Nutrition and lifestyle tips for aerialists
Caption: vegetables and fruits are cut and arranged in serving dishes.
There is too much contradictory information out there about how we’re supposed to diet. The word alone can send us into a topsy-turvy tailspin, and not the good kind we need to do aerials.
But here’s the thing: You’re allowed to eat sugar. You’re allowed to eat carbs. You’re allowed to drink beer (it is a carb after all).
But if want to be at your best when you’re hanging upside down from your chosen apparatus, there are a couple of ideas that can help you maximise your training and stay healthy. Just remember: everyone’s body is different, so never put pressure on yourself to follow a stringent diet. Try things out and always do what is best for you and your body.
Protein:
If we think of our bodies as a fire, we’re going to burn far brighter if we use the right amount of fuel – because if you only use kindling you’ll burn out really fast.
Since aerials is a combination of strength training and cardio, we need protein to strengthen and repair our muscles so we can improve and perform our tricks, as well as to give us the slow burn we need to survive a floorwork or dance class.
This means:
If you’re doing a lyra or pole class where you’re focused on inverting or performing aerial tricks, you’re doing strength training and should probably eat around the higher end of the scale.
Stick to a high-protein diet for cardio.
If it’s a rest day, I usually suggest consuming between 80g–100g as a 'low protein day'. This is assuming you eat as maintenance and your goal is strength or hypertrophy.
If you’re not eating enough protein but are training a lot in the air, your body will ache more, so make sure you’re consuming the right amount.
But what does all this mean practically? The below table can help you see how much protein some key foods offer. Remember the highest sources of protein are eggs, lentils, fatty fish like salmon and tuna, as well as soy and chicken.
| Food | Portion Size | Grams of Protein |
| Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Pork, Lamb, Fish | 30g |
7g
|
| Eggs | 30g |
6g
|
| Soy Milk | 230g | 7g |
| Almond Milk | 230g |
7g
|
| Lentils | 1/2 a cup |
9g
|
| Tofu | 30g |
3g
|
| Greek Yogurt | 142g |
12–18g
|
| Hard cheese | 30g |
7g
|
| Bread | 30g (1 slice) |
7g
|
| Cereal | 1/2 a cup |
3g
|
| Rice / Pasta | 1/3 of a cup |
3g
|
| Vegetables | 1/2 a cup |
2g
|
Protein powders:
Protein powders can be a great source of protein but you need to careful of supermarket brands, as many aren’t based on science and are actually full of sugar. Don’t waste your sugar intake on dietary supplements – save it for drinking an extra glass of wine or having a delicious dessert.
Make sure you always check the labels to ensure you’re getting what you pay for. Protein supplements can be an easier way of obtaining the recommended calories above, which is often difficult for women to do with food alone. There are both
Both vegan and non-vegan options are available. Some of my favourites are:
Recipes:
Below are some protein-rich recipes for you to enjoy!
Lentil protein bowl at Pixie Nutrition. Pixie is a nutritionist who loves to debunk wellness diet myths, and she has some simple, delicious recipes on her site. (She even has a mulled wine brownies recipe.)
Jamie Oliver has some great vegetarian options packed with protein over on his site.
BBC has put together a list of high-protein dinner recipes, ranging from lasagne to chicken wraps.
Adam Liaw has a great roasted salmon recipe that is rich in protein.
Proper hydration:
Here’s an easy, very effective one. Make sure you’re drinking enough water!
According to experts, including CSIRO dietician Pennie Taylor, water intake depends on your sex, bodyweight, physical activity and the climate. The average recommended rule is 35ml of fluid per kg of bodyweight. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, live in a very hot climate or have a high-protein diet you will need to increase how much water you drink. (But remember you also absorb water through your food and other drinks.)
Keep sipping water throughout the day, especially when working out, as you’re obviously losing water when you sweat. Water loses from the skin can range from 0.3L per hour (sedentary) to 2L per hour (high intensity exercise). If you’re not replenishing your water levels you can start to feel the symptoms of mild dehydration, including impaired mood, inability to concentrate, and headaches.
NATA (national athletic trainers association) recommend athletes consume 500–600ml of water 2–3 hours prior to exercise, continue to drink on average 200–300ml every 10–20 minutes during activity – and that exercise with a duration longer than 90 minutes should include solution of rapidly digestible carbs and electrolytes (i.e., a sports drink if you're planning on doing 3 classes in a row).
Carbs are your friends:
Aerial performances are physically and mentally exhausting, requiring the use of correct technique, strength and endurance for those long training sessions and routines.
Good news? It means that you get to eat lots of delicious carbs since they are the primary source of energy for the body and you’ll need them advance your training. So let’s get to know our friends.
