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In order to get the most out of being active, everyone needs to eat properly to help their body recover from the wear and tear of exercise. Here are six rules to follow, and how to avoid excesses, that you must follow to know what to eat after exercising.
30 to 60 minutes after exercise
If you’ve had a heavy workout, try to eat a “recovery” meal as quickly as possible. Exercise tightens your muscles, joints, and bones, and your body “consumes” nutrients during workouts; so the post-exercise foods are all to regain what you’ve lost, and get what you need for repair and healing.
In fact, recovery is what really allows you to see results in terms of building strength, endurance, and muscle tissue. By not recovering properly you may feel weaker and as you go through your next exercise sessions you will feel worse, and you may even be at risk of injury.
Thinking beyond protein
Protein is a building block of muscles, so it is very important to consume it after exercise, but an ideal recovery meal should also include good fat (also necessary for muscles and joints), as well as a lot of rich products in nutrients, and a healthy source of starch such as quinoa, sweet potato, or beans.
These foods replenish the nutrients that have been “burned”, and provide energy to fuel your post-exercise metabolism. A great post-workout meal could be something like a smoothie made with either pea protein powder or organic whey protein, smoothie with fruits, green leafy vegetables, almond butter or coconut oil, and the oatmeal or quinoa, or an omelet made with one organic whole egg and three white eggs, along with vegetables, avocado, and black beans.
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They must be realistic
The phrase “you are what you eat” couldn’t be more true. The nutrients in the food you eat are the foundation for the structure, function, and integrity of each of your cells. Your body must continually recover, heal, and rebuild itself, and the health of your new cells is directly determined by how well you eat.
So if you like to burn a lot of calories, avoid processed foods and eat nutrient-dense foods, whole grain diet foods can help you get the most out of all your work.
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Do not eat in excess
If weight loss is one of your goals, it is important not to overestimate the amount of food in excess. In fact, it’s incredibly easy to “eat back” all of what you’ve burned. For example, in a one-hour session, an average woman burns about 490 calories.
If that woman consumes 500 calories in her diet, she would be losing the exercise she did. You may even be tempted to add some extra almond butter, or be less mindful of your oatmeal or fruit servings, and the extras can add up.
Rehydrate
If you sweat a lot or your workouts last more than 60 minutes, you may need a sports drink instead of water during exercise. These drinks are designed to keep you well hydrated, as well as provide electrolytes to replace those lost in sweat (such as sodium, which makes sweat salty; and potassium, which helps regulate your heart rate), as well as a fuel to continue training.
If your workout is less intense, shorter, or not as sweaty, water alone would be fine. The general rule of thumb is to drink at least two glasses of liquid (16 ounces) two hours before exercise, another two glasses 15 minutes before, and one glass every 15 minutes during.
After exercise, two glasses of water for every pound of body weight lost, and monitor the color of your urine – if you are well hydrated it should be pale.
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Control your alcohol intake
Many athletes and active people I work with enjoy drinking a little alcohol after exercising. Alcohol in moderation is fine, but be sure to eat first to start the recovery process.
Also, it’s important to know that alcohol has been shown to accelerate muscle loss after exercise and loss of muscle strength by up to 40%. It can also interfere with the replenishment of glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrates in your muscles.
Less glycogen can translate to a lack of power or endurance during the next workout, so the goal is moderation.
