post workout nutrition

it's hard to ignore the abundance of ads surrounding post workout nutrition.  eat this!  drink that!  but, what does your body really need after a workout? and more importantly, WHY does your body need it?  by understanding why your body needs certain nutrients to recover from a workout, you're more likely to make sure that your body gets what it needs.  so let's expose the nitty gritty of what goes on with your body during and after your workout and what you can do to replenish.

after your workout, your muscles are torn, glycogen (energy stored in muscles) is depleted, and your body may be in a process of catabolism (tissue breakdown).  have no fear, providing your body with the nutrients it needs can stop all of these processes.  studies have shown that carbs are more efficiently stored as glycogen post workout and protein synthesis (building of new muscle) is accelerated.  obviously, we need to take advantage of this crucial time and feed the body exactly what it's craving..carbs and protein!

those who ingest carbs and protein after their workouts have higher levels of growth hormone and insulin than those who only drink water after exercising.  these two hormones are essential for muscle growth.  carbohydrates increase the levels of these hormones and prevent protein from being broken down and excreted.  your body is also able to absorb and utilize amino acids (building blocks of protein) better after a workout.

now that you know why you need to do it, let's get started on how to do it.  immediately after your workout, drinking water is essential.  our bodies are 80% water.  not only do we lose water when we sweat, but water is also lost the harder our muscle work.  our bodies need water in order to form and burn the energy within our cells.  next are the carbs.  by ingesting fast acting carbs, we can quickly raise blood sugar levels and get nutrients to our muscles as fast as possible.  these carbs should have a high glycemic index.  finally we finish with protein.  preferably, both your protein and carbs should be in liquid form so they can be ingested and absorbed quicker.  my favorite post workout treat is chocolate milk.  8 ounces of skim milk and 2T of Hershey's chocolate syrup.  for about 190 calories, 37 grams of carbs, and 8 grams of protein, this is the perfect post workout recovery source.