It is crucial to be aware of the many advantages of providing your body with the nutrients it needs for recovery after you have worked out because this is a subject that is frequently neglected. After a strenuous workout, your body will want new fuel to function properly. When you don’t give your body what it needs to renew, it might make you tired and slow down the recovery process. In addition, if you don’t replace what you’ve burned during your workout, your body is in danger of suffering additional trauma when you conduct your next activity.
No sensation on earth can compare to the euphoria that comes after crushing a dripping-wet, tough workout. It doesn’t matter if you’re the type of person who thrives on crushing treadmill sprints or prefers to hit the yoga mat for a vinyasa flow—when your body is flooded with endorphins, you experience a unique sensation.
Which aspect is less appealing than others? The soreness felt after exercising.
When you stress your muscles, microscopic tears will form regardless of the type of exercise you typically perform (calm down, it’s normal). According to the American Council on Exercise, such tears will initially cause you pain, but in the long run, they will help you become stronger by increasing your muscle mass (ACE).
The good news is that if you have the right nutrition after your workout, you can start avoiding the “I can’t move my arms” feeling. Consuming foods with the appropriate nutrient profiles can assist in recovery and minimise muscle discomfort the following day.
Aim to get in your post-workout food sooner rather than later, particularly within three hours of training. Because protein is most effectively absorbed when combined with a carbohydrate co-transporter, you should strive for a ratio of two carbohydrates to one gram of protein.
General Tips To Follow
1. Get hydrated
Rehydrating after strenuous exercise or any activity that causes you to sweat much is necessary. Your muscle flexibility and strength will improve, and your muscle soreness will be prevented if you replenish your fluid levels.
At least 16 ounces of water or other healthy beverages, such as chocolate milk, green or black tea, or coconut water, should be consumed daily. You might also go with a sports drink that has a reduced amount of sugar. Because of the electrolytes, such as potassium and sodium, that are found in these beverages, they can both prevent and treat muscle cramping.
Drinks that are extremely caffeinated, sweet, or alcoholic should be avoided because they might promote dehydration.
2. Eat a healthy snack
After finishing your workout, you should prioritise having a nutritious snack or meal within the next half an hour. As a result, muscle energy stores will be replenished, and the recovery process will get underway. Consume foods that provide your body with both carbohydrates and protein.
Carbohydrates help to restore glycogen levels, which in turn allows your energy levels to be recharged. Protein speeds up the healing and rebuilding of muscles and delivers the amino acids necessary for this process.
3. Do light exercise on rest days
Even though your muscles require time to recuperate after an intense workout, you can still conduct mild exercise on the days designated for recovery. Some examples of light exercise are strolling, swimming, and yoga. Participating in active recovery activities after exercise may reduce the accumulation of lactic acid, eliminate toxins, and improve circulation. In addition, altering the routine of your workouts can help you target different muscle groups and use your muscles in various ways, both of which can be beneficial.
4. Don’t forget to cool down
Always ensure that you conclude your workout with a cool-down, as this will help your heart rate return to normal gradually. Additionally, it prevents blood from pooling in the lower extremities, which is a condition that can cause you to feel faint or dizzy.
In addition to relieving tension and preventing muscle discomfort and damage, a proper cool down can help to prevent stress. To improve your health in general, you should finish with a savasana that lasts five minutes.
Muscle Recovery: 14 Proven Ways To Bounce Back
Hydrate
Water consumption is necessary for overall health as well as post-workout rehabilitation, which includes the restoration of damaged muscles. Therefore, if you are active, sweat a lot, or live in a warm climate, you should drink more water than the recommended amount of two litres per day.
Is drinking enough water sufficient if you consistently work up a sweat? A study conducted in 2004 on rehydration and recovery after exercise found that you need to ingest more fluid than the amount of fluid that you lose via sweat and consume an adequate amount of replacement electrolytes.
Most foods contain electrolytes and mineral compounds, including magnesium, potassium, calcium, and salt. These minerals are essential to the function of your neurological system, and the contraction of your muscles depletes your supply of them.
By adhering to good eating habits that include abundant fruits and vegetables, you can ensure that your muscles receive the electrolytes they need to recover.
After a strenuous workout, refuelling with some milk, coconut water, or a fruit smoothie will help you recover more quickly by restoring the electrolyte balance in your blood.
Grab a post-workout snack.
