How Do You Know What To eat After A Workout? by, Barbara Christensen

Thank you Barbara Christensen of Eat Fresh In The City for contributing this article. Reprinted with permission.











                                 How Do You Know What To Eat After A Workout?


I love Greek yogurt and Skyr. In fact I’m eating some right now. Why? These contain up to 50% more protein than regular yogurt. Protein builds muscle and it so important because of it’s amino acids. Amino acids are the fundamental building blocks of protein. Proteins are vital to basic cellular and body functions, including cellular regeneration and repair, tissue maintenance and regulation, hormone and enzyme production, fluid balance, and the provision of energy. And protein is essential for every cell in your body. But the yogurt alone doesn’t do it.

I’ve learned from my years of health research that the consumption of 100-200 grams of carbs within the first 2 hours after your workout is so important for building your glycogen stores up for continued training. If you wait longer that two hours, results drop a whopping 50%. This is because carb consumption stimulates insulin production. This aids in muscle glycogen production. By combining your carbs with your proteins you are getting double the muscle glycogen production. So what does that mean? Muscle glycogen recovery is the process through which the muscles of the body are replenished with carbohydrate sources that have been depleted through the energy expended in exercise. Muscle glycogen depletion also places significant stress on the overall function of the immune system. So it’s important for many reasons to make sure eat the right foods after exercising.

My favorite – is yogurt and fruit, a piece of sprouted toast and nut butter. Yum. No better way to start your day.