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Importance of Post-Workout Recovery Foods/Drinks

Recovery foods/drinks provide many post-workout benefits

Most athletes recognize how important it is to know what they need to consume to ensure their body can keep up with all the physical exertion it goes through. From whey protein shakes to carb-loading, lots of trial and error goes into their diet. And this doesn’t just apply to before they exercise or race – they also know that it’s important to eat and drink within an hour or so after completing a workout to promote muscle recovery.

Recovery foods and drinks provide the body with what’s needed to begin muscle refueling, rehydration, muscle/tissue repair, and inflammation control. It’s so important that athletes take time to let their muscle tissues recover after strenuous workouts, otherwise, they could worsen. To try and aid the recovery of the tissue, it might be worth looking into a supplement like lypo vitamin c. This is believed to help tissue recovery and also support immune function, ensuring that the athlete remains in top health. Supplements might be useful to look into. With some exceptions, just about anything you might choose to eat or drink after a workout is better than nothing, from a recovery perspective. However, some choices are more beneficial than others. On top of this, you can also take a supplement like this casein protein powder that can help promote muscle recovery so that could be a better option for some of you but, for now, we’re focusing on what foods can help us. So what are the best recovery foods?

The nutrients your body needs most after exercise are carbohydrates for muscle refueling, protein and amino acids for muscle repair, water/electrolytes for rehydration, and antioxidants to manage inflammation. Click here to learn about the products that you can get from a dispensary that can help you manage any inflammation and pain that you may be experiencing after your workout – the body can be pretty shaken after a heavy workout so many athletes look towards taking something to take the edge off. Your post-workout nutrition choices should provide all of these nutrients and little else. You don’t want anything to “get in the way” of the absorption and activation of these nutrients. There are plenty of natural foods (oatmeal anyone?) that will do the job.

Specially formulated post-workout recovery products such as bars and drink mixes offer certain advantages. The best recovery products are carefully formulated to provide exactly what your body needs. They’re formulated with the correct amounts, and nothing extra. They also tend to be more convenient than regular foods. You can take them with you to workouts away from home and not have to wait to eat. And often they are easier to consume soon after workouts when you may not be especially hungry.

Some of our favorites:

nuun performance – rehydrates, provides electrolytes and carbs

Clif Energy Granola – all the goodness you need!

RXBAR – packed with protein, carbs, and sugars

Gatorade Whey Protein Bar – mixture of carbs and protein

Epic Bars – high in protein, gluten-free, grain-free

What are your preferred recovery foods?

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Why You Should Hydrate Before Race Day

Don’t wait until race day to hydrate

nuun will be at Rookie Triathlon on Sunday, May 6th, ready to hydrate every triathlete. They will have two aid stations to ensure you have the electrolytes needed during your race. One aid station will be at transition and can be accessed before the swim and before the bike. There are no aid stations on the bike course. Take any nutrition or liquids that you want with you before you exit transition. The other aid station will be at Mile 1 of the run course. Aid stations will offer nuun and water. But don’t wait until race day to start hydrating!

Hydrate with nuun performance before Rookie Tri.

nuun performance contains balanced electrolytes and carbs.

Proper hydration is a building block to leading a healthier lifestyle – most triathletes know that. The last thing you want is to become dehydrated, although you need to know how to rehydrate quickly should this happen. Increasing your fluid intake before Rookie Triathlon can provide several benefits on race day.

  • reduce the possibility of dehydration
    • which can lead to a decrease in physical performance, muscle cramps, nausea, and fatigue
  • prepare for sweat loss
    • you’re going to sweat, prepare for the loss of sodium with an increase in electrolytes before and on race day
  • make sure you’re “topped off”
    • if you hydrate like you train, you’ll feel more comfortable if you skip an aid station (on purpose or not)
  • get a good night’s sleep on Saturday
    • proper and regular hydration has many benefits, including getting better sleep. Make sure you have a good mattress that can promote this, check out this sleep number alternative guide to help you
  • lock in a hydration routine
    • most athletes like to have a routine, this will allow you to start the race hydrated and with an empty bladder

Increase your water and electrolyte intake several days before race day. You should drink anywhere from 10-12 glasses of fluid a day. Fluids consumed should be 50% water, 50% nuun. Drink a glass of water, then drink a glass of nuun. Having water filtration products in the house will save you a lot of money on bottled water. Go to Water Filter Way for reviews on such products. Having nuun tablets handy allows you to turn any bottle of water into an electrolyte-enhanced drink that is gluten-free and made from plant-based materials. Give their nuun performance a try. It contains a new formula that has increased carbohydrates.

This doesn’t allow you to skip aid stations on race day and avoid hydrating! Still hydrate during the race. This is meant to be another tool in your training as Sunday, May 6th, nears.

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