Because it gives your muscle tissue the nutrition, it needs to start the healing process, eating a snack that contains both carbohydrates and protein after your workout will assist in improving the amount of time it takes for your muscles to recover.
In the first sixty to ninety minutes following exercise, the body is most successful at stimulating muscle growth and repairing and replacing carbs. Even if this will continue for another 12 to 24 hours, you should still do everything you can to make the most of the initial 90 minutes of your recovery.
Suppose you are in a hurry and will only have the opportunity to eat for a while. In that case, you might make a protein powder shake, enjoy peanut butter or eggs on toast, make a smoothie ahead of time, have some fruit with yoghurt, enjoy some fruit with yoghurt, enjoy some fruit with yoghurt, enjoy some peanut butter or eggs on toast. The options for quick, healthy snacks to replenish your energy stores are endless.
If you adhere to a plant-based diet, you must consume a large quantity of high-protein foods such as nuts, tofu, quinoa, and beans throughout the day to supply your muscles with the nutrients they require for the repair process.
Still hungry after dinner? A meal or snack that is strong in protein taken in the evening can help bridge the gap and support muscle regeneration while you sleep.
Take a workout supplement.
Although we will always advise you to receive most of your nutrition from whole foods, some fitness instructors and athletes supplement their diets with branch-chain amino acids (BCAAs).
A study published in 2010 in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that women who consume BCAAs before an exercise may experience reduced post-workout pain and a shorter amount of time needed to repair their muscles.
Since BCAAs may be found in whole foods such as eggs, animal protein, tofu, beans, and dairy products, using dietary supplements may not have a visible effect on people who already consume an adequate amount of protein because they already consume a nutritious diet.
Warm up before resistance training.
Performing a thorough warm-up before exercising will lessen the likelihood of experiencing muscular pain and sustaining an injury.
A thorough warm-up is especially crucial before performing demanding exercises and motions such as pull-ups and deadlifts.
Make sure that your warm-up includes dynamic stretching to activate the muscles you are about to use. It will help you avoid overstretching, straining, or injuring yourself while working out.
Make time to cool down.
In addition to performing a warm-up before your workout, you can also cool down immediately following your workout. It will allow your heart rate and blood pressure to recover gradually.
Walking on the treadmill for five to ten minutes after a strenuous workout or a HIIT session that increases your heart rate is a great way to help your body cool down and recover, especially if you just finished the workout.
Static stretching, in which you retain a stretch posture, can help to enhance your range of motion and prevent you from feeling as restricted the following day. This type of stretching is performed once your heart rate has cooled down. Have difficulties sleeping? Light stretching right before bed helps you get a better night’s sleep.
Foam Roll And Stretch
Foam rolling before and after a workout can assist in increasing performance, according to a meta-analysis published in 2019 that examined the impacts of foam rolling on the benefits of foam rolling on performance and recovery.
Foam rolling and stretching can improve flexibility and help you get the most out of your workouts. Dynamic stretching, done during a warm-up, is one form of stretching.
Because hip tightness is a common problem, stretching and foam rolling will help alleviate discomfort, increase flexibility, and assist in the recovery of your muscles.
Elevate your legs
It is normal to spend most of your time with your legs down, whether seated, standing, lying down, walking, or sprinting. It is the case in all of these positions.
Raising your legs or practising the legs-up-the-wall yoga pose can help blood flow, swelling, and the circulation of physiological fluids. Unfortunately, these things can be problematic for those with varicose veins. However, some evidence is that practising soothing yoga positions can improve circulation.
Take a cool bath
Tough workouts can produce micro-tears in your muscles, leading to swelling, inflammation, and discomfort when the session is over. However, it is a natural procedure because the muscles respond to the increased workload and get stronger.
If your muscles are still uncomfortable one or two days after your workout, taking a chilly shower or bath will help reduce inflammation and support your body’s natural ability to recuperate.
Several athletes believe that cryotherapy, which includes subjecting the body to temperatures below freezing or very close to it, may help alleviate muscle soreness.
Researchers conducted a literature review in 2017 to investigate the effect of whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) on recovery after exercise. They found that WBC may improve recovery from muscle damage and that improvements in muscle pain and recovery tend to come more consistently with multiple exposures to the treatment.
If you have a particularly high level of pain or soreness that lasts more than five days, or you want to attempt a new treatment, you should always seek the advice of a healthcare professional. It is especially important if you want to try something new.
