Post Workout Nutrition |
4 Comments |
While many people focus on what to eat before you start exercising, I believe it is what you eat afterwards that really matters. Whether you are trying to avoid dehydration, or you find that you are really wiped out after exercising, it is important to make sure that your post workout nutrition is balanced. While each person will vary in what they need after their workout, here are just a few of the things that I have found that work for me.
First and foremost, water is essential. If you are not drinking water after your workout is all too easy to get dehydrated and to feel rundown. Make it a point to have water directly after your workout particularly if you’ve been training very hard or it is a very hot day. You may not realize just how much water you lose what you are exercising. While sport drinks can also be helpful, you need to watch out for the sugar. There really is no replacement for good clean water - especially when it comes to drinking water to lose weight.
Now let’s focus on proteins, fats and carbs. If you are on a restricted diet it can be a little difficult to know what to eat after you’ve worked out. For many, this becomes a problem because it is all too easy to cheat especially if you are extremely hungry after exercise. It is a good idea to come up with a specific plan that you can stick to and that you can fall back on even if you’re starved. Generally, most will want to limit eating fats after their workouts. In very rare cases, you may want to add some good fats. I knew a semi-professional bodybuilder once who would drink a half a bottle of sunflower oil at times. He was so in tune with knowing what his body needed to build muscle that he just rocked it out.
Since you aren’t likely a professional bodybuilder, that leaves us with proteins and carbs. Let’s focus on proteins first. One of the easiest ways to get quick protein after your workout is simply by eating a protein bar or drinking a protein shake. Look for one that will be very easy to digest so that your body can have quicker results from protein which will help you recover faster. I prefer whey protein since this is something that the body can easily digest. However, if you are allergic to whey, you may want to consider something else. It is a good idea to experiment with a few different types of fast digesting protein to see which one will work best for you.
While there are many foods that have a high amount of protein, such as tuna, they may not be as beneficial right after a workout since it does take the body longer to break them down. The key is finding a protein that your body can absorb very quickly to get the most benefits from it.
Now that leaves us with carbs. If you are on a low carb diet and trying to do strength training or vigorous exercise it can be very difficult to manage your diet and figure out what you can and cannot eat. However there are some great carbs that are very beneficial after a workout. The key is finding good carbs and stay away from the bad ones. Generally, bad carbs are the starchy ones that are found in white bread and in many cases in pasta.
Personally one of the easiest ways for me to make sure I’m getting the right kind of carbs is to eat a healthy low carb bar. It takes the guesswork out of everything and makes it a lot easier. In fact you can even find nutritional bars with a perfect balance of protein and carbs that are ideal to eat after a workout. For those that don’t have a lot of free time this is probably the easiest solution.
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This post deals with:drinking water, good fats, protein bar, proteins, sport drinks, workout nutrition, workouts
... and focuses on:Exercise, Nutrition
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October 1st, 2008 at 5:00 am
Good post; however, your pre-workout meal can be just as important as your post. Many people argue that working out on an empty stomach is best because you can burn more fat in a fasted state, but there are definitely two different schools of thought on this. Google Alan Aragon or check out his site http://www.alanaragon.com to see what I’m talking about. Also, if one is doing resistance training, then the carbs that they ingest pre or post workout are used for fuel and not stored as fat. When I was a maniacal low-carber, I was always deathly afraid of PWO carbs, which only shows that I didn’t understand basic human physiology. I strongly suggest folks play around with taking in a pre and post workout shake. Just make sure that you count the calories of the shake into your overall daily calories.
October 3rd, 2008 at 9:50 am
Hi!! Excellent post. I take care of nutrition both pre and post workout. I go for a small meal about an hour before workout consisting of carbohydrates to give me energy and lots of water to avoid dehydration. And then a quick protein drink immediately after workout and a meal full of proteins and carbs about an hour later to replenish my energy and to help rebuild muscle tissue.
October 6th, 2008 at 8:31 am
I take in the majority of my daily carbs before/during and after my main workout.
Food for function
October 21st, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Hey!Hey here is my very own drink that I take after a long run… You may try it too.. natural and your very own drink.
Ingredients:
500 ml water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lime
3-4 tbsp of maple syrup
1 tsp of sea salt
Mix all ingredients together and enjoy. It tastes amazing. For change of taste you may substitute maple syrup with pure honey.