Whole Foods for Post-Workout Recovery

You might think that your actual workout is the most important part in improving body composition and performance, but really it all takes place post-workout. This is an essential time for overall recovery and getting the highest benefits from the workout you just performed. Post-workout nutrition has three specific purposes: replenishing depleted energy stores, increasing the size of muscles and repairing the damage done during the workout. During your workouts, you are actually breaking DOWN muscle and using up fuel, so it is up to your recovery plan to build it back up bigger and better than before and increase performance, while striving to remain injury-free. 

There is a "window of opportunity" during which your muscles will be most receptive of nutrients to help repair, grow and gain strength. It's important to start working on your recovery within 2 hours of your workout, ideally within 30 minutes when possible. Your body requires protein to aid in protein synthesis and carbohydrates to replace muscle glycogen and to help transport nutrients into your cells. 

These snacks/meals listed below consist of whole foods that help aid in recovery:

• Eggs - they provide 6 grams of protein and all 9 amino acids - pair it with 2 pieces of toast and a little avocado.
• Baked Potato - they provide fiber and vitamin C, which aids in the body's healing process and combats free radicals - pair it with a cup of chili on top.
• Smoothie with tart cherry juice or just the juice - tart cherry juice contains anthocyanins which helps with muscle damage, inflammation and oxidative stress - pair it with a banana, Ripple Unsweetened Pea Milk, and a Tbsp of peanut butter.
• Green salad with salmon - salmon contains lean protein and Omega-3s which reduce inflammation - pair it with your favorite veggies and dressing.
• Avocado toast - whole-grain bread replenishes carbohydrate reserves and avocados are rich in potassium which is lost in sweat and vitamin E which is an antioxidant which helps prevent free radicals from building up in the body - pair toast with avocado, swirl of olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Whole-grain cereal and milk - choosing a low sugar, whole-grain, high protein, high fiber, high vitamin/mineral cereal is a great option on the go, and Ripple Unsweetened Pea Milk helps add more protein and calcium - pair it with chopped fruit or nuts.
• Banana and nut butter - bananas contain potassium to replenish sweat and contains carbs - pair with the peanut butter for protein.

It is also important to focus on hydration and consume around 16 oz of water for every pound lost during exercise. Consume a mixture of water and electrolyte drinks if exercising for over an hour. The other part of recovery is REST. Make sure to take days off and alternate between hard and easy workouts. You deserve it and need it to perform your best.

Recovery is different for each person, so it is important to find what works best for you. If you need help coming up with a plan, please contact me! 

Note: You normally don't need any special recovery plan after a leisurely stroll, bike ride, or light workout, especially if it is less than an hour, isn't very strenuous and/or you aren't sweating intensely. Plan on eating one of the above meals or snacks as part of your normal diet and drinking water (not a sports drink) as you shouldn't require anything "extra".  If you have any questions on what you need, please ask!
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https://www.precisionnutrition.com/about-post-workout-nutrition