Laura Ludwig, a captivating figure in beach volleyball, holds four European championships, a world title, and a Rio 2016 Olympic gold. Renowned for her creativity, a move named after her, and a vibrant personality, Laura’s exceptional athleticism is matched by her unique approach to nutrition. Delving into Laura Ludwig’s diet reveals the secrets behind her peak performances. While she generously shares daily nutritional insights on Instagram, her book unveils a treasure trove of genuine thoughts, tips, and experiences from her illustrious career. An essential read for every beach volleyball enthusiast, even if, like me, you resort to Google translate to read the German edition.
Exploring Laura Ludwig’s Dietary Choices Pre-2013
In her younger days until the age of 23, Laura Ludwig’s diet was carefree—eating whatever, whenever, with no regard for health. Unconcerned about the impact on her performance, she admits, ‘As long as it tasted sweet or salty, I was happy.’ Being naturally talented led to a somewhat lax attitude toward changing habits. Her teammate Sara Goller, focused on healthy meals, felt like too much effort for Laura. Snacking constantly, emotional eating, and even cola consumption were part of her routine. Winter kilos came and went, but Laura, unfazed, believed they were harmless and would shed come summer.
Altering Perspectives and Boosting Motivation: The Impact of Olympic Aspirations
The 2012 London Summer Olympics marked a pivotal moment for Laura. Inspired by the German male team’s extraordinary victory over Brazil, she aspired to become an Olympian herself. Determined to elevate her career, coach Hans Voigt devised a comprehensive plan, addressing technique, tactics, personal life, and, crucially, nutrition. At 27, shedding winter kilos became challenging, prompting Laura to recognize the need for dietary changes. Hans illustrated how weight loss could enhance her jump height, fueling Laura’s motivation to transform her nutritional habits in pursuit of her Olympic aspirations.
Learning Curve: Embracing Growth Through Trial and Error
Laura Ludwig emphasizes the individuality of nutrition—what works for one may not suit another. Following someone else’s diet might not yield the same results. Personalizing your nutrition requires time and mindful observation of how your body responds to various foods. Laura Ludwig’s dietary journey involved a trial-and-error phase, experimenting with different diets to discern what best suited her unique needs.
Dietary journey
After immersing herself in Brendan Brazier’s book, promoting a vegan diet, Laura Ludwig eagerly embraced plant-based meals. However, a severe flu prompted a reevaluation, realizing the need for careful planning, particularly regarding protein intake. Experimenting with a blood-type diet proved impractical as it clashed with her love for meat, almonds, and shrimp. Inspired by the vegan stint, she transitioned to a vegetarian diet, shedding weight and feeling more athletic. Eliminating sugar, milk, and wheat accelerated her physical transformation. Craving for meat, Laura astutely reintegrated it, achieving a balance that, coupled with strength training, made her stronger than ever before.
Laura Ludwig’s diet breakdown
Fueling Up: Pre-Workout Nutrition Essentials
Prior to her training sessions, Laura prioritizes consuming ample carbohydrates. For her morning session, she prefers a hearty breakfast like overnight oats. This includes substituting milk with oats, adding spices (cinnamon, Indian spice, ginger, and clove), incorporating seeds (chia, flaxseeds, sesame), a spoonful of nut butter, and sliced fruits. In the event of a canceled morning session, she opts for an omelet.
Optimizing Nutrition during Workouts
Throughout ball sessions, Laura relies on a carbohydrate drink to sustain her energy. She acknowledges that without it, her ‘head quickly gives up.’ Adhering to the 30-minute window rule, she ensures prompt replenishment of her energy stores post-training. Following a strength session, a protein shake is her go-to. Post-ball sessions, she opts for dates, bananas, or a carbohydrate bar to refuel.
Crafting Lunch and Dinner with Flavor and Balance
Post-workout, Laura focuses on protein and vegetables. Opting for lighter meals due to fatigue, lunch might consist of a feta salad with avocado or avocado toast with cottage cheese. Dinner typically includes meat, often lamb, paired with vegetables.
