Your muscles will treat you according to how you treat them. If you exercise them in the gym, they will get bigger, stronger, and give you all the desirable curves that you could possibly want. Although, you also have to provide them with the proper food. Are you sick of your muscles taking taking forever to recover? If you are sore and fatigued for more than a few days, chances are you aren’t eating properly. The best time refuel your muscles is within 30 minutes after you exercise. These are 7 post workout snacks that will speed up recovery time and give you the results that you’re looking for.
1 – Hard Boiled Eggs
Hard boiled eggs are super convenient. You can boil them a dozen at a time. Throwing them directly in your gym bag is easy and you can eat them as soon as you’re done training. They provide all the protein and fats that you need. Simply peel off the shell and chow down. It may be a good idea to pack a whole fruit to eat with it, because eggs don’t provide a significant source of carbohydrates. After a tough workout you need some carbs as well in order to replenish your glycogen stores.
2 – Tuna Salad
Tuna is a quality protein that is easy to fix into a really tasty and potent post workout snack. In order to add the carbohydrate to the snack you can mix some vegetables into the tuna salad, or just spread the tuna on top of some wheat bread. Making tuna salad takes 5 minutes or less. You can get quality tuna that is canned in water. Just mix the fish in a bowl with a tiny bit of light mayonnaise and a bunch of vegetables like peppers and tomatoes. You can eat it straight out of the bowl, or put it on bread for a sandwich. You can also take it to the gym with you if you have tupperware containers.
3 – Peanut Butter
Peanut butter goes great on bread or whole wheat rice cakes. Bananas and apples also go really well with this recovery food. This should be a priority post workout food for anyone trying to gain muscle mass. It provides a significant amount of all the macronutrients (fats, carbs, proteins). Here is How To Make A Peanut Butter And Banana Protein Shake that you won’t be able to get enough of.
4 – Hummus
You can buy hummus pre-made, but I find that it tastes much better to make it yourself. The ingredients are nothing but pureed chickpeas. These little weird looking beans provide a high level of proteins and carbohydrates that are perfect for muscle recovery. To prepare your own hummus just crush up a few cups of chickpeas with a drizzle of lemon, olive oil, and garlic. You can scoop it right out of the bowl on pieces of warm whole wheat pita bread. It will give you steady energy for hours as it’s slowly digested.
5 – Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is like the bigger stronger brother of traditional yogurts. It can be slightly more expensive, but it’s totally worth it. It has about twice as much protein, and less fat. There is so much that you can do with greek yogurt in the kitchen. Blend it into a protein shake, or even make your own healthy parfait. You can learn How To Make A Healthy Yogurt And Blueberry Snack right here. It’s super easy to make. All you need is greek yogurt, blueberries, and some whole grains.
6 – Protein Powder
This is probably the easiest and most popular post workout snack. All you have to do is bring a supplement shaker with you to the gym with protein powder already stored inside. When you’re finished training, just fill your shaker with water and chug it. The benefit of protein powder shakes is that they are very easy for your stomach to digest. Sometimes you may not feel like eating anything after a workout, or your stomach may not be able to handle it. In that case this is a perfect alternative to food. The tough part is finding a quality protein. Here’s one that you may like.
7 – Chocolate Milk
Studies have shown that chocolate milk is the ultimate post workout recovery fuel. It has a nearly perfect ratio of carbohydrates and proteins that your muscles need to build themselves back up quickly. If you are lactose intolerant, or your stomach can’t handle milk after a workout, then the protein powder is a better choice.
Being sore and tired once in a while is all part of being fit. But you can significantly reduce it with these 7 post workout snacks that will speed up recovery and results. Make it a priority to give your body the best fuel. That’s just as important, if not more than the actual exercise that you do. Please spread the word and share this article on facebook. If you have any questions about recovery just contact me. Don’t be shy!
About Adam Pegg