Complex carbohydrates (low GI) break down slowly and so release sugar more gradually into the blood. Like any good friend they hang around for a while, meaning you’ll have energy for longer and can get through continual periods of aerial training. You’ll also feel fuller for longer and so will eat less if that is your goal. Good examples include whole grains, vegetables, lentils and legumes.
Simple carbs (high GI) are, obviously, the opposite of complex carbs, meaning they take no effort for your body to process. They release sugar rapidly into the blood stream, causing a spike in energy levels that very quickly dissipates. But since we all still love them, don’t completely remove them from your diet – just make sure you moderate how often you have simple carbs and time them around your workouts so you can train more effectively.
Tip: simple carbs are great right before a performance, as they’ll give you a quick boost of energy to get you through.
Recipes:
BBC food has a range of high-protein, low GI recipes.
Jamie Oliver's brown rice and smoked salmon sushi bowls is a great low GI option.
The Glycemic Index Foundation have a range of low GI options. Have apple bircher muesli or buckwheat pancakes with berries for breakfast; or Moroccan Style Chicken With Pearl Couscous with a side of Potato Salad With Red Onion for dinner.
Inflammation:
Inflammation is a normal, healthy part of training as it’s helping your muscles heal. But too much inflammation can have negative impacts on your health and physical performance. It’s often caused by too many high-impact workouts, which is common with aerials, as well as poor nutrition and inadequate sleep.
There are things we can do to reduce this.
Ensure you’re eating enough calories. Food is fuel and will help you have enough energy to do aerials, as well as recover afterwards.
Make sure you take your rest days to give your body a chance to recover!
Eat less processed foods and sugar (I know, sad, but luckily it says ‘eat less’, not ‘don’t eat’).
Eat more whole foods, fruits and vegetables (especially leafy greens), and healthy fats (think peanuts, walnuts and almonds).
Get good sleep (see below).
Alcohol can increase inflammation and negatively impact your sleep, so be careful not to drink too much around heavy training periods. General guidelines are that a limit of .05g/kg of alcohol is unlikely to impact recovery.
Sleep:
Telling you to get more sleep will be one piece of advice that you’ll no doubt delight in following.
We all know it’s really important to get enough sleep, and to get enough of the right kind of sleep. Otherwise our energy levels can be negatively affected, and so too will be our motivation for exercise. Sleep issues can also cause hormonal problems, which can fluctuate our appetite and cause us to eat more calories than we need to, as well as decrease our ability to concentrate and negatively impact our mental health.
But what does all this mean for aerialists? Studies have also shown that better sleep in athletes means increased speed, accuracy and reaction times, while poor sleep can impact everything from speed to grip strength. As an aerialist, we can’t afford to lose concentration, and we definitely need our accuracy and grip strength to advance our training safely.
So how do we fix our sleeping patterns? Here are some tips:
De-clutter your space, as research shows that people with less mess around them sleep better at night. Put relaxing photos and candles around, take your mind off work by not having an office in your sleeping space, and ensure your bed is comfortable with fresh sheets!
Reduce your caffeine consumption, and don’t have any in the late afternoon or evening.
Melatonin is an important hormone your brain produces to help regulate your body for sleep and wakefulness, and blue light-emitting technology can prevent your body from producing it. To help fix your sleep cycle, banish screen time straight before bed (ideally an hour before you hop under the covers). Reading a physical book has been shown to beat insomnia and reduce stress by up to 68%, so this is a great alternative to your Nintendo Switch.
As cute as they are, pets can wake you up in the night and can also increase your internal body temperature. It’s better for you to have them sleep in a different room.
Bright lights throw off your sleep cycle by telling your body to wake up, so switch your overhead light to soft bedside lamps and make sure you have decent curtains to block out any streetlight.
A bedtime ritual can train your brain to drift off to sleep easier. Try stretching, doing yoga or meditating right before bed as an effective way to relax and unwind your body and mind after a long day.
Lavender was shown in one study to put your body into a more relaxed state by decreasing blood pressure, skin temperature and heart rate. Try spraying some lavender on your pillow before bed to improve your quality of sleep.
The idea temperature for sleep is between 18–22 degrees Celsius, so ensure you don’t have too many blankets elevating your core temperature overnight.
Small steps:
Regimented diets are often unrealistic and not sustainable, it depends on your own circumstances. You also want to encourage a healthy relationship with food, and not deny yourself of things you enjoy but rather having them in moderation while ensuring you’re getting all the micro nutrients you need.
Remember, you don’t have to do everything at once. Try one thing at a time, and once that becomes a positive habit, try another small step. By easing yourself into it, you’ll make it easier to transition to a healthy lifestyle that’s more likely to stick so that you can advance your training as an aerialist.
