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Recovery Nutrition – Advice from a Nutritionist

By Jiri Kaloc

Have you ever wondered how someone can train every day for hours and be fine while you feel like falling apart after a single hard session? The difference is in recovery. Some people are genetically better equipped at handling workload than others but everyone can dial in their nutrition to improve the way they recover. In this series, you will learn the essentials of recovery. Let’s start with the single most useful piece of advice.

There’s a lot to learn

When it comes to recovery nutrition, you have to know your timing windows, how to use slow and fast carbs, what types of protein to choose, and how to supplement right. It can seem like too much work for the average cycling enthusiast or someone who just started working out. I agree. That’s why my first advice is this.

Keep it simple

If you do sports to have fun and stay fit, your recovery nutrition can be really simple. You will cover your nutritional needs if you eat a healthy, well put-together meal 1-2 hours before exercise, and another one 1-2 hours after. It should contain quality protein and a source of slow-release energy like healthy fats or slow carbs. If you want to compete and gain an advantage, then you will have to do more, of course, and that’s what the rest of the series will be about.
If you think you know a lot about recovery already, I suggest you try our quiz. If you get any answer wrong, don’t worry, just read the rest of the series this month and you’ll learn it all.

1/5

What should you eat in the first 15-30 minutes after exercise?

2/5

What’s a good ratio of protein to carbs in a recovery meal?

3/5

How much water should you drink to improve recovery?

4/5

Should you supplement with omega-3 fats for optimal recovery?

5/5

What should you eat about 1-2 hours before exercise to make recovery after easier?

Results

50%
Correct
7/10
50%
Wrong
3/10

Next up in Recovery Nutrition series