Perrin Brown, a runner and graduate student at Tufts University, whose specialty is catering, has compiled a list of products that optimally help the body recover after running workouts.
During training, the deformation and destruction of muscle fibers begins in our body. Damaged muscle cells secrete the enzyme creatine kinase (SC) into the blood. The level of this enzyme in the blood shows how much your muscles and skeleton as a whole were involved during exercise. If the level of SC in the blood is high, then you need to pay attention to your nutrition after training.
A necessary element of nutrition after jogging — a large amount of carbohydrates. Heavy exercises make it so that the glycogen reserves in your body begin to be consumed. And this, in turn, means that your body will not have enough energy for the process of muscle recovery and growth.
Therefore, there should be a large amount of carbohydrates in the food after training so that the body is provided with the necessary amount of energy and the muscles have time to recover and grow. Without this carbohydrate fuel, the body will take protein and fat from your muscles. This means that now it will take more time for the body to recover. The ratio of carbohydrates to proteins in your post-workout diet should be 3:1 or 4:1.
To repair damaged muscles, your body also needs protein, which consists of amino acids — building blocks for your muscles. Therefore, it is especially important after such workouts as running, during which you carry quite an impressive weight of yourself on your feet for a long time.
Many athletes try to avoid fat, but in fact, its lack can hinder the improvement of your athletic performance. If your workout lasts longer than an hour, your glucose reserves are running out and the body begins to burn fat to release the necessary energy. At the same time, it is very important to pay attention to what type of fat is contained in your products. If saturated and trans fats can harm you, then the fatty acids contained, for example, in some types of fish (mainly marine) play a very important role in helping muscle recovery and oxygen regulation, hormone production, restoration of your body and the immune system in general.
In addition to food, sufficient hydration of the body is also very important, since during training you lose a lot of fluid, and with it important minerals and vitamins. Therefore, many athletes and coaches recommend drinking water in small portions during training. If the workout lasts longer than an hour, your body will need not just water, but water saturated with minerals, sodium is especially important.
You can buy special sports drinks for this purpose, which contain all the necessary trace elements, or simply release gas from mineral water and drink it during a workout. Another — a mixture of water and concentrated orange juice (100 ml of juice per 1 liter of water) or just mute salted water.
