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Whether you're new to the gym, or have been exercising for years, everyone should know how important it is to eat the right food to nourish your body and get the most out of your exercise and workouts!
Obviously, the most important step I could ever provide for post workout would be to drink water and keep your body hydrated, replacing the water lost through sweating.
The next step is to refuel your body with the correct nutrients, these being carbohydrates and protein. These two are essential for replenishing energy lost through workouts and also to help recover and repair muscles.
When you exercise, you use up your glycogen(energy stores). There is a 30 min window post exercise to refill these stores. Your body enables a more efficient replacement of glycogen stores during this time.
Now, obviously the best option is to have a meal post workout to get in the carbs and protein you need. If you're anything like me - time isn't always on my side and I need something quick and convenient to do the job, which is totally OK too!
I've provided my top 5 post workout food choices for getting in your protein and carbs below!
Protein Shake
One of the easiest ways of getting in your protein/carbs after a workout, especially if you're at the gym, you can take along your powder in a protein shaker and just fill with water afterwards to get those nutrients pretty quick!
I don't actually tend to have protein shakes very often as I get my protein in other forms, but I do have a few bags of protein for when I fancy it. Two brands I use all the time: MyProtein**(I've got Cinnamon Danish and love it!) and ProteinWorks(Cherry Bakewell is a current fave).
Protein Bars/Cookies/Flapjacks
Another wildy popular way of getting in protein and there are SO many ways that protein has been implemented into snack type foods, the title above doesn't even hit the surface.
Protein Bars, cookies & flapjacks are the grab and go type option and are majorly convenient. These are one of the options I find myself going for more often than not, just because of time restraints and wanting to get my protein in straight after my workout for maximum benefit.
I tend to grab these when I'm going swimming as I have late lessons, so don't want a full blown meal and I know it will take me a while to travel home so I take one in my bag
I've tried lots of different options and I've listed a couple of my favourites below:
SciMX Pro2Go Cookie* - I've been trying out the oatmeal and raisin flavour. Whilst slightly dry, I like the flavour & it's filling! These are my go-to for swim nights. They come in at 300 cals which can be quite high for some but they're quite big, pack 23g of protein and can even be halved for shorter workouts!
SciMX offer lots of different products to aid with your workouts including protein shakes, pre and post workout products, meal replacements and on the go protein snacks, well worth checking them out! Check out their website HERE
ZipVit Protein Recovery Bars* - Also a big favourite, a lovely fudgey consistency, I've tried 4 flavours including Chocolate Caramel, Chocolate Orange, Strawberry & Banana and Banana & Blueberry. They're very filling and great if you're craving chocolate, which I am most days! ;) These protein bars also have a mix of vitamins as an added bonus!
ZipVit have lots of different nutrional supplements including vitamins & minerals alongside their sports nutrition range which includes protein bars, energy bars, gels and supplements. Their main website is HERE and their sports nutrition is HERE
Yoghurt & Granola/Fruit
Yoghurt can be an amazing source of protein and combined with some Granola and Fruit to add some carbs to the mix can make for a perfect, filling post workout snack, just make sure you watch your portion sizes with Granola as they're quite calorie dense!
I've been having yoghurt a fair bit recently either mixed with some granola or some milled linseed and some fruit and it's been great for eating once I get to work with very minimal prep.
You can stick with the typical Greek Yoghurt or go for a flavoured high protein yoghurt such as Danio, Skyr and Alpro - I've been loving all of these brands recently!
Proats
I love a good bowl of oats in the morning, lovely and warming in the winter and you can also have overnight oats in the morning if you don't fancy something warm! If you've never heard of proats, then you're missing out. It's basically protein and oats! Add a scoop of protein to your usual oatmeal for a perfect post workout meal!
There are lots of different flavours of protein powder to switch things up, as I mentioned earlier, I use Cinnamon Danish protein powder and it tastes amazing in oats. You can always add some toppings too like fresh fruit and/or nuts. The above pic also had some Protein Granola**, PB and ChocShot for extra yumminess!
