While the list of advantages of exercising is long, exercise also takes away your body’s essential calories and nutrition. Drinking a recovery drink that contains the appropriate types of nutrients at appropriate timings after your workout can make a considerable difference to your results from exercise and overall well-being. Always consult a certified health expert for advice prior to making any changes in your fitness or diet routine.
Timing
Recovery drinks with high-quality electrolyte powder can help replenish the energy and fluids lost during your workout. They also help get you ready for your next exercise. For the first two hours after exercise, your liver produces glycogen, which is the short-term store form for glucose at about one-and-a-half times the normal rate. This is the ideal time to consume a high-carbohydrate recovery drink. Consuming carbohydrates immediately after exercise will also trigger your pancreas and cause it to release insulin. This tells the cells to absorb glucose. In the following four hours, glycogen production is elevated however, it decreases gradually.
Fatigue
If you do your exercise twice a day, drinking a sugar-based recovery drink will provide enough energy to sustain you during your second workout. It can also help you avoid injury and move more rapidly toward your exercise goals. With practice and time, your glycogen storage capacity can increase by as much as 20 percent. This leads to increased endurance and improved performance in your sport of choice. The goal is 1.5 grams of carbohydrate for every kilogram of your body weight for the first 30 minutes after exercising in addition to every other two hours throughout the first four to six hours according to the nutritionist Sari Edelstein who is co-author of “Life Cycle Nutrition: An Evidence-Based Approach.”
Aerobic Capacity
Recovery drinks can satisfy both your glucose requirements and your chocolate cravings. According to the University of Texas at Austin Department of Kinesiology and Health Education chocolate milk that is low in fat is the ideal post-workout recuperation beverage to promote more lean muscles and less fat. Protein in chocolate milk can make it a better alternative to drinks that contain carbohydrates themselves. It can also improve your strength, and speed in aerobic endurance — a measure of your body’s ability to use oxygen — up to two times.
Body Composition
A study published in the June 2012 issue of the “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research” found that a recovery drink containing carbohydrate, protein, and ribose — which is one of the essential building blocks of ATP an important energy-carrying molecule — may enhance the body’s composition for endurance athletes. Participants, all males in their mid-20s took the drink within minutes of exercising five days per week for 8 weeks. The results showed lower body fat percentages within the initial up to three weeks. Body weight aerobic capacity, endurance, and weight didn’t change much after the drink for recovery in this study.