You just got done with an intense workout and are exhausted. Even though your workout is done you are not! You have to refuel your body, which is one of the most important parts of your workout. But how? How can you properly fuel your body to get through the rest of the day? The truth of the matter is that everyone is different. Not everyone is trying to lose weight; some people are trying to maintain their weight while others are trying to gain. So I am going to go over the basics of what you should be doing after a workout.
The first thing I recommend is drinking a protein shake or chocolate milk within 30 minutes after your workout. Basically your body is the most sensitive to insulin for the 30 minutes following a workout. You will use insulin shock when you intake carbs that will move the nutrients to your muscles. This is going to replace the carbs you just used up so you don’t crash later in the day and it will also give you protein to help rebuild your muscles.Think about it, you just worked your tail off and if you do not replace what you just lost you will be struggling the rest of the day. You will feel tired and like you’re dragging. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Now that we got the post workout shake taken care of what kind of food should you be eating? Don’t be fooled by the gimmicks and diet plans. It’s very simple. Eat real food, mainly protein and carbs. Have some type of a lean protein such as chicken, turkey, pork, and/or fish. Along with your protein you should load up on the veggies. You basically want to make a rainbow on your plate of different types of vegetables.The sky is your limit as far as vegetables. Carbs can be tricky. This is very important to not include breads, white rice, cereal, tortillas, and fried food. Some carbs you can eat but are not limited to sweet potatoes, quiona, pumpkin, whole grains, bulgur, etc. Basically you want to make sure your food is coming from a natural source and not a refined one.
To sum up, working out takes a toll on your body and you need to replace the nutrients that are lost. You want to intake a protein shake and or chocolate milk within 30 minutes of your workout. This helps replace lost carbs. When eating a meal stick to real food; lean meat, fresh vegetables, and non-refined carbohydrates. Post workout nutrition is very important to the outcome of your workouts. Take it seriously if you want to accomplish your goals.
