We have talked a lot about the importance of nutrition in general, and a little bit about how important good nutrition is to recovery. Good nutrition after a hard workout or after a race will help you recover faster, maximize the benefits and adaptations you can get from your training, and get your ready for your next workout.
Many people on the team have taken this message to heart and are bringing healthy snacks to practice, and having a snack right as soon as the workout is over! Great job, everyone!
Here is a good two-page summary on the USATF web site that provides some insight and guidance to the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of recovery nutrition. My one comment would be, I’d suggest staying away from the sports drinks and trying to use less-processed foods (e.g. chocolate milk and fruit). I’d also add that a half sandwich made of almond-butter or peanut-butter and honey or jam, plus a piece of fruit and water or milk, is another good option. It’s not that sports drinks are bad, necessarily, but they do tend to have more sugar than most of us need, and are often a little bit of overkill for high school athletes. Plus, sports drinks are expensive if you drink them many times per week. In general, the less processing the more healthy is my opinion.
Take a look (and pass this on to your parents!). See you at practice!
