Eric Hubscher Fitness Training: After Exercise Nutrition: Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, California, Southern California, Ventura County, Calabasas, Performance FItness Institute

You probably know about the importance of replacing lost carbohydrates after exercise. Recent research shows that adding protein to the post-exercise meal will also enhance the recovery process.

Carbohydrates stimulate the secretion of the hormone insulin. Insulin transforms carbohydrates into glycogen, which the body stores and converts back to carbohydrates during exercise. Studies show that consumption of carbohydrates within two hours after a workout enhances the replenishment of muscle glycogen. This means the more muscle glycogen that you replace by consuming carbs, the more energy you’ll have for your next workout. To get carbohydrates that maximize this insulin response, try sports drinks, table sugar, honey, refined breads and ready-to-eat cereals, baked potatoes, and energy bars and shakes.

Combining protein with carbohydrates in a post-exercise meal may further enhance recovery. Your digestive system breaks protein down into amino acids, which may enhance tissue growth and repair to remedy whatever damage occurred to body tissues during exercise. Studies indicate that protein might also help build muscle after a workout. Good sources of proteins include lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy products, soy products, and energy bars and shakes.

Glutamine is an amino acid found in dairy products, whey protein, and supplements. Some reports indicate that glutamine increases cell hydration and volume, and promotes protein synthesis. Glutamine also serves as the primary fuel for the white blood cells of the immune system. Diminished blood levels of glutamine after exercise may contribute to immunosuppression, in which the immune system can’t fight off infections. Low glutamine levels may also result in over training syndrome, more commonly known as burnout. Take in 4 to 10 grams of glutamine following exercise to replenish depleted glutamine supplies.

Found in dark meats, oysters, mushrooms, whole grains, brewer’s yeast, and supplements, zinc serves as an important constituent of hundreds of enzymes involved in digestion and immune function. The drops in zinc levels during intense exercise reduce your body’s immunities. Since levels are down for several hours after exercise, you should take in up to 25 milligrams during recovery.

The most important nutrient to replace after exercise is water. During exercise, expect to lose 0.5 to 1.4 kilograms (1 to 3 pounds) of fluid from sweat per hour. Sweating easily leads to a loss of more than 2 percent of body weight in fluids. Dehydration can diminish both mental and physical capacity, and can also slow protein synthesis, reducing the recovery and growth of muscle tissue. An easier method is: Weigh your self just before you work out and then, weigh your self periodically during your workout. During an intense workout, you will notice a decrease in body weight. Drink water after periodic weigh-ins to bring your body weight up to or close to your weight when you weighed in at the beginning of your workout. This will guard against dehydration and fatigue during your workout.

Many people are aware that it’s important to eat and drink before exercising, but it is not as commonly known that replenishing your body with nutrients soon after exercising helps muscles and tissues recover from an intense workout.

Here we explain why your body needs carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins after exercise and why it is important to eat and drink soon after a workout. Eating the right foods after exercise may also help your immune system.

Intense exercise creates an anabolic (tissue-building) environment in the body by stimulating the release of growth hormone and testosterone. For several hours after exercise these hormones remain at a heightened state, priming your body for tissue growth and repair. From 30 minutes to two hours after exercise, muscles and tissues must rapidly replace nutrients depleted by the workout.

To take maximum advantage of your body’s post-workout state, have a snack or fortified meal replacement beverage or bar in the first 30 minutes after finishing your workout. Within the first two hours after the workout eat a healthy, well-balanced meal rich in protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins and minerals.

To meet your post-exercise carbohydrates and protein needs, use these ratios to calculate your recovery needs precisely:

Carbohydrates: Eat 1 to 1.5 grams per kilogram (0.45 to 0.68 grams per pound) of body weight within two hours of exercise.

Protein: Combine 0.5 grams per kilogram (0.23 grams per pound) of body weight with carbohydrates.

Using this formula, a 68-kilogram (150-pound) person needs 68 to 102 grams of carbohydrates and 35 grams of protein in a post-exercise meal. Alternatively, you might spread out your intake of these quantities of protein and carbohydrates in five or six small meals and snacks throughout the day. Make sure to eat a snack within 30 minutes and a well-balanced meal within two hours after exercising.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that repairs and maintains collagen tissue and may enhance immune function. Since intense exercise may suppress immune function, consume 500 milligrams of vitamin C after you exercise. Good sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits and juices, fresh berries, green leafy vegetables, and vitamin supplements.

Another antioxidant, vitamin E, is commonly found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, raw wheat germ, and supplements. Vitamin E may relieve some of the tissue damage responsible for delayed-onset muscle soreness caused by heavy training. Take in 100 to 400 milligrams of vitamin E per day during training to help prevent or reduce muscle soreness.