How you take care of your body after your workout is just as important to achieving your goals as the workout itself. You may be giving it your all for months and still see no improvement...and the reason could have to do with your post-exercise routine.

During exercise, your body is in a catabolic state (muscles breaking down) and your goal after working out is to provide enough of the proper nutrients to turn it into an anabolic (muscle building) state. This is the process of building and growing your muscles, but it can only work if you provide your body with proper nutrition before, during and after your workout. Here are the key nutrients that your body needs after exercise for proper recovery and growth:

Carbohydrates - Glycogen is stored in your muscles and liver. It is what fuels your muscles in everything you do and intense physical activity depletes glycogen stores. After a workout, the body’s primary objective is to replenish these stores and if you don’t provide proper carbohydrates, you will become fatigued and unable to perform as well during your next workout. The best way to replenish these glycogen stores is by consuming a high carbohydrate protein drink immediately after exercise. Studies have shown that combining carbohydrates with protein after a workout is more effective than only carbohydrates, so add some protein to your carb-rich drink for best results. As well, when you consume a carbohydrate, your insulin levels rise and insulin has an anabolic effect, promoting protein synthesis.

Protein - When you are exercising, your muscles enter a catabolic state – where the muscle tissue is tearing (protein breakdown), and is a necessary step building muscle. By providing your body with the right nutrients and rest after working out, your muscles rebuild themselves in a process called protein synthesis. Protein provides amino acids which are used to rebuild damaged muscle tissues, which is a necessary part of proper post-exercise recovery.

Water - Everyone needs water to live, and dehydration can have serious consequences. Active individuals have to be aware of their water intake and take care to replenish any water lost during activity. If you are engaging in strenuous or long activity, you need to make sure you drink as much water as you’ve lost. One way to do this is to weigh yourself before and after a workout or performance to see how much weight you’ve lost – it is almost all water weight and needs to be replaced for the body to function and to recover properly.

Electrolytes - You not only need to replenish your body with the proper carbohydrates, proteins and water – you also need to replenish the electrolytes lost through sweat. Sodium and potassium are two electrolytes most commonly lost during exercise. To replace these lost electrolytes, you can try one of the sports drinks available (for a boost of protein, add a single pouch of Weider Whey Protein Fruit Splash Good2Go and shake – no blender needed). You can also add whole foods to your post-workout shake or meal to replenish them.

Although sodium deficiency is rarely a problem, as your body requires very little, after an intense workout, you could add a pinch of grey sea salt (also known as Celtic grey salt) to your post-workout meal. You can also add certain potassium-rich foods to your post-exercise smoothie to replenish these valuable nutrients. Some fruits high in potassium are cantaloupe, strawberries, kiwifruit, bananas, apricots and papaya.

Supplements - Of particular importance to recovery are a good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement and glutamine. For more information on these and other essential sports supplements, please see our Sports Supplement Overview.

While feeding your body the proper nutrients is crucial in proper recovery, don’t forget about these essential components of your post exercise routine – skipping them can hold back your progress and slow down your recovery time.

Stretching - Stretching helps prevent injuries and improves flexibility. It’s a crucial part of muscle recovery and should never be skipped. Stretching after exercise is important to recovery for two reasons. First of all, during a workout, lactic acid builds in your muscles and can delay recovery. Stretching disperses the lactic acid which reduces post-exercise soreness. Secondly, your muscles naturally contract after intense exercise, and by stretching your muscles immediately after a workout, you’ll allow them to rebuild, which is necessary for muscle growth and prevents future stiffness. For basic stretches, see our exercises of the month.

Proper Rest - Muscles rebuild and recover while you are sleeping. If you don’t get enough sleep to allow your muscles to recover, your body won’t properly replenish itself – leaving you feeling fatigued. You will not be at your best for the next workout, and it could stop the progress you’re making.