With the finish line behind you, the focus of your fueling shifts from performance to recovery. Exercise breaks down your body’s tissues, and good postworkout nutrition can repair this damage and support your body’s regenerative powers. This helps not only to minimize postevent fatigue and soreness but also to rebuild your body stronger than before so it can tackle your next endeavor.
Immediately following your event, continue to hydrate with water supplemented with electrolytes and amino acids (check out “3 Functional Water Additives to Try” for more on these supplements). You might not have an appetite at this stage, but if you can stomach a protein shake or some other digestible source of protein and carbs, it may be beneficial. (Find more tips on managing impaired hunger after exercise at “Why Am I Not Hungry After a Tough Workout?“)
An hour or two after completing your effort, aim to eat a meal of solid food that includes complex carbohydrates, nonstarchy vegetables, and at least 20 grams of protein.
Further support your recovery by engaging in light movement (stretching and foam rolling are great options), doing breathwork or meditation, and catching some z’s.
(For even more nutrition tips to boost your recovery, visit “A Simplified Guide to Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition.”)
Endurance Fuel
Figuring out your race-day nutrition strategy is an essential element of your training. Dial in your nutrition and fueling plan to support your athletic performance with the expert advice at “How to Fuel For Your Next Big Race,” from which this article was excerpted.
Comments (0)