We all know that dreaded feeling the day after leg day, long due run or workout, where the thought of climbing stairs or raising your arms to put on your shirt makes you squench your face. So what can we do to help prevent or decrease this pain? Let’s have a look at what the science is showing us.
The body goes through significant changes after exercising, this includes loss of fluids, fuel source, and breakdown of muscles. Post-workout nutrition is necessary for restoration of the different functions, tissue repairs and muscle growth.
Sports nutritionists and dietitians have long used the 4Rs for Recovery:
Rehydrate
During exercise we lose water and electrolytes through our sweat. The amount of water or sweat lost in active individuals is between 0.3-2.4 litres per hour of exercise. This would be dependent on type, duration and intensity of the activity. The most practical way to measure how much you lose, would be for you to weigh yourself before and after exercise. The ideal replenishment would be 125-150% lost so for example if you lost 1kg, you could aim for 1.5 litres of fluid intake post recovery. Rehydration or replenishment can take between 4 and 24 hours!
While sports drinks can be excellent during demanding exercise, higher electrolyte solutions (the oral rehydration solutions you might have been given when you are sick, like our Sally-Ann Creed Prohydrate+) are advised when higher rehydration is required as they return salts lost during exercise. Water can be recommended but as long foods rich in sodium (e.g. crackers, cereals, sauces etc.) are integrated into the post-recovery meal or snack. For our keto family, when you enter ketosis, your body starts excreting more fluids through urine as it eliminates ketones and waste so it’s even more important to ensure that you are getting enough fluids and electrolytes after exercise.
Another great rehydration fluid is milk. Milk has very similar electrolyte amounts to that of sports drinks with the addition of carbohydrate and protein to support recovery goals. That’s why you’ll see loads of athletes with Steri-Stumpies or Super Ms post-race.
Refuel
Under regular carbohydrate diet intakes, the main fuel used during exercise would be carbohydrates, and glycogen (stored carbohydrates in the body) which would need to be refuelled post-exercise. Interestingly, your body stores 350g of glycogen in your muscles and about 100g in your liver.
In this case if you are doing a low intensity or moderate training (30-40 minutes), focusing on your body’s regular carbohydrate daily intake will work. However studies are still showing that for very intensive or prolonged activity (we aren’t talking a 30 minutes yoga class) 1-1.2g/kg of carbohydrates 30 minutes post exercise will replenish glycogen stores. So what does this look like in terms of food? Example: a 70 kg woman would need around 70g of carbs. 2 slices of bread (30g carbs) + jam 2 heaped tbsp (+- 40g carbs).
For refuelling when on a keto or low carb diet, your body will no longer have access to fuel from carbohydrates so your body looks for the next best fuel source: fat. Since keto limits carbohydrates, the focus is on high-quality proteins and healthy fats to repair muscles and replenish energy. Studies show that low-intensity endurance exercise (cycling or walking) will work well with Keto, due to the body’s reliance on fat as a fuel source. However, science shows that it may lead to reduced performance in high-intensity anaerobic exercise (swimming, running, sprinting) unless carbohydrate intake is strategically managed. Properly adjusting macronutrient intake can help maintain energy levels for such workouts while remaining in ketosis.
Repair
There are many factors that can help our body repair our muscles and promote recovery after our workouts. The main component is protein. Consuming between 15-30g of good quality protein, like our Best Whey Isolate, within 4 hours of exercise has been shown to boost muscle synthesis and repair. It also depends on the intensity, frequency and duration of your exercise. The timing of post-nutrition has long been a great debate in the health world, however studies are now leaning on the total amount of protein and carbohydrates consumed throughout the day as being more important than specific timing strategies.
The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends post-exercise protein of 0.5g/kg and absolute protein intake of 40g.
Another great idea is to think of post-recovery intake in a ratio of 3:1 carb-to-protein ratio, meaning that for every 3g of carbs there is 1g of protein as a rough estimate. However, it’s important to note that the optimal ratio can vary based on individual goals and the type of exercise performed. For example, those engaging in less intense or shorter workouts might not need such a high carbohydrate intake immediately post-exercise and could opt for a slightly adjusted ratio.
Rest and Revitalise!
As with all optimal exercise and recovery- ensuring that we promote and enhance our immunity and body function is vital. Ensuring that we include enough vegetables, fruits, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals is just as important as any recovery tips for our immune system.
SUMMARY:
Rehydrate with fluids and replace electrolytes as needed
Eat a snack soon after you finish your workout to refuel and repair- aiming for around 3:1 ratio of carbs and protein.
Eat a meal within 2-4 hours of finishing your workout containing some carbs, high quality protein, healthy fats and veggies
Continue to nourish your body throughout the day and rest of the week
Normal/High Carb Diet
Keto Diet
Whey protein, nut butter and banana smoothie
Whey Protein and nut butter smoothie
Tuna and crackers
Tuna and seed crackers
Egg on toast
Egg on banting bread
References:
Bonilla DA, Pérez-Idárraga A, Odriozola-Martínez A, Kreider RB. The 4R’s Framework of Nutritional Strategies for Post-Exercise Recovery: A Review with Emphasis on New Generation of Carbohydrates. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(1):103. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010103
Alghannam AF, Gonzalez JT, Betts JA. Restoration of Muscle Glycogen and Functional Capacity: Role of Post-Exercise Carbohydrate and Protein Co-Ingestion. Nutrients. 2018;10(2):253. Published 2018 Feb 23. doi:10.3390/nu10020253
Sports Dietitians Australia- Recovery Nutrition – four goals to set with your athletes!
