Proper recovery is one of the single most important components of a good training regimen, and adequate nutrition gets you ready for your next run or race.
A snack with a carb-to-protein ratio or about 4-to-1 or 5-to-1 is ideal after a workout. Your muscles need the protein to build themselves back up after a grueling workout. And the extra carbohydrates are critical for giving your depleted body a much-needed glucose boost. A good combo snack to get enough of both nutrients? Veggies with hummus — the chickpeas in hummus are a high source of natural protein and healthy carbs and one of Hadfield’s favorites.
If you don’t provide the right nutrition for your muscles post-workout, tomorrow’s run could feel 10 times harder and your muscles can take longer — up to 72 hours — to recover. “Your perception of fatigue will be higher and that workout you normally breeze through will feel very difficult the next day,” says Lewin.