You guys did it!
CONGRATULATIONS and THANKS for meeting the 50-comment challenge on Thursday’s post about what to eat or drink after your workout.
It was great to find out what many of you are refueling your bodies with after a workout. Overall, a lot of your “meals” are pretty good. They definitely gave me some more ideas.
As promised, for meeting the 50-comment challenge, I have another amazing workout nutrition video for you today. This video deals with ALL aspects of PRE- and POST-workout eating.
So, you’re going to get the “low down” on what to eat before and after your workouts and which food sources are your best friends when it comes to carbs, proteins, and healthy fats.
Watch the video here…
But wait, there’s more!
I also mentioned that I would share 3 of my favourite post-workout recipes with you as well.
And here’s a little secret…
You can actually use these as your pre-workout meals/snacks as well!
Yuri’s “All Natural” Sports Drink
This is my “go-to” sports drink after a sweat fest in the gym, outside, or after a game. It tastes better than the Gatorade and doesn’t have all the nasty dyes.
To prepare, just mix everything together in a glass.
500 ml water
2-3 tbsp pure maple syrup
Juice of 1/2 lime
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of sea salt
The Ultimate Green Smoothie
Post-workout smoothies just don’t get any better than this. It’s got everything you need – and more!
To prepare, just throw everything in a blender and give it a whirl!
1 apple
1 banana
3-4 leaves of kale, stemmed
1 handful of spinach
1 tbsp spirulina
1 tbsp fish oil
1 tbsp hemp seeds
1 tsp maple syrup or agave
Juice of 1 lime
500 ml water
Best Oatmeal Ever!
A more substantial meal for 3-4 hours before or 1-2 hours after your workout, this oatmeal contains all the good stuff – starchy carbs, great protein, and healthy fats.
To prepare, once oatmeal has been sufficiently cooked, add diced apples and cinnamon. Stir for 2-3 minutes. Serve into a bowl and mix in nut butter, flax seed oil/seeds, maple syrup/agave. Stir and enjoy!
1/2 cup steel cut oats, boiled and simmered to liking
1 apple, diced
1 tbsp cinnamon
1-2 tbsp maple syrup or agave
1 tbsp nut butter (preferably raw organic)
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tbsp flax seed oil
There you go guys…
3 delicious and healthy workout recipes ranging from immediate refueling to more substantial, satiating meals.
27 Comments
I usually have black beans with my salmon too..it tastes great and i never feel bloated…Thank You so much for those 3 recipes…I’ll try them out asap
You are a treasure……love you!
THANKS FOR INFO.
WILL CERTAINLY TRY THESE YUMMY RECIPES.
SHARON
Yuri, thank you so much for these recipes. I often eat my oatmeal with peanut butter and cinnamon, yum! Definitely satisfying. I am wondering if you can give any specific help for women who bloat up before their periods… any nutritional or exercise advice. I know when this happens to me, I feel better after a good sweat but I would love some help with the eating part. You are so generous with your email support. I just want to thank you for that!
Cynthia
I wish you had adressed also the carb to protein ratio for the post-workout drink… I’ve read so many authors suggest 2:1 carb:protein ratio. In your sports drink recipe I see no proteins at all and others seem to be rather modest as well. This issue would have deserved a bit of explaining!! Perhaps next time? I’d love to watch.
Yuri, where at the store is spirulina found? thanks yuri for the great post.
Most health food stores carry it. Just ask for help.
Thanks, Yuri.
How come you did not mention steaks, though? i thought that was the best source of protein, and i try to have fish or steaks with vegetables for almost every dinner.
I’m not a huge fan of animal products, let alone steak. Sure it has a lot of protein but much of that protein becomes denatured once the steak is cooked. Gram for gram, green vegetables have much more protein than steak and meat. The key is just getting enough to meet your needs.
Hey Yuri,
Thanks for all the great videos and tips. I have a question which i hope you will answer. I have been trying out HIIT after seeing your videos, but i get some kind of pain all over my abdomen (muscles) as i do my sprinting… it seems as though something is pushing against my abs very hard. When I slow down the pain decrease and almost vanishes only to come back when i start sprinting again. But i dont have this problem when i do cycling… I have to say that i am not very athletic and I have been doing this for approx. 3 weeks and there has been no decrease in the pain so far. I do HIIT session 2-3 times in a week. So is this normal or is there something wrong with me or my style of exercising??
Hey Yuri,
Thanks for all the great videos and tips. I have a question which i hope you will answer. I have been trying out HIIT after seeing your videos, but i get some kind of pain all over my abdomen (muscles) as i do my sprinting… it seems as though something is pushing against my abs very hard. When I slow down the pain decrease and almost vanishes only to come back when i start sprinting again. But i dont have this problem when i do cycling… I have to say that i am not very athletic and I have been doing this for approx. 3 weeks and there has been no decrease in the pain so far. I do HIIT session 2-3 times in a week. So is this normal or is there something wrong with me or my style of exercising??
Thanks in advance,
Navneeth
This is something that shouldn’t normally happen but I have no idea what it could be??? I could food in your digestive tract or something else – I’m not sure. Sorry.
Hey Yuri,
I just googled my problem and this is what I found–
Abdominal pain in runners is a very frequent problem. The two most common areas involved are,
the abdominal wall muscles (“stitch”) and
the gastrointestinal system.
In the former, cramps occur as a result of very vigorous breathing and are thought to be related to decreased oxygen supply to these muscles. Usually, slowing down and grabbing or massaging the affected muscle will alleviate the pain. Triathletes have the added burden of having to exercise in 3 different body positions. The change from one sport to another can put sudden demands on a muscle group that may not have been as extensively used in the preceding sport.
Gastrointestinal (GI) complaints take a variety of forms — eructation (belching), flatulence, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, intestinal cramps, and stomachache. Running causes more GI complaints than swimming and cycling. In some studies on marathon runners and triathletes, up to 40 – 50% experienced some form of GI complaint.. While not everything is understood about why this happens several concepts have emerged from the literature. Dehydration contributes significantly to GI disturbