the principles of everyday eating
5 Promoting recovery
5.5 Putting it all together—practical considerations
We have seen that the prompt intake of nutrients after hard exercise can help you recover more efficiently. The period immediately after such a session is crucial. This might sound great in theory, but in real life this is usually just the time when you have the least desire or opportunity to consume foods or fluid.
There are many factors that mitigate against good recovery nutrition:
• There may be no food or fluid available at the track, pool, field or velodrome, or perhaps the catering facilities serve only high-fat foods rather than nutritious high-carbohydrate choices.
• You may have other commitments and distractions—e.g. your stretching and warm-down program, meetings with coaches or officials, collecting or cleaning your equipment, press conferences, driving to your next appointment. These may make it difficult to find or eat a recovery snack.
• You may have no appetite. Many athletes feel nauseated or disinterested in food after a hard exercise session. Or you may be too tired to chew anything, let alone go home and prepare a meal. After a game or match you may be in celebration mode and figure you can party tonight, then pick it up again at the beginning of the week.
This is where good planning and organisation come into play.
The first thing to consider here is what you need to recover and how important it is to be proactive with consuming fluid, carbohydrate, protein and other nutrients. As in many areas of sports nutrition, one size doesn’t fit all. Each session or event will impose different priorities and different requirements for recovery. The questions you need to ask yourself in drawing up recovery strategies include:
• What do you need to recover? Are you dehydrated? Fuel depleted? Do you need to repair damaged tissue? Grow new muscle? Is your immune system under threat?
• How much time do you have before your next session?
• Can you speed up or enhance the recovery process? Will that be of benefit?
• What is your kilojoule budget? How can you manage recovery needs within that budget?
• Can you just concentrate on a few nutrients—such as carbohydrate and water, or do you need a bigger-picture approach to your total nutritional goals?
The answers to these questions will help you to focus on the sessions that need special recovery tactics. Checklists 5.1–5.4 provide some strategies for these key sessions.
The second part of your planning is to consider the practical challenges of getting food and drinks at the right time. You will need to think ahead to spot the obstacles and ways to overcome them.
Bringing your own food and drink to a training session or event may help, especially if there’s no catering at the venue, and there are likely to be big demands on your time and attention. Many carbohydrate-rich snacks and drinks are portable and non-perishable—check the list in Table 5.1. At worst, some choices need minimal preparation time and a little thought to storage—an Esky can be a great investment if there are no fridges or lockers around. With a few minutes to grab your drink bottle, your package or your bowl, you may be able to attend to your next commitment while munching on your recovery supplies.
For those who finish the session feeling hot, tired and a bit queasy, a drink may be more suitable than solid food. A cool carbohydrate drink,
even the tiredest athlete. For additional nutrients, try a fruit smoothie or a commercial liquid meal supplement. Some of these can be bought in ready-to-go cans or Tetra Paks. On the next rung are high-fluid foods that don’t take much chewing: yoghurt, Frûche and fruit pieces can be appetising when you’re hot and sweaty, while hot soup or hot chocolate (with extra skim-milk powder or powdered liquid meal supplement) can be a boon when you come in wet and freezing. In general, bite-size pieces or finger foods are most practical. When you’re too tired to chew, sandwich quarters or a kebab with fruit chunks look far more manageable than a triple-decker super roll or a huge plate of pasta.
When you’ve finished a hard match or event, it’s understandable that you would want to celebrate or commiserate by taking some time out from your training diet. This may not create any problems if this is the end of the season or a one-off competition. However, if you’re playing in a weekly competition or a tournament, you need to live to fight another day. And the next hours will be crucial to your recovery process, especially if you are severely dehydrated, fatigued or injured. Put first things first and get recovery happening. Refuel and rehydrate aggressively—a well-organised team will have suitable post-event recovery snacks and drinks waiting in the change rooms or club house. This makes it easy to get the right things happening quickly and without fuss. Perhaps, once you have the recovery processes under way, there will be time to have some fun.
But do take care with alcohol intake—excessive drinking is not a good recovery plan (see Chapter 1.6).
Finally, when you get home after training or competition you may be looking to boost your fuel intake again. When it’s late and you’re tired, or a lot of time has passed since your session finished, you need to be organised enough to prepare a quick meal. Breakfast-type meals are quick and easy.
Sandwiches and toasted sandwiches/jaffles are also speedy—provided you have some tasty and nutritious fillings available. It’s usually the evening meal that takes time to prepare if you’re in charge of your own cooking.
However there are many quick recipe ideas and convenience ingredients that can see a meal on the table in 20–40 minutes. Many organised athletes cook ahead so that on busy nights after late training or competition they need only reheat. Of course, you can always have a snack as soon as you walk in the door, to keep you going until the meal is cooked. It doesn’t have to blow your kilojoule budget, if that’s a concern. You can always
start with your dessert first—have some yoghurt and fruit immediately, then eat your main course when it’s ready.
Getting recovery right in the competition setting is probably the toughest challenge, since there seems to be more at stake, and the practical difficulties of getting foods and fluids at the right time can be exacerbated by red tape. There is probably no single perfect system, but there are two abiding rules:
1. Experiment until you find the system that works for you and your sport. Practise in training to be sure.
2. Be prepared to organise your own supplies to make it happen on the day. Don’t leave anything to chance or to the event organisers. Be in control.
• If a session has emptied your glycogen tank and you have less than 8 hours until the next workout or event, maximise effective recovery time by consuming a high-carbohydrate meal or snack within 30 minutes of completing the session. Effective refuelling begins only after a substantial amount of carbohydrate has been consumed.
• Kick-start refuelling by consuming foods or drinks providing 1 g of carbohydrate per kg body weight straight after exercise. Repeat this every hour until regular meal patterns are resumed (see Table 5.1 for ideas).
• Count these recovery snacks and meals towards your total daily carbohydrate targets. Make sure that these targets are individualised (Chapter 2.2).
• Add protein to recovery snacks and meals to enhance the synthesis of new proteins for repair of damage and for adaptations to the workout:
• 10 g of high-quality protein will have a worthwhile effect on protein synthesis
CheCklist 5.1
integrated recovery from key training sessions or
competition: endurance and ‘stop and go’ sports
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• 20 g of high-quality protein will probably achieve the maximal stimulus to protein synthesis
• We do not yet know if there is an optimal type of protein food.
However, animal protein sources (dairy, meat, poultry, eggs, fish) and milk-based liquid meals and sports supplements are considered high-quality proteins and thus rich sources of essential amino acids.
• Remember that nutritious carbohydrate foods and drinks can also provide vitamins and minerals while also addressing refuelling/recovery goals. These nutrients contribute to overall dietary targets. Further research may show that consuming them early after exercise could speed other processes of repair and rebuilding, as well as strengthening the immune system.
• Consider compact forms of carbohydrate with a low fibre content when carbohydrate needs are high and you have a suppressed appetite or gastrointestinal problems. These include sugar-rich foods and sports bars.
• Choose carbohydrate-containing fluids (also low in fibre) if you are fatigued and dehydrated. These include sports drinks, soft drinks and juices, commercial liquid meal supplements, milk shakes and fruit smoothies.
• Organise small, frequent meals to achieve high carbohydrate intakes and meet protein goals without the discomfort of overeating. Frequent snacking (e.g. every 30–60 min) may enhance recovery during the first hours after exercise. However, in long-term recovery (24 hr), it doesn’t appear to matter how food is spaced over the day, so organise eating patterns to suit your own preferences, timetable and appetite/comfort.
• Don’t consume high-fat foods or excessive amounts of protein at the expense of carbohydrate when stomach comfort or total energy requirements limit your total food intake.
• Don’t overdo low-GI carbohydrate foods such as lentils and legumes in recovery meals, since these may be less suitable for speedy glycogen storage.
• Don’t drink excessive amounts of alcohol. Although it can directly impede refuelling and recovery, alcohol exerts its main effect on recovery through indirect means. If you are intoxicated, you are unlikely to follow sound nutritional practices and more likely to undertake high-risk behaviours.
• Restore fluid balance through a pre-planned fluid-intake program.
When the post-exercise fluid deficit exceeds 2 per cent of body weight, follow special rehydration strategies (see Checklist 5.3).
