Post-Workout Nutrition: A Primer

OK, imagine this – you’ve just spent an hour in one of our boot camps here in Half Moon Bay listening to your trainer tell you what to do and how long to do it. You’re exhausted, sweaty, and ready for a shower but you know you gave it your all and are confident that the benefits will show up over time in both how you feel and how you look.

Now normally I would agree 100% with this…..except there’s just one catch. Your investment of time will NOT yield the results you are looking for if sound post-workout nutrition is not a regular part of your fitness routine. You will essentially have wasted an hour of your time without seeing the results you deserve to see.

Now this sounds harsh, but physiologically it is the truth and no amount of extra time exercising will change that. However, all hope is not lost! In fact, there’s a very easy way to capitalize on your investment of time and effort. And I’m going to teach you how you can get the absolute best results out of the time you spend on your fitness.

(Re)build the Perfect Body
Exercise, both strength and endurance training, is responsible for countless health and aesthetic benefits. However the exercise itself is a significant stressor on your body. You get hints of this stress when you experience muscle soreness, the need for extra sleep, and an increased appetite.

These symptoms tell us that the exercise has depleted our muscles’ fuel resources, caused some minor damage, and that the muscle is in need of replenishment and repair. While the words depletion and damage may sound like negative things, they’re not if they only stick around for a short period of time. Because these are the changes that allow our muscles to adapt by getting better at the exercise demands placed on them.

Therefore if you’re doing resistance and/or endurance exercise, muscles will become depleted and damaged in the short run, but in the long run they will compensate, building up to be a stronger and more enduring machine. Exercise essentially tears down old, less adapted muscle in order to rebuild new and more functional muscle.

In particular, during your exercise session and immediately following it, exercise breaks down our muscle carbohydrate stores and our muscle protein structures. Then, the immune system comes in to clean up the mess.

And finally, signals are generated to tell the body to rebuild. Now in the same way that I need the right raw materials such as wood, nails, and concrete to build a house, your body needs the right raw materials to rebuild your muscles. And without the proper protein and carbohydrate raw materials, your body is not going to be able to effectively rebuild and improve what you’ve torn down. You’ll be left with muscles that never reach their potential.

So to realize full return on your time investment, you need to give your body the raw materials it needs after your workout, namely protein and carbohydrates.

Factors for Success
OK, so we now see that it’s very important to refuel our bodies after exercising. But what exactly happens to our muscles during our refuel and what should we be eating?

When we exercise, our muscles use glycogen resources to provide the energy for the work that we do. Carbohydrates provide a replenishment of glycogen in our muscles so that our normal functioning and repair process can take place at full speed. And as our muscles are torn down and the body starts to rebuild, significant amounts of protein are required as the basic raw material to rebuild and improve our muscles.

The exact amounts required depending on a variety of factors, but a good general rule of thumb is to include 1.2 grams of carbohydrates and .4 grams of protein per 1 kilogram of body weight. Note this is a 3:1 ratio of carbs to protein. In research, this has proven to be an optimal mix to maximize glycogen synthesis and provide the right amount of protein for repair.

One thing to note is that you should try and keep your post-workout meal fat free or low fat. Normally eating essential fats is an excellent part of a healthy diet, but for post-workout nutrition you are looking for the fastest digestion and absorption of carbohydrates and proteins you can get. Fats can slow transit through the stomach and so slow down the process of getting those raw materials to your muscles. So minimize fats during this time.

In addition to what we eat post-workout, the timing of this meal is very important as well. It is critical that your post-workout meal is taken as soon as possible after your workout. Immediately after exercise our muscles are biochemically “primed” for nutrient uptake. This phenomenon is known as the “window of opportunity” for optimizing the repair and replenishment of our muscles. However, as time passes after our workout is over, that window begins to close so that the later you eat your meal, the less effective your body will be in repairing and replenishing.

So now we know what happens to our body after a workout, why we need to refuel immediately afterwards, and the proportions of carbs to protein to optimize our recovery. But what are the best sources for meals.

Refuel the Right Way
There are generally speaking two sources of nutrition to consider for post-workout recovery: Whole foods and Nutritional Supplements.

I am a big advocate of unprocessed, untreated, unbleached whole foods as the core foundation of a healthy nutritional regemin. However in this case, I would recommend that you take a long look at liquid supplemental nutrition as a superior choice for post-workout recovery.

Now before you stop reading, please hear me out. First, remember what we are trying to accomplish to optimize our recovery. We’re looking for a specific ratio of carbohydrates to protein in specific amounts. And we’re looking for those nutrients to be absorbed into our system in the fastest way possible to take full advantage of our open “window of opportunity” and get the best results possible.

You can certainly make a homemade smoothie that contains whole foods in the appropriate proportions if you are careful with the ingredients. But you must be able to measure the carb to protein ratio to optimize the mix and a typical whole food meal will take around 2 – 3 hours to digest due to the more complex proteins and carbohydrates that will be a part of the mix.

High quality nutritional supplements provide the exact proportions you need in a formula that is already broken down and very easy to digest (can be fully absorbed in 30 – 60 minutes) and easy to adjust amounts for varying body weight.

Examples to Try
So your workout is over and it’s time to reach for your post workout meal. What do you reach for? Here are a few examples of good post-workout choices in order of effectiveness.  Ingredients for all but the first option below can be easily found at or right here in Half Moon Bay.

1. A specifically formulated recovery drink (I swear by this)
   1 1/2 servings Advocare Post-Workout Recovery drink
   
   – (330 calories) – 18g Protein, 54g Carbohydrate, 3g Fat
2. A homemade recovery drink
   • 1 1/2 cup sliced ripe banana (about 1 large)
   • 1 1/2 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt
   • 3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
   • 3 tablespoons whole wheat graham cracker crumbs (about 1/2 cookie sheet)
   • 1 1/2 tablespoon nonfat dry milk

   – (324 calories) – 15g protein, 58g Carbohydrate, 2.8g Fat

However you decide to do it, just make sure that you refuel your body with the right nutrients immediately after your workout. You will find that the results you get will improve, your muscles will be less sore, and your energy level will stay high as your body functions at its best!

To Your Health,
Diana

P.S.  What are your favorite post-workout meals?  Let me know what YOU do below...I'd love to hear from you!

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