3 min readMay 2, 2023 09:43 PM IST
First published on: May 2, 2023 at 05:26 PM IST
Workouts can help build muscle mass and keep them intact. Even the joints and ligaments get strengthened with proper training. Low intensity and weight training exercises with fewer weights and more reps are good for stimulating all small and major muscle groups. Mobility exercises like yoga help you increase flexibility, muscular-skeletal strength and balance.
For those looking for weight loss, workouts are essential. Besides, they keep your mental health profile in balance. Therefore, it is important not to let the benefits of a good workout go to waste after a session. So we must eat right. Post-workout, our body’s demand for fuel grows, our capacity to digest improves and our ability to absorb nutrients also gets better. Drinking water or other beverages helps the body replace the fluids it lost through perspiration. Try having a meal consisting of carbohydrates and protein within two hours of your exercise session if possible. Usually, it is okay to consume 10 to 20 grams of protein after a workout, depending on your body weight. But be careful about adjusting your ratio of carbohydrates to protein, depending on the type of exercise you completed.
You can try the following ideas post-workout:
1) Go for fruits as they are full of antioxidants and phytonutrients, which help in reducing inflammation, and fibres, which promote satiety an delay the release of blood sugar into the mainstream. Yogurt and fruit can be a good combination of protein and fibre.
2) You can have a mix boiled sprout salad with a dash of lemon, spices and even nuts.
3) For those who have milk, cow’s milk with a little natural sugar and saffron can help. Or have a lassi.
4) You can have smoothies with some nuts and seeds.
5) For those who prefer a workout before breakfast, you can consume poha, upma and dosa but in sub-maximal quantities.
6) Just nuts and dry fruits with oats would also be great. For those who don’t have milk, almond milk with oats or almond milk with nuts and dry fruits would be great options too.
7) There is nothing like our local buttermilk with sattu flour. It can be a great protein shake too.
8) Eggs preferably boiled.
There are several benefits of eating the right post-workout meal. Glycogen is necessary for any workout and since you can lose as much as 80 per cent of its reserve while doing an intense activity, your energy level plummets. If you have protein during your anabolic window, or the period of time after a workout in which protein consumption can grow your muscles, you can develop lean muscle mass quickly. According to Harvard Health, adequate hydration post-workout can regulate your body temperature, help prevent infections, move nutrients to your cells, keep all your organs functioning, improve sleep quality, better your mood, and reduce brain fog.
(Dr Mehta has trained Bollywood superstars Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta, billionaires, politicians, Miss World/Miss Universe candidates and the Maharashtra Police. A best-selling author, he has been appointed FIT India Movement Champion by the Sports Authority of India)
There are several benefits of eating the right post-workout meal (Source: Getty Images) 
Share
