While the list of benefits that exercise can bring to your health is long, exercising also removes your body from essential calories and nutrition. Consuming a drink to recover that contains the right types of nutrients at appropriate timings after your workout could make a huge difference to your results from exercise and overall well-being. Always consult a qualified health professional for advice before making adjustments to your exercise or diet routine.
Timing
Recovery drinks help replenish fluids and energy lost during exercise and help prepare you for the next exercise. The first two hours after exercise your liver produces glycogen, which is the short-term sugar storage substance at about one-and-a-half times the normal rate. This is when it is best to have a high-carbohydrate recovery drink. Consuming carbs immediately after exercising helps your pancreas release insulin, which signals your cells to absorb glucose. In the following four hours, glycogen production remains high, however, it slows down gradually.
Fatigue
If you exercise twice a day, drinking a sugar-based recovery drink will ensure sufficient energy to get you through the second session. It can also help you avoid injury and move faster towards your fitness goals. With time and regular training, your glycogen storage can grow by as much as 20 percent. This results in greater endurance and better performance in your chosen sport. The goal is 1.5 grams of carbohydrate per every kilogram of your body weight within the first 30 minutes following exercise, as well as every 2 hours during the first four hours to six hours as recommended by the nutritionist Sari Edelstein co-author and co-author in “Life Cycle Nutrition: An Evidence-Based Approach.”
Aerobic Capacity
Your recovery drink is able to satisfy both your glucose requirements and your chocolate cravings. In the University of Texas at Austin Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, low-fat chocolate milk is an ideal post-workout drink for promoting lean muscles and less fat. The protein content in chocolate milk makes it a superior beverage for recovery compared to carbohydrates on its own. It can also boost your strength, speed, and endurance — a measure of your body’s ability to utilize oxygen by up to two times.
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Body Composition
A study that was published in the June 2012 issue of “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research” discovered that a drink for recovery that contains carbohydrate, protein, and the amino acid ribose — which is one of the essential building blocks of ATP an important energy-carrying molecule that can enhance the body’s composition for endurance athletes.
All males in their mid-20s took the beverage immediately following exercise five days per week for 8 weeks. Results showed a decreased percentage of body fat within the first 3 to 6 weeks. The body weight, endurance, and aerobic capacity did not change after the recovery drink in this study.