Exercise

Exercise Nutrition – Eating After a Workout

November 25, 2009
By Chris Walden

Just the Right Amount
All the “experts” debate whether or not eating before a workout is important, but most believe that post-workout nutrition is absolutely needed for maximum effectiveness. After a vigorous workout your muscles are in need of quality foods and are perfectly receptive during this window of opportunity. The increase in activity of enzymes makes it the right time for protein to help build muscles and sugars for replenishing energy. When considering the right carbohydrates, you should include a varied mix of low, medium, and high GI(glycemic index) carbs. This will allow you to get a quick boost from the simple sugars and then a longer lasting energy from the more complex carbohydrates. A common way to measure the balance of carbohydrates and proteins you should have is by combining 4 parts of carbs for each part of protein you eat or drink.

Timing is Everything
It’s important not to wait too long before getting these nutrients after a work out. You generally want to eat within the hour, I prefer 30 minutes or less. Solid foods take a while to digest, especially proteins which can take over 3 hours to fully assimilate. This is why protein shakes and bars have become popular, because the whey proteins often used in these products are much more bio-available during that window, and they are also very convenient to use. Lets face it, the last thing you want to do after a workout is cook! As with any product, the competition between protein shake vendors is fierce and each will say they are the best for one reason or another. Just be diligent is seeking out products with the highest quality ingredients and ones that fit that 4:1 ratio.

Putting it All Together
I will use shakes and bars if I’m in a hurry, but I would rather make my own so I can control exactly what I want, and use the freshest ingredients possible. I use no-sugar protein mixes which use stevia as a sweetener. I will then use whatever fresh or frozen berries we have on hand with rice milk or skim milk, yogurt or kefir. Quality and low-fat ingredients is what I go for and it only takes 3 minutes to make one. My shakes are not 4:1 every time, but they are close and far better tasting than any commercial product you will find. I also put a good quality green powder in it to provide my body with even more nutritionally dense food. Whether you buy or make your own, the point is to follow these basic guidelines in terms of quality, ratio, and time frame. Now go out there and get sweating!

Chris is a stay-at-home dad who enjoys topics on fitness and nutrition. You can check out his latest website over at http://www.olympicweightsinfo.com which helps people find the best olympic weights and tips on using them.

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