Nutrition For Recovery

As Simon has discussed in a previous article, consistent training is one of the most important factors in improving fitness and performance. Ensuring recovery from each training session is key to establishing this consistency and the right nutrition plays a major part in this recovery.

Those athletes who are training twice a day or more on some days obviously face a greater challenge in terms of recovery as they have less time between training bouts.

However, adequate post training or racing nutrition will aid recovery and ensure that:

• Fluid and electrolyte balance is restored
• Fuel stores (particularly glycogen) are restored
• Muscle rebuilding and repair takes place
• The immune system is protected - carbohydrate is linked to the maintenance of a healthy immune system.
• Psychological recovery is addressed - carbohydrate is linked to a ‘feel good’ factor.
• Training adaptations are optimised - nutrition is important in promoting genetic responses, which lead to the adaptations which training is all about!

So, what can be done to maximize recovery via nutritional ‘strategy’? There are a few simple guidelines:

• Timing of carbohydrate intake
Immediately after training is the best time to take in carbohydrates (there is a ‘window’ of around 30 minutes following exercise when the uptake of carbs by the muscles is greatest). This can be either solid or liquid.

• Amount of carbohydrate intake
Aim to take in 75-90 g of carbohydrate immediately after exercise
And maintain CHO intake of 1-1.2 g/kg/h for 4-5 h

• Type of carbohydrate ingested
high ‘glycemic index’ carbohydrates are preferable immediately post exercise – a greater ‘GI’ means that the carbs are released and absorbed more rapidly. This should be followed by a low – moderate GI meal 2 hours or so later.

Examples of high GI foods are:
White bread, baked or boiled potatoes, cornflakes, rice cakes, popcorn, bagels, rice, shredded wheat, sweet corn, raisins, glucose, sucrose, most sports drinks.

• The combination of carbohydrate with protein
May contribute to replenishment of glycogen – (5:1 Ratio of CHO:PRO).

So, the take home message:
Plan ahead and know what you should eat and drink throughout the day and try to stick to your plan. Be prepared and carry supplies of suitable snacks and drinks to training or work etc.