Embracing a Well-Deserved Cheat Day
Every week, Laura designates a day for indulging in foods typically off-limits. She humorously dubs this day her ‘shit day,’ eagerly anticipating these moments of culinary enjoyment
Laura Ludwig’s Diet Takeaways
Understanding Challenges: Identify and Overcome
Sweet cravings pose a challenge for Laura, especially her nemesis, chocolate. To combat this, she employs a few tactics. Firstly, she stows it away in a cupboard, out of sight. Secondly, she opts for healthier alternatives like nuts and parmesan cheese when possible. Thirdly, if the chocolate craving persists, she indulges right after a main meal, ensuring she feels full and satisfied with less. This also moderates its impact on blood sugar levels. Lastly, if the desire lingers, she enjoys chocolate guilt-free, as she believes, ‘there is nothing better.’
Savor the Moment: Indulge with Delight
Shit days’ are a strategic weapon against cravings and the sense of depriving oneself of beloved foods. The idea of not entirely forgoing items with sugar, milk, or wheat can bring a sense of ease. Limiting the availability of these foods to just one day helps curb temptation throughout the week. Additionally, there’s an advantage in not imposing overly strict dietary rules. Distinguishing foods as ‘allowed’ or ‘not allowed’ can foster an unhealthy relationship with food and induce guilt when consuming non-sanctioned items.
Exploring Fresh Variations: Embrace the Joy of Trying Something New
Laura Ludwig prioritizes a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, emphasizing the importance of diverse and enjoyable consumption. She suggests experimenting with various types of vegetables and fruits, exploring new recipes, and experimenting with different cooking methods to extract unique flavors. By incorporating new spices, the possibilities for creating healthy, vegetable-based meals are limitless.
Mindful Awareness of Physical Demands
While oatmeal remains Laura’s favored breakfast, she adjusts her morning meal based on training schedules. If training is canceled, she opts for a lighter breakfast, highlighting an intriguing concept: the physical demands on her body influence her eating habits. Before and after training, her focus is on easily digestible carbs like fruits and oatmeal. In the absence of morning training, the emphasis shifts, with less need for carb fuel and more focus on aiding recovery through vitamins from vegetables and protein from meat in lunch and dinners.
Embrace the Foods You Love
Beyond having cheat days, Laura prioritizes incorporating foods she loves into her daily menu. Recognizing meat as one of her favorites, particularly lamb, Laura understands the challenge of abstaining entirely. Therefore, she insists on integrating it into her regular meals. Opting for high-quality lamb, she prepares it at home and pairs it with a refreshing salad, avoiding the need to reserve it solely for cheat days.
Discover Your Body’s Signals
Laura, though not intolerant to milk and wheat, chooses to avoid them after noticing a dip in energy post-consumption. This decision underscores her belief in the body’s clear signals. She emphasizes the importance of listening to cues like sleep quality, wakefulness, stomach comfort, skin condition, energy levels, and mood. These cues serve as indicators of how different foods affect the body, urging individuals to cultivate the habit of recognizing these signals and linking them to the suspected food sources.
Unlocking Added Physical and Mental Wellness Gains
In addition to boasting an enviable six-pack and being one of the most athletic players on tour, Laura acknowledges that her diet impacts her on profound levels. Beyond the physical benefits of reduced stomach bloating and tighter skin, it contributes to improved sleep, a lighter feeling, and increased energy. After giving birth to her first child, Teo, Laura regained confidence in her body, attributing it to the positive feedback she receives from her body when she maintains a healthy diet. This continual positive reinforcement serves as motivation for her to persist in her dietary choices.
Navigating Challenges with Ease
Discussing the challenges of motherhood, Laura reveals the adjustment required to maintain a healthy diet when being an athlete is no longer the sole focus. In her pre-motherhood days, devoted to training and nutrition, she could fully commit to her diet. Presently, with a busier life, she faces time constraints for chopping veggies and mindful shopping, necessitating quicker alternatives. While she still adheres to most of her diet, she acknowledges an increase in cheat days since becoming a mom. Laura views these adjustments as a natural progression, harboring no self-anger and trusting the ongoing process.
Closing Reflections: Embracing Body Image with a Gentle Perspective
At every stage, Laura refrains from negative body talk. Her goal isn’t a specific scale number; rather, it’s to be the best beach volleyball player possible. Her diet stems from pushing athletic limits and nurturing a body that aligns with her goals. Reflecting on her younger self’s winter weight gain, she emphasizes it never bothered her.
This distinction between aiming for aesthetics and aspiring to be strong and feel good is crucial, particularly for female athletes. Laura’s perspective offers a refreshing outlook—she prioritizes feeling good on the court, enhancing energy, focus, agility, and mental clarity. Achieving her goal of becoming an Olympian, she inadvertently became leaner, emphasizing that appearance was never the primary objective.
