Muscle Chow

Training hard may put some stress on your body, and as pre-workout food help you power throughout your workouts, and support your nutrition goals, what you eat afterwards will also have an impact on your body. But how can you tell if you need a post workout meal and what recovery options are best?

For the average individual, a normal healthy diet is sufficient to restore lost nutrients and aid in recovery. But, for those looking to get an extra edge on their fitness or focus more attention on their post-workout needs, the type of fuel you choose can influence how well your recovery goes.

To start, here is how each macro-nutrient plays a role in replenishing your system:

According to a study on the role of nutrients for post-exercise recovery, without adequate carbohydrates, proteins, and fluids, performance can be impaired.

Carbs

Carbs are one of your body’s well-liked sources of energy for workouts as a quick source of glucose – a sugar used in all types of training, especially high intensity, explosive movements, and heavy weightlifting.

All carbs can help you refuel however some carbs work faster than others. Some of the best post workout carbs for good nutrition and faster replenishment include white rice, potatoes, pasta, bread, fruits and oats.

Lean proteins

During workouts, your muscles suffer small tears, breaking down protein in your body. Protein intake is vital for maintaining and building lean mass in general, and can become even more important after exercise, especially strength training. If you do not provide enough amino acids through your overall diet, this might eventually cause a loss of muscle mass, strength, and negatively impact your fitness. 

Including a protein post-workout is assumed to assist repair muscle damage, leading to potential increases in strength, performance, and overall lean mass. Dairy might have some unique benefits because of its high levels of complete protein. The best protein for recovery is complete proteins that supply all essential amino acids at once. Some complete protein options are chicken, turkey, shrimp, fish, cottage cheese, tofu, quinoa etc.

Fats

You need not avoid fat after a workout; however, you probably do not want to overdo it either. You can include moderate amounts of healthy fats in your overall diet to grab the advantages of this macro and support overall fitness and health.

Healthy fats, particularly omega-3s act as powerful anti-inflammatory in our diets. And few analyses suggest they may also benefit performance recovery. Some of the best healthy fats to reach for after your training are salmon, avocado, flax seeds, chia seeds, nuts, and nut butters.

Micro-nutrients

Micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals) are nutrient dense food which assists in higher recovery, especially foods high in antioxidants like vitamin E and C. The best way to make sure you are getting a decent balance of these nutrients is to opt for more nutrient dense foods in your diet on daily bases – especially fruits and veggies.

 Here are few great nutrient-dense recovery options to consider dark leafy vegetables, carrots, broccoli, oysters, berries, dark chocolates, beans.

Stay hydrated

It is important to drink plenty of water before and after your workout. When you are properly hydrated, this makes sure the optimal internal environment for your body to maximize results. It is vital to important to drink water to replace what was lost during your workout.

Benefits of a post workout meal

Fat loss: If you maintain daily calorie control, what you eat after a workout may not significantly impact your ability to burn or loose body fat.

Muscle Gain:  Post-workout meals square measure a chance for calories and key nutrients that support your muscle building efforts. 

Improve Performance: Intake of your nutrient timing will be a key role to play here. Your overall daily consumption is much more impactful to your fitness goals than post-workout meals. And for most people, a healthy, balanced meal after the gym is sufficient to refuel and replenish your body.

Eating the right diet to fuel your body after exercise will be the most important part of achieving your goals. It will be immensely helpful to have a nutritional strategy in place to create the success of your food plan post and pre-workout. If you do not fuel properly after your workout, you might not see desired results. The post-workout meal is the most important meal of the day.

REFUEL. REHYDRATE. REST-UP