Why Are Recovery Drinks Good For You
Although the list of health benefits exercise provides is extensive, it also depletes your body of important nutrients and energy. Consuming a drink to recover with the proper types of nutrients at the right intervals following your workout will make a significant difference in your exercise results and overall health. Always seek advice from a qualified medical professional for advice when making adjustments to your diet or exercise routine.
Timing
Recovery drinks help replenish the fluids and energy that you lost during your workout and ensure you are ready for your next workout. For the first 2 hours after exercise, your liver produces glycogen, the short-term sugar storage substance, at one and a half times the normal rate. This is the perfect time for a carbohydrate-rich recovery drink. Consuming carbohydrates right after exercise also stimulates your pancreas to release insulin. This tells your cells to take in glucose. During the next four hours glycogen production stays elevated however, it slows down gradually.
Fatigue
If you do your exercise twice a day, taking a carbohydrate-based recovery drink can give you the energy to power you through your second workout. It will also help you avoid potential injury and progress faster toward your fitness goals. With time and regular training, the glycogen capacity grows by 20 percent. This results in greater endurance and better performance in your chosen sport. Try to consume 1.5 grams of carbohydrate per every kilogram of your body weight in the initial 30 minutes after exercise in addition to every other two hours for the first four hours and up to six hours as recommended by nutritionist Sari Edelstein, a coauthor on “Life Cycle Nutrition: An Evidence-Based Approach.”
Aerobic Capacity
The recovery drink you choose to drink will satisfy both your glucose requirements and your chocolate cravings. According to the University of Texas at Austin Department of Kinesiology and Health Education Low-fat chocolate milk is an ideal post-workout recovery beverage to promote more lean muscle mass and reduce fat. The protein content in chocolate milk makes it a superior energy drink compared to carbs alone. It can also increase your speed, and strength in aerobic endurance — a measure of your body’s capacity to utilize oxygen by up to two times.
Body Composition
An article published in the issues of June 2012 “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research” found that a recovery drink containing carbohydrates, protein, and ribose — one of the components of ATP, an important energy-carrying molecule — may improve the overall body composition of endurance athletes. All males aged between 20 and 30 consumed the drink right after exercising 5 days a week for 8 weeks. The results showed a lower body fat percentage within the initial three to six weeks. The body weight, as well as endurance, didn’t change much in response to the recovery drink used in this study.