4 Things You Need to Know About Your Post Workout
Many think that the only part of their workout that matters is the workout itself, but in reality, that’s only the beginning. What happens after your workout and when you’re not at the gym is equally as important as throwing on your athletic shoes and picking up the weights.
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The Post-Workout Snack
Your post-workout snack is important; after your workout, your body is the most receptive to nutrients and so it is as important to nourish your body after your workout as it is to fuel it before. The best snacks to have after your time at the gym is protein-based with veggies or fruit: a protein shake and a banana, peanut butter and banana on a rice cake, hummus with pita and veggies, and a turkey sandwich are a few great examples of a nutritious post workout snack.
Hydrate!
Hydrating after your workout is just as important as it is before. You must replenish your body with all the water that you sweat out during your workout; staying hydrated will allow your body to continue to burn fat. Drinking plain water is perfect. However, putting lemon or lemon oil in your water can help you hydrate even faster. It’s easy to get started on whatever you need to do after your time at the gym, but take a few minutes after your workout to drink several cups of water at the very least.
Electrolytes Are Your Friend
Along with hydrating and replacing water lost during your workout, you need to replenish your body with electrolytes as well. Electrolytes are released via your sweat and not replenishing them can have negative effects on your blood pressure, breathing, and other major bodily functions. Having a Gatorade is one way to replenish them, but you could opt for a more natural source such as coconut water or a coconut water/aloe vera water mix.
Get Some Sleep
After a great workout and due to endorphins, it’s easy to feel like you could go out and conquer the world, but you need to get some much needed rest. If you hit the gym extra hard you might need more rest than you normally would because your body will need to repair itself more than it normally would. Because it is hard to rest after your body has been flooded with endorphins, make sure to workout at least several hours before going to bed.
Stay tuned for upcoming blog posts to learn more about what to do to get the most out of your bootcamp class workouts. Ready for a change? Sign up with with our San Bernardino gym today!