Don’t skip rest days.
In addition to getting enough sleep, prioritising your rest days can assist in speeding up the process of muscle recovery, leaving you feeling more rejuvenated and ready to take on your next activity. It is especially helpful if you’re trying to get in shape quickly.
The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recommends that if you engage in strenuous physical activity, you schedule at LEAST one day of complete rest (as opposed to an active recovery day) every seven to ten days to give your body time to recuperate and adjust to the new demands. If you feel like you need extra rest – take it. Your own body has the best intuition!
Keep moving
Between your workouts, you should do some light activity to help maintain the blood circulating throughout your body. In addition, it will bring the nutrients the muscles need to repair themselves and aid with the clearance of metabolic waste.
A research study conducted in 2018 and published in Frontiers in Physiology concluded that active rehabilitation performed within the first few days after a strenuous workout could lessen the symptoms of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
You might try to increase the number of steps you take in a day by using the stairs, stretching, or doing some of each.
Wear compression tights
Compression tights are recommended for athletes to wear immediately after strenuous exercise based on the findings of research conducted in 2019 on the impact of compression garments on recovery. The researchers found that compression garments had considerable favourable effects on performance.
Compression clothes may also assist in alleviating the sensation of muscle soreness and minimise inflammation and swelling in the affected area.
Because of the tightness of the fabric, blood flow may be encouraged to go through deeper blood vessels rather than those closer to the surface. It may assist in the removal of waste and the delivery of nutrients to the muscle fibres.
Reduce stress
Did you know that your mental and emotional health might affect the rate at which your muscles recover?
When you are under pressure, your body is preoccupied with its ability to respond to stress, and it has less capacity to prioritise the recovery of your muscles.
For four days, a study conducted in 2014 and published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research investigated whether or not prolonged mental stress affects muscle recovery, perceived energy, tiredness, and soreness following severe resistance training.
According to the findings, higher stress levels were connected with poorer recovery, while lower stress levels were linked to improved health and well-being.
The quality of your sleep, as well as your food habits, hormone levels, and overall health, can all be negatively impacted by stress. In addition, all of these factors can influence your immunological response, which is critical for the rehabilitation of your muscles.
If you’re under a lot of pressure, consider some stress-relieving activities like yoga, mindfulness meditation, or even just making time for the things you enjoy doing in your spare time. Several internal and external variables can affect your stress levels, and you should consult a healthcare expert if it is having a persistently bad influence on your day-to-day life. Your stress levels can be affected by several internal and external factors.
Follow the principle of progressive overload.
Your workout routine shouldn’t leave you feeling achy for several days following every one of your sessions. In a perfect world, a resistance training program would gradually ramp up the difficulty of each session while staying inside the participant’s safe range.
You may consistently challenge your body without pushing it past its present threshold if you follow the theory of progressive overload and apply it to your workout routine. It requires you to make consistent adjustments to your workouts’ volume, intensity, density, and frequency.
Just because your muscles aren’t sore after your workout doesn’t imply you didn’t put in the effort or that you aren’t making any headway.
Listen to your body
During or after an exercise, you may notice that specific body parts seem more constrained. How you live your life, habits, anatomy, and injuries you’ve had in the past can all contribute to the development of these imbalances.
For instance, whether you write with your right or left hand, one side of your body will typically be stronger than the other, and the weaker side may feel more constrained. It’s possible that spending all day in front of a computer has caused your shoulders to get stiff or that an old running injury has left your knees feeling weak.
After your workout, give yourself a few moments to catch your breath and tune in to how your body is responding; this will allow you to modify your cool-down routine to meet your body’s specific requirements. For example, during your next workout, you should pay attention to how a particular place that tends to get tight feels and consider devoting a little more time to stretching that area.
When you listen to your body, you’ll know when it’s time to take a break or tone down the intensity of your workouts, even if the instructions in your workout app or your fitness watch tell you to keep going.
While technology can be a helpful tool to monitor performance and fatigue, you should always consider the power of monitoring yourself. Only YOU are aware of how you genuinely feel, both in terms of how tired and hurting you are and how enthusiastic you are about your training. So be on the lookout for unmistakable indicators of burnout or overtraining, such as poor sleep, exhaustion, a decreased immune system, or frequent muscle aches and pains.
Why Eat Or Drink After a Workout?
