You've just finished a workout and you are feeling famished! What are you supposed to do? You feel like you could eat anything in sight, but you know that's not the best option for you; but you're at a loss about what you should eat.
It seems counter-intuitive, but eating after your workout is actually a good thing! You need to give your body the correct fuel to repair what you've just done. If you didn't know, you are actually breaking your muscles down as you're building them. That's why you'll oftentimes feel sore after a workout. So feeding your muscles for that repair stage is very important!
But we know we can't just drop through the McDonald's drive through after a tough workout because we can now "eat what we want" after a good sweat sesh! It needs to be intentional nutrition. You need something that will help repair the muscles, and replenish glycogen storage, which are depleted during a strenuous workout.
Here are my stop five snacks for post-workout nutrition:
1. Peanut butter & banana on rice cakes. Instead of using bread, smooth your peanut butter onto two brown rice cakes for some fiber to go along with your protein. A lot of people avoid bananas when they're "dieting" because of the sugar content; but post-workout, sugar is actually a good thing. The high-glycemic carbohydrates in the banana will help to replenish your energy quickly.
Recommended Serving: 1/2 banana, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, 2 brown rice cakes
2. Hummus and pita. Another great combo is hummus with whole wheat pita. (Notice that I didn't say white pita. Whole wheat is important here). The hummus, which is made from chickpeas, gives you a great mix of carbs and protein! And a whole-wheat pita will give you slow-release energy, which will be the difference between keeping you full for a few minutes or for a couple of hours!
Recommended Serving: 1/4 cup hummus, 1 whole wheat pita
3, Berries with Yogurt. You might notice a theme here: protein. Protein is super important after a workout because it contains what's needed to build muscle. A good low-fat yogurt will give you a nice amount of protein post-sweat sesh and the berries are your carb source, which again gives you that glycogen replenishment
Recommended Serving: 8 ounces of plain, low-fat yogurt, 1/2 cup berries
4. Tuna on Whole Wheat. A sandwich after a workout is always yummy, isn't it? As long as your'e choosing your bread source wisely you can help your body while you nosh away! Research shows us that carbs and protein together have a better response to post-workout recovery! Good news! Tuna spread over a slice of whole wheat bread is a perfect small meal after you workout!
Recommended Serving: 4 ounces water-packed tuna, 1 slice whole wheat bread
5. Turkey and Cheese with Apple or Pear. This is actually similar to the sandwich idea, but if you're not in the mood for a sandwich, here's a great alternative. Spread a soft cheese wedge (like Laughing Cow swiss cheese wedges) over 2-3 slices of lean deli turkey and just roll it up! Add in the fruit for your glycogen-replacing option.
Recommended Serving: 4 ounces deli turkey, 1 soft cheese wedge, 1 piece of fruit - apple or pear
6. Beachbody Performance Recovery Formula. This is my favorite Beachbody Performance Supplement. It takes advantage of the critical post-workout window with the ideal combination of time-released proteins and phytonutrients to help facilitate muscle recovery while helping to reduce muscle breakdown. You can take Recover after every workout to help combat exercise-induced muscle soreness, speed muscle recovery, support muscle growth, and restore your strength. I suffer from Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) really bad and this supplement has helped like no other ever has. Plus it tastes like chocolate milk!
Recommended Serving: One scoop within 20 min. of your workout. Mix with 8-10 ounces cold water.
CONTACT ME HERE if you would like more information on ordering the Recovery formula.
I'll bet that you see a significant difference in the way that you feel post-workout by incorporating one of these options. Try them all and figure out which one you like best! Everyone has their preference, even when it comes to snacks!
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