Everyone has heard about how incredibly important diet is. Diet becomes doubly important when you are an athlete, or even just train like one. What you should eat, why you should eat it and what happens if you don’t; all things that should be considered when training like an athlete.
You need a lot of different nutrients to bring your body back to life after killing it on the mats. Sugars, Amino Acids, and other micronutrients all become depleted and your body needs them back as soon as possible, so we need to eat food that has all those things in them. Another factor to consider is that the food you eat can be broken down quickly so the nutrients can enter your blood stream more quickly.
Bananas are a great source of natural sugars that your muscles need to recover, plus there are nutrients in bananas that will help your body use those sugars properly. If bananas aren’t your thing then try other fruits that have a similar nutrient profile. Keep in mind that not all sugars are created equal. The packaging that sugar comes in makes a huge difference, and in this case coming from the banana your body makes far more effective and efficient use of it than say getting it from a soda.
Amino acids are our next important nutrient. All proteins are made up of amino acids but not all proteins are created equal. Whey protein specifically digests quickly, and has a complete amino acid profile for muscle recovery. If protein drinks or milk aren’t your thing you can focus on rice, beans and or quinoa. Just make sure you make them before your work out because the prep time required for those will move you outside of the “magic window”.
Now it’s time to learn about the “magic window” we mentioned earlier. Have you ever woken up felt amazing and had a great training session in the morning or afternoon just to feel completely drained the rest of the day? If you are eating the right foods then your intake timing is probably the culprit. You have to eat properly and at the right time to recover from a hard training session. A hard training session drains all your energy stores and when you don’t eat at the right time, your body has to work doubly hard to properly recover. Your body keeps stores of sugars and other nutrients that it draws from during your training, so not only do you need to give your body the fuel to repair but also to refill those stores. The good news is right after you finish training your body is amped up to recover, so you just need to put the right foods in your body as soon as you can after training.
According to a study done by UT Austin there is approximately a 30-minute “magic window” that is open right after you finish training. During this time all your recovery hormones are ready to be released into your blood, and your body is already pumping lots of blood to all the right places that need the nutrients.
Take all the right steps and not only will your body quickly recover but also you will feel amazing and energized for the rest of your day or your next training session. Just remember it is 2 fold, not only should you eat the right things but eating at the right time is just as important. Keep these in mind and your performance; recovery and overall energy will improve!
Great article on timing. I know how important this is but still miss the window sometimes.