Post Exercise Nutrition

After a hard work-out your body is depleted of fluid, electrolytes, nd glycogen. It also needs a steady supply of protein to rebuild and repair itself. Timing is everything and more is not always better. Learn these basic strategies to quickly replenish lost nutrients and recover faster. your body will thank you.

Fluid Replacement

The first and most important thing your body needs is fluid replacement. The fluid in your body is held in 2 different compartments.

• Intracellular Fluid is contained inside your cells. The primary electrolyte is potassium and it makes up 62% of your total body fluid.
• Extracellular Fluid is held outside of the cell walls including your blood. It's only 38% of all body fluid and contains large amounts of sodium.

The majority of sweat (80%) comes from the ECF. That's why sodium (salt) is so important after exercise. Drinking water alone satisfies your thirst, but does not replenish your electrolytes. A sports drink will replace your lost sodium, potassium, and fluid quicker and more effectively than water alone. The more you sweat, the more important it is to drink sport drinks along with water. The added salt and potassium acts as a pump to push fluid into your ECF and ICF faster. Remember that it takes 6-10 hours to fully replenish fluid loss so keep drinking.

Carbohydrates/Glycogen

Exercise uses up the stored carbs called glycogen. The first hour after exercise is the most important time to replenish carbohydrates. The best way to replenish glycogen is with a mix of high and low glycemic carbs. High glycemic carbs convert to glycogen quickly and low glycemic carbs continue to raise glycogen gradually.

Scientific research suggests 1 gram of carbs per kilogram of body weight every hour depending on the level of exercise.

Example: A 155lb (70kg) athlete should consume 70 grams of carbs the first hour after exercise. He/She should eat another 70 grams in about an hour if the exercise was moderate. And again in an hour if the exercise was high intensity or endurance. Staggering the meals allows the body to repair and increase glycogen levels better.

(155lb/2.2=70kg) (70gX1g/kg=70grams of carbs)

Protein After Exercise

Protein should be coupled with carbs in a 4 to 1 ratio of carbs to protein. Again, the first hour is critical. The carbs prompt the body to release insulin and the insulin allows the protein to enter the cells for repair and replenishment. That's why taking protein without carbs is a disservice to your body especially after resistance exercise. You need the carbs to make use of the protein. Also, never exceed 50g of protein in a single meal. See my Good Sources Of Protein page for more info.

Example: A 175lb (80kg) athlete should eat 80 grams of carbs and 20 grams of protein after exercising. Repeat as needed.

(175lb/2.2=80kg) (80kgX1gr=80gr carbs) (80carbs/4=20gr protein)

Important

The important things to remember is to:

• Replace fluid after exercising and eat a balanced meal.
• Listen to your hunger and thirst.
• The harder your exercise the more you should eat/drink.