Glycogen, Insulin, Cortisol... OH MY!

Alright... there are a ton of articles out there about the science behind replenishing your body after a hard workout... and post workout nutrition is an often discussed topic amongst doctors, athletes, dietitians, coaches, etc... The goal of post workout nutrition is to replenish the glycogen stores and to encourage protein synthesis to minimize the toll hard workouts can have your body. You need Glycogen, water and minerals to refuel your body after working out and that was is exactly what Gatorade was originally designed to do but nowadays we can do better. Now... there is a short window where you can have maximum effect on the recovery process and anything you can do to improve that process can potentially allow you to go hard on subsequent workouts. I have found this to be critical when you are doing two workouts a day in executing a triathlon training plan... and in a normal person's time constrained life (read: not a professional triathlete) we can use all the help we can get and anything with scientific backing is good by me. Food is an option but studies have shown that your body cannot process solid food fast enough to take maximum advantage of the recovery window... so fluids are best!


Okay... so suffice to say that I am onboard with recovery nutrition... so what do I do? Well... there are a bunch of options out there to choose from.... but one constant is that the post workout nutrition should contain both carbohydrates and protein at roughly a 4:1 ratio... OH CRAP... I didn't know there was going to be math involved... not to worry... there are products out there already designed to help take the math out of it.


I have tried a bunch of options... and given my body more readily accepts fluids over food following a hard workout has pushed me towards the fluid solution... one of my personal favorites is simply low fat chocolate milk but I am not always in the mood for that when I am hot and sweaty... in comes Fluid Recovery (http://www.livefluid.com/)... I tried the Berry Treasure flavor... and comparing to some of the other options I have tried I can tell you that this stuff really works...

Pros

• 100% Natural
• Easy to mix
• Leaves no residue
• Tastes fantastic (when cold)
• Does NOT contain artificial ingredients, colors, or flavors
• Gluten-free complex carbohydrates and all natural fruit sugar to restore muscle energy levels
• Lactose-free whey protein isolate to repair, rebuild, and generate new lean muscle tissue
• L-Glutamine (2500mg) to repair muscles and help manage inflammation preventing aches, pains, and soreness
• Key electrolytes sodium and potassium to help restore electrolyte balance
• Immune boosting Vitamin C to support a stressed immune system
• Has a nice carb to protein ratio (25g to 7g) NO MATH!
• Easy to consume when hot and sweaty
• IT WORKS!

Cons

• Could come in smaller tub to save cabinet space
• Tastes okay (when not cold)
• Has "Baby formula" powder aroma when mixed with water and warm

Ingredients: Maltodextrin, crystaline fruit sugar, whey protein isolate, L-glutamine, natural tropical fruit flavor, citric acid, sodium, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, potassium.


It works for me... I like the flavor better than others I have tried... win/win in my book!