When you engage in strenuous physical activity, your body relies primarily on its primary energy source, carbohydrates, to keep you going. Once the supply of carbohydrates already available in your bloodstream has been depleted, your body will begin to tap into your carbohydrate reserves, which are the glycogen stored in your muscles and liver. So, even though you only have a limited supply of glycogen, you should still have sufficient energy to get you through a workout.
After you have finished your workout and used up all of your glycogen reserves, it is necessary to restock them to assist your body in recovering. Refuelling with recovery foods after an exercise session will prevent low blood sugar while also providing your body with the energy it needs to continue building muscle. You risk experiencing fatigue, excessive soreness, and even injury if you don’t replace your glycogen stores.
On the other hand, eating the right foods after working out can help with recovery and give you that extra edge in your journey toward a healthier lifestyle. The meal you eat after your workout is the most important one you eat all day if you’re trying to get leaner or gain muscle.
What To Eat Post-Exercise
Consuming the right foods after your workout will allow you to get the most out of those meals’ nutrients. After a strenuous workout, you need to pay close attention to the proportions of carbohydrates, protein, and fat consumed during your recovery meal. Your body can rebuild and recover more quickly if you provide it with the nutrition it requires by consuming the three macronutrients from the appropriate sources.
The following is a description of how each macronutrient restores the body.
- Carbohydrates: Because exercise depletes the glycogen stores in your body, it is essential to put some gas back in your tank by consuming carbohydrates to keep going. Because they are easily broken down, simple carbohydrates like white rice and sugar are excellent for facilitating recovery and supplying the fuel your muscles need to avoid further atrophy. Complex carbohydrates, such as those found in vegetables and whole grains, require more time to digest but provide longer-lasting energy that can be used later.
- Proteins: Consuming adequate amounts of protein after a workout, particularly focusing on strength training, is essential for promoting muscle repair and growth. When you exercise, microscopic tears occur in your muscles, which leads to a breakdown of the protein in your body. Your body will be better able to repair the damage and build more muscle if you consume an adequate amount of amino acids from protein. To get the most out of your protein intake, you should limit yourself to low-fat proteins like fish, poultry, and Greek yoghurt.
- Fats: Although it is highly unlikely that your body will deplete its fat stores while exercising, consuming a small portion of healthy fats after your workout may provide anti-inflammatory properties that assist in recovery. After a workout, you don’t have to cut out fats from your diet completely, but you should be careful not to overdo it. Also, remember that not all fats are created equal; when choosing snacks to eat after your workout, ensure that most of the fats you consume are unsaturated.
Is There a Right Time to Have Your Post-Workout Meal or Snack?
You need to make sure that you eat your post-workout meal or snack at the appropriate time, in addition to making sure that you get the appropriate nutrients after exercising. According to the widely popular anabolic state theory, there is a limited 30-minute window immediately after working out in which the body increases blood flow and delivers nutrients more effectively.
This window of opportunity occurs immediately after working out. Consuming carbohydrates and protein during this time window is essential for maximising the rate at which muscle glycogen can be replaced, reducing the amount of muscle protein broken down, and boosting protein synthesis.
The anabolic window is still a question mark. However, many fitness and nutrition experts advocate refuelling the body as soon as possible after a workout to replenish the body and repair muscle as quickly as possible. According to research, the optimal time to eat depends on various factors, including age, individual fitness goals, and the intensity of the workout.
If you have a habit of working out on an empty stomach, you must make sure that you quickly refuel your body before the anabolic window closes. However, there is much debate regarding whether the timing is equally important to other fitness enthusiasts.
8 Do’s and Don’ts of Post-Workout Nutrition
Post-Workout Nutrition: The Do’s
1. Fuel Your Body With Protein
Your body needs the amino acids protein provides to repair the muscle proteins broken down during exercise. Stick to lean proteins such as chicken raised without antibiotics, fish caught in its natural environment, and, occasionally, a lean cut of grass-fed beef. Eggs, almonds, and cottage cheese are all excellent choices for post-workout nourishment, especially if you only have a little time to refuel after your workout.
2. Increase Your Glycogen Intake
Your body will run out of the polysaccharide glycogen if you exercise at high intensity for a long period. When you eat carbohydrates, your body secretes insulin. Insulin removes glucose from the blood and stores it as energy in the cells and muscles. When abundant fuel is available to the body, the glucose molecules begin to link up and form glycogen.
