What Should You Eat After Your Sports Training?
Your diet needs to support your efforts and one of the keys is what you eat after your sports routine. For this reason, we recommend that you watch your protein and carbohydrate intake.
When you want to wear a Lifestyle healthy, including sports training is essential. However, it is not enough to spend several hours doing sports. Your diet needs to support your efforts and one of the keys is what you eat after your sports routine.
This is because during exercise, the muscles use up the glycogen that has accumulated. This element is used as a source of energy and must be replaced so your muscles stay healthy at all times.
Taking this into account, we will give you some recommendations on what you should eat after sports training. Take note and don’t overlook this to stay healthy and strong at all times.
What does it mean to eat after your sports training?
Before talking about what you should consume so that your body recovers from physical activity, you should know when to do it. Ideally, you should eat a food that combines carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein within 45 minutes of your sports routine. In this way, your body will be able to quickly recover the glycogen that it has previously used.
In addition, it has been shown that the joint intake of carbohydrates and proteins is capable of improving glycogen synthesis compared to the consumption of only sugars.
Protein to repair and build muscle
Lean protein will help you build muscle instead of fat. By consuming a serving of protein after your sports training, you will give your body amino acids.
The ideal is consume 1.5 to 2.5 grams of protein per pound of weight per day, according to a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition . Although some people choose protein powders, we nonetheless recommend consuming all-natural proteins. The best options are:
- The eggs.
- Cottage cheese.
- The chicken.
- The tuna.
- The yogurt.
Those proteins that must be prepared, such as chicken, make sure they have as little fat as possible and avoid sweeteners and other chemicals.
Recover with the help of complex carbohydrates
Another of the macronutrients that you should consume after sports training are the carbohydrates . These have been shown to help the body recover the energy that was expended and get it ready for the activities that you must do on a regular basis.
On average, you should consume 0.8 grams per kilo per hour of exercise performed. Contrary to popular belief, carbohydrates are not prohibited in the diet. Absolutely. Actually, the only ones you should avoid are those that are highly processed or unnatural.
Carbohydrates have the function of generating insulin, this is the base of glycogen that will later give you energy. The risk to your health (for example, diabetes) appears when you consume only poor quality carbohydrates that generate excess insulin. Some of the best sources of carbohydrates are:
- Wholemeal pasta.
- The oats.
- The fruits.
- Dark chocolate.
- Legumes.
Drink enough water
We already know that throughout the day it is necessary to consume enough water. However, this is even more important after your sports training. Many people believe that sweating means that your body is releasing fat and that this will make you lose kilos. However, This is false. Sweat is a mechanism through which your body tries to cool itself when it is very hot. Thus, through this secretion, your body loses some minerals, toxins and water.
In case your activity is light, it will be enough to consume natural and fresh water. However, if your physical activity is too intense, you can have a drink with electrolytes or mineralized.
Examples of combinations you can eat after your sports training
Now that you know what you can consume, we will leave you some suggestions. They are very natural, inexpensive and easy to prepare.
Tuna sandwich
It is perfect if your physical activity was very intense. Try to prepare it with whole wheat bread and add a couple of vegetables , like avocado and tomato.
Chicken with roasted vegetables
If you usually exercise before your meal, you will love this combination. You just need to combine the vegetables of your choice with a piece of chicken breast and grill or grill them.
Cottage cheese and fruit
In case your sports activity is during the morning or afternoon, you may want something light. In that case, mix three tablespoons (45 g) of cottage cheese with a piece of fruit of your choice.
Optimize your diet if you exercise
A good diet is capable of increasing the body’s ability to recover after intense physical activity. For this reason, it will be necessary for you to provide the main macronutrients in adequate amounts. Otherwise, the risk of injury will be increased in subsequent work sessions.
