One of the most important fitness rules is that a balanced diet contributes more to your overall physique and wellness than exercise. But it is essential to have both in your life. That said, many people will agree that it’s easier to start working out and exercising than eating healthy.
When it comes to one of the most popular forms of exercise—running—you may be wondering what kind of meal is best to eat after a night run. While there are several factors to consider, like the length of run, intensity, and weight, there are a few general rules that can help guide to a healthy diet to pair with your routine running.
Here’s what you should be eating after a run:
Simple Carbs
After you run, it’s essential to get some simple carbs or fast-acting carbs into your body. For most athletes, simple carbohydrates are best post-run. Simple carbs are great energy sources, meaning your body will rely on them as much as possible.
Simple carbs also act as an alternative energy source helping replenish your body’s glycogen stores. The stored muscle glycogen is broken down for energy during a run. What’s best about simple carbs is that they are digested and metabolized quickly, so your body will use them to recover st.
Depending on your body type, you’ll want to eat simple carbohydrates within 30 minutes or an hour after finishing your run.
Protein
After a run, it’s essential to eat a meal that will help your muscles grow and recover from the workout you just had. Protein is an important nutrient for muscle growth and repair.
But how much protein should you be eating, and what kind of protein should you be eating? Both of these are important questions to ask. When it comes to protein intake, many athletes have found that 1 gram per pound of body fat is the ideal amount of protein to maintain muscle while in a calorie deficit (to lose weight).
For example, if you weigh 150 pounds and you’re not looking to lose weight, and you lead an active lifestyle, 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body fat would be ideal.
Lots of Fluid
While drinking water and lots of fluid may seem obvious after your run, it is essential to drink enough. Your body loses a lot of water during a run, so you have to drink enough to recover what you lost.
One way to effectively gauge how much water you should be drinking is by weighing yourself before and after your run. This should give you a more accurate figure of how much fluids you need, rather than taking a stab in the dark.
Water is probably the best option for most people if you’re thirsty. But if you’re looking for something to mix it up a little and add some flavor, try a fruit juice or something low in sugar, like sparkling water.
The Bottom Line
While the above list covers some of the essential items that should be in your diet after a run, some runners may not be interested in eating what they should be. For example, if you’re not a big fan of eating potatoes, there’s probably no way you’ll eat them after a run.
The answer to that is simple: Talk to your body. If you’re not a fan of eating the above items, mix things up. Find foods and types of food that you like. This way, you’ll be more likely to make the food you need to recover from your run.
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