Mission Critical: Post-Workout Recovery

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I am very fortunate to have a number of competitive athletes among my clientele. When working with individual, and especially team, athletes—from golf, tennis, and swimming to football, baseball, soccer and hockey—I often see the same challenge. My clients struggle to get a meal in immediately after they exercise.

The Post-Workout Mission-Critical Timeframe

The first 15 minutes following true exertion—whether it’s an intense workout, a game or even just a stressful life situation— should be considered as “Mission Critical.” Immediately after your workout, or after you experience some physical and mental stress, your body is craving energy from carbohydrates to rebuild its glycogen stores. It’s craving amino acids from protein to build and repair damaged muscles as well as important co-nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

Your body is an efficient machine that wants to fast-track the process of replenishing muscles that have become depleted of these nutrients so they can rebuild— more efficiently, faster and stronger.

Yes, this period of time, post-workout, is critical to proper recovery from training. But it’s also a critical timeframe to help you recover from the day-to-day stress you put on your body. Remember, the more efficiently you recover, the better you will perform at everything you do—not just your workout. And that means we can all do more of the things we love.

Your body is an efficient machine that wants to fast-track the process of replenishing muscles that have become depleted of these nutrients so they can rebuild

Garden of Life’s Raw Organic Protein powder supports your body immediately after exertion in two ways; first, it speeds up muscle recovery and second, it helps naturally reduce fatigue and soreness following exertion.

Post-Workout: Muscle Repair & Recovery

To accelerate muscle recovery after a workout, your muscles need glucose as a source of energy to repair and build new tissue but at a slower pace to sustain the repair over time. When you add protein to your glucose, your body gets this sustained release of energy. The optimal ratio of sugars to protein is 4:1 (four grams of carbohydrate for every one gram of protein).

Reduce Fatigue & Soreness

Reducing fatigue and soreness is accomplished by potent antioxidant polyphenols. Antioxidants are the body’s frontline for defence against the free radicals released during heavy exertion. Those free radicals tear down your muscle’s tissue cells, and you can actually feel the tearing as muscle soreness. But antioxidants promote relaxation, restoration and comfort by fighting the free radicals.

My clients struggle to get a meal in immediately after they exercise

Post-workout, your body needs cellular energy in heightened amounts during recovery. When you workout, your body spends its reserves of magnesium and essential B vitamins, key nutrients your cells need to create energy (called ATP energy).

Organic Plant-Based Protein to the Rescue

Raw Organic Protein contains 13 raw sprouted proteins and vitamins A, D, E and K. Personally, I take it every day to get all of these benefits into my system.

On non-training days, I either take it after some stressful meeting or event, or I might have it in between a meal because I am trying to boost my ability to recover from the prior day’s training.

You should not treat the period of time immediately after a workout lightly. If you’re a person who is on-the-go, pack your post workout in a shaker cup, add water and take it with you. This can’t get much easier.

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2019-12-19 10:04:11 • By Garden of Life

It’s “Gotta” Be Clean

Finally, I always advise my clients that your diet and rest come first, but when you add supplements they need to be clean—truly clean—that means certified clean by third parties like NSF for Sport® and Informed- Choice.

Also, I’m sure you’re choosing food options that are Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO Verified whenever possible, so it only makes sense that your supplements have these certifications. You want your supplements—along with your food choices—to have a positive impact on your health, so don’t take chances with anything that’s not clean.

Don Saladino

Don Saladino is a certified trainer and owner of the Drive495 gym in New York. As a recognised fitness expert, he regularly contributes to Men’s Fitness and Men’s Health, and works as a trainer to pro athletes and celebrities.