FUELING AFTER YOUR WORKOUT
I’ve heard for years that we should “refuel” after a major workout. During my bike rides and longer jogs I drink plenty of water and regularly consume engineered food like Clif Bars or gel packs. And even after an hour-long swim I’ll immediately rehydrate. However—at my age at least—after these workouts I’m usually exhausted or pretty darn tired and not at all hungry so have avoided the fueling.
Yet, in writing these blogs, I’ve been doing more research into proper nutrition balance. And I’m reading that if I don’t get in the habit of eating a healthy snack or small meal after a training session I can throw the whole workout out of balance.
I found an informative article by Arlene Semeco, MS, RD in a September 20, 2016 post in Healthline.com—Post-Workout Nutrition: What to Eat After a Workout. I’ll share excerpts:
Eating After a Workout Is Important
To understand how the right foods can help you after exercise, it’s important to understand how your body is affected by physical activity.
When you’re working out, your muscles use up their glycogen stores for fuel. This results in your muscles being partially depleted of glycogen. Some of the proteins in your muscles also get broken down and damaged
After your workout, your body tries to rebuild its glycogen stores and repair and regrow those muscle proteins.
Fueling with the right nutrients soon after you exercise can help your body get this done faster. It is particularly important to eat carbs and protein after your workout.
Doing this helps your body:
- Decrease muscle protein breakdown.
- Increase muscle protein synthesis (growth).
- Restore glycogen stores.
- Enhance recovery.
Protein Helps Repair and Build Muscle
Exercise triggers the breakdown of muscle protein. The rate at which this happens depends on the exercise and your level of training, but even well trained athletes experience muscle protein breakdown.
Consuming an adequate amount of protein after a workout gives your body the amino acids it needs to repair and rebuild these proteins. It also gives you the building blocks required to build new muscle tissue.
It’s recommended that you consume 0.14–0.23 grams of protein per pound of body weight (0.3–0.5 grams/kg) very soon after a workout. Studies have shown that ingesting 20–40 grams of protein seems to maximize the body’s ability to recover after exercise.
Carbs Help With Recovery
Your body’s glycogen stores are used as fuel during exercise, and consuming carbs after your workout helps replenish them. The rate at which your glycogen stores are used depends on the activity. For example, endurance sports cause your body to use more glycogen than resistance training. For this reason, if you participate in endurance sports (running, swimming, etc.), you might need to consume more carbs than a bodybuilder.
Consuming 0.5–0.7 grams of carbs per pound (1.1–1.5 grams/kg) of body weight within 30 minutes after training results in proper glycogen resynthesis. Furthermore, insulin secretion, which promotes glycogen synthesis, is better stimulated when carbs and protein are consumed at the same time.
Therefore, fueling with both carbs and protein after exercise can maximize protein and glycogen synthesis. Try consuming the two in a ratio of 3:1 (carbs to protein). For example, 40 grams of protein and 120 grams of carbs.
Eating plenty of carbs to rebuild glycogen stores is most important for people who exercise often, such as twice in the same day. If you have 1 or 2 days to rest between workouts then this becomes less important.
The Timing of Your Post-Workout Meal Matters
Although the timing does not need to be exact, many experts recommend fueling with your post-workout meal within 45 minutes.
In fact, it’s believed that the delay of carb consumption by as little as two hours after a workout may lead to as much as 50% lower rates of glycogen synthesis.
Foods to Eat After You Workout
The primary goal of your post-workout meal is to supply your body with the right nutrients for adequate recovery and to maximize the benefits of your workout.
Choosing easily digested foods will promote faster nutrient absorption.
The following lists contain examples of simple and easily digested foods:
Carbs
- Sweet potatoes
- Chocolate milk
- Quinoa
- Fruits (pineapple, berries, banana, kiwi)
- Rice cakes
- Rice
- Oatmeal
- Potatoes
- Pasta
- Dark, leafy green vegetables
Protein:
- Animal- or plant-based protein powder
- Eggs
- Greek yogurt
- Cottage cheese
- Salmon
- Chicken
- Protein bar
- Tuna
Now, after reading the above and similar articles, I’ve made it a point after finishing a workout to consume a mix of proteins and carbs within a “fueling window” of 45 minutes to an hour. I often do my training in the morning and will plan to afterwards eat my lunch within that window. For instance, I’ll have a tuna salad sandwich on whole grain bread. And when my workout is earlier or later in the day I’ll still have a snack such as a hard-boiled egg along with a banana.
We seniors need all the help we can get. You too may want to begin taking in a good amount of carbs and protein after you work out. It should stimulate your muscle protein synthesis, and improve your recovery. Other seniors I’ve spoken with say that once they’ve begun doing this they have fewer injuries, less fatigue and less retention of fat. Even more reasons for fueling after a workout!