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Good Tip for Workouts and meets

Refueling and Rehydrating after Workout
This week’s Speedo Tip of the Week comes from Dr. Andrew Gregory of Vanderbilt University and professor Joel Stager of Indiana University. The two experts offer advice on rehydrating and refueling after workout.

The Tip:
A workout doesn't stop when an athlete leaves the pool. It's over when the body is re-hydrated and refueled.

"I tell athletes to think of recovery nutrition as phase two of a workout," said Dr. Andrew Gregory, team physician at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. "The ability to perform at a high level the next day is dependent on how well the body recovers depleted energy stores and repairs muscles."

The foods best equipped to help with recovery are a mix of carbohydrates and proteins. Carbohydrate, found in colorful fruits, yogurts, breads, cereals and more, is the prime source of energy. Protein, found in such foods as peanut butter, nuts and energy bars, is needed to help repair muscles. Drinks that contain carbohydrates and sodium, such as sports drinks, also are important because they replenish the fluids and nutrients lost by sweat.

Timing is key. Athletes have a 45-minute window of opportunity to maximize recovery, said Joel Stager, professor of kinesiology at Indiana University and coach for the Councilman Center Swim Club, a USA Swimming club in Bloomington, Ind.

"Athletes who eat and drink soon after practice have a distinct advantage over competitors who do not," Stager said.

In fact, muscle cells become resistant to absorbing nutrients after two hours, said Stager, author of a study on the surprising benefits of chocolate milk as a recovery drink. The study, conducted on Indiana University athletes in 2004, showed that subjects who drank chocolate milk directly after morning practice were better able to perform during the afternoon practice.

There are several reasons for this benefit: liquids are absorbed more quickly than solids, the carbs and calories of chocolate milk help compensate for weight loss; the sugar provides extra energy; and the pleasant taste makes it palatable for athletes who aren't inclined to eat or drink after practice, said Stager.

Whether swimmers drink chocolate milk or not, they need to see their training as a 24-7 process, said Stager.

"Eating right, as a key part of that process, may be ultimately as important as swimming up and down the pool,” Stager said. “Athletes who practice proper recovery nutrition on a daily basis can train better, ultimately leading to faster times when it really counts."