Tag Archives: carbohydrates
Post Workout Food
What to eat after a workout? It’s time to really think about what you’re eating because your food choices can make all the difference to your performance as an athlete. Let’s take a look at why some food is better for you at different times, particularly your post workout meals.
Want to maximize the benefits of your workout?
Choosing the right food to eat after working out is essential. Otherwise, much of your hard work will go to waste. Carbohydrates are the most important fuel for athletes, especially endurance athletes, and they are depleted during workouts.
We all have a “gas tank” of stored carbohydrates in the form of glycogen present in our muscles and liver. After a hard workout, we need to re-fuel this tank and studies show that consuming protein with carbohydrate can improve recovery times.
Recovery From Training
All athletes depend on sufficient recovery to repair damaged muscles, connective tissue, and joints, replenish depleted nutrients, and clear the body of lactic acid and other performance-damping waste products. Many athletes seem reluctant to give recovery its due, perhaps from the misguided thinking that more work is always good. But in reality, recovery is an integral component of the process of athletic training and overall fitness.
Recovery from training has the following key elements: sleep, stretching, inactivity, deep muscle work and nutrition.
Recovery is the time when the body adapts to the eustress of physical training by developing new muscle mass and restoring the body’s glycogen levels. The period directly following an intense workout is particularly important for athletic training. During this time, the body is especially drained and vulnerable to injury and exhaustion. The recovery diet should be rich in two macronutrients: lean protein and complex carbohydrates. For meals immediately following a workout, consume carbohydrates and protein together, as the carbohydrates increase protein absorption.