As you fully restore your body for a complete recovery, set your body ready for a reduced soreness, refuel of energy stores and prevention of cramps.
Muscles normally get both starved for proteins and sore after an intense workout. There are pretty intense sessions of lifting on schedule ahead of you. The hard exercising sessions are not a joyriding event but you have to prepare for them. You will always experience some pain induced by hard training and seek for rest for your body recovery. To alleviate this pain at your resting moments and for your recovery, you will have to fill your tank with the right and best pre- and pro-recovery foods. You may not want to delay any lifting efforts as you achieve hitting your fitness goals.
Below is a list of best food groups that will aid you the recovery as fast as possible;
- Water
We have many reasons that make water almost on top of the list of the advantages for aiding recovery. Especially in this case, water helps us be fully hydrated and keeps us going when undergoing some strenuous exercises. Without a proper body hydration both before and after a workout, you would likely face fatigue, cramps and dizziness, and these symptoms might prolong the time you would take to recover. Therefore, you are recommended to take around 7 to 10 ounces of water after every 10 to 20 minutes. If you sweat a lot then you should add to the amount of water you drink.
- Fast-Digesting Carbohydrates
After the intense workout, the glycogen stores get depleted and become hungry for immediate carbs. This is the moment when if you consume a fast-digesting carbohydrate source like those of white starch or fruits, it will give insulin spike a drive that will refuel the stores of glycogen. The suggested window frame for taking a fast-digesting carbohydrate is between ten and fifteen minutes after the workout.
- Protein
Even though micronutrients and water have a perfect and major role for a recovery process, protein is very core over them all. You ought to know that consuming a post-workout protein substance, be it a meal or a shake, is mandatory to a quick recovery. This is because proteins quickens in the repair of damaged muscle fibers that developed as a result of an intense workout. Additionally, proteins supports your body with initiating an adaptation change to muscle fibers after training and also known for refueling the energy stores. Recommendation for protein intake ranges from 1.25 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of a targeted body weight.
- Potassium-Rich Foods
Potassium deficiency is the main cause of muscle cramps. Muscle cramps are unexpected contractions involuntary in nature. They can target muscles tissues which are hit during an intense training. Potassium gets lost easily when you sweat and dehydrate excessively. The basic recommendation of potassium’s adequate intake (AI) is 4.7 grams/day. You can easily find potassium from the protein-rich foods, majorly leafy greens. If your diet is composed of these foods, they will be a likely protection and a preventative measure curbing muscle cramps.
- Salmon
Salmon is a fish mainly dominant on seas and oceans that serves a best dish for average man. It is very rich in the fish oil that is basically known as the omega-3-fatty acids. The two mainly known fatty acids here are; the docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). These two mainly get involved with several anti-inflammatory processes to calm the body. In all those processes, The DHA and EPA increases the anti-inflammatory eicosanoids that will signal molecules made of oxidized fatty acids. Then they will largely reduce the inflammation caused and also reduce the inflammatory production of cytokines. Cytokines get stopped by the action of fatty acids processes.
- Blueberries
After that intense exercise, get yourself a protein shake. Protein powder alone is however not enough because it does not provide a right diet prescription, and especially that for the paining muscles. A perfect solution is here; just add blueberries. They are rich in antioxidants which will help protect you from free radicals in the body that damage the muscles from an intense workout. The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition reported that after consumption of a blueberry shake, the muscle that had undergone injury after a workout had been catalyzed for recovery.
- Tart Cherries
The Journal of The International Society of Sports Nutrition had indicated that tart cherry juice has the potency of decreasing muscle soreness and inflammation. When you often lift heavy objects and place them down, you will experience some significant amounts of tension on the body which also initiates inflammation. Any next time you have a schedule for an intense training session, have a sip of a glass of tart cherry juice for both pre- and post-workout.