Working out is hard enough. You need a good program and plan, you need good food and healthy diet and you need strong will and endurance. Therefore, you should do all you can in order to make all that worth your while and to have maximum results from it. In order to achieve that, you should know a thing or two about what you should and what you should be avoiding after workout. Here are some of the things that you need to know before your next exercise or workout session.
Fluids
The most obvious thing that happens during your workout is sweating. This also mean that you are losing a lot of your bodily fluids. Since that can lead to dehydration, you should replenish that fluid with water after workout in order to feel better and keep hydrated. Water is a much better choice than anything else because all those drinks and juices contain some sort of carbohydrates.
Stretching
Once you have finished your workout, you just want to hit the showers and get over with it. However, that time that you stay a little bit longer and stretch will pay off double fold. First, you will be allowing your muscles to recover and secondly, you will allow that blood flow to circulate more easily, allowing more time for all the nutrients to reach the muscles and feed them properly. It is important that you don’t end your workout abruptly, just like you don’t start it abruptly either.
Meals
If you want to make the most out of the workout and the most out of you meal, make sure that you take close care about the “carb window”. During the first 60 minutes following your workout, your body converts the carbs into muscle much faster and better. Therefore, if there is a time that you should be eating carbs, it is within an hour after your workout.
Shakes
There is a common misconception that you should chug down your protein shake the moment you finish your exercise. However, the recent discoveries show quite the opposite conclusion. There is a faulty belief that the protein synthesis is much faster and more extensive right after the workout. But that is not true. The window that you should think about begins as far as the 60 minutes after the workout. Before that time, protein synthesis is 30% less productive than after an hour. It prolongs for over 20 hours after workout. Therefore, when it comes to proteins, you can be too early to take them while you just cannot be too late to take them after your workout.
In other words, the best way to act after workout is to slow down before entirely stopping, stretching, having a lot of fluids, and be careful about carb and protein intake. While carbs should be consumed as soon as possible, you should wait for those proteins for at least an hour. Also, don’t forget to have a lot of rest and a good night sleep. It is essential for muscle building.