Eating before and after exercise is good for your performance, fitness and your health. The question now is what, when and how to eat after exercise that will fulfill all of your body's requirements.
Begin by eating a balanced diet every day. This alone will help your body to maintain appropriate nutrition and to be ready for your workouts. What you eat after a workout will determine how your body recovers and replaces the glycogen stores needed for your next workout.
If you have 2-3 days between each workout then your body has the time to replace the fuel but if you workout each day you must thoughtfully consider your post workout meal.
Often athletes are not hungry directly after working out. Intense exercise pulls the blood away from the stomach and intestines to be used in the major muscles. This slows digestion and stomach motility. You just don't feel hungry.
Studies have shown that 15-60 minutes after a workout is the best time to eat. Replacing your glycogen stores with carbohydrate drinks and food is more likely to be sent directly to the muscles in that window after working out. Protein will also help with muscle recovery and repair.
Enzymes and hormones active in the recovery process are available in the short 1 hour window after your workout. Blood flow is elevated and liver and muscles are more sensitive to insulin.
Carbohydrates are your body's fuel system. Proteins are important in muscle repair and fats have minimal use after intense exercise. By refueling with carbohydrates after your workout you increase your potential to improve your performance and refuel the glycogen stores your body needs to work out at peak intensity the next time.
In a series of studies in the 1990's it was discovered that the body is more sensitive to insulin in that 1 hour window directly after an intense workout. In fact eating within the first 20 minutes takes full advantage of the hormone and enzymatic activity. Eating carbohydrates will enable your body to replenish glycogen stores in the muscles and adding a bit of protein will also increase muscle repair.
In the final analysis, athletes who work out for greater than 45 minutes with high intensity and who work out with less than 2 days between workouts, should refuel with carbohydrates and protein within 20 minutes after a workout to take full advantage of the hormone and enzyme changes that happen with exercise. Feed your body right and it will take care of you!
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