Shake It Up: Smoothies Pack Energy
and Help You Recover
By Ilana Katz, MS, RD, LD
Exercising hard day after day tends to cause
stiffness and soreness. As an athlete, you have to decide what to eat
in order to fuel optimally for your workout session–and also after,
to ensure fast recovery. People who strength-train need to figure out
how much protein is needed after workouts to aid in recovery, while
endurance athletes must decide how much carbohydrate will prevent
chronic fatigue or glycogen depletion before the next training day.
Your body stores carbohydrates in very limited
amounts in the form of glycogen. During training, glycogen gets used
up fast. Recovery involves maximizing glycogen storage capacity, to
be adequately prepared for the next workout and to enhance muscle
rebuild and restoration.
The enzyme responsible for storing glycogen is
elevated immediately after exercise and remains elevated above normal
levels for only a short window of time. It is therefore vital to take
in an adequate amount of carbohydrates as soon after exercise as
possible. Adding some protein to the post-workout meal or snack is
also important because it enhances the glycogen uptake and aids in
muscle repair. Foods eaten post-exercise require just as much
planning as your pre-workout meal. Consuming the appropriate foods,
and the timing of post-workout meals will improve your recovery and
performance.
Blended drinks score the most points for
providing recovery nutrients. Not only are they easy, convenient and
nutritious for those on-the-go, but the combination of calories,
carbohydrates and protein can easily be adjusted to your individual
needs. Overall nutritional recovery intake should include
replenishment of calories burned during the training session in a
ratio of about 3-to-1 carbohydrates to protein in a readily
digestible format.
The ideal carbohydrate and protein combinations
can be made using whey powder (for protein) and fruit, yogurt, milk
(for the carbohydrate) and maybe some additional goodies like peanut
butter, honey or almond extract (for taste).
Here are some great shake recipes to speed up
your recovery times:
Green Tea Berry Smoothie
Makes 16 oz serving
- Approx. ¼ cup water
- 1 green tea bag
- 1 tbsp milled
flaxseeds
- ¾ cup frozen mixed
berries
- 4 oz low-fat
vanilla yogurt
- ¼ cup cranberry
juice
- Honey to taste
(optional)
Boil water, add teabag, let seep for 3 mins. Meanwhile, blend
flaxseed, berries, yogurt and juice until smooth. Squeeze and remove
teabag. Add tea to berry mix, and blend again until smooth. Adjust
consistency with additional water, and add honey to taste, if
desired.
Per Serving = 320
calories, 38g carbs, 8g fat, 2g sat. fat, 14 mg cholesterol, 5g
protein, 13g fiber.
You Got a Blackberry
Message
Makes 16 oz. serving
- ½ cup raw oatmeal
- ¾ cup blackberries
- 2 tbsp low fat
plain yogurt
- 2 tsp vanilla whey
protein powder
- 1 tsp ground
flaxseed
- 4 – 6 ice cubes
Blend all ingredients until
smooth.
Per serving = 375
calories, 12g protein, 36g carbs, 2 g fat, 8 g fiber, 34g sodium
Choco-nana
Makes 16 oz. serving
- 1 cup water
- 1 banana
- 2 tbsp low fat
vanilla yogurt
- 1 tbsp chopped walnuts
- 1 tsp ground
flaxseed
- 1 scoop chocolate
whey protein powder ( ¼ cup or ~ 110 calories)
- 6 to 8 ice cubes
Blend all ingredients until
smooth.
Per serving = 370
calories, 15g protein, 45g carbs, 4 g fat, 4 g fiber, 200g sodium
