What you eat after a workout matters! No matter what time of day you exercise, the key is to follow up with meals that combine protein, which helps your muscles recover, and carbohydrates, which replenish energy stores. Choosing the right post workout "meal" is just step one of the recovery process, says Karp. Besides what you use to re-fuel, when you do it is just as important. Recent research points to the importance of a post-exercise "meal" within 30 to 60 minutes of working out, at the point when muscle glycogen (energy) stores are at their lowest. "I generally recommend eating or drinking something in the first 20 minutes after a workout," said Mike Huff, coordinator of the Duke University Sports Performance Program. "At that point, your muscle fibers have been depleted and they're ready to suck something up."
Before your stomach recoils, take a look at chocolate milk's ingredient list. For a high-endurance athlete, Stager's team sees it as a catch-all workout recovery drink. Compared to plain milk, water, or most sports drinks, it has double the carbohydrate and protein content, perfect for replenishing tired muscles. Its high water content replaces fluids lost as sweat, preventing dehydration. Plus it packs a nutritional bonus of calcium, and includes just a little sodium and sugar — additives that help recovering athletes retain water and regain energy.
Hard-boiled eggs are naturally high in protein. You need protein to build muscle mass, but it also helps repair all tissues in your body and provides structure for cellular walls. Your diet should consist of 10 percent to 35 percent protein, or 50 to 175 grams for someone following a 2,000-calorie diet, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. One large hard-boiled egg provides more than 6 grams of protein.
You can’t go wrong with a sandwich after a workout―it’s got everything
in a hand-held package. Low-sodium cold cuts provide some salt to help
replace what’s lost in sweat during exercise. Tomatoes add freshness and
a boost of vitamin C. You can easily substitute 100 percent whole wheat
bread in this recipe to boost the fiber content. Grill it up ahead of
time and pack for lunch, or whip it up in minutes for an easy weeknight
dinner..
You see, for about an hour after your workout, there's a window of opportunity when your muscles are literally starving for nutrients. We call this the golden hour. And the meal you eat at this time is the most important for building muscle and replenishing energy sources.
The first thing your body needs is a nice fresh supply of amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are used by your body for making muscles, hormones, neurotransmitters, bones and all sorts of other important things. Exercise depletes critical amino acids such as glutamine, valine, isoleucine and leucine–and the way you replenish your body's supply is with protein. That means meat, chicken, eggs, fish or whey protein powder (even soy protein powder, though I don't like that as much as whey).
The second thing you need is some carbohydrates. Exercise draws upon your body's stores of glycogen, which is the storage form of sugar. Glycogen waits in the liver and the muscles for a signal that sugar is needed: "Hey, she's exercising, let's give her some fuel!" Your body can hold about 1,800 calories of sugar as glycogen, which is plenty to fuel any workout short of a marathon, but athletes do best when their glycogen stores are full, so unless you are on a carb-restricted diet, some slow-burning carbs after working out is a good idea. (Hint: The best carbs are oatmeal, brown rice, grains like quinoa or amaranth, and all vegetables and fruits).
Protein makes sense after a workout, since it contains amino acids that
help build muscle. "Your muscles are depleted of amino acids after a
workout, so you need an adequate supply
of protein to help build them up," says Reisinger. Low-fat yogurt can
pack nearly 15 grams of protein & add some berries for
carbohydrate-driven energy.
Drink fresh orange juice after your workout. One cup of orange juice has 124 mg of vitamin C, 112 calories and 20 g of sugar. One cup of fresh orange juice has enough vitamin C to give you the recommended dietary. Drink bottled orange juice made from concentrate. This is a great option if you cannot easily bring fresh orange juice with you. You can find bottled orange juice made from concentrates in many vending machines or you can carry it with you. A 4 oz. bottle has approximately 40 mg of vitamin C.
