At the end of the day, your athletic success has a great deal to do with how you recover from your workouts. Your diet is so crucial to getting proper recovery and what you put into your body immediately after a workout can make a dramatic difference in your training regimen.
Your body starts to repair and heal itself almost immediately after a workout. If you supply it to the source with a great option, then your body will more readily bounce back from the workout and you will be able to increase both the frequency and intensity of your workouts. So let’s dive into the top 5 foods that will lead to a stronger recovery:
1. Nuts & Seeds
This is one of the first as it can be incorporated into your diet pretty simply. Whether it’s a natural peanut butter or a smoothie with an almond milk base, nuts and seeds have the right carbs and the right fat to add into your system immediately following a workout. The protein will help your muscles rebuild while the healthy fats in them will help you to recover your energy. This is a great way to recharge after a hard workout.
2. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are incredible because they have a better glycemic index than white potatoes and thus provide a better source of energy for your body. Normally, adding an extra starch would be a no-no, but fitting this in within an hour of working out will mean that it’s getting processed at the front of the line. It contains great proteins as well (not as much as nuts or meat, but it’s still there) and this will have you bouncing back into your day in no time.
3. Bananas
High in natural sugar, these gems are often left out of people’s diets. However, your body does need naturally occurring sugars and starches, especially after a strenuous workout session. That, along with naturally high levels of potassium make bananas the ideal recovery food on the go. Great for their fiber, bananas are all of the promise of granola bars without all of the added sugar.
4. Coconut Water
Coconut products in general make for great recovery foods post workout. Just make sure they don’t have added sugar in them. Coconut water will also have the added plus of helping to really rehydrate your system — and hydration is an enormous component of recovery. This is a great way to ensure that you don’t get that sluggish feeling after you’re done with the gym for the day.
5. Oranges
This is one of my personal favorites. Oranges taste great, have a lot of fiber and a lot of the same benefits that come with bananas, but with a lower sugar content and a much higher water content. That’s right, oranges are about 87 percent water, meaning that eating an orange is almost like drinking a glass of water with all of the natural vitamins and minerals that a sports drink claims to offer — just without processed sugar and flavor additives which will leave you feeling slow and sluggish.
Choices & IV Hydrotherapy
There are many ways to go with this, but recovery is so important when trying to train seriously. Without appropriate recovery practices, you are more likely to injure yourself, less likely to push through plateau and will, overall, lead to lesser performance.
There is, though, an even more efficient recovery option that can be a great addition to your diet. Getting IV hydrotherapy treatments are affordable and effective. You don’t need a treatment after every workout, but spacing them out will show dramatic results. This is especially true when recovering from a workout just prior to a competition. When you compete, you absolutely have to know that you will recover in time to be at your best. IV hydrotherapy is a great way to make that happen.