How to recover from a workout?
Eating the right foods after a physical activity helps your body recover and prevents a sweet tooth or fatty food binge! It’s important to refuel properly after each work out or you won’t have a sufficient amount of energy for the following day. The longer you wait to eat after a workout the least amount of nutrients you will achieve from food. Below are some tips on how to recover from an intensive work out.
-You should make sure your meals are balanced, each meal should include slow-burning carbohydrates as well as some fat and protein which will assist in refueling the energy that may have lost. Some research has suggested that there is a window of 45 minutes when the body is ready to replenish the stored muscle fuel known as glycogen that has been depleted during the workout. Glycogen is the short term energy storage in our cells made primarily by our liver and muscles. Without glycogen one may tend to feel sluggish. By including protein and carbohydrates you are able to leverage an increased amount of sugar into your muscles during that 45 minute window. By replenishing your body with protein and carbohydrates you are also reducing cortisol known as the stress hormone which is produced by the adrenal gland that can eat away the muscle tissue. Some sports drinks offer the combination of protein and carbohydrates which is very beneficial for someone that maybe training twice a day. Another option is eating a peanut butter sandwich which will provide the same results.
-Taking a nap or getting the suggested eight hours of sleep a day can speed up the recover process as well. When the body is resting it releases growth hormones which help to prepare damage that may have been caused to the muscles during an intense workout.
-Stress can be draining both physically and emotionally so by avoiding stress the body goes through less havoc. Some ways to avoid stress is making time for yourself and eating healthy foods. For more tips on avoiding stress visit: http://www.tru.ca/hsafety/workinglearningsafely/stress/stresstips.html
-Stretching after a workout increases the blood flow to your muscles. This is important because the muscles will receive the nutrients that helps aid in the recovery process.
-Weekly massages have been proven to be beneficial, massages provide comfort to our muscles and increase blood flow through our bodies.
-It’s also important to add variation to your workout by doing recovery exercises. This basically means alternating between high and low intensity workouts. Switch between cycling, step, and kick boxing classes with weight lifting or Pilate's.
For more information check out: http://outside.away.com/outside/bodywork/fitness_20040920.html and http://uncommonbody.blogspot.com/2006/09/top-10-ways-to-recover-after-physical.html
RSS
Home
How to recover from a workout?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
