You just got done working out. You should definitely hydrate, regardless of whether you did a five-mile run, 45 minutes of strength training, or a yoga class. Rehydrating is an important part of recovering after an exercise session at the best gym in Mohali. It reduces fatigue, lowers body temperature and heart rate, lubricates joints, repairs muscles, prevents cramping, and maintains healthy digestion. Naturally, it also aids in preventing dehydration.
Dehydration can be a serious issue, especially as you get older. After age 60, your body starts losing more water, and you might not feel as thirsty even when you need to drink. Medications for blood pressure, depression, pain, and insomnia can make dehydration worse. Low fluid levels can affect your kidneys and lower your blood pressure and blood volume, leading to various health problems.
There are other clear symptoms of dehydration as well, such as headache, weariness, and dizziness, even if thirst and dry mouth are the most noticeable. Your urine’s color might help you determine how hydrated you are. Pee that is straw-colored or light yellow indicates adequate hydration levels; heavier yellow tones indicate dehydration.
While everyone’s first choice before, during, and after physical activity is water, other beneficial beverages include sour cherry juice, enhanced water, sports drinks, coconut water, and chocolate milk. Which drink is the best fit for you? Your decision will depend on how active and intense you are. While it’s not a precise science, there are some rules. Here’s what you should know about the best drinks to have after your workout.
Post Workout Hydration Drinks
Water
Reason to Drink
Your body needs water, which is a natural source of hydration. Additionally, you don’t run the risk of negating your workout efforts by consuming a high-calorie, high-sugar beverage because it contains neither fat nor calories.
Who gets the most
Both casual exercisers and dedicated athletes require water. While athletes may require a sports drink, chocolate milk, or tart cherry juice in addition to water to speed up the healing process. On the other hand, casual exercisers typically only need water to rehydrate.
Drawbacks
The main downside is usually the taste or lack thereof. But you can make water tastier by adding fresh fruit or herbs. Sparkling water is also a good option. If you sweat a lot and worry about losing fluids but don’t need a sports drink, try adding a pinch of salt. And if you feel a bit low on energy after workouts, adding a pinch of sugar can help.
Sports Drinks
Reason to Drink
It restores the lost electrolytes, water, and sugar after long physical exercise. Electrolytes are electrically charged minerals (or ions) involved in many vital body functions. You’ll sweat and lose electrolytes and water when going out consistently, especially in hot weather. Additionally, blood sugar levels may decrease. Sports drinks serve as the body’s “one-stop shop” for refueling and recuperation.
Who gets the most
Most individuals who work long hours or without taking breaks get benefits from sports drinks. An excellent example is long-distance runners and cyclists who drink sports drinks while working out. Some studies say these drinks can help prevent fatigue in team sport athletes too. Also, yogis doing 90-minute hot yoga classes in studios heated between 92 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit can find sports drinks helpful.
Drinking Amount Recommendation
Athletes should aim to drink back the fluid they lost during training. When you sweat a lot during intense exercise, you might lose between 16 and 24 ounces of fluid per hour. To hydrate properly, weigh yourself before and after training, and drink the same amount of fluid you lost.
Drawbacks: The downside of sports drinks is that they’re processed beverages. If you don’t like processed foods, you might not want to choose sports drinks for your post-workout recovery. Plus, if you don’t really need sports drinks, you’re just adding extra sugar, sodium, and calories to your diet.
Coconut Water
Reason to Drink
Coconut water is low in calories and fat and a good source of certain electrolytes compared to sports drinks and chocolate milk.
Who gets the most
There’s still debate about coconut water. Coconut water has some electrolytes, but it’s not enough. Sports drinks, chocolate milk, or tart cherry juice might be better for athletes because they have protein and antioxidants. But if you don’t like sports drinks or sugary chocolate milk, try adding salt to coconut water and see if you like it.
Drinking Amount Recommendation
If you exercise sometimes, stick to the Exercise recommendations and drink no more than one cup (8 ounces) of water. If you’re an athlete, you could require extra because you should be replenishing the fluids you lost through sweat.
Drawbacks
Coconut water contains a fair amount of sugar and is a decent source of only a few electrolytes. Despite being advertised as natural, some brands of coconut water are heavily processed. Choose coconut water brands that aren’t from concentrate and aren’t heated, sterilized, or processed with additional sugar, artificial flavors, sweeteners, or coloring.
