While exercising, people tend to burn a lot of nutrients, yet they need these nutrients to stock up in order to continue building strength and fitness. For this reason, wellness and health experts say that there is a need to consider post workout foods in order to replace the carbohydrates that the muscles use during exercise. Miguel Clement Mutali, a fitness instructor and sports therapist working at Kigali Marriott Hotel, says a post workout meal is essential as it helps provide e protein one needs to repair muscle damage and help build muscle at the same time. He says that people doing strenuous workouts definitely need good nutrition after a workout for their own good. The fitness coach goes on to explain that having a healthy meal after a workout has been known to help in muscle recovery as well as maximise the workout session. Plus, Mitali says, this also helps keep hunger at bay that could lead to overeating later in the day, which in the end can aid in weight loss. “To ensure that you repair your muscles well after any workout, getting good nutrition is important and people should actually take this into account,” Mitali suggests. Sandrine Twagiramariya, a fitness coach in Kigali, says exercise depletes the body’s stored energy and causes muscle damage. Because of this, she says it’s essential for one to consume the right food after workout to help restore energy and help repair the muscles in general. This, she points out, helps one use the restored energy and strength which they can use the following day. “Focusing on the right meal after a workout helps the body to retain lean muscle mass rather than burn it off for energy. Eating well after a training session is an important step to make,” she says. Twagiramariya notes that if one’s goal is to lose weight, then it’s recommended that such people should lose fat rather than muscles. She adds that it has been established that lean muscle is responsible for giving one a good toned look, as well as boosting metabolism and promoting good health. What to eat Nutritionists agree that one’s post-workout meal should include a healthy combination of protein and carbohydrates. In fact, studies recommend that one gets about 15 to 25 grams of protein and one to two grams of carbs per 2.2 pounds of body weight per hour of glycogen-depleting exercise. Also, it’s evident that protein aids in muscle hypertrophy (helps build muscle) by repairing exercise-induced muscle damage. Rene Tabaro, a nutritionist at King Faisal Hospital, says consuming carbohydrates after a workout helps refuel all that energy used up during workout sessions. He says carbohydrates replenish muscle glycogen stores that get used up during exercise. “Consuming carbohydrates means that one would have great energy levels for their next workout, which is very crucial,” he says. Tabaro goes on to advise that eating a meal with carbohydrates and protein helps the body after workout as well. Meanwhile it’s recommended that one consume a total of 300 to 500 proteins fewer than what they burn to promote weight loss of a half-pound to one pound per week. This weight loss rate, however, is slow enough not to compromise one’s performance at the gym but rapid enough to produce noticeable results. In addition to this, experts urge that one should as well ensure they include a complete source of protein in their post-workout meal or snack, as complete proteins contain all the essential amino acids the body can’t produce on its own to promote muscle growth and repair.
