Appropriate fueling after exercise replenishes your muscle glycogen stores, the main fuel your muscles use when exercising. You probably already know that this is critical for muscle repair and recovery, but it is also very important in reducing inflammation caused by exercise, boosting immunity, and providing energy for the rest of the day, especially if you’re exercising early. Getting your post exercise nutrition wrong can leave you exhausted and unable to exercise the following day.
When do you need a recovery drink after exercise?
A good rule of thumb to indicate when you need a post workout recovery drink is when you finish a hard workout, or event, that leaves you feeling like you’ve really done something, and you feel a bit tired and drained.
You probably won’t feel like this after an easy run, ride or causal trip to the gym.
What should you do to optimise recovery?
It is generally recommended you aim for a snack that has 3g of carbohydrate for every 1 gram of protein. The carbohydrate replaces your muscle glycogen stores, and the protein also helps with this, as well as aiding muscle repair.
However, women actually need more protein (25-30g) within 30 minutes of a hard workout according to Dr Stacy Sims, expert in female sports physiology. This supports a faster recovery in women as it prevents the muscle breakdown due to the effects of progesterone, especially in the second 2 weeks of the menstural cycle when progesterone is high.
And don’t skimp on the carbohydrate post workout under the belief that you will burn more fat and lose weight either. Insufficient post workout refuelling will only prolong the time the body is in a stressed state with elevated cortisol. When cortisol is elevated it actually prevents fat burning, and worse still it promotes muscle breakdown.
Great options for post work out recovery nutrition.
- Protein shake (milk, banana, and a good quality protein powder).
- Low fat yoghurt (protein content is often higher in low fat yoghurt) and a banana.
- Other source of lean protein with starchy root veges.
Avoid fruit as fruit is often high in the sugar fructose (banana and grapes are lower in fructose). Your liver loves fructose and will steal before it gets to your muscles.
Real food is always going to be better than processed, but if you're short on time a protein bar might be an okay option. Check the nutrition label first though!
And lastly, always make sure you follow up with a meal within 2-3 hours to really top up your muscle glycogen stores, and energy levels, so you can power through the rest of your day and the days to come!