Post Workout Nutrition

I've had a question about post workout nutrition and between my husband and a really good source, as well as a bit of life experience I feel reasonably confident about answering this question:  What should I eat post workout?

I tend to be pretty laid back about these kinds of things, but if you are serious about building muscle, or losing fat, this is a pretty critical step to remember in your health journey.  This is often times considered the most important meal of your day.  Why is it so important?  Well, after an intense workout, your body enters into a catabolic state where it is experiencing glycogen depletion.  Essentially, your muscle tissue begins to break down.  To reverse this into an anabolic state where your body can then build muscle, you need a fast digesting meal as soon as you can after a workout (usually a smoothie or shake digests the most quickly).

The meal should contain a 2:1, or a 4:1 carbs:protein proportion.  While fat is a good thing to have in your meals throughout the day, this particular meal should contain as little fat as possible as this slows down absorption, achieving the opposite of what you want.  Now, pause:  There are so many advertisements for supplements and concoctions to build muscle and a million different proteins.  Forget that.  Natural ingredients are going to be your best bet, especially if your goal is for optimal health.  Many of those gimmicks are low quality and a rip off.

The best source of naturally quick digesting carbs are frozen fruits such as bananas, berries, pineapple, etc.  This will help your body repair muscle tissue and reach an anabolic state where you can build muscle and increase metabolism, burning fat.

The best source of natural protein will be a high quality natural (no artificial sweeteners whatsoever) whey protein and/or low fat/fat-free plain yogurt.  There are a lot of low quality proteins out there and the good stuff is pretty costly, but if it is worth it to you, this is an outstanding option:  http://nextfitnessevolution.com/essential-whey-protein.  Just do some research and be smart about it!  Ask if you have questions.

I typically use water or almond milk as my liquid base.  You can add any combination of ingredients including fruit (banana, strawberries, blueberries), cinnamon, pumpkin (seasonal yummy), vanilla, yogurt, etc.  There are recipes all over the place on the internet!

This workout shake will tend to be quick digesting and higher glycemic index so keep in mind that your other meals throughout the day should return to normal with slower digesting foods and low glycemic index.  Also, I want to note that a lot of people use post workout meals to gorge on pasta, bread, sugar, etc.  I don't tend to think that is a wise choice nutritionally nor should a workout be an excuse to indulge or overeat.  Don't be foolish.  You should have a post work out shake if and only if you engage in a high intensity workout session with a large portion of your body involved in muscle and resistance building activity.  A run on the treadmill doesn't really warrant a post workout shake.

That is it for now and feel free to comment with extra tips and recipes for good shake ideas!