Post-exercise:
• Consume protein in the hour after resistance training to enhance the synthesis of new proteins to build muscle size and strength
• 10 g of high-quality protein, providing ~3 g of essential amino acids, will have a worthwhile effect on protein synthesis
• 20–25 g of high-quality protein (~6–8 g of essential amino acids) will probably achieve the maximal stimulus to protein synthesis
• We do not yet know if there is an optimal type of protein food. However, animal sources (dairy, meat, poultry, eggs, fish) and milk-based liquid meals and sports supplements are considered high-quality proteins and thus rich sources of essential amino acids
• Add carbohydrate to protein-based recovery snacks for refuelling and perhaps to enhance protein synthesis (see Table 5.1)
• When strength-training sessions are prolonged, or undertaken in conjunction with aerobic exercise, it makes sense to take steps to promote rapid recovery of depleted muscle glycogen stores.
These issues are discussed in more detail in Checklist 5.1.
CheCklist 5.2
integrated recovery from key training sessions:
resistance training
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• Avoid excessive amounts of alcohol in the hours following a strength workout, since there is some evidence that alcohol impairs protein synthesis. Limiting alcohol intake benefits all aspects of post-exercise recovery.
• Remember that adequate energy intake is important for your muscle size and strength goals. In terms of daily protein requirements, the maximum intake likely to be needed is ~1.5–
2.0 g per kg body weight. Intakes greater than this are not likely to confer any additional benefits for muscle gain.
• Make rehydration a priority during recovery. Dehydration may impair your performance in subsequent exercise sessions.
However, severe fluid deficits increase the risk of gut upsets and discomfort, potentially limiting your ability to eat and drink. When gut problems are present, consume water or diluted sports drinks before worrying about refuelling and protein recovery.
• Don’t rely on thirst or a chance encounter with some fluids to treat significant dehydration. A ‘hit and miss’ approach may be acceptable when fluid deficits are 1 L or less, but when fluid losses are greater than that, you will do better with an organised rehydration schedule.
• Monitor weight changes during the workout to gauge the success of your drinking strategies and the residual fluid deficit that must still be replaced. A loss of 1 kg is equivalent to 1 L of fluid, but you will need to drink a volume equal to ~125–150 per cent of your post-exercise fluid deficit over the next 2–4 hours to fully restore fluid balance.
• Make sure drinks are available. This may be difficult when you’re at a remote competition venue or travelling in a country where you need to drink bottled water.
CheCklist 5.3
special recovery strategies for the dehydrated athlete
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• Encourage your intake with palatable choices
• Most people prefer sweet-tasting drinks and will drink these in greater volumes than plain water
• Keep drinks at a refreshing temperature to encourage you to drink more. Cool drinks (10–15°C) are preferred in most situations.
• Although it can be difficult to drink very cold (0–5°C) or icy fluids in large volumes, note that they may also help to reduce an elevated core temperature arising from a hot environment, high-intensity exercise or a combination of the two.
• Use carbohydrate-containing and nutrient-rich drinks to provide fuel and nutrients while you are rehydrating (see Checklists 5.1 and 5.2).
• Replace sodium (salt) to help you retain more of the fluids you ingest by minimising urination, especially if you are trying to cover a moderate-to-large fluid deficit (e.g. > 2 L). This will speed up the restoration of fluid balance and reduce the need to wake up from sleep and rest periods to wee. Options include:
• Salty foods (bread and crackers, salty spreads, breakfast cereals) or salt added to post-exercise meals. Note that drinking with meals is a convenient way to combine fluid and salt, and should form the basis of a good hydration plan
• High-sodium sports drinks (e.g. Gatorade Endurance, or commercial oral rehydration solutions (e.g. Gastrolyte) are a good choice as drinks consumed in the absence of food
• Choose a pattern of fluid intake (volume and frequency) that will balance gastrointestinal comfort and minimise urine loss.
Spreading fluid intake over a period is probably more effective than chugging large volumes.
• Make decisions about caffeine-containing fluids based on sleep considerations rather than hydration issues. If you normally drink cola drinks, tea and coffee at a given time, allow them to contribute to your fluid plan—at least at meals when food is taking care of salt replacement.
• Wait until your fluid plan is nearly implemented before you consider alcohol, and if you do drink it, do so in moderation. Low-alcohol beers may be OK for fluid replacement, but anything above 2 per cent alcohol is not. Of course, this is just one of the many reasons to drink in moderation in your recovery phase (see Checklist 1.7).
• Be wary of using urine as a guide to the success of your rehydration. In the hours after drinking a large amount of fluid, you may produce lots of clear urine even when you are still dehydrated. Early-morning samples are usually the most reliable urine checks. Weight checks may provide back-up information about fluid balance in the morning and at other times.
