So we talked about what happens to our body during intense exercise as well as how nutrition can help offset the stress that is incurred to our bodies.
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Tonight, I am going to talk about repairing the muscle tissue following intense exercise.
How To Rebuild Muscles After Intense Exercise
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When we engage in intense exercise and deplete our glycogen stores, our bodies often use protein in our bodies as fuel. Basically, out bodies are breaking down the muscle to get enough energy for the intense exercise.
This process is known as Catabolism.
Note: Not to be confused with Cannibalism a la Hannibal Lecter! ;)
The process of Catabolism leaves our muscles weak and in need of repair.
Large molecules (proteins) are broken down into smaller units called amino acids. The breaking down of the proteins into smaller molecules leads to a further degradation of the molecule into waste products and eventually the release of energy.
Jackpot!
While it is a good thing that our bodies can obtain energy when our glycogen stores are depleted, it is not a good thing that our muscles get broken down and weakened as a result. This means more down time and recovery!
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Athletes must act FAST following intense exercise to start the process of muscle repair!
But how does one do this effectively?
Just as there is a 2 hour window of opportunity for glycogen replenishment following exercise, there is also a window of opportunity for protein replenishment.
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How does this process work?
Well, in short form, our main hero here is Insulin.
Insulin picks up glucose (think simple carbs!) and protein and takes it to our muscles! Not surprisingly, immediately following exercise, the cells in our muscles are just begging for Insulin to come over. In other words, the muscle cells are highly receptive to insulin and any insulin that so much as ‘drives by’ the muscle cells is going to get put to good use!
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Some interesting studies have questioned how the time food is consumed affects muscle recovery.
Group 1: Ate a protein/carb supplement immediately after exercise
Group 2: Ate a protein/carb supplement 3 hours following exercise
And guess what they found out? Participants in group one demonstrated a much higher rate of muscle synthesis as compared to those who didn’t eat until 3 hours later.
The suggested combo of carbs to protein is a 4:1 ratio, however this is widely debated. Other sources suggest a 2:1 ratio.
Carbohydrates are extremely important to have along with protein as it allows for increased insulin release into the bloodstream. So eating a piece of chicken and nothing else isn’t going to do you much good. Remember what our hero insulin does! It transports the protein and carbs to our muscles for repair so you can heal faster.
So what do you eat?
What you eat post workout is going to contradict all of your healthy eating logic.
Following intense exercise you want the following:
- Low fibre
- Low fat
- fast digesting carbs (High on the glycemic index)
Why is this so?
Well, the less fibre and fat that our bodies have to digest, the quicker the insulin response will be. Normally, throughout the day, we try to eat in a way that gives us a steady blood sugar response by eating healthy fats and high fibre foods that are low on the glycemic index.
However, following a workout it is best if what you eat is rapidly digested so the insulin can get to your muscles as quickly as possible. However, that doesn’t mean that you should eat garbage after a workout by any means.
Some good foods that provide instant energy are: Dates, watermelon, pasta, potatoes, millet, wheatabix, corn chips, white bread, maple syrup, etc.
You can make a great recovery shake or juice, by using banana, maple syrup/honey, protein powder, and almond milk. The fibre content and fat content will be low enough to allow for the insulin process to take place quite quickly.
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It may also benefit you to eat any of these high glycemic foods during every hour of your workout. Many people enjoy Cliff Shots, GU gels, honey/maple syrup to prevent their glycogen stores from depleting and delaying the catabolic process.
Tonight’s Questions:
- Do you eat after your workouts?
- When do you usually workout and how do you plan your meals/snacks around them?
- Do you pay attention to carbs and protein?
- How do you define ‘intense exercise’? I struggle with this one…
I’m all over the place with my workout times, but when I workout in the morning I have a green monster before my workout and then following my workout I tend to have cereal with soy milk. I almost always eat after a workout because I tend to be quite hungry!
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Have a lovely evening! I’m off to BAKE…see you tomorrow morning for another SGBC clue and all the baking pics!
Great info, Angela! I have done some work in exercise physiology and am currently doing sports nutrition, so this stuff is particularly interesting to me. I focus on carbs before my workout (even when I get up early to run) because we need that glycogen and that energy for our muscles. Then it’s important to get *something* in you right after the workout, whether it’s Gatorade or food or what have you. And then (the sooner the better!) a good balanced meal with good carbs and protein.
HelpMeghanRun.com
I don’t usually eat before exercising because I’m horribly afraid of getting stomach cramps and I workout right when I wake up anyways. I usually eat about an hour afterward though to refuel!
I workout in the evening after I get home from work…I usually have a small snack in my car on my commute (it takes an hour to get from work to the gym), and then I work out. After I get home, it’s time for dinner, so I don’t feel bad about “replenishing” with a big healthy meal!
