To become successful as a fitness model, two things are very important: discipline and ambition. Because in addition to hard training, the right diet is just as important for fitness models to stay in shape. For this, your diet has to be especially healthy and balanced and should be based on what your body needs. The more calories you burn during your workouts, the higher your food intake should be afterwards. Make sure you have high-quality and nutritious products to avoid nutrient deficiencies and give your body the necessary strength and energy for your training.
A healthy and balanced diet is especially important because it dramatically reduces the risk of obesity. This can cause several severe illnesses - from gout and diabetes to cardiovascular diseases. An unhealthy diet is not the only cause for obesity, other important factors are a lack of exercise and stress. If you want to lose weight, your attitude is crucial. Because you will only be able to lose weight if you are fully aware of how your weight changes. It is also essential to burn more calories than you take in through food so that your body is in a so-called caloric deficit.
Carbs − Providing Your Body with Energy
The main function of carbohydrates is to provide your body with energy and power for your muscles. That’s why carbs are especially important before a workout session, so you have enough energy for maximum concentration and performance. However, you should be careful about what kind of carbs you take in, as there are different types. Generally, carbohydrates consist of sugar and can be divided into different groups according to the length of their chains of sugar molecules. The simpler the molecular structure, the easier it is for your body to process, but this also means that your body will be sated for a shorter time. Simple and therefore unhealthy carbohydrates include honey, chocolate, sweet granola bars or white sugar. Foods with good, more complex carbs are whole grain products, legumes, vegetables and potatoes, to name a few. Their longer chain of molecular sugar makes you feel full for a longer time.
However, as a fitness model you should generally avoid feeding your body unnecessary amounts of sugar and only consume small quantities. Replacing sugar with supplements is not an optimal solution either. Although it is a low-calorie alternative, we would not recommend using stevia instead of sugar, as stevia’s impacts on your body are not yet completely understood.
Other foods that will supply you with carbs are all kinds of grains. In addition to conventional grains like wheat, rye or oats, there are the so-called pseudocereals, such as quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth. They contain fewer carbohydrates than regular grains and more proteins and micronutrients instead, so they are a good addition to a fitness model’s diet plan.
Good Fats and Bad Fats
In order to keep a healthy and balanced diet as a fitness model, it is important to provide your body with all necessary nutrients. This includes carbohydrates and proteins as well as fats. Although often associated with negative effects like weight gain, it is important to differentiate between different kinds of fat: there are saturated and unsaturated fats. Generally, fats are one of the staples in our diet. But to make sure your diet is healthy and balanced, the right amount of fat is crucial. Saturated fats can be found mainly in animal products such as dairy, meat, processed meat or butter. They increase the body’s cholesterol level and therefore shouldn’t be consumed excessively. Unsaturated fats, however, can lower cholesterol levels and help build muscle mass, which is especially important for fitness models. This is why a healthy amount of unsaturated fats should be part of your diet plan. These healthy fats are mainly found in plant products like nuts and avocados as well as in fish.
Fish in particular has the added benefit of a high concentration of omega-3 fats. Omega-3 has a positive effect on your cardiovascular system and can improve concentration. By the way: fish contains almost no carbs, but a large amount of animal-based proteins. So make sure that fish is part of your diet at least once or twice a week.
Proteins: Crucial for Muscle Building
To optimize the regeneration of your body after a training session and at the same time build up muscle mass effectively and permanently, the intake of proteins is crucial for sports models. Most of the proteins are contained in your body structure - in the connective tissue, the skin, the hair and muscle fibers. The body of an average adult contains between 10 and 12 kilograms of protein altogether, half of which can be found in the muscle mass. There are two ways of providing your body with the necessary proteins: through plant-based or animal-based proteins. Plant-based proteins are products like soy, beans and lentils; animal-based proteins can be found mainly in eggs, low-fat meat, fish and skimmed dairy products. Apart from helping you build more muscle mass, proteins also provide you with enough energy for your training sessions.
Balanced and Healthy
In addition to the nutrients mentioned above, as a fitness model it is important to always eat enough vegetables, too. Whether as a side dish or a full meal, they should always be part of your daily meal plan. The good thing is that there is a huge variety of nutritious vegetables, so you will be able to change it up a lot: whether you decide on having broccoli, carrots, tomatoes or a salad is totally up to you. The minerals and vitamins they contain are particularly good for your body and easy to digest.
Vitamins especially have a positive influence on your body. Vitamin D, for example, is important for bone formation and your body can easily get it from the sun’s UV light. Vitamin C, on the other hand, strengthens your immune system. You can get this important vitamin from fruits and vegetables like apples, black currants, or red bell peppers, brussels sprouts and potatoes. But you also shouldn’t miss out on vitamin B, as this nutrient activates the body’s metabolism. This vitamin is mainly contained in animal products, but you can also get it from wholewheat products.
The Right Amount of Fluids
Water is not only an important component for your diet, it actually is what a big part of your body is made - 75 % to be precise. In the course of one day you lose so much water that you can’t replace the lost fluids through food alone. This is why it is so important to drink at least 1.5 to 2 liters of fluids daily. It helps with digestion and cleanses the body. When you work out, you lose even more fluids which means that you should drink even more, up to three liters a day. The best options for sports models are tap or mineral water or unsweetened tea as these drinks don’t have any calories and will hydrate you sufficiently.
Being hydrated also has positive effects on your body and physical appearance. You will not only have an increased metabolism and enough energy for the day, it can also prevent pain in the joints. Another welcome side effect is more even skin, as being dehydrated can have a negative impact on your skin and cause it to age faster. However, as a fitness model you should keep your consumption of alcoholic drinks to a minimum. Apart from dehydrating your body, they contain unnecessary calories and can lead to overeating.
Before the Photo Session
Generally, you should make sure that your daily intake of nutrients and your diet are healthy and balanced. The days and weeks before a photo session or casting are especially important. In addition to an intense workout routine that focuses on burning fat to help define your muscles, a healthy diet is crucial. During these weeks, you should especially reduce your carb intake. To avoid consuming too many hidden sugars, always choose unprocessed foods. This will not only allow you to personally pick the ingredients you eat, but also give you the chance to season your food specifically to your taste.
