The foods you eat play a vital role in your overall health and wellness.
Therefore, just as it’s important to get the postures right, choosing the right foods is equally vital to your aero yoga practice.
Eating the right foods will help to keep your body energized throughout your yoga swing workouts, but they will also promote faster recovery.
Also, sticking to a yogic diet will help to cultivate inner peace while supporting and nurturing your aero yoga practice. But with millions of foods out there, choosing the right foods for a yogic lifestyle can prove to be a confusing process.
The good news is, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. And they are incredibly easy to incorporate into your daily eating routine.
Here are the best foods that will enhance your aero yoga practice..
Dark Leafy Greens
Dark, leafy greens are one of the best foods for someone who wants to maintain a yogic diet.
For instance, greens like kale contain a high concentration of calcium, which is great for your bones.
Also, kale contain a higher level of iron, compared to a similar portion of red meat. Furthermore, they come with a high concentration of vitamin K, as well as fiber.
Therefore, the fiber present in kale will go a long way in helping to maintain proper digestion while both calcium and vitamin K will help to promote strong bones.
Whether you opt to eat them as a salad or you whip out a quick smoothie, dark leafy greens are a great food to add to your meal before your aero yoga swing workout.
Greek Yoghurt
Plain, Greek yogurt contains 14g of protein, 19g of carbohydrates, and 137 calories per serving. Therefore, it will supply your body with the necessary proteins and carbohydrates, needed after a workout.
Also, yogurt protein will promote water absorption in your body while balancing the sodium levels, thus helping to keep your body hydrated. Plain yogurt also contains healthy bacterial cultures, which will help to boost your digestive system, thus promoting better food absorption.
Yogurt is best used as a post-workout snack. And you can combine it with frozen or fresh fruit, to provide your body with the necessary amino acids needed for recovery.
Seeds
While seeds may appear tiny, they contain a high concentration of minerals, vitamins, essential oils, enzymes and proteins. So, if you are looking for high-quality, healthy and nutritious snacks to add to your yoga diet, then you should consider seeds.
The benefits of adding seeds to your aero yoga swing workout diet include:
Great Source of Proteins
Seeds can supply your body with the proteins it needs. And as you probably know, the protein will help your body to repair damaged muscle while playing an important role in the maintenance of muscle mass.
Hemp seeds, in particular, are packed with high amounts of protein, as well as up to 9 essential amino acids, which your body cannot produce. You can eat hemp seeds alone, add them to your salads or mix them with your post-workout yogurt.
Great Source of Fiber
Seeds are also a great source of dietary fiber, which will fill you up and keep you feeling satisfied for longer.
Also, it will help in digestion, by promoting healthy bowel movement. You can add them to your pre-workout smoothies, thus releasing energy slowly during your aero yoga workout at home.
Nuts
Apart from being tasty and delicious, nuts are easy and convenient to add to almost any type of diet, whether you follow the vegan or keto lifestyle.
And despite their high-fat content, nuts offer a wide range of benefits, making them a great addition to your yoga diet. Some of the best nuts for an aero yoga diet include:
Almonds
Almonds are one of the most popular nuts in the world. They are rich in healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. When you incorporate almonds into your eating routine, they will promote bone health, enhance digestion, regulate blood pressure and boost energy.
They also come with anti-inflammatory properties, which will help to minimize muscle soreness after your yoga swing workout. The best way to eat almonds is unsalted and raw.
You can include them in your smoothies and salads or use them as a topping for your yogurt.
Walnuts
Walnuts are one of the few nuts that can provide a great supply of alpha-linolenic acid, which is the plant equivalent of omega-3 fatty acids. Also, they help the body to produce nitric oxide, which is vital in maintaining proper dilation and elasticity of blood vessels.
Furthermore, a 1-Oz serving of walnuts contains 185 calories, 4g carbs, 4g protein, and 19g fiber, making them a great pre-workout snack.
Due to their bitter taste, it’s highly recommended to add them to Greek yogurt, together with some honey. This combination will cover up their bitter taste while supplying your body with the energy and nutrients needed for your aero yoga swing workouts.
Avocado
Popularly known as a super-food, avocado is nutrient-dense, and possibly one of the best foods to add to your aerial yoga diet.
It’s rich in minerals, vitamins, and healthy fats, among other key nutrients. No wonder yogis all around the world are always eating avocados!!
Avocadoes also contain anti-inflammatory properties, which will come in handy after an intense antigravity yoga workout. Also, they will promote blood circulation, aid in digestion, and regulate blood pressure.
Furthermore, the vitamin B present in avocado will help your body to assimilate other nutrients and carbohydrates you’ve consumed during the day, thus helping your body to maximize your aerial exercises.
Eating a serving of avocado on toast an hour before your yoga hammock workout will provide your body with the energy it needs when you are exercising.
On the other hand, eating avocado after your workout will help to repair the muscular damage that your body has experienced during the workout session.
Avocados provide the perfect pre and post-workout meal.
Watermelon
Even if you are a seasoned aero yogist, inversion poses like the downward dog, the headstand and the handstand can leave you feeling dizzy, sometimes due to dehydration or low blood sugar.
On the other hand, you don’t want to go for your aerial yoga sessions on a full stomach, as you will find it extremely hard to execute the various poses and quite uncomfortable too.
This is where watermelons come in!
Considering they are primarily made up of water, consuming a watermelon before your yoga swing workout will help to prevent hunger and dehydration, without weighing you down.
Watermelons also contain quick-digesting carbohydrates, which will provide your body with the energy it needs to fuel your workout and naturally perk up your blood sugar levels.
Bananas
Bananas contain complex carbohydrates, which will provide your body with the energy needed for your workouts. It’s also rich in potassium, which promotes proper relaxation and contraction, thus helping to prevent muscle cramps.
Simply put, bananas are great for your aero yoga practice, since they will give you the extra boost that you need to go through your workout of the day.
You can either eat bananas alone or use them to make a smoothie, which you can then combine with your yogurt and/or seeds and nuts.
Broccoli
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower are rich in Vitamin A, C as well as folic acid. Incorporating broccoli into your yogic diet comes with a wide range of health benefits.
Broccoli contains vitamins B, K and E, as well as potassium, fiber and calcium. These vitamins and nutrients will work together to strengthen your bones while keeping your heart healthy.
Adding in broccoli and cauliflower may prove to be a challenge at the beginning, especially if you are not used to consuming them, however they really do go with so many dishes, that you may find a few new favorites.
Beetroots
If you have ever used beetroots in a salad or extracted juice from them, you probably noticed the intense red color. Well, the red color is due to an antioxidant known as Betalain.
Thanks to this antioxidant, beetroots will provide great protection against inflammation. And since they are rich in vitamins C, B and A, beets will also help to boost your immune system, while also helping you to lose weight.
So, if losing weight is the reason why you started doing your aero yoga practice, then you should consider adding beets to your yogic diet.
The Aero Yoga Diet
Whether you are doing antigravity yoga to improve your body’s flexibility, release tension, enhance your core strength or improve your breath awareness, it’s vital to follow a yogic diet.
Ensuring that your diet is balanced and filled with nutritious foods high in vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, natural sugars and healthy fats will help to keep you satisfied, properly nourished, energized and grounded.