Eating After Exercise - Post-Exercise Meal

What to eat after exercise to replenish muscle glycogen

By Elizabeth Quinn, About.com

Updated: February 26, 2008

All athletes know of the importance of the pre-exercise meal. However, what and when you eat following exercise can be just as important. While the pre-exercise meals can ensure that adequate glycogen stores are available for optimal performance, the post-exercise meal is critical to recovery and improves your ability to train consistently.

Hydration After Exercise
The first nutritional priority after exercise is to replace any fluid lost during exercise. In general the best way to determine how much to drink (either water of a sports drink) is to:

Weigh yourself before and after exercise and replace fluid losses.
Drink 20-24 fl oz water for every 1 lb lost.

Eating After Exercise
It is also important to consume carbohydrate, such as fruit or juice) within 15 minutes post-exercise to help restore glycogen.

Research has shown that eating 100-200 grams of carbohydrate within two hours of endurance exercise is essential to building adequate glycogen stores for continued training. Waiting longer than two hours to eat results in 50 percent less glycogen stored in the muscle. The reason for this is that carbohydrate consumption stimulates insulin production, which aids the production of muscle glycogen. However, the effect of carbohydrate on glycogen storage reaches a plateau.

Carbohydrate Plus Protein Speeds Recovery
Research shows that combining protein with carbohydrate in the two hours after exercise nearly doubles the insulin response, which results in more stored glycogen. The optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio for this effect is 4:1 (four grams of carbohydrate for every one gram of protein). Eating more protein than that, however, has a negative impact because it slows rehydration and glycogen replenishment.

One study found that athletes who refueled with carbohydrate and protein had 100 percent greater muscle glycogen stores than those who only ate carbohydrate. Insulin was also highest in those who consumed a carbohydrate and protein drink.

Protein Needs After Exercise
Consuming protein has other important uses after exercise. Protein provides the amino acids necessary to rebuild muscle tissue that is damaged during intense, prolonged exercise. It can also increase the absorption of water from the intestines and improve muscle hydration. The amino acids in protein can also stimulate the immune system, making you more resistant to colds and other infections.

Bottom Line
If you are looking for the best way to refuel your body after long, strenuous endurance exercise, a 4:1 combo of carbohydrate and protein seems to be your best choice. While solid foods can work just as well as a sports drink, a drink may be easier to digest make it easier to get the right ratio and meet the 2-hour window.

锻炼后饮食——运动后吃什么补充肌肉糖原

锻炼后饮食

——运动后吃什么补充肌肉糖原

作者：Elizabeth Quinn, About.com 发表：2008年2月26日

所有运动员都知道运动前饮食的重要性。然而，你运动完后立即吃些什么可也是一样重要的。运动前所吃的确保了为理想运动成绩储备足够糖原，而运动后所吃的对于持续训练中的修复和能力增强至关重要。

锻炼后补充水份

运动后首要营养补充是补充流失的水份，总得来说判断该喝多少(水或运动饮料都可)的最佳办法是:

在运动前后称重，(根据体重差)补充水份。
体重每减少一磅，补充20~24盎司的水。

运动后进食

同时，在运动结束后15分钟内吃碳水化合物（例如水果或果汁），对于糖原重新存储也非常重要。

研究表面，耐力锻炼后两小时内进食100－200克的碳水化合物，对于存储持续训练所需的糖原至关重要。超过2小时才进食，会导致少于50%的糖原存储入肌肉。这是因为是碳水化合物的消耗刺激了胰岛素的分泌，后者对于肌肉糖原产生有帮助。但(同时)碳水化合物在糖原存储上的影响已经止步不前。

碳水化合物加上蛋白质加速恢复

研究表面运动结束后2小时时，进食碳水化合物连同蛋白质能令胰岛素的响应几乎翻倍，从而带来更多的糖原存储。为达到这个效果，碳水化合物与蛋白质进食的理想比例是4:1（每克蛋白质对应4克碳水化合物）。超过这个比例吃蛋白质，则会引起相反的后果，因为蛋白质减缓了再水合(rehydration)和糖原的补充。

有一项研究发现，那些同时吃碳水化合物和蛋白质的运动员比那些只进食碳水化合物的运动员，能够多存储100%的肌肉糖原。在那些进食碳水化合物和蛋白质饮料的运动员体内，胰岛素的水平也很高。

锻炼后的蛋白质需求

锻炼后补充蛋白质还有另一个重要的作用——蛋白质提供了在剧烈运动、拉伸运动中损伤的肌肉纤维修复所需的氨基酸。它还促进肠道吸收水份，增加肌肉含水量(muscle hydration)。蛋白质中的氨基酸还能增强免疫系统，使你对感冒和其他感染有更强抵抗力。

最低标准

如果你在寻求长时间、高强度耐力训练后的最优补充体力方法，一份4:1的碳水化合物和蛋白质混合餐是最佳选择。此外，虽然固体食物和运动饮料能起到同样好的作用，但(运动)饮料更容易消化，更容易吃进正确比例，并在2小时内完成。