Post-exercise recovery nutrition

[pizzapiepeet]

Hey all,

So lately I've been going on 2 mile jogs after I get off of work late at night (usually midnight or so.) After jogging, I typically drink an 8oz glass of chocolate milk for recovery and go to bed about 20-30 minutes later. The problem is that I have a very difficult time getting out of bed the next morning! I feel mentally and physically drained and I'd rather just lay there motionless.

I'm trying to determine if this lethargy is caused by glycogen depletion (poor post-exercise nutrition?) or if maybe i'm over-training. Any thoughts?

Oh, and for what it's worth, I'm 5'11", 161lbs, the choco milk I drink after working out has 33g carbs and 9g protein and I try to keep my heart rate at a moderate 129bpm while working out.

Thanks!

 

[BrianCollins]

I like to keep it simple. So here's where I'd start.

It's usually not a great idea to workout so close to going to bed. Even though you may feel spent, your body is burning calories for long after your done. Give yourself a couple of hours at least.

Also after an intense workout, do a little more with your recovery drink. At your size, I'd go with 1/2 cup of milk (skim, almond, hemp, yeah even lowfat choco), a half to full school of protein powder (I go with whey (best taste), others are: rice, hemp, pea (bland taste hard to cover), 1/2 cub frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup frozen pineapple, one full banana, tablespoon milled flaxseed (or oats, or both).

You can get really creative with the fruits to get a variety of flavors. I also add baby spinach to the equation every once in a while. It doesn't change the flavor at all and adds good nutrient kick. Also, if you really need to up the sweetness try using agave nectar. Stuff is the business! It is a little pricey for quantity, but a little bit goes a long way.

Lastly, making these recovery smothies can be a real pain in the heiniken without the right tools. Make sure you get yourself a good electric hand mixer. Unless you have a industrial strength blender, they suck.

I gaurantee if you get one of these in you withing 30-60 minutes after workout, you will feel much better.

Finally, make sure you have something in your mind that makes you want to jump out of bed. Even if you feel tired, you'll still want to get up.

think good. eat right. work hard.

BC

 

[summer123]

Hey all,

So lately I've been going on 2 mile jogs after I get off of work late at night (usually midnight or so.) After jogging, I typically drink an 8oz glass of chocolate milk for recovery and go to bed about 20-30 minutes later. The problem is that I have a very difficult time getting out of bed the next morning! I feel mentally and physically drained and I'd rather just lay there motionless.

I'm trying to determine if this lethargy is caused by glycogen depletion (poor post-exercise nutrition?) or if maybe i'm over-training. Any thoughts?

Oh, and for what it's worth, I'm 5'11", 161lbs, the choco milk I drink after working out has 33g carbs and 9g protein and I try to keep my heart rate at a moderate 129bpm while working out.

Thanks!

Could be many things. Could be you need more sleep- if you have worked out where you'd normally be resting you may find that your body requires that bit more rest afterwards.

Are you stretching? if you don't stretch your muscles are going to find it harder to heal evenly, they shorten whilst you exercise and this is why its important to stretch them back out again. Make sure your also stretching appropiatly, holding the pose correctly and for long enough each time.

What your taking on after your exercise doesn't sound especially bad but it doesn't sound that fantastic either. Maybe like the above poster has suggested, something more fresh and natural could benefit you better. But aside from that its not really a terrible choice. However, milk has been known to have calming effects on us due to the hormones cows produce when lactating. It could be that there is just a tad too much milk in your system to feel as up and ready as you normally would.

Maybe have less milk and swap it with some fruit or a banana or some chicken/eggs.