Chocolate Milk
Reason to Drink
It aids muscle recovery and hydration following a strenuous workout. Chocolate milk is a fantastic protein and carb source, promoting rapid muscle recovery. At the same time, plain milk has significantly fewer carbohydrates than chocolate milk. Research indicates that chocolate milk. The fat-free kind performs especially better when refueling muscles with glycogen. Also better than most other liquids, including sports drinks. In addition to supporting bones and joints, the high water content, electrolytes, and vitamins A and D assist your body to rehydrate.
Who gets the most
It can help anyone doing rigorous workouts that last longer than 60 minutes. But it’s especially beneficial for high-end athletes.
Drinking Amount Recommendation
If you had an easy workout, you might only need 8 ounces of fluid after exercising at the best gym in Phase 10, Mohali. But if you’re an elite athlete, you might need 16 ounces. The same goes for fat content. You don’t need extra saturated fat if you’re just a casual exerciser. So fat-free or low-fat milk is better. But if you’re an elite athlete burning fat, whole chocolate milk might be best. Experts say to drink milk 30 to 60 minutes after working out.
Drawbacks
If you don’t need chocolate milk for hydration, it adds a lot of unnecessary sugar and maybe saturated fat to your diet. If chocolate milk is the best alternative, incorporate calories, fat, and sugar into your daily diet.
Tart Cherry Juice
Reason to Drink
It promotes muscular repair. In a few small studies, antioxidant-rich tart cherry juice was proven to help reduce pain, inflammation, and muscle damage induced by exercise, whether during training or an athletic event. The high water content helps to restore water lost through sweat.
Who gets the most
Tart cherry juice appears to be most beneficial for runners, but studies have also shown that drinking tart cherry juice before and after a workout may help weight lifters recover more quickly.
Drinking Amount Recommendation
For optimal results, drink 10 ounces before your workout and another 10 ounces 30 minutes after.
Drawbacks
Tart cherry juice has around 120 calories and nearly 30 grams of carbs per eighth-ounce serving.
Alternative Hydration Options
If the solutions above do not appeal to you, the following alternatives may work:
Plain milk
It has the same post-workout drink benefits as chocolate milk without the added sugar.
Orange juice
It helps elevate blood sugar because of its high water content. Orange-coloredOranges have a bad reputation for being high in sugar, but this may be easily avoided by diluting the fruit with water.
Tea
Tea possesses antioxidants and tends to function just as well as water when it comes to hydration, so it’s a good beverage for recuperation. Furthermore, it makes no difference if it’s hot or cold, black, green, white, herbal, or caffeine—or decaffeinated-free.
Coffee
Caffeine has been a debated choice for hydration because it’s a diuretic and can hinder hydration. However, a small study found that caffeine doesn’t affect hydration if you’re not already dehydrated. Also, adding caffeine to high-carb drinks can help refuel muscles faster than drinks without caffeine.
What to avoid
Strike a balance in your dietary selections. Ensure that you fuel your body without consuming too many calories. It’s unnecessary to restrict yourself. Avoid reducing calories or skipping meals completely. It’s also crucial to avoid overeating or receiving your calories from processed & unhealthy meals.
Avoid the temptation to push yourself over your comfort zone or too rapidly in an attempt to overexert yourself. This may result in injuries and sprains. Additionally, it may induce nausea, particularly after a strenuous, bouncy, or hot workout Or if you stop working out too soon.
Holding your breath or forgetting to breathe during and after exercise can make you feel dizzy or lightheaded. This is because your brain isn’t getting enough oxygen. To avoid this, practice deep breathing when you’re resting. Once you’re comfortable, use these breathing techniques to develop healthy breathing habits during your workouts.
Conclusion
It’s crucial to stay hydrated after working out to heal. After moderate exercise, plain water is a fantastic way to replenish lost fluids. After high-intensity workouts, however, alternative options like milk or tart-cherry juice might provide extra advantages. After a lengthy or intense workout, sports drinks can also aid in recovery. Thus, the optimum post workout drink for healing should be determined by the intensity of your exercise.
