fbpx

Recovery Nutrition for Athletes
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Fueling strategies for post-workout 

 

a woman lies on her back in the sunshine post workoutRecovery is one of the most central topics of sport nutrition but it is also often misunderstood. What comes to mind when you think about recovery nutrition for athletesHere are some examples that I have heard from clients and teams over the years:  

  • Protein 
  • Supplements  
  • Stretching  
  • Rest  

These items are absolutely important, but they are not the full picture. To provide a better understanding of nutrition for athletic recovery, we can think about what the main goals are.  

 

Four R’s of Athletic Recovery

  

  1. Repair: whenever we are training muscle, we cause damage. Damage to muscle is what leads to the rebuilding and strengthening. In order to repair and regenerate muscle for best training response we look for protein.  
  2. Replenish or restore energy: we have just used up a large amount of energy. We also need energy now to repair the damage, the best source of energy is carbohydrates. This will also replenish the muscle glycogen (stored form of energy in muscle) that is used for power.  
  3. Rehydrate: with sweating and breathing heavily, we get dehydrated. To help rehydrate we seek fluid and electrolytes (specifically sodium).  
  4. Reinforce our systems or support overall health: exercise leads to cell damage and inflammation (we are overloading our systems with oxygen and breaking down muscle). To reinforce our immune systems and ultimately reduce the inflammation in the body we seek out quality, nutrition food.  

 

a woman eats yogurt with berries wearing a pink tank top

 

Recovery is so much more than a supplement or protein post workout. Complete recovery can take up to 48 hours, yet marketing has really pushed the post-gym supplement narrative. We miss the mark when we only think about what we have immediately after training.  

 

Athletic Recovery Essentials

 

Here are more recovery nutrition essentials that can help athletes with meeting the 4 R’s to recovery and support the body for the full 48 hours it takes to recover.  

 

Have a recovery snack or meal within 15-60 minutes post-training that includes both carbohydrates and protein along with fluid.  

 

Research suggests to include:  

0.2-0.4g per kilogram body weight of protein (generally between 20-30g protein) and 1-1.2g per kilogram body weight of carbohydrates within the first 60 minutes post exercise.  

 

Ideas:  

  • Smoothie with fruit, Greek yogurt and milk  
  • Chocolate milk with a granola bar  
  • Greek yogurt mixed with cottage cheese, topped with fruit  

 

Drink lots of water for the next 24-48 hours.

a chart demonstrating pee colors and how they determine your hydration level

Focus on the color of your urine– aim for a pale-yellow. It is difficult to give specific amounts of fluid to drink as everyone sweats at different rates. Your body tells you how much you need to drink every time your pee, use this as your gauge.  

If you are a salty sweater (you taste the salt on your lips and see it on your clothing), choose an electrolyte replacement drink or salty foods for recovery snacks.  

 

Eat a balanced meal within 2-3 hours of training.

 

Unless it was an evening workout – then focus on a balanced meal the next morning.  

Recovery post workout gets the process started. The balanced meal and then eating every 2-4 hours for the rest of the day keeps the process going.  

Balance looks like:  

  • Protein: again, aiming for the 20-30g target we did for post workout 
  • Color: include fruit or vegetables 
  • Grain: aim for whole grains  

 

 

More ways to maximize athletic recovery

 

Recovery can also be maximized when we focus on getting an adequate amount of sleep and include stress-management tools. I want to emphasis that none of these things need to be 100%. Be gracious with yourself when life throws curveballs at you and you end up with a flat tire on the way home and miss out on your post workout snack, or when you have a new baby and sleep is out of the question. Start with what you can and simplify as much as you can. Have easy, on-the-go foods ready for when you are in a rush such as a protein bar, individual portions of Greek yogurt or stop at a gas station for milk.  

post workout recovery foods including dried fruit, nuts, granola bar and dark chocolate with a hand weight

 

Not every workout needs to be treated the same. If you are having a light, easy day, you will not need the same amount of recovery as you would on a heavy, high-intensity workout day. In saying that, I still highly recommend getting in a snack with a source of carbohydrate and protein, even if it is smaller, within 30 minutes.  

I encourage you also to check out previous posts on pre-workout meals and snacks and RED-s or relative energy deficiency. It is common to not be getting in enough energy for the exercise or training being done, seek support if you notice any of the red flags that are mentioned in the RED-s article (such as loss of menstrual cycle, recuring injuries, poor training response, etc).  

Heading out for a workout today? Start planning your recovery now… What will you have with you so you can ensure you get a snack in within 30 minutes?  

Get sports nutrition recovery and training diet support:

 

Looking for sports nutrition support with an Online Sports Nutritionist, our Calgary and Online Registered Dietitian team can help.  Find out more about our sports nutrition services here:  Sports Nutrition services by our Online Dietitian team. 

