Yes, it’s finally here! My very first blog posting!
So now that I hopefully have someone’s attention (hi everyone!!), I’ve decided to address the very important topic of post-workout nutrition. I’m often asked by my many wonderful clients and students (shout out to Dunfield and Bloor St. Extreme members! You guys are awesome!), what they should eat after one of my gruelling but oh so fun workouts. Did I mention I teach bootcamp, muscle, core and spinning at Extreme Fitness, throughout the GTA?
Today at Dunfield was a good one, as always — 45 min of hard cycling with zero rest stops.…Anyways, I digress; back to fuelling your body after a workout.
Most importantly, protein, and in a liquid form preferably, so that it is absorbed quickly into your bloodstream and the repair and re-building process can begin. Ideally, you want to consume your protein shake (did I mention it’s a shake?) immediately following or within 30 minutes of your workout.
My go-to shake right now is GNC’s Pro Performance Brand.
I really like the french vanilla cream flavour (with a handful of frozen strawberries!)
but there are a variety of others to choose from. Chocolate’s always tasty, especially with a frozen banana blended in. Yum!
I recommend blending your shake with ice water to keep the calories down. I’m not a big fan of dairy, but we’ll get to that topic at a later date.
So, now that you have the protein piece nailed, it’s time to talk about CARBS. Yes, I do eat CARBS, just not all day long and a select group. No, I’m not a saint but if you want to reduce the puffiness and softness of your body (that’s what you guys all tell me!), then you need to pay attention to the carbs that you’re eating on a daily basis. Post-workout is the very BEST time to consume them because the glycogen (a fancy term for energy) stores in your cells are now depleted. The job of carbohydrates is to replenish them and get your body fuelled up for the next workout.
So, what do I eat? My favourite post-workout carb is a big bowl (1÷2 cup, raw) of oatmeal, with a dash of cinnamon. I sometimes add a sprinkle of splenda (yep, I do use sweeteners, just not in excess). Other times, I might have a banana, 1 cup of berries, 2 slices of sprouted grain bread (Ezekial or Stonemill’s really good).
So there you have it, protein and carbs immediately after your workout. No excuses. If you’re on the go like me (and I know most of you are), grab a shaker bottle; add your scoop of protein to ice water, quick shake and enjoy. Don’t forget your carbs — fruit is portable and delicious!
One last thing before I say goodbye, and that is to try and keep fats out of your post workout meal. Remember, we want our body to absorb protein and carbs as quickly as possible and fats (healthy, of course), actually slow down the digestive process.They’re wonderful throughout the day, for exactly that reason but not so great after a workout.
I’d love to hear from all of you but you need to login first to join my community of friends and interact with me and others. All of your questions and comments are always welcome!!!