The other day post an intense dumbbell workout I really needed something to fuel me right away. I didn't have any good source of snack to eat right away which is very important after a workout since it prevents muscle breakdown, replenish glycogen and helps us recover faster.
I quickly went to a grocery store down below to get some snacks that are rich in protein and a healthy drink which doesn't have any kind of artificial flavouring or high in sugar to relax and rejuvenate while my body is cooling down after a workout.
My picks from the aisle were peanuts and green tea. The best picks in that moment and easily available among world full of chips and biscuits.
Peanuts are tasty and the high protein content in them makes for a great snack after an intense workout.
I love to nibble on peanuts or have few spoonfuls of peanut butter because its good source of fat, it has nutrients and calories our body needs to fuel our tired muscles. They also are rich in micronutrients which also help to balance any nutritional deficiencies in the body.
My second pick was green tea post workout simply because I find easy rejuvenating rituals quite therapeutic. A five to 10 minutes time for myself sipping down some green tea can be very recharging, relaxing and refreshing at the same time.
I consciously picked these items off the aisle because we need a high protein source that contains amino acids to build and repair our muscles and peanuts top the chart in amino acids content and green tea has a kind of amino acid which works well for stress relief.
Why get these amino acids post workout ?
Amino acid is vital to you because after water it is the largest component in our body.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are 20 kinds of amino acids of which 9 of these essential amino acids cannot be produced by our body. That is why we have to depend on foods and diet to get them in our system.
Peanuts have 7 out of the nine essential amino acids, which makes them an awesome quick snack post workout.
On the other hand green tea doesn't have these essential amino acids what it does have is L-Theanine a type of amino acid which also isn't produced by our body but its good for us.
L-Theanine affects chemicals like dopamine and serotonin which are known to help us sleep better, feel good emotions and deal better with stress. And of-course green tea helps boost your metabolism has known benefits associated with fat loss and brain function.
At the Zenbar life we always emphasise on how our body and mind should feel. That is free from pain, illness, feeling of lightness, finding focus and clarity in our mind. It is these simple intentional choices that develop into a habit and form a healthy lifestyle in the long run.
So if your goal is fat-loss , making that change in being a good decision maker in foods that you need will help you achieve it.
If your goal is simply an active lifestyle then the same trick works with few cheat moments that wont harm you since most of the time your focus is on making good nutrition a priority.
Hope this post gave you a little clarity on post workout nutrition benefits. I have also added below few extra tips which I felt were important for you to know related to protein and its intake.
Additional post work out tips
- Consume 10 - 20 grams of protein. If your are into body building 20 gram is ideally recommended.
- A handful of peanut around 30-40 grams can give you 8-10 gram of protein.
- Make sure you don't skip your full meal too
- No need to rush to eat protein, you can eat a small snack to instantly fuel but make sure to eat high protein up to 2 hours after a workout.
Have a good workout, and let me know if you have any questions and topics you would like me to address in comments below.
Stay zen,
Urvashi