Vegan Fitness Tips for a Plant-Based 2020

Fitness Kings and Queens are always looking for the next on-trend way to ramp up their game and demolish their old personal records.

In 2020, why not challenge yourself to live a clean, healthy, and cruelty free lifestyle by going totally plant-based?

Sure, you may think of vegans as pretty healthy folk, but maybe you’re a little worried about losing out on some serious gains.

We’re here to put those worries to rest. Check out these kick-butt plant-based fitness and wellness tips for a healthy, productive, and active 2020 that’s totally meat and dairy free!

Clean carbo-loading

An essential part of any workout routine is the carbo-loading you’ve got to do beforehand. Especially if you’re doing distance runs, long bike rides, or swimming, you know how important it is to have a stock of carbs to burn along your way.

By following a plant-based diet, you have the opportunity to carbo-load in clean, efficient, and health-conscious ways. Instead of loading up on heavy and fatty egg noodles, try these easy essentials:

• Whole wheat pasta (usually totally dairy and egg free!),
• Whole wheat bread or cereal
• Peanut, almond, or sunflower seed butter

Burning high-efficiency grains is essential for the gains, plus you’ll feel clean and empowered as you blast past the mile markers that used to have you wheezing.

Plant-propelled protein powder

Protein powder is often made with whey powder, which is derived from milk. Sure, it’s pretty protein-dense, but it’s also ridiculously fatty, and horrible for the environment! Plant protein is a great alternative that’s healthy, eco-friendly, cruelty-free, and delicious when mixed with plant milk or water. Here are some options:

• Soy protein is inexpensive and very protein-dense, which is great for those rapid-bulking workout schedules and turbo-charged gains.
• If soy is something you’d rather have less of in your diet, more power to you. Pea protein powder is an awesome alternative that’s totally soy-free, and clean and light to the taste. Ripple’s signature pea protein is one of our favorites.
• Hemp protein is another soy-free alternative, but it can definitely run on the costlier side of things.

Simply swap out your usually protein shake for one with plant-based protein and see your results continue to build on themselves!

Beefy beefless beef

When you’re maxing out your reps at the gym and turning heads when you hit the squat rack, you probably want to finish off your evening with a satisfying, meaty, and juicy meal. Luckily, if you’re trying to opt for an environmentally conscious and cruelty free diet, you have some awesome options, so don’t worry that ditching meat means ditching all that succulent meatiness. Try out some of these delicious choices:

• Beyond Meat’s classic burger, which grills just like a traditional patty and is just as juicy, meaty, and satisfying.
• Field Roast sausages, which are made from wheat protein and snap and sizzle like the real deal.
• Delicious meat-free crumbles, available from a number of trusted brands.

Satisfy your meat urges with any of these options, and continue seeing your body bulging with strength.

Rapid recovery

What do distance runners, weight trainers, body builders, swimmers, and sprinters all have in common? That’s right: they need some bomb recovery basics to make sure their bodies are keeping up with the strain they put them through. Going plant-based opens new doors to try awesome recovery basics, like these:

• 100% vegan gummies by CBDfx, which can calm your mind and muscles after a killer workout routine
• Delicious and nutritious oak milk from Oatly, which goes great with your cereal cravings or as a base for plant-based chocolate milk
• Sports drinks like the classic Gatorade are totally vegan, so go ahead and guzzle it down with no regrets!

Guilt-free gear

Lastly, you’ll need to focus on gear. Your main worry when going plant-based and looking for gear is likely to be leather, as many products are made from the torn skin of slain beasts. \

However, these days there are tons of awesome high-tech and totally synthetic options, so you can feel guilt-free when you purchase items such as sustainable shoes.

Here are some examples:

• Stretch fabrics with some percent elastane, which move and grove with you on the go
• Engineered mesh materials, perfect for breathability
• EVA foam, which often comprises the soles of running shoes
• Thick, sturdy faux-suede, which can be used for the upper layers of hiking and running boots and shoes.

This year, take your fitness to the next level with plant-based grub and gear!

About Shannon Clark

Shannon holds a degree in Exercise Science and is a certified personal trainer and fitness writer with over 10 years of industry experience.