Post Workout Meals

Have you ever been driving home at night and noticed that your car needed gas? 

But instead of stopping, you decide that you will just stop in the morning and fill up.  Of course, morning comes, you press snooze a few too many times, you’re running late, AND NOW YOU STILL NEED TO GET GAS.

You realize when you pull into the gas station that you have left your wallet at home, so you drive back home, and back to the gas station, and now you’re cursing yourself for not filling up the night before.

It’s exactly the same concept when it comes to fueling your body for its workout.

And it starts with everything you do BEFORE the workout. 

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:  Your body pulls energy from what you ate over the previous 24 hours to fuel your workout.

This is why Post-Workout Nutrition is CRITICAL to your success.  What you do IMMEDIATELY following a training session or event either enhances or wrecks your gainz.

• Eating immediately after your workout replenishes those energy stores for your next workout.  This is a short window of opportunity, and is like stopping on the way home and getting gas for the car; rather than trying to race around at the last minute on your way to work in the morning.  Get the analogy?

HERE'S WHAT'S UP:  During a workout, training session or event, your body uses vital nutrients, and all of  your stored energy and water supply.  If it helps, picture your energy stores like little garages.  After a workout, all of the garages are empty.  The purpose of Post-Workout Nutrition is to replace all of the vital nutrients, energy and water so that your body can replenish itself and remain in an anabolic state.

FAILURE TO FUEL IMMEDIATELY A WORKOUT wrecks your gainz, because your body needs an energy source to remain anabolic.  And with empty "garages," there's nothing to pull from. 

"But wait,"  you say.  "I've got all of this fat on my body, there's plenty of energy stored in there."

Nice thought, but contrary to popular belief, your body will not automatically go after your fat stores, even if you have a lot of them. (#sorrynotsorry)

Why?  Simply put, fat is harder to access than carbs and protein.  

Your body operates in "now" mode, and will always take the path of least resistance to get what it needs now. 

Follow along for a quick sec:  Protein can be turned into carbohydrate, and used as an energy source.

Guess what you've got a lot of?  Muscles!  Muscles made of glorious protein!

If your body needs energy now, and you failed to fuel it following your workout, it will turn on scavenger-mode, chew up your hard-earned muscle and use THAT for energy, COMPLETELY WRECKING YOUR GAINZ.

Pickin Up What I'm Throwin' Down?

SO WHAT DOES A POST-WORKOUT NUTRITION PROGRAM LOOK LIKE? 

Everything depends on you and your goals.  If you're working with a coach or trainer-pay them their respects and ask them what's right for you. 

As a general guideline, most of us will recommend a two-step model: 

• The first occurs IMMEDIATELY after your workout.  Ideally, you want carbs and a protein which are quickly digested and absorbed.  Fruit and a protein shake is ONE idea.  

• The second step occurs about an hour afterwards.  This is eating a meal within the hour following completion.   Depending on your goals, this meal typically includes a lean protein, a complex carbohydrate (sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, etc), plenty of veggies and perhaps a healthy fat.

Your metabolism is revving from your workout; and in order to replenish your body, speed up your recovery time, get you restocked and ready to go for your next workout, and maximize your results, post-workout nutrition is key.

The moral of the story?  FUEL YOUR ENGINE RIGHT.