Today’s post is for optimising your post workout rehydration. Rehydration after exercise is just as important as hydration prior. It’s critical for your recovery and performance, whether that be performance in cracking on with your day or performance for your next planned workout.
You can start to experience a performance dip at just 2% dehydration. Relying on your thirst mechanism certainly won’t optimise the simplest but yet arguably most important performance enhancer – being hydrated. That’s why it’s important to ensure you continue to sip water both prior and during exercise.
In planning for your hydration strategy, an important thing to be mindful of is it’s not just getting liquid into your body, it’s how you ensure your body holds on to that liquid. This is especially important if your training early and have to get on with a busy day, or training late and about to embark on complete fasting period or 7 plus odd hours (aka – sleep!).
So without further ado, this is a simple but effective recipe you can make up after any workout.
Ingredients:
1. 400ml filtered water
2. 0.5 tsp of Sea / Himalayan pink salt
Salt is essential for replacing the electrolytes sodium and chloride that can get lost through sweating it out during a hard session. Electrolytes are the minerals your body needs for many basic functions.
Adding a small amount of a quality salt source is both essential for post training as well as post sleep.
3. 2 tsp of Chia seeds
Chia seeds can help to absorb liquid. They are also a source of electrolytes calcium and potassium. In adding them to the mix you’re further supporting your muscles to function. This is achieved whilst also supporting to keep precious water in and not just letting it pass straight through by way of urine.
4. 1 tbsp Lemon juice
Lemon juice is great to aid digestion and prepare your gut for the meal you’re going to replenish it with later.
5. 1 tsp of Honey
Ok, this one is optional. I would base it on the severity of the workout rather than taste. If you’ve been out of breath and raised a good sweat, that’s a fairly good indicator.
Honey has a high glycemic load meaning it will hit the blood stream fast and be transported to the liver and muscles, where it will be stored as fuel (glycogen) which you can access at a later point.
Nutrition 4 Fighters 