Incorporating a post-exercise snack into your workout regimen is important for proper recovery and will help to ensure that you’ll be able to hit the gym again soon.

How long after?

Marie Spano, MS, RD, ISSN and the author of Speeding Recovery- Nutrition and Supplementation for Exercise recommends to have your post-exercise snack or shake within two hours of exercise (but do it as soon as you can!). Right after exercise, some athletes have a harder time eating because they are less hungry, but if you can tolerate it not only will your body burn it the quickest but it is more likely to help in muscle recovery.

What to include:

In your post-exercise snack, getting both carbohydrates and protein is essential. Carbohydrates are needed to replenish the carbohydrate stores in your muscles that were used up (called muscle glycogen), and protein is necessary to help in muscle repair. Muscle damage happens both when you lift weights and when you do cardiovascular exercise; but weight lifting causes more damage. The best way to make sure your muscles get properly repaired is to eat a balanced snack when you finish exercising. Snacks and shakes with a 3:1 ratio, carbohydrates to protein are used best by the muscles, but a snack that is mostly carbohydrates but has some protein will do you just fine. There’s no need to calculate gram for gram protein versus carbohydrates, just make sure you are getting a bit of both.

…if you cannot find a snack that you think is “balanced,” something as small as a piece of fruit will do you better than nothing. Something is always better than nothing- at least until you can get your hands on something more substantial.

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Macronutrients for refueling:

protein- like whey protein, no more than 20 g- your body cannot use more than this at one time

carbohydrates- simple carbohydrates like fruit will be digested more quickly and can get into your muscles more quickly to help with repair

Fluids- you need 16 oz of water to every 1 lb you lose in water during exercise. You can weigh yourself before and after workout to find out how much water-weight you are losing.

Trying to save calories?

…Eating a balanced lunch or breakfast after a workout, like a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato, or an omelet with a piece of toast or fruit would also be perfect. Basically it is important to get used to refueling. If you’re looking to save extra calories, eating your regularly scheduled meal after working out can be a great way to do so.

What the chocolate milk?

For all of you out there, chocolate milk has been shown to be a great post-workout snack. It has a perfect combination of carbohydrates and protein, but opt for the low fat option when it’s available.

Do I need a protein shake?

So is it necessary to have a protein shake or special drink? no, research in 2009 in the Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition showed that a snack or meal that was made up of mostly carbohydrates and some protein was just as effective. That said, it is sometimes more convenient to put all of this into a shake. A typical shake will have both carbohydrates and protein, so all of your bases will be covered.

Here’s a basic shake recipe:

1 scoop 15-20 g whey protein (or other kind of protein like rice, hemp, spirulina, soy)

frozen or fresh fruit- about 1 cup

3/4 cup of almond, soy, low-fat or fat free milk, or a juice if you are allergic or don’t like any of the previously listed- water works too!

ice- depending how icy you like it, add it slowly

…and blend!

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If you don’t have time to blend at home, check out Mix1 Shakes (www.Mix1Life.com), they have a perfect blend of 15 g of whey, fruit puree, and a little olive oil (healthy fat)- and 3 g of fiber too! All for about 200 calories, and they come in a few different flavors. My favorite? Blueberry Vanilla

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I’ll be posting about different post-workout protein sources soon!

- Healthy Gal

At the recent Sports and Fitness Expo in Boston in April I went to hear Tara Mardigan, MS, RD, MPH talk about Sports Nutrition. I was obviously glued to everything she said, but the most interesting part was about tart cherries- they may be able to help with aches and pains!  Wow- they can really help me to recovery faster and may help to ease my pain?? I need to do some research!

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So here it is…

What do they do?

Recent studies are showing that Montmorency tart cherries may be more than a super antioxidant with cancer fighting capabilities, they may also be able to ease arthritis pain and gout- wow!

A study(1) was completed to test the anti-inflammatory effects of tart (Montmorency) cherry consumption on muscle pain in long distance runners. This study found that the runners who had eaten’ the cherries (between 90-100 cherries in the form of juice- this is a lot!) every day for 7 days prior to the race had less muscle pain and damage after the race than those who did not. Another study(2) showed similar results and found that marathon runners who ate cherries for 5 days before the race and for 48 hours after the race had faster recovery and less pain too!

The researchers attribute this finding to the cherries’ ability to reduce the natural internal inflammation and damage that occurs after strenuous exercise. 

(In these studies the subjects ate a lot of cherries, but similar results have been found with just 45 cherries per day)

Why tart?

Tart cherries in particular contain high amounts of flavinoids and anthocyanins- two antioxidants that also have high anti-inflammatory capabilities too.  It’s these properties that are thought to have the ability to reduce inflammation (that can cause pain) and help repair muscle so that you’re less sore.

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What should I look for in my tart cherry products?

Tart cherry juice may be the easiest way for you to get your dose of the ache and pain-fighting power fruit. When choosing a product you need to be weary of the ingredients though. On a label, the ingredient that appears most in the product will be listed first. Sometimes water is the first ingredient listed on cherry juice (and sometimes in other juices too). Be careful to pick a Montmorency tart cherry juice that does not have the first ingredient listed as water, but instead has Montmorency cherries first. A few good ones are: 

Eden Foods Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice- (link)

Indian Summer Tart Montmorency Cherry Juice (find it at Sam’s club or amazon) 

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Where can I find out more information?

www.choosecherries.com Is a good place to start, this is the website for the cherry marketing institute. They have good information, recipes and other cool facts, check it out!

References

(1) Howatson G, McHugh MP, Hill JA, Brouner J, Jewell AP, van Someren KA, Shave RE, Howatson SA. Influence of tart cherry juice on indices of recovery following marathon running.Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2009. doi: 10.111

(2) Kuehl K S., Perrier E T., Elliott D L., Chesnutt J C. Efficacy of tart cherry juice in reducing muscle pain during running: a randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2010; 7:17.

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1. It has fewer calories, is lower in fat and sugar, but will still provide you with energy.
2. It has fiber and protein which will help you stay full.
3. If you love the PowerBar product and aren’t looking for a big energy boost, this is a good choice.

1. Try to maintain between 130-200 calories.
2. Try to pick a bar that contains at least 2 grams of fiber, and has some fat- both of these things will help to keep you satisfied and full of energy.
3. Try to find a bar that is lower in sugar- lower than 15 grams- this will help to keep your blood sugar levels more steady, which will help to keep you from having a blood sugar spike causing you to feel hungrier faster.

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1. Apple Cinnamon and Pecan; 180 calories, 2.5  fiber, 13 g sugar, 3 g protein

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2. Almond and Cashew + Flax (Omega 3); this one has 50% of your daily B vitamins, 4 g of fiber and some healthy Omega 3’s! Also, 180 calories, 13 g of sugar, and 4 g of protein- I really love this one but its harder to find.

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3. Blueberry Pecan + Fiber; this one has a lot of fiber, 5 grams- GREAT! 180 calories, 12 g of sugar, and 3 g of fiber. This one doesn’t really have any vitamins or minerals but it has a great amount of fiber.