Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout

Did you know that what you eat after your workout can impact the results of the exercise?

You first must understand how physical activities impact your body to determine why the intake of the right foods is essential after your workout.

During a workout, muscles consume glycogen, the fuel source, resulting in the partial depletion of the fuel.

When the glycogen level becomes low, some muscle protein in your body can break or damage it.

After your workout, your body replenishes glycogen stores to help repair and rebuild muscle proteins.

Therefore, you should eat the right foods after your workout to help the glycogen rebuild faster.

Given the implications, carbs and protein are the right nutrients to intake after your workout. And that will help to reverse muscle protein breakdown, enhance muscle protein synthesis, and reload glycogen stores, helping you recover faster.

The Right Post Workout Foods

The fundamental motive for eating the right foods after your workout in a fitness center is to load your body with the proper nutrients to recover quickly. In addition, the right post-workout meal intake can maximize the benefits of your workout.

You should choose foods that you can digest quickly. As a result, nutrient absorption in your body will be faster.

You can choose the following easily digestible foods:

Carbs
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Chocolate milk
  • Potatoes
  • Pasta
  • Whole grain bread
  • Fruits
  • Rice cakes
  • Rice
  • Oatmeal
Protein
  • Eggs
  • Salmon
  • Chicken
  • Tuna
  • Protein bar
  • Greek yoghurt
  • Cottage cheese
Fats
  • Avocado
  • nut butter
  • nuts
  • dried fruits and nuts

In addition to these options, you can eat a combination of those foods. Such combination food recipes can provide you with the most effective nutrients after your workout at a fitness studio.

You can consume the following food combinations:

  • grilled chicken with roasted vegetables and rice
  • egg omelette on whole-grain toast
  • sweet potato with salmon
  • tuna salad sandwich on whole grain bread
  • whey protein, oatmeal, banana and almonds
  • Fruits and cottage cheese
  • peanut butter and rice crackers
  • almond butter with whole-grain toast
  • dairy or soy milk with cereals
  • berries, greek yogurt and granola
  • banana and protein shake
  • sweet potatoes with a quinoa bowl
  • string cheese and fruit with whole-grain crackers

Roles of Micronutrients

Remember, you should consume the proper amounts of each macronutrient—protein, fat and carbs–after working out because each of them plays a significant role in the body’s recovery process.

In health clubs, instructors often discuss the need to eat food with the right nutrient mix.

If you work out in group fitness classes, you can discuss innovative combination foods with your fellow members.

Again, lady members going to women’s gyms can even take home-cooked combination foods of different recipes to eat after they work out.

Protein

Protein plays the role of muscle building. During a workout, your muscle protein breaks. So, you need to consume protein after your workout as that gives the essential amino acids to rebuild muscle.

Carbs

Carbs help refill the glycogen stores that act as fuel during your workout.

Fat

Fat also plays a vital role in the muscle-rebuilding process. Studies have shown fat can promote muscle growth.

Nevertheless, you should not fail to have a workout schedule in your life. If you have not yet started working out, you should go to a gym nearby you.

Again, if you are a lady and do not like to work out with men, you can go to a women’s gym.

Conclusion

The objective of working out is to have a fit and healthy body. But, attaining that goal will not be possible if you neglect the consumption of nutritious food after every workout. So, make it a point to consume foods loaded with protein, carbs and fat after your workout.

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