When I used to work out in the morning, I’d work out on an empty stomach and then have a protein shake as soon as I got home. An hour or so later, I’d have my breakfast of protein/complex carbs/healthy fat.
Interesting post. I’ve read that a lot of the research on protein intake post workout is fairly baseless. We consume protein throughout the day….most of us consume far more than necessary (protein powders, much?!). The body is smart and and can take that protein and put it to use when necessary. If we break a bone, we don’t all of a sudden start drinking loads more milk for the calcium. Although, it is of course important to fuel properly for your workouts both before and after.
I would consider working out at or above 70 % of your max heart rate as an “intense workout.” Wearing a heart rate monitor will help you maintain your intensity. Good luck!
Thanks for the info!
Wow, this is such great information Angela! You definitely did your research on this one. I find it so interesting that what is best for our bodies post-workout isn’t really what you’d normally deem “healthy” foods. Thanks for doing taking the time to share this! :)
xxoo
Heather
I always make sure to eat within an hour of my workout, if I know that we have dinner planned later or something I will make a protein shake or something similar (milk and cereal).
That was all review from my last quarter’s sports nutrition class ;-) hehe. But I ALWAYS eat after a workout. I know it’s important to stop the breakdown of my muscle! And if I don’t eat right after, I get a weird stomach ache later and am famished the rest of the day!
Usually if I workout for 30-40 minutes or less (at the gym, or a super easy run), I don’t necessarily make myself eat if I’m not hungry. But any longer than that I do….with carbs of course!
aw you are just the best girly! im ordering some now!
-jessica
Hello Angela,
I have been reading your blog for some time now, now’s the time for me to answer :-)
I usually work out after work, in the evening. Now, one thing you have to know: I am French, live in Belgium, and we don’t have at all the same way to organize meals actually: here it’s usually three meals a day, and not necessarily am and pm snacks. Lunch is around 12.30-1 pm, and dinner around 8pm. We don’t have night snacks (or they are part of dinner and they’re desserts ;-).
Anyway,I only snack in the afternoon if I work out later, and then I have dinner after my work out, when I go home. I usually call my boyfriend when I get off the gym so he knows it’s time to fix some dinner.
So I eat about 30-45 minutes after working out, and then I crave protein and carbs and vitamins, so in the end I have a good balanced
meal.
Intense exercice, well I would say exercice that turns me into a red-faced sweaty monster!
Sorry for writing a novel, and please don’t blame me for the mistakes, I’m not English mother tongue ;-)
Emmanuelle
thank you for posting this. sports nutrition is something i’m really interested in – i want to feel strong and athletic, and with that absolutely comes proper nutrition. i used to think it would be crazy to eat before/after a workout – why replace the calories you worked so hard to burn? thankfully my views have matured. :) i always always eat after a workout, even if i’m not hungry – usually something with carbs and protein like a smoothie or yogurt and granola. typically i exercise an hour or two after breakfast, so my big bowl of oats and fruit gives me lots of carbs for fuel.
i struggle with what intense exercise is as well. i think it’s a very personal thing – no one can tell you that what you’ve done isn’t “enough.”
I love a cold smoothie or glass of chocolate milk after a run. I did my long run this past Sunday and it was muggy out! I was craving chocolate milk the entire time!!
I am a huge fan of smoothies after a hard workout. If I am doing a run of 6 miles+ over my lunch break, I always bring a smoothie with me to work and put it in the freezer. Mine today has almond milk, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, a bit of fresh squeezed OJ and half a scoop of vanilla protein powder.
I have learned that having a smoothie post-workout definitely aids in the recovery and keeps me from feeling achy and sore later on. I aim for the 3:1 or 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein.
I think anything that is over 1 hour starts to get into the intense workout realm.
So your post brings up a question—at the end of a very active day (morning run, lunch gym and maybe a post work few holes of golf), I feel exhausted. Simply put, my body does not want to move anymore. I eat throughout the day and try to keep hunger at bay but would you think this is due to a lack in carbs and/or protein or simply that I pushed my body to its limits that day?
Happiness Awaits
Good morning Angela…I usually work out first thing in the morning (like 4:45…I know sick!). I find I can’t eat anything at that time, so I am one of those horrible people that don’t eat before. Shortly after my workout I make a protein shake (frozen fruit, yogurt, milk, protein powder, flax seed, now since reading about the green monster, spinach). That usually holds me over until my morning snack at work which is usually fruit and some kind of protein.
Thanks for the great post…really interesting.
Sue
Awesome and informative post!
I usually work out in the evenings after I get home from work. I have tried to work out in the mornings, but I just feel so lethargic. So usually after a sweat session, I have dinner – which sometimes is just a smoothie. I often have larger lunches to help me get through the day. :) Thanks for all the great info!
Excellent health tips..