How To Keep Your Mind And Body Green After A Workout
Refueling after exercise gives your body what it needs to recover
In my journey from fear-based running to moving peacefully and resting guilt-free, I had to face and feel different emotions. I had to challenge and change many outdated beliefs. I had a lot of support and a lot of motivation. I wanted peace.
I thought I was going to get it from running and eating clean, but this trail was stressful and scary.
As I expressed my emotions and questioned my beliefs, I discovered what I really yearned for was nothing to run away from.
Often I ask my clients, “If you knew you could never gain or lose a pound until the day you died, how much would you exercise?” How often would you rest? Faces soften, deep breaths taken. I hear reactions like, “I would slow down.” “I would be resting when I don’t feel like exercising.” “I will stretch and dance — and take a nap.”
When exercise is no longer tied to self-hatred and weight, we can begin to follow our body’s natural signals, move as we want and rest without the slightest shame.
The nutrition and fitness industry may not have taught us how to eat, exercise, and rest without guilt or fear, but we can learn if we trust our bodies and intuition.
P.s: If you want to put on muscle, increased calorie intake is important. As a tip — grab my free weight loss diet plan. You can also slowly increase your current meal portion, most importantly don’t skip meals if you want to loss weight.
Post-workout nutrition is a wonderful part of post-workout recovery, but what you eat after a workout — and when to start refueling — isn’t as clear-cut as you can imagine.
This is because many misconceptions exist, due to both outdated information and the belief that some people have that their training should be used as punishment to “pay off’’ certain habits.
For example, some people think they should drink a protein shake before they even cool down after their workout, while others avoid carbs afterwards.
Good nutrition after a workout is really important, as is refueling before a workout. Your goal by eating ahead is to provide your body with the fuel it needs to complete your workout (without upsetting your stomach).
During this time, the most important things you hope to achieve by eating after a workout are good recovery and refueling for future workouts.
It’s no surprise that there are many misconceptions about what to eat after a workout. But the best way to refuel your body doesn’t have to be very complicated.
Here, the best post-workout nutrition to eat immediately after a workout —including protein, carbohydrates, hydration, liquid nutrition, and more.
1. Drink plenty of water for hydration
Many people are already not optimally hydrated during the day, which increases the risk of dehydration during exercise. This can be a problem, as dehydration during exercise can make muscle soreness worse after exercise.
According to experts, losing just 2% of your body weight in water indicates dehydration. So if you normally weigh 150 pounds, losing more than 1.5 pounds between the beginning and the end of your workout means you are officially dehydrated. Each pound lost equals about 16 ounces of fluid lost.
To fully replenish lost fluids, you should drink about 1.5 times more than what you lost during your workout, she says. And yes, if you want to get technical you can undress before and after your workouts and weigh yourself naked to see how much you’ve lost so you can know exactly how to replace it, but only if you find it helpful and not possibly trigger or too intense in any way.
An easier way to keep track of your post-workout hydration is to pay attention to the color of your urine. If the color of your pee after the workout is darker than it was when you started, or if anything is darker than a light yellow or straw color, start sipping.
2. Eat plenty of protein every few hours.
Experts once believed in the “anabolic window,” a short period immediately after your workout in which your body could absorb nutrients and use them for recovery, such as building muscle. This is why many people thought they should drink a protein shake before even gaining weight. After all, getting enough protein after a workout -strength or cardio- promotes muscle recovery and growth.
Consume between 0.40 and 0.55 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight four times a day. For a 150-pound adult, that’s four meals each containing about 27 to 38 grams of protein.
So what does this mean to you? After a workout, you should try to add a solid amount of protein to your next snack or meal, but don’t rush. You can get in a cup of Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese, 3 eggs, protein shakes with a spoonful of protein powder. And try to put protein at the center of other meals and snacks throughout the day.
3. Take a cup of green tea
Green tea is the new green juice. Green tea is more than just a tonic that contains caffeine and burns fat, green tea contains powerful antioxidants that help metabolize fat and fight exercise-induced free radicals that would otherwise cause inflammation and muscle pain.
A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that men who drank yerba mate tea (200ml three times a day) were able to recover from eccentric exercise much faster than if they drank water alone.
It could come down to compounds such as phenolic antioxidants, which are naturally found in the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis shrub where Yerba mate comes from. Since yerba mate also contains natural stimulants, drinking it before a workout can also help boost your energy.
Heat a liter of water to a boil. Place in a jug with 4 green tea bags or 1 tablespoon of matcha green tea. Let it steep in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and then add the juice of one lemon. Pick up a cup after you hit the weight room.
Green tea is a post-exercise drink with benefits that extend far beyond the gym. One of the most important compounds, Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), has been shown to help treat a number of chronic inflammatory diseases, from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease.’
4. Don’t forget chocolate milk
Chocolate milk gives you all the hydration you need, as well as nutrients to help you recover. Of course, the water will hydrate you very well after a light workout.
Chocolate milk is a great recovery option. You get a lot of fluids, but also carbohydrates and proteins. Recent studies have shown that drinking chocolate milk after exercise is beneficial due to its protein content.
Each cup of chocolate milk contains between 8 and 11 grams of protein. Experts say that ideally, you want to consume between 15g and 25g of protein after a workout, which equates to between 500ml and 750ml of chocolate milk.
Compared to regular milk, water or most sports drinks, it has twice the carbohydrates, ideal for tired muscles. The high water content replaces moisture lost through sweating and helps prevent dehydration.
In addition, it supplies the body with calcium, vitamin D, sodium and sugar, which help you retain water and regain energy. Milk also contains important nutrients that sports drinks cannot match. Make a batch at home. It only takes 15 minutes and you can add a cup of sweet potatoes for the ultimate recovery drink.
5. Increase your carbohydrate and calorie intake
All workouts burn carbohydrates and calories. It is the duration and intensity of your workout that determines the number. The longer and harder your workouts, the more calories you need for energy and recovery, especially carbohydrates to keep your blood sugar and glycogen -carbohydrates stored in your liver and muscles- at healthy levels.
“Remember that carbohydrates are your body’s main source of energy, and replenishing yourself after exercise is essential.”
Adding extra carbohydrates becomes important if you are continuously exercising at high intensity — for example, running or doing squat jumps— for more than an hour. In this case, you may need higher than normal carbohydrate rich snacks, meals or drinks after exercise to replenish your glycogen levels.
Consuming 40 to 60 grams of carbohydrates combined with about 20 grams of protein will likely do the job for most people.
In addition, the longer and harder you train, the faster you want to replace those carbohydrates. Good carb options include fruit, chocolate milk, juice, bread, pretzels, crackers, toast, pasta and potatoes, smoothies are great to replenish burned out energy.
If you come out of a moderate-intensity 30-minute workout and you aren’t feeling hungry, you should be totally okay with waiting for your next meal. When you’re hungry, grab a snack and look for options that include both carbohydrates and protein.
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