Are Workout Recovery Drinks and Smoothies Important to put in your workout routine? Once you have just finished an intense workout, you are thirsty, so you get a nutrient rich drink or smoothie to refresh yourself. You might think it is just something to help you feel refreshed but is that all it is?
After an intense workout, your electrolyte balance is off, your muscle glycogen levels are low and your muscles have been through tremendous exertion and tearing. To bring your body back to pre-workout condition quicker, just drinking water to quench your thirst is not going to be enough. You need something that contains carbohydrates, protein, potassium and sodium.
Something nice about making or buying smoothies for workout recovery is that there are many ways to make them and have a variety of flavors while still getting the right balance of protein, carbs, sodium and potassium. Just about any combination of fruit blended with a protein source such as plain yogurt (especially Greek yogurt) or egg protein and a liquid such as coconut milk or water makes a great tasting smoothie that is a good recovery drink.
Though recovery smoothies are especially good following a workout, they are good and nutritious any time. That makes it easy to experiment with making your own smoothies and learning how to make ones that will be your favorites. An easy one to start with is made from banana, pineapple, coconut milk, shredded coconut and egg protein powder. Blend them together with some ice cubes and you have a healthy, refreshing smoothie that hits the spot after a workout or anytime.
It is best to use fresh fruit but frozen can also be used. As you make each smoothie, write down what and how much of each ingredient went into it and rate how much you liked or didn’t like it. After a while, you will have a good selection of smoothies you like and can make using fresh or frozen fruit. Over time, you will have enough smoothie recipes to have a different smoothie every day for over a month. Even if you don’t want to make up your own recipes, you can get smoothie recipe books that have hundreds of great smoothie recipes.
You need not ever get bored with smoothies because you can have a different one each day. Considering how important it is to supply your body with what it needs to recover from an intense workout as soon as possible, looking forward to your recovery smoothie is a definite plus.