The Importance Of What To Eat After A Workout

You have just finished a grueling workout where you pushed your body to the limit. Muscles have been strained and broken down, energy levels are depleted, and you feel on top of the world! So what to eat after a workout like this? As far as your body is concerned you should be immediately refueling with high quality nutrients. But it is always best to know the reason behind doing anything.

So, what is the point to post workout supplements?

Resistance training or endurance work both put a certain degree of strain on your body. Muscle tissue is typically stressed, levels of glycogen are reduced (among others), and free radicals continue to move around and will attack muscle cells continuing muscle damage and breakdown. While that breakdown is the goal during training, post-training you immediately want to start the recovery process which rebuilds you into a stronger, more fit version of yourself as said many fitness guru like on the The CC ORG health and fitness website.

Timing is Everything

The first 30 to 60 minutes after a workout is a specific period of time in which your body is ready to shift into an anabolic state (where tissues grow and heal) if it has the proper energy available. This is a very specific time that doesn’t occur elsewhere in the day. By not taking advantage of this opportunity, studies have shown that gains and recovery will not be as dramatic. So why waste all the effort at the gym by not starting recovery quickly?

What you Take In

It’s not just when you eat, but also what you eat that spurs the most amount of recovery and tissue rebuilding response. Amino acids (protein) are critical at this stage along with good carbohydrates. You will also need to include fluids with electrolytes in the after workout plan. Multivitamins and other daily supplements, unless post-workout specific, should not be included at this time because it is better to regiment those each morning at a specific time.

Recommendations

The most popular and effective option is the protein shake for post-workout refueling. Most shakes have at least 20 grams of protein which gives you the amino acids your body needs to promote effective recovery. There are also some carbohydrates included but using a milk based shake will increase that a bit more. In addition a piece of fruit can add an extra kick with some simple energy that can be quickly absorbed by your body. You can top that off by sipping an electrolyte stocked drink like Gatorade or similar type to replenish your body’s fluids. Another good alternative is a juice shake with a protein powder addition or specially formulated carbohydrate drinks with amino acids included for post-workout recovery.

All of the above options are good choices. Due to how much faster liquids are absorbed by the body it is easier to get these important nutrients into your body quickly to make the limited window. Unfortunately that window does close rather quickly and between the time it takes to prepare food and consume it, drinking a shake ends up being a better, more efficient way to start recovery.