Nut Butter
Obviously this isn't for everyone, I know everyone isn't a fan of nut butters, but I'm quite partial to a bit of PB. You can have nut butter with lots of different things. My favourite is to have it with some fruit for a great protein/carb mix. I love chopping up slices of apple or banana and having some PB on the side as a snack before having a proper meal!
So! There are my favourite ways of getting in my protein/carbs post workout! They're quick and convenient to have/make. Typically, apart from the Yoghurt and the Proats, the others I tend to have when I'm on the go and travelling and then have a balanced meal later on.
Question: What is your favourite post workout snack/food?
Obviously, the most important step I could ever provide for post workout would be to drink water and keep your body hydrated, replacing the water lost through sweating.
When you exercise, you use up your glycogen(energy stores). There is a 30 min window post exercise to refill these stores. Your body enables a more efficient replacement of glycogen stores during this time.
Now, obviously the best option is to have a meal post workout to get in the carbs and protein you need. If you're anything like me - time isn't always on my side and I need something quick and convenient to do the job, which is totally OK too!
I've provided my top 5 post workout food choices for getting in your protein and carbs below!
Protein Shake
One of the easiest ways of getting in your protein/carbs after a workout, especially if you're at the gym, you can take along your powder in a protein shaker and just fill with water afterwards to get those nutrients pretty quick!
I don't actually tend to have protein shakes very often as I get my protein in other forms, but I do have a few bags of protein for when I fancy it. Two brands I use all the time: MyProtein**(I've got Cinnamon Danish and love it!) and ProteinWorks(Cherry Bakewell is a current fave).
Protein Bars/Cookies/Flapjacks
Another wildy popular way of getting in protein and there are SO many ways that protein has been implemented into snack type foods, the title above doesn't even hit the surface.
Protein Bars, cookies & flapjacks are the grab and go type option and are majorly convenient. These are one of the options I find myself going for more often than not, just because of time restraints and wanting to get my protein in straight after my workout for maximum benefit.
I tend to grab these when I'm going swimming as I have late lessons, so don't want a full blown meal and I know it will take me a while to travel home so I take one in my bag
I've tried lots of different options and I've listed a couple of my favourites below:
SciMX Pro2Go Cookie* - I've been trying out the oatmeal and raisin flavour. Whilst slightly dry, I like the flavour & it's filling! These are my go-to for swim nights. They come in at 300 cals which can be quite high for some but they're quite big, pack 23g of protein and can even be halved for shorter workouts!
SciMX offer lots of different products to aid with your workouts including protein shakes, pre and post workout products, meal replacements and on the go protein snacks, well worth checking them out! Check out their website HERE
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| Swim Essentials! Goggles, Swim Hat, Membership card and a Pro2Go Cookie! |
Yoghurt & Granola/Fruit
Yoghurt can be an amazing source of protein and combined with some Granola and Fruit to add some carbs to the mix can make for a perfect, filling post workout snack, just make sure you watch your portion sizes with Granola as they're quite calorie dense!
I've been having yoghurt a fair bit recently either mixed with some granola or some milled linseed and some fruit and it's been great for eating once I get to work with very minimal prep.
Proats
I love a good bowl of oats in the morning, lovely and warming in the winter and you can also have overnight oats in the morning if you don't fancy something warm! If you've never heard of proats, then you're missing out. It's basically protein and oats! Add a scoop of protein to your usual oatmeal for a perfect post workout meal!
Nut Butter
Obviously this isn't for everyone, I know everyone isn't a fan of nut butters, but I'm quite partial to a bit of PB. You can have nut butter with lots of different things. My favourite is to have it with some fruit for a great protein/carb mix. I love chopping up slices of apple or banana and having some PB on the side as a snack before having a proper meal!
So! There are my favourite ways of getting in my protein/carbs post workout! They're quick and convenient to have/make. Typically, apart from the Yoghurt and the Proats, the others I tend to have when I'm on the go and travelling and then have a balanced meal later on.
Question: What is your favourite post workout snack/food?
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