Post Workout Nutrition is Vital

Post workout nutrition can be a funny thing.  Some people are absolutely starving after they exercise, some get all those hormones that kill the appetite for a few hours.  Regardless of where you fall in this spectrum, eating something after strenuous exercise is a good idea.

There are several reasons for this.  Depending on the length and intensity of your workout, your metabolism will remain elevated for a certain period after you finish exercising, meaning that your body has increased nutritional requirements.  If you don’t want a post-workout crash, you need to put something into your system.  It doesn’t matter how fit you are if you keep falling asleep on the job.

Regardless of whether you are trying to lose weight or not, these increased requirements do not mean that this is the time to eat that hot fudge sundae you’ve been thinking about.  What it does mean is the right nutrition will not only support your energy level, but can actually increase your calorie burn and help train your body to what you need it to do on the inside.

Post workout nutrition will vary from person to person.  It is impacted by the length and intensity of the routine, along with other factors.

Another reason to pay attention to fueling your body post exercise is to avoid injury--or especially if you are recovering from an injury.  Working out deprives your body of the nutrients burned and some of those will need to be replaced.  If you are recovering from injury, illness, or surgery, post workout nutrition is vital to making sure you heal well.