What's the ideal post-workout recovery meal?
Sports nutritionists have been preaching the importance of post-workout recovery nutrition. That golden 30-60 minutes after a workout where our bodies can utilize fuel the best to recover, rebuild and repair the damage we just did. More and more information has been coming out about protein ratios needed for recovery - 3:1 or 4:1. I won't answer that question, but I'll let you in on my favorite.
First up: that elementary school favorite chocolate milk. Karp and his friends wrote in
International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (2006, 16, 78-91) that cyclists recovered better between bouts of intense exercise with chocolate milk than with a recovery drink. This information echos two studies presented at the 2010 American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting showing how cholcoate milk helps repair muscles and restore glycogen after exercise (athletes exercised from 30-60 minutes in the two studies). It comes in the most widely-researched 4:1 carb:protein ratio.
Upside? Available darn near anywhere - supermarkets, convenience stores, even gas stations. A dairy here in Boston even does home delivery!
Downside? Storage.
Recovery isn't just what you do after a hard race or workout; it's something all endurance athletes need to attend to for optimum performance.
Sources:
And, no, I'm not sponsored by any dairy company, but I do get home delivery every week!
and to keep the immune system healthy
ReplyDelete