post workout: drink your chocolate milk

Last weekend, I went to a conference where Felicia Stoler presented information about nutrition and exercise and what helps athletes perform at their best.

She gave some great advice.  These are some notes that I took that I found interesting.

1) Eat before a workout- food provides your body with necessary stores of energy (glucose) to perform optimally.  Within an hour before- only drink liquids or semi-liquids, look at my previous post for ideas.  Additionally, make sure that what you are eating/drinking within the two hours before a workout is low fat (fat slows down digestion- making you feel full- but also causes food to remain in your stomach for a while).  If you workout right when you wake up- consider drinking a glass of juice.  It will provide the sugars that will help you to perform during your workout.

Sports Beans

2) Keep a food/workout journal.  Write what you eat before you work out, and write how it made you feel (energy, cramps, nausea).  Everyone is unique and metabolizes differently, so what works for one person may not work for another.  It is important to figure out what makes your body function at its best and writing this down helps you to remember and see trends.

3) Before a long race- eat jelly beans!  (In all seriousness- foods made of simple sugars, like jelly beans, will give you a boost of energy without a lot of volume in your stomach.  Find something that works for you- some people like pretzels if they crave more savory things).

4) Don't take sleep for granted when on an exercise regiment. Sleep helps you recover from strenuous workouts.

5) Protein supplementation is not necessary.  Generally, people get enough protein in their diet without needing that extra protein shake.  Instead- drink a glass of chocolate milk to rehydrate, rebuild, and refuel.

There is something special about chocolate milk, take it from Michael Phelps*.  Chocolate milk (and milk in general) is an ideal mix of carbs, fat and protein to help your body rebuild muscle, reduce post-workout soreness, and ultimately recover faster!

*Michael Phelps preferred to drink Carnation Instant Breakfast between races during the Olympics.

Chocolate milk is composed of:

• protein- to help rebuild muscle
• carbohydrates- to help refuel muscles by restoring glycogen
• electrolytes- to help replenish what's lost in sweat (like sodium, magnesium potassium, and calcium)  
• fluids- to rehydrate the body (milk is 90% water)
• calcium and vitamin D- to help rebuild and strengthen bone
• 9 essential nutrients 
• (Skim milk is just 80 calories and zero fat)

There's lots of research proving the point of chocolate milk:

• Bicyclists were given Gatorade or chocolate milk post-exercise.  Those who drank chocolate milk were able to recover quickly and had both greater  time to exhaustion and total work. (Karp JR, et al. Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2006;16:78-91.)
• Chocolate milk drinkers were able to cycle longer than those given a similar carbohydrate replacement drink with added protein.  (Thomas K, et al. Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism. 2009;34:78-82.)



Try chocolate milk post workout!

• Untrained participants who drank fat free milk gained muscle and lost more body fat (Hartman JW, et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2007;86:373-381.) and sustained less exercised induced muscle damage (Cockburn E, et al. Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism. 2008;33:775-783.) 

Take home message:

• Many recovery drinks contain a mix of carbs, electrolytes, and protein (as mentioned in my previous post).
• It is not always necessary to buy expensive sports drinks, as chocolate milk has been suggested to be just as good (if not better) for recovery and endurance.
• Everyone is different.  Keep notes on what you eat before and after a workout.  This will help you determine what works for you and what doesn't