Post-Workout Recovery Drinks - What to Drink, and When?

Earlier today, someone on a message board that I moderate asked great question about what makes a good recovery drink. There are loads of opinions out there on this topic, many of which conflict with each other. I've drawn my own conclusions, so here they are...

When you work out hard, two things are happening:

First, as you exercise your muscles, you are causing microscopic damage to the muscle fibers. This is a good thing - the process of repairing and rebuilding that damage is what makes your muscles become stronger. Proteins play a key role in the process of repairing this damage.

Second, your muscles burn glycogen, which is a substance that stores the energy which powers your muscles. When you work out hard, your muscles become glycogen depleted. Carbohydrates play a key role in replenishing your glycogen supply.

So, when you exercise intensely, you need both protein and carbohydrates to repair and refuel your muscles. In my opinion, when deciding what to drink when, the key is in the timing.

You'll need to eat a steady diet of protein throughout the day to help your muscles rebuild and grow stronger. Because of this, a protein shake in the morning is a great idea, and you should make sure that every meal you eat during the day contains protein. Your muscles are demanding a steady supply of protein, so plan accordingly.

However, the best time to refuel your muscles and rebuild the glycogen supply is within 30-60 minutes of working out. While some protein in a recovery drink is a good thing, immediately post-workout you should focus on consuming easily absorbed carbohydrates. Ideally, a post-workout recovery drink should have a 3 or 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to proteins. The P90X Results and Recovery formula meets this standard, and you can also find recovery formulas at triathlon, running or other fitness stores (just make sure the carb:protein ratio is correct). And yes, good old chocolate milk is a great recovery drink - the milk provides some protein, but the chocolate provides plenty of sugar to push that carb ratio to the right level.

[b]When do you need to drink a recovery formula?[/b]

Generally after very intense exercise. I haven't needed to drink a recovery formula during T25 because I don't feel depleted - but if your muscles feel exhausted, your legs are heavy, and your energy level isn't bouncing back post-workout, you may want to incorporate a post-workout recovery drink into your fitness plan. In Jen's case, she's doing doubles of T25 and Insanity, so I think a good recovery formula is more than justified! If you aren't sure, try one out and see if it improves how you feel post-workout. When I started month 2 of Insanity, I felt completely wrecked, but once I added a post-workout recovery drink my energy bounced back to normal! It was a small change in my diet, but it make all the difference.

Breakfast smoothies - A great way to start the day!

This morning someone asked me great questions about breakfast smoothies. What follows are only my personal opinions, and since I’m not a smoothie expert, I look for a lot of inspiration/information on-line (including blogs, which can be a gold mine of great ideas).

When making a breakfast smoothie, I want it to contain a good balance of protein and complex carbohydrates, without too much fat. This differs from a post-workout recovery drink, which will have a much higher carbohydrate to protein ratio (you want to help your muscles replace the glycogen you burned during the workout).

But, in the case of breakfast, you want something that will (a) fuel you throughout the morning and (b) keep you reasonably full so you don’t wind up with a case of the 10:00 am munchies. So first, I want to refer you to a great blog posting I found at afoodcentriclife.com, which sets out the basics of building a good breakfast smoothie:

Building blocks for breakfast smoothies

When I make a smoothie, I usually start with unsweetened almond milk, although my son prefers skim milk (either is fine). Some people like to use skim yogurt as well. Keep a good mix of fresh fruits on hand – remember, the darker the berry, the more antioxidants it has. I like to add banana (though it’s higher in sugars), strawberries, blueberries, cherries, peach, melon – there are plenty of choices, depending on your personal taste. Next, I add a scoop of whey protein powder, chocolate or vanilla, depending on what mood I’m in. Finally, to kick up the antioxidant and nutrient value, I keep on hand some chia seeds (soak in a little water first to gel them), cacao powder, coconut oil, or green powder (with spirulina, chlorella, wheat grass and barley grass – I use this sparingly or else a pond-like flavor can overwhelm the smoothie!). A friend of mine likes to add a bit of avocado for texture as well.

For a breakfast smoothie, you should also include some fiber, which will help you stave off those mid-morning cravings. In another blog (kayotic.nl), I found a recipe for a breakfast smoothie that includes unsweetened muesli, which I think is a great idea – that’s another way to include fiber and complex carbs in your smoothie.:

Breakfast smoothie recipe

I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but it’s definitely on my list. Adding muesli (or rolled oats) is another good way to be sure the smoothie will keep you full throughout the morning.

NOTE: When planning your smoothie, make sure you keep track of the number of calories you put in it. You can make the healthiest smoothie in the world, but if it totals 600 calories it’s going to throw off your calorie count for the rest of the day.

A Note on Pre-Packaged, Pre-Prepared Smoothies – As a general rule, avoid them like the plague, even if they are labeled “organic”. I’ve looked at the nutrition labels on them – most of them are packed with sugar and are not healthy choices.

A Note on Shakeology – I heard about Shakeology (a proprietary shake mix from Beachbody) soon after I started using Beachbody products, and was duly skeptical. Then I started doing research, and I couldn’t find a comparable product on the market. I was impressed by the amount of nutrition, vitamins and superfood extracts they pack into this product. It’s low in fat, high in fiber, and doesn’t contain any junky fillers. For purposes of convenience, it’s hard to beat.

Because I generally use it for a mid-afternoon snack, I sometimes increase the protein content by using less than the recommended serving and adding a bit of whey protein powder to the mix.

All this being said, Shakeology is not a magic bullet. It will not make the weight effortlessly melt from your body. You can absolutely design a healthy eating plan without it. However, if you choose to use it, it’s a simple and convenient way to add extra antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals into your diet, and to keep cravings at bay. If you'd like more information on it, please feel free to contact me.