It is commonly believed that the glycogen stored in your muscles will deplete after approximately 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise. Your glycogen stores have reached their limit when you cannot complete the last repetition in a set. Consuming carbohydrates stimulates insulin secretion, which in turn stimulates the synthesis of glycogen. When carbohydrates and protein are consumed at the same time, there is a more proactive release of insulin.
3. Eat The Right Kind of Carbs
However, not all carbohydrates have the same nutritional value. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex.
Carbohydrates consumed in their whole form remain in their natural state and contain fibre, which assists the body in better regulating its use of sugar. Sweet potatoes, fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains are a few foods that fall into this category.
Refined carbohydrates are processed carbohydrates that have had their fibre removed. White bread, white pasta, fruit juices, and white rice are examples of these foods. Our bodies’ blood sugar levels experience significant spikes when we consume refined carbohydrates, which initially give us energy but then cause us to crash shortly after that and crave more sugar. So make sure you get plenty of the healthy kinds of carbs.
4. Satisfy Your Meal With Healthy Fats
After a workout, consuming high-quality fat sources is essential, but only in moderate amounts. You can feel more content with your meal and keep yourself full for longer if you consume a modest amount of fat. Because there are healthy and unhealthy fats, it is essential to ensure that you obtain your fat from the appropriate source.
When consumed in excess, saturated and trans fats, considered unhealthy fats, have been shown to raise levels of LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol in the blood. Therefore, consuming many foods high in saturated fat is not recommended. Foods like processed meats like salami and bacon, as well as dairy products like milk and cheese, are examples of foods that contain saturated fats. Avoiding trans fats at all costs is the best course of action.
Foods that contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils may contain trans fats. Fried foods, such as doughnuts, French fries, and the majority of the items sold at fast food restaurants, vegetable shortenings, cookies, and processed snack foods are some examples of these.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are the two types of healthy fats. It has been demonstrated that they bring cholesterol levels down and reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Avocados, nuts, chia seeds, and fish are just a few foods containing healthy fats.
Post-Workout Nutrition: The Don’ts
1. Stay Away From Unknown Ingredients
It is easy to need clarification about the kinds of foods that you should avoid eating after you have completed a workout. Consider the following guideline: You should only consume the components or ingredients you are sure of. The vast majority of things sold in packaging have typically been processed and contain a lot of sugar and other preservatives. If you consume something that has been processed, you should read the list of ingredients. Stay away from it entirely if there are more than three components you need to familiarise yourself with.
2. Don’t Eat Spicy Food
After a workout, you should also stay away from particularly spicy foods. Capsaicin, a powerful component that is an irritant to our bodies, is found in foods that are prepared with hot spices like chilli peppers or cayenne. Other examples of such spices include cayenne pepper. In addition, spicy food stimulates the digestive system, which can lead to symptoms such as heartburn and digestion problems, particularly after you have exerted your body and depleted its energy by working out. Because your body is currently attempting to repair itself, you must choose simple foods to break down and absorb.
3. Avoid Unnecessary Sugars
Maintain a diet consisting of real, whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and clean meats free of antibiotics and hormones. Many sports drinks, energy bars, and protein shakes on the market contain unseen components that aren’t conducive to the recuperation process. Because they are marketed toward athletes, they can be very deceptive. However, the vast majority of them are loaded with sugars that are not necessary, which makes them a poor choice after a workout.
4. Skip the Alcohol
After a workout is not the time to drink alcohol at all, alcohol inhibits the production of certain hormones that are used to help, like testosterone, which slows down the repair process of exercise-induced muscle damage. While it may sound like a fun idea to grab a celebratory drink after crushing it at the gym, the reality is that alcohol slows down the repair process. Because alcohol is also a diuretic, drinking it after a workout when you are already dehydrated will only slow down the recovery process.
Conclusion
If you want to get the most out of your workout and give your muscles a chance to recover, you need to use the recovery process that comes after it. In addition to these steps, it is recommended that you get a sufficient amount of sleep, as this will assist in improving both your performance and the recovery process. Finally, allow yourself to rest whenever you require it completely.
Develop a post-workout recovery routine that will help restore your energy levels and safely rebuild your muscles. If your post-workout routine makes you feel too carefree or disciplined, you should make the necessary adjustments.