7 Eating Mistakes You Make After After A Run

By Mens Health Staff | May 1, 2021

The sports nutrition industry is certainly booming. So it’s no surprise that television commercials and magazine ads – and websites, too (guilty!) – are loaded with ads for foods and drinks that help you “refuel” and “recharge” after a workout.

While there’s a time and place for these products, not every workout demands an immediate snack or meal, especially if you’ve only engaged in light exercise, says Rob Danoff, a Philadelphia-based physician with a subspecialty in sports medicine.

“If you exercised first thing in the morning before breakfast, then of course you need to eat something,” he explains. “But if you’ve eaten a meal during the last four to six hours, you really don’t need food right after a light or moderate workout.”

And when it comes to those calorie-dense sports drinks and bars, you’re more likely sabotaging your workout gains than aiding them.

“They can be helpful if you’ve done an hour or more of vigorous exercise,” Dr. Danoff says.

What other post-workout eating mistakes are you making? Keep reading.

There’s a persistent myth that exercisers need to pound a lot of protein after a workout in order to maximise their gains. But as long as your daily diet includes adequate protein intake – we recommend 30 grams per meal – there’s no need to scarf your day’s worth of protein right after a workout, concludes a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

YOU DRINK ALCOHOL.

Knocking back a few glasses of wine after a workout may mess with your muscles’ ability to effectively recover and rebuild, shows a study in PLOS One. The good news: A single glass of wine or beer probably won’t cause issues, the study team says.

Many of us tell ourselves that, because we exercised, we can eat whatever we want. This mindset can even bleed into our non-workout days, says Jenna Braddock, registered dietician.

“I ran five kilometres two days ago, so it’s okay to go all out tonight at dinner,” she says, giving an example of the kind of unhelpful mindset she’s been guilty of herself. But most research shows what you eat matters a lot more than how much you exercise when it comes to your waistline. It’s fine to indulge a bit from time to time, but don’t let the fact that you got in a workout steer you toward a massive or unhealthy meal, Braddock says.

After an hour or more of high-intensity exercise – think running or swimming – your muscles require lots of glycogen to bounce back and grow stronger, says Dr Nancy Cohen, a professor of nutrition at the University of Massachusetts.

Healthy carbs – stuff like fruit, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains – are the best dietary sources of glycogen. Cohen says you’ll want to consume roughly 1 gram of healthy carbs per kilogram of body weight within 60 minutes of finishing your workout. A fruit-rich smoothie will get you there.

Runners underestimate the amount of water they sweat away by fully 50 percent, according to research from the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

Even a light workout – one where you don’t feel like you were sweating hard – can lead to mild dehydration. A general rule of thumb to follow is you should drink one litre of water for every 22kg of bodyweight per day.

If you’ve busted your butt during your workout, you’re going to feel some serious hunger pangs – and that’s the worst time to decide what to eat. Our brains are wired to crave high-calorie, energy-rich foods when we’re hungry, suggests research from Cornell University.

And those calorie cravings drive us to select unhealthy foods. Hungry shoppers bought 46 per cent more high-calorie items (and fewer healthy foods) than their less-famished counterparts, the Cornell team found. You’re better off planning your post-workout snack or meal before you hit the gym.

This article was originally published on MensHealth.com