What should you eat and drink after training?
Martin Hedegaard
Refuel and replenish after exercise. Herbalife Nutrition nutritionists share their tips on how to care for your body after exercise.
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 accomplished athletes get into the habit of weighing themselves before and after exercise to figure out how much fluid to replace.
For every 500 g you lose during activity, you should drink approximately 400-500 ml of fluid (or approximately one liter of fluid per kilogram of weight being controlled).
What should you drink after exercise?
Water is really good as a fluid replacement since you eat afterwards — which means you get carbohydrates and sodium (and probably some potassium) from your foods.
Sports drinks are great because they not only provide fluids and carbohydrates (some even contain a little protein — which your body also needs), but also the right balance of salts that have been lost through sweating.
And they usually have a light, sweet taste that often prompts 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 grams of carbs for someone who weighs 150 pounds. Healthy carbs — fruit, whole grains, and the natural carbs in dairy products — are a good place to start when you need something to eat after a workout.
Your body needs carbohydrates after exercise
A little protein is also important when the body is recovering. It helps stimulate muscle repair and growth after exercise. It doesn't take much — about 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 sandwich with whole grain bread, 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 pay attention to this "metabolic window" — 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 provide energy to working muscles during the next period of activity.
Susan Bowerman is the Director of Nutrition Training for Herbalife Nutrition. Susan is a registered dietitian and certified specialist in Sports Dietetics.