SPORTS NUTRITION HEALTH

RECOVERY

Athletes who do hard training and extreme sports know advanced sports nutrition health and the recovery time after exercising is critical. Unfortunately, many athletes are stubborn like me, and do not know how to properly recover.

OK, it is not that we do not know how, we just do not do it! It is as essential as the training itself.

You need to provide your body with the proper tools to effectively recover after a strenuous period of training.

Knowledge of sports nutrition health and how it relates to recovery will help your body function at its best. This will only enhance the sporting experience and improve the overall athletic performance.

Learning to properly recover has been a break through for my training. I have read about recovery many times, but I still fail to heed the advice. I just did a race which I won and felt good, but I did not eat any protein afterward. That night I felt flu-like. The next week I was sick. I believe it is because I had pushed my body very hard and did not recover properly.

For Primal Quest Montana, I hired a coach to set up my training plan for the final six weeks. Wow, what a difference. One day there was a 40 minute recovery run.

There is no way, had I been setting my own schedule, would I do only a 40 minute workout. But when I tested my times over a course I do often, I had improved and dropped my heart rate by 12 beats!

When Dr. Marshall, of Premier Research Labs, spoke on sports nutrition health he stated, if you do not eat within an hour of exercise you have wasted much of your hard training. (1)

Along with replenishing the body, you also need key nutrients and sleep. Massage, saunas and ice baths can also benefit the athlete. I prefer a hot bath, but I know that is not the best immediate recovery. It is beneficial as it loosens tight muscles and detoxifies the body.

Steve Born product developer for Hammer Nutrition

states properly refueling your body immediately after your training session is as important as anything you did in the actual workout.(2)

By recovering properly you will replenish the glycogen stores, which are depleted from your training. You will strengthen your immune system, as your body is ready to uptake nutrients. You will start the rebuilding of muscle tissue.

When you’ve finished training, you’re still not finished with training!”

-Steve Born

RECOVERY WITH SUPPLEMENTS

A key fact about sports nutrition health is: Right after strenuous physical activity the body is the most capable of accepting and properly using all essential vitamins, minerals and liquids.

Premier Research Products

Dr. Marshall recommends:

Brain complex: This has phosfitals that will reduce recovery time up to 50%. It is very critical in intense training to use this supplement to get the most advanced sports nutrition health.

Nucleotides: Use this if your heart-rate is 5 beats above your normal resting heart-rate, which means infection is just 24 hours away. Nucleotides can knock out a cold in 24 hours.

Super Food Trio: Coral Calcium, EFA oil, and Greens Mix will help balance the PH and help move out ammonia (ammonia makes you tired and creates lactic acid).

Green tea: This will aid you in fighting free radicals.

B-Complex: This is especially essential for older athletes or if you are stressed.

HAMMER NUTRITION

To go through a proper recovery process after each and every training session is just as important as the actual training itself and if not done, you will lose out on important recovery time. Steve Born recommends the following:

Premium Insurance Caps: 2-4 capsules after workout, 1-3 with a meal at another time during the day.

Race Caps Supreme: 1 capsule

Mito Caps: 2 capsules

Super Antioxidant: 1 capsule (take 2 on workout days over 90 minutes)

Recoverite: 1 serving (2 scoops)

ChromeMate™: 1 capsule on workout days over 90 minutes

Xobaline: 1 tablet dissolved sublingually (under the tongue) on workout days over 90 minutes

GLUTHATHIONE

Athletes and extreme sports enthusiasts alike love Glutathione because it increases your energy, stamina, and endurance while cutting your recovery time in half. Certain glutathione supplements approved by the Sports Authority Council. Find out which ones at Amazing-Glutathione.com

So what is right for you?

You have to look at your weakness and decide what you need most. Should you take it all? Probably not. I have found things like Nucleotides work really well for me, as I tend to get a lowered immune system quickly. While racing I take all of the above Hammer products, with the exception of ChromeMate.

HOW FOOD HELPS WITH RECOVERY

After having put your body to the max, there are three things that will be missing afterward and which should absolutely be replenished. They would be carbohydrates, proteins and antioxidants.

Ideally you should use a 3:1 carb to protein mix of food or sports drink. This promotes lean muscle mass growth and glycogen re-storage.

Ideally you want to get a meal of protein, whole grains and vegetables eaten with thirty minutes. The first 30 minutes is critical, but there are benefits all the way up to 2 hours. If you can't get to a real meal quickly, a recovery drink is recommended. I use a recovery meal within the first 30 minutes and then have a full meal within two hours.

RECOVERY DRINK

Recoverite is a great product that those who know of advanced sports nutrition health will be able to appreciate. It is a major help in the after-sports recovery process and is targeted at all the problem areas.

Since time is of the essence, it is a practical solution. It comes in the form of a powder so that it can be taken in with water immediately after the hard physical activity.

Since every athlete needs to drink water after training, this works out well together. It also has enough carbohydrate complexes, proteins and antioxidants in one serving so that there is no need to force an entire meal down while exhausted.

Not only that, but sometimes the time needed to prepare and eat a nutritious meal will take longer than the recovery time allows and the reception of the important substances will no longer be as effective.

Recoverite was developed by researchers that understand all the principles of sports nutrition health as well as recovery. This means you will not only be able to replenish, but will only take in the most necessary complexes. These are delivered in the right ratios to each other.

Recoverite has other benefits too. The muscle soreness found after particularly hard training sessions is minimized, carbohydrates will be stored where they should be, in the muscles, and it enables muscle tissue rebuilding at an optimal time.

There are other good brands on the market. Clif Bar has some good drinks, as well as bars.

HYDRATION

We have an entire section on hydration, but I will share some briefly here. Liquids are vital to nutrition. They will refill your body with liquids that were lost while sweating and cleanse your system at the same time. This cleansing should be done since actively training also detoxifies the body and water is necessary to wash them out.

You want to finish a workout with no more than a 2% body weight loss, and no weight gain. Performance decline will appear with a weight loss of 2% or more. You should drink a pint of water per pound of body weight loss to replenish your liquids.

How much should you drink during the day?

Dr. Marshall says the best rule is this: If you are going to the restroom once every four hours you are drinking just enough. If you are going every two hours you are likely drinking too much, unless you have an infection.