Recovery after hard exercise
Mad cow triathlete, Carol Rewick is a consultant dietitian for fitness clubs,
corporate wellness programs, media, and personal clients. Carol offers more
than a decade's experience providing counseling on a variety of nutritional
topics. She is also co-founder of Runningforwomen.com - an excellent
resource for healthy lifestyles
To meet the demands of strenuous exercise, you should not only fuel your muscles up prior to exercise, but also refuel them immediately after as well. By choosing foods high in carbohydrates and complimenting them with lean protein you will recover faster and minimize chronic fatigue. Here are a few hints on how to integrate an optimal recovery diet both post-training and post-competition:
- Eat a carbohydrate rich meal as soon as tolerable after a hard workout. Your muscles are most receptive to storing carbohydrates as glycogen within 60 minutes after finishing. This recovery meal is particularly important if you train twice per day. A goal of .5 grams/pound body weight of carbohydrate is ideal (200-400 calories). Suggestions include: 1 cup oatmeal with milk and a sliced banana on top, 2 slices whole wheat toast topped with jam and peanut butter, Smoothie (1 cup fruit juice, 1 frozen banana, 1 cup vanilla yogurt and ice, blended), or 1 cup rice with vegetables and chicken.
- Include protein in the post workout meal to begin the muscles repair process (as above). Muscles are continually stressed during exercise and need constant repletion of protein to make them stronger and less injury prone.
- Continue to drink enough fluids to quench your thirst- and then MORE!! If you have become dehydrated, it can take up to 48 hours to completely replace this fluid. You should continue to drink fluids until your urine is clear-colored and of significant amount. Try to focus on fluids which do not contain caffeine.
- Drink natural juices after exercise to increase the amount of vitamins and minerals. 1 cup of orange juice has 20 more times potassium than 1 cup of "sports drink". Commercial sports drinks are more dilute because they are made for during exercise. Use your favorite sports drink during your long workouts, but try a natural juice for recovery.
- If you are craving salt, include some in your post-exercise meal. Salty foods such as canned soup, pretzels or sandwich meat is generally enough to replace what you have depleted. You lose salt through your sweat, but generally are not at risk of depletion unless you are exercising in hot conditions for greater then 4 hours and not replacing it during exercise (through sports drinks, gels or sodium tablets).
- Rest your muscles to allow them to store glycogen. Endurance athletes often have trouble taking a day (and definitely not 2 days) off. Remember rest is an important part of both the training and recovery program. You are not being lazy if you take a day off- you are improving your ability to perform in the future.
Good luck and happy training!!