What should you eat and drink after training?
Martin Hedegaard
Replenishment of fluids and salts after exercise
When you exercise, sweating causes you to lose important body salts - such as sodium and potassium - which then need to be replaced. Many skilled athletes make a habit of weighing themselves before and after exercise to find out how much fluid they need to replace. For every 500g you lose during activity, you should drink about 400-500ml of fluid (or about oneml of fluid for every gram you lose from the start of your workout to the end of your workout).
What should you drink after exercise?
Water is a great fluid replacement after you eat - meaning you'll get your carbs and sodium (and probably some potassium) from your food. Sports drinks are great because they not only provide you with fluids and carbs (some even have a little protein - which your body needs too), but also the right balance of salts lost through sweating. They also tend to have a light, sweet taste, which often encourages you to drink more.
Your body needs carbohydrates after exercise
After a hard workout, your body has burned a lot of carbohydrates, which are the primary fuel that keeps your muscles going. It's therefore important to refuel as soon as you can. The recommended amount is approximately 1.4 g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight.
That's about 100 g of carbohydrates for people who weigh 75 kg.
Healthy carbohydrates - fruit, whole grains, and the natural carbohydrates in dairy products - are a good place to start when you need something after exercise.
Your body needs protein after exercise
A little protein is also important when the body needs to recover. It helps stimulate muscle repair and growth after
exercise. It doesn't take much. 10g of protein or so is enough. The ideal post-workout meal or snack contains a combination of healthy carbohydrates and protein, which is why athletes often choose foods such as a whole-grain sandwich, a bowl of yogurt with fruit, a protein shake with milk and fruit, or specially formulated recovery drinks.
Meal timing is important after exercise
When you exercise, your muscles become very sensitive to the nutrients available - and that sensitivity lasts for a limited period of time. That's why many athletes who want to optimize muscle recovery are aware of this "metabolic window," which is the period of time of about 30-45 minutes after exercise when you should try to eat your carbs and protein.
During this critical period after exercise, your muscle cells are more sensitive to the effects of insulin—a hormone that helps transport amino acids (from protein) into your cells. Insulin also works to drive carbohydrate into the cells, where it is stored in the form of glycogen. This store of carbohydrates can then be used to fuel your working muscles during the next period of activity.
Written by Susan Bowerman , Director of Nutrition Training at Herbalife Nutrition. Susan is a registered dietitian and certified specialist in Sports Dietetics.