“Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.”
– Voltaire
Regardless of whether you ate before your workout or not, you shouldn’t avoid eating after the exercise. Of course, you don’t need to eat extra if your workout was an hour long easy walk. If you had a high-intensity workout of at least 50 minutes though, it is crucial to eat afterwards.
You may not know that within the first 45 minutes after the exercise, there is something called a “metabolic window,” meaning that enzymes replenishing muscle carbohydrates are at their highest level. Plus, the hormone which rebuilds protein stores, insulin, is at peak levels too. So at this point, eating a mix of carbohydrates and proteins will maintain muscle, replenish glycogen stores and reduce the amount of fat stored by your body. But don’t fall into the common trap of believing that it’s OK to eat anything and everything in sight — eating too much of the wrong thing does the opposite of what you want and expect.
What to eat
As long as you are within the overall range for the day, you shouldn’t be obsessive about mathing the calorie and nutrient ratios perfectly.
Here are a few suggestions of foods that you should eat after a workout:
- Peanut butter sandwich
- Yogurt with fruit
- Bagel with cream cheese
- A handful of nuts
- A sports drink
- A piece of fruit
Experiment with different food options until you find something that sits well with your stomach and improves your performance. Also, don’t forget to rehydrate.
photograph by the talented: tajmomhal