• Where possible, avoid post-exercise activities that exacerbate sweat loss—for example, long exposure to hot spas, saunas or sun. Where ongoing fluid losses are unavoidable, make sure they are accounted for in your fluid plan. Always look at the big picture of recovery. Sometimes it’s best to prioritise gut comfort and undisturbed sleep before trying to fully rehydrate. You can always finish that job in the morning.
• Don’t let recovery snacks contribute unnecessary additional energy to a restricted energy budget. When rapid recovery is desirable, change the timing of your session or meals so you can eat your normal meal as soon as possible after the workout.
Where this is not practical, take a small snack from your usual meal plan to consume immediately after training or before resistance training (e.g. fruit or flavoured yoghurt usually eaten as a dessert), then have the rest of your meal at the usual time.
• Choose recovery foods with high nutritional value—you’ll be taking in protein and micronutrients as well as fuel. Nutrient-rich
CheCklist 5.4
special recovery strategies for the athlete with
a restricted energy budget
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table 5.1
ideas for recovery snacks and light meals
Carbohydrate-rich snacks (50 g carbohydrate serves) providing at least 10 g of protein
• 250–350 ml of liquid meal supplement (e.g. Powerbar Proteinplus drink or Sustagen Sport)
• 250–350 ml of milk shake or fruit smoothie
• 500 ml flavoured low-fat milk
• Some sports bars (check labels for protein and carbohydrate content)
• 60 g (1.5–2 cups) breakfast cereal with ½ cup milk
• 1 round of sandwiches including cheese/meat/chicken filling, and 1 large piece of fruit or 300 ml sports drink
choices (e.g. fruit, flavoured milk drinks and dairy foods, sandwiches with meat and salad fillings) are more valuable for the Big Picture than lower nutrient choices (e.g. lollies, soft drink, bread with jam or honey).
• Choose recovery foods that promote satiety (a feeling of fullness) while reducing unnecessary energy intake (see Checklist 3.2):
• Choose foods that add fibre, volume, low-GI ingredients and a little protein
• Be consistent with low-fat eating strategies
• Avoid energy-containing fluids other than those needed for sporting goals
• Recognise that a low energy budget may not be able to cover the guidelines for optimal intake of some macronutrients (e.g.
carbohydrate for optimal daily glycogen synthesis).
• Specialised dietary advice from a sports dietitian is valuable in ensuring that you have realistic goals and a meal plan to target them
• Be prepared to cycle between nutritional goals—i.e. restrict energy during periods when you can afford to lose body fat, then liberalise energy and carbohydrate intake to promote better fuelling and recovery for key sessions or competition
• 1 cup of fruit salad with 200 g carton fruit-flavoured yoghurt or custard
• 200 g carton fruit-flavoured yoghurt or 300 ml flavoured milk and 30–35 g cereal bar
• 2 crumpets or English muffins with thick spread of peanut butter or 2 slices of cheese
• 200 (cup or small tin) of baked beans on 2 slices of toast
• 250 g (large) baked potato with cottage cheese or grated cheese filling
• 150 g thick-crust pizza with meat/chicken/seafood topping
Figure 5.1
effect of salt (sodium) replacement on rehydration
Subjects sweated 2 per cent of their body weight, then drank a volume of fluid replacing 150 per cent of this deficit in the first 30 mins of recovery after exercise. Over the next five hours, urine losses and total fluid balance were monitored. The fluid contained differing amounts of salt (sodium).
Redrawn from Shirreffs et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1996; 28: 1260–1271.
Cumulative urine loss (ml)
0 .5 1.5 3.5 5.5
0 500 1000 1500
Hours of recovery
2 26 52 100
Fluid Balance (ml)
Post 0 .5 1.5 3.5 5.5
-2000 -1500 -1000 -500 0 500 1000
150% Fluid Replacement
2% Dehydration
Hours of recovery Sodium in drinks (mmol/L)
Figure 5.2
Alcohol and rehydration
Drinking alcohol equivalent to a ‘light’ beer after dehydrating exercise did not affect urine losses or overall hydration in this study. However, regular-strength beer (and more concentrated alcoholic drinks) will increase urine losses and delay rehydration. In this study, despite drinking
Drinking alcohol equivalent to a ‘light’ beer after dehydrating exercise did not affect urine losses or overall hydration in this study. However, regular-strength beer (and more concentrated alcoholic drinks) will increase urine losses and delay rehydration. In this study, despite drinking