POST WORKOUT SNACKS FOR HEALTHY RECOVERY

You work hard. You pushed yourself in class for a power-packed hour. Your muscles are sore, your legs are shaking, and your hunger is raring! After a challenging fitness class, you feel that extra sense of enlivening accomplishment paired with an instinctual hunger to recover. This is a very crucial moment in your fitness journey. In order to maximize the results that you’ve worked so hard for in class, it is important to choose the right food to eat afterwards. Feed that well-earned hunger with foods that will repair your muscles and that will keep your metabolism running at a healthy pace!   Our key rules of thumb when it comes to smart post-workout snack choices are water, protein and low amounts of sugar. These fundamental elements are the building blocks of restoring your energy, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and building strength! To turn these components into yummy snack ideas, we’ve turned to our teachers for their own go-to post workout snacks, so you can recover like a pro and have some fun while doing it! Let’s indulge.   Nicole Uribarri Favorite post-workout snack: Plain yogurt with fresh blueberries Post-workout tip: If you’re going to reach for some fruit after a workout, make sure to pair it with protein to offset the sugar. Add some peanut butter to your banana, or some nuts with your apple!   Bergen Wheeler Favorite post-workout snack: Quinoa (complex carb), avocado (healthy fat), chicken (protein). Post-workout tip: If you’re working out in the middle of the day and you still have a lot left to conquer afterwards, restore your energy by adding some complex carbohydrates! Steel cut outs are a great source of lean energy-boosting carbohydrates.   Leah Hassett Favorite post-workout snack: Trader Joes Crunchy Almond Butter! Post-workout tip: Nut butter is the perfect balance of protein and healthy fats for a nourishing muscle replenishment and energy booster! Choose from all-natural almond or peanut butters that aren’t loaded with sugar.   Sarah Ambrose Favorite post-workout snacks: I love to choose from hard boiled eggs, spaghetti squash with grilled chicken, or quinoa with a couple slices of avocado! Post-workout tip:  I drink a casein shake before I go to bed. Casein a slow releasing protein that helps with recovery and also reduces muscle breakdown while I’m sleeping.