When I first started running, I would often skip a post-workout snack.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, it was because I was in a rush, but mostly, it was because I thought eating straight after a workout would ruin all my hard work.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Now, I know how wrong I was. However, it seems I\u2019m not the only one who has felt this way.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n \u201cMany beginners under-eat after workouts because they\u2019re worried about \u2018undoing\u2019 their effort,\u201d explains Cara Shaw<\/a>, a women’s health nutritional therapist.<\/p>\n \u201cIn reality, under-fuelling can increase cravings later in the day, disrupt hormones (especially in women), and slow recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n What I quickly learned is that after exercise, refueling is essential. \u201cIt\u2019s not about protein shakes and perfection,\u201d explains Shaw. \u201cIt\u2019s about supporting your body so you feel energised rather than exhausted.”<\/p>\n There are four main reasons why refuelling post-workout is important, according to Shaw:<\/p>\n Replenishing carbohydrates to restore energy.Providing protein to support muscle repair.Rehydrating, especially if you\u2019ve been sweating.Stabilising blood sugar to support your nervous system and to avoid any crashes.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you’ve done moderate-to-intense exercise, particularly strength training, cardio classes or anything longer than 45 minutes, you will likely have used up some glycogen, created small amounts of muscle breakdown and activated your nervous system,\u201d Shaw explains.<\/p>\n Needing all the inspiration I can get, I asked Shaw for her favorite post-workout snack.<\/p>\n \u201cMy Greek yoghurt recovery Bowl is always my go-to,\u201d she tells Fit&Well. \u201cThis bowl gives me around 15\u201320g of protein, plus fibre, healthy fats and carbohydrates.<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a balanced snack\u2014and the key is to think about nourishment, not restriction.\u201d<\/p>\n Cara Shaw\u2019s Greek Yoghurt Recovery Bowl RecipeIngredients\u00be-1 cup Greek yoghurtA handful of berries1tbsp chia seeds or flaxseed1tsp maple syrup1tsp nut butterOptional: sprinkle of cinnamon or cacaoMethodMix the ingredients in a bowl.<\/p>\n While refueling is important, Shaw stresses that recovery starts before you even begin to train.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing into a workout under-fueled can spike stress hormones and leave you feeling shaky, ravenous or drained later\u2014especially if you train first thing in the morning on an empty stomach or just coffee,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cA banana with nut butter, yoghurt with berries, or a slice of toast can make a huge difference to energy and performance,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When I first started running, I would often skip a post-workout snack. Sometimes, it was because I was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":513748,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84],"class_list":["post-513747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=513747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/513747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/513748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=513747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=513747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=513747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}