My clients have heard me harp on them time and time again... the post workout meal is one of THE most important meals they can have. Why?
It's science, really. The body is breaking itself down during a workout. You need to replenish it, and do it quickly, to ensure that you get the most benefit.
What does your body need? You need to eat protein and carbs about 30 minutes after your workout. While most of the day, you will eat lean protein like chicken or fish, this is the time to go with a protein powder shake using Whey Protein. This is because this is a liquid protein that is faster and easier for your body to digest.
Your body also needs carbs. Wait... what??? I know, I know... I try to stay away from too many carbs throughout the day. But carbs will be used by your body to restore muscle glycogen that was depleted while you worked out. If your post workout meal doesn’t contain them, your body may actually instead break down muscle tissue for this same purpose (which would suck). Carbs also create an insulin spike which helps to move nutrients into your muscle tissue quicker.
There is a great article on intense-workout.com that I read recently that really speaks well to this subject. The author talks about good vs bad eating after a workout and how to best accomplish the healing properties of that meal, without spending a bunch of time laboring over what to eat.
Take a look - and get that post workout meal going!
~Noah
