
Don’t let this stop you from building that muscle though. I did the research so you don’t have to and compiled some of the tips that are recommended for eating while you build that muscle.
Protein is Your New Best Friend
Eating enough protein while working out is essential to building and maintaining muscle. To keep this up, make sure you’re including protein in every meal you have. We recommend adding eggs, poultry, fish, tofu, lentils, and seeds to your diet. These will give you enough protein for you to build and keep that muscle on.
The question you may have now though is how much protein do I need? There’s some simple math that can help you figure out how much protein you need. Basically, you need 0.36 grams per pound of your weight. So if you’re 145, that’s about 40 grams of protein. This would be the minimum, but if you click the link above, it’ll give you full detail on how to calculate more protein.
Eating Healthy Fats
Despite having the word ‘fat’ in it, there are plenty of healthy fats that we should all be adding to our diets Avocados, anyone? The reason for healthy fats is that they aid in fat loss by being slower to digest. Some other examples of healthy fats are vegetable oils, nuts, salmon, sardines, and trout.
Your body needs fat to supply energy to your muscles. Eating enough healthy fats will also lead to an increase in High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) which will ultimately lead to an increase in amino acids, which are essential for muscle building.
Ditch the Processed Foods
Even though they taste amazing, eating a lot of processed foods is so unhealthy for us, and will only harm our chances of building muscle. Processed foods contain unhealthy amounts of sugar, sodium, and bad fats. Too much of these can increase your risk of obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
The main thing to keep in mind here is to have your diet be catered to whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, meats, fish, and beans to name a few. Generally speaking, these are the types of foods that have little to no processing.
Learn What to Look Out For
It can be a tricky thing to learn what qualifies as over-processed foods, so here’s a good link to use for reference. It further explains how foods get to be processed and what to look out for the next time you shop. These differences will help you to build muscle and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Your health and well-being are the most important thing!
Keep Yourself Hydrated
I’ve talked a lot about hydration throughout other articles, and I will continue to do so! It’s such a simple thing, but the majority of people hardly ever drink the right amount of water to stay hydrated.
Staying hydrated is even important when it comes to muscle building. When you work out, you sweat. That leads to water loss within your body. Water loss can harm muscle recovery and lead to dehydration. On the other side, drinking enough water will also reduce hunger.
Hydration with Flavor
IF you have a hard time getting yourself to drink enough water, it’s time for you to try some healthy flavoring packets for your water. If you love the taste of lemon, then try adding True Lemon to your water for a tasteful way to stay hydrated.
You can even add your favorite fruits to your water! That way, you can have a tastier water while benefiting from your favorite fruits. That’s a win-win!
Fitness Youtubers to Follow
If you’re looking to build muscle, then check out these great YouTubers who share their tips and training techniques so you can build muscle the healthy way.
Buffbunny
The first person on the list is Heidi Somers aka buffbunny. Her Youtube channel is dedicated to meal prep, full workout routines, as well as grocery hauls, so you can be in the know on the right foods to eat in order to obtain that muscle.
Megsquats
Next, we have Megan Gallagher aka megsquats. She’s a powerlifter, and through her Youtube channel, shares her routines and techniques so you can improve your strength. You don’t need to be a powerlifter to learn from her. She even takes you through her workout journey after giving birth to her baby, so for any recent mothers out there who want to get back into shape, I recommend checking her channel out.
Emily Hayden
Last but certainly not least is Emily Hayden. Her videos are not only workout-focused but also about finding the motivation to work out and care for your body. I think we can all admit to feeling too unmotivated or frustrated at our bodies, that it may feel hopeless to even try exercising. That’s why watching Emily Hayden’s channel can help all of us find that lost motivation and achieve our goals for a healthier you.
Share With Us
Do you have any tips and tricks for what to eat or what not to eat while working to build muscle? Share your thoughts by tagging @uylmagazine on social media. We’d love to hear from you.
Want to read more on the topic of food? What about fitness? Then check out our, “Real Food” and “Self Care” categories. You’re going to love the veggie and fruits articles!