 

 

Looking for more simple meal planning tips and healthy recipes for a healthier lifestyle? Sign up for our weekly newsletter for a healthy recipe of the week (and nutrition articles and videos with a balanced living philosophy to help encourage healthy habits but still save room for your favorites). Our nutrition newsletter is written by the Online / Calgary Nutritionists on our team who each hold a professional Registered Dietitian license to ensure you are getting credible advice. 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

As seen in

  •  

Success stories

"I am a psychologist in private practice and it is very important to me that my clients have the best care with other health care professionals. For that reason Health Stand Nutrition is my only source for exceptional Dietitians. Andrea and her team provide highly knowledgeable, compassionate, and real world support to my clients who require assistance with food lifestyle. I trust my clients to them and you would be in excellent hands making them part of your health care team."
Adele Fox, Psychologist
“This is the first time I feel satisfied; my cravings have diminished dramatically and I have a whole new relationship with food. I am eating guilt-free for the first time in my life. My energy has also dramatically increased and I feel great!
Rhonda Jenkins, Nutrition Counseling Client
“The Dieticians at Health Stand Nutrition help you to take action on the science behind eating well by making it practical, understandable, and fun. Their office is cozy and not at all clinical or intimidating. I felt like I was sitting down with a really smart, caring friend who wanted to help me make the best choices for my lifestyle and food preferences. They really are the best in the business.”
Marty Avery, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I have come to think of the program as a one stop shopping excursion for everything one needs to know about creating a joyous relationship with food and our bodies. In a single word, the course has gifted me with freedom from the punishing rigidity of disordered eating, old stories that never were true, and body dysmorphia that did nothing but make me lose sight of a body that has done everything I've asked, despite my careless dismissal of her needs. Now when I look in the mirror I find myself shifting from harsh criticism to gentle gratitude.”
Lynn Haley, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“I spent 3 hours when first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I learned more from my Dietitian about food in those 3 hours than I had learned in all the years of my life. I also love the newsletter, there is always something to learn.”
Peter Whitehead, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I didn’t realize how strong my “diet mentality” was, and all the rules I had in my head about food. I was in a cycle of reward/punish/binge/cringe. I booked with your business very reluctantly, on the repeated advice of my doctor, to get my slowly rising cholesterol levels in check. I thought I knew everything about food, and my behaviour with food, but I was definitely re-schooled. My weight is creeping down, I feel good about my diet, exercise, body image, and lifestyle.”
Amy Floyd, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Thanks Andrea for an amazing presentation, I have heard all positive remarks from attendees and the evaluations show the same sentiment. It is really gratifying when a speaker does their “homework” and weaves in our profession’s day to day challenges within their content, you did an awesome job of this! You truly took the “die” out of Dietician! Your information on healthy eating and simplifying how we can work towards this as we are all so busy really hit the mark. Andrea connects very well with her audience; she is energetic, funny, and very approachable.”
Carole Ann LaGrange, Transfusion Medicine Safety Officer

Event Planner for Laboratory Diagnostic Imaging Annual Event

I am a family physician who sees patients with a myriad of eating concerns – from wanting to know how to plan healthy meals for active families, to weight loss, to eating disorders, and so on. I cannot recommend the Health Stand team highly enough. I have worked with (and been to!) other Dieticians in the past and too often find that they just ask for food logs and make suggestions that are easily obtained online or in books. The Dieticians at Health Stand offer much more than just telling clients what they “should be eating.” In contrast, the team really does more of a counselling practice, and they work hard to help their clients learn more about why their eating habits may be off track and not optimal for them, as well as helping people to effect change at a deep level that, most importantly, is sustainable for lifetime health.”
Dr. Deb Putnam, Family Physician

Nutrition Counseling Client & Referring Physician

“I am a busy mom, with kids in high level sports, working full-time downtown, and running our home acreage outside the City. I now have the knowledge and tools I need to plan for and manage the chaos of meal planning.”
Gillian Gray, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“As a construction company, we select speakers who can relate to our industry and its employees. Andrea’s message was delivered with humor and empathy. She makes people feel as though they can make changes without leaving behind every favorite food. Andrea focused her presentation on healthy eating as a way to keep energy high throughout the day. This message and the way it was delivered resonated with our predominantly male, blue collar culture. I would highly recommend Andrea as a speaker for groups such as ours. She will get your message across without alienating anyone in your audience – which is a huge hurdle when trying to introduce a wellness program in the workplace!”
Stephanie Wood, HR and Safety Manager

Fisher Construction Group, Burlington, WA

I found my Dietitian warm, funny, and skilled at teaching nutrition concepts without the overwhelm. The general approach of each session was to mix science with emotion, which was exceedingly effective in helping me shift my perspective on food from one of anxiety to one of joy and curiosity.”
Erin Kronstedt, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Excellent presentation! What a refreshing change to have a speaker inspire rather than “lecture” about nutrition. Your captivating stories, tips and overall approach to healthy eating uplifts and puts people at ease. It was great to hear we don’t need to strive to be perfect eaters, and that small changes really can make a difference in how we feel and in our health. Thanks to Andrea, we have solutions to our everyday nutrition challenges that can actually work in real life!”
Tina Tamagi, Human Resources

ARC Resources Ltd.

“Had I not joined this course I would have struggled with no focus, low energy, and mindless eating. Excellent teaching and motivation. This is not just a course, it is a nutrition club with mentorship, support, and connections with other people with similar situations.”
Lorri Lawrence, Pursuit of Healthiness online course participant

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This