Working Out – Post Workout Nutrition

Ratio Eating – Carbs and Proteins While there is debate whether or not you should eat before a workout, most experts believe that post-workout nutrition is extremely important. After a hard workout your muscles are literally starving for quality foods and are very receptive during this window of opportunity. The increase in enzyme activity makes it prime time for muscle building off of the protein and regaining energy from the sugars you receive. It terms of carbs, it’s important to include a mix of low to high GI(glycemic index) ones, so you can get an almost immediate boost and then a sustained energy for the next couple of hours. A popular way to measure the balance of carbs and proteins you should have is using a 4:1 ratio of carbs to proteins.

The Perfect Window The best time to get this nutrition is within an hour of ending your workout. Since solid foods, and especially solid proteins take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours to digest it necessary to use the fast digested proteins you can find. This is one reason protein shakes and bars are so popular, because they very convenient(you don’t have to spend time cooking it) and they usually contain various whey products, which digest faster than other types of proteins. There are many of these shakes on the market today, and of course each one totes itself as the best, but most of them generally follow the same guidelines in terms of quantities of proteins and carbohydrates.

Your Own Style I personally use both shakes and bars, but I prefer to make my own at home. I use low-carb protein mixes which have stevia as a sweetener and then add berries, skim milk, rice milk, yogurt, and sometimes lowfat kefir. Basically whatever I happen to have on hand, but always the highest quality that I can get. My shakes probably aren’t always 4:1 but they are close and far superior taste-wise than any shake you could ever buy in a can. I will also throw a scoop of a good quality green powder in with it to help flood my body with high density nutrition. However you choose to eat(or drink) , I hope you are now better armed with a post-workout plan. Your body will thank you for it!

About the Author – Chris Walden
Chris is a stay-at-home dad who enjoys topics on fitness and nutrition. You can check out his latest website over at http://www.olympicweightsinfo.com/ which helps people find the best olympic weights and tips on using them.