We all know the feeling. We’ve just sweated out at the gym, finished our third yoga class for the week or returned home from a long hike. It’s time to eat!
And when we’ve just finished working out, it can be all too tempting to opt for something a little indulgent. After all, you’ve just burned all that energy, you should be able to have anything you want guilt-free… right?
Is it ever okay to treat myself after working out?
On occasions, yes! Rewarding yourself from time to time can be an important part of staying motivated. One study even showed that the occasional “cheat meal” can have a positive impact on our leptin levels, which help regulate our appetite and energy balance.
So does that mean I can eat sugar?
Seeing as the main fuel your body burns when you exercise is glycogen (which the body makes from the sugar glucose), it might seem okay, even logical, to eat something sugary afterwards.
Short story? It’s not a good idea. Researchers looked into the this by comparing the effects of different drinks after people performed “exhaustive” training (which makes me think of Ron Burgundy doing 1003 bicep curls for some reason!).
They found that high-sugar drinks actually had negative effects post-workout, decreasing concentration of many amino acids crucial for muscle recovery after exercise. Participants fared much better when they drank a mix of protein and carbohydrate.
A separate study showed the type of sugar had even more impact, with significantly lower glycogen recovery rates in people who consumed fructose than those who consumed glucose. Sorry, Gatorade!
So what should I eat post workout?
Fact is, exercise is a stressor on the body. And most of the time, you want to be giving it a hit of nutrients so it can restore energy and repair muscle (not fuelling it with inflammation-promoting sugary stuff).
I’d suggest opting for a healthy mix of protein and complex carbs (the carbs you get from vegetables and whole grains, not Wonder White).
And you can still make this nourishing combination a delicious treat, if you have the right recipes!
- Make a loaf of Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread (pumpkin for carbs and eggs and almond meal for protein) and store in your freezer or fridge at work.
- For something sweeter, you could make a batch of these Vanilla + Pea Donuts (flour and apple puree for carbs and eggs and milk for protein).
- A couple of these tasty Rosewater Gummies (strawberries for carbs and gelatin powder for protein) can be eaten on the go.
A handful of Banana Granola (banana for carbs + nuts and seeds for protein) served with natural yoghurt, will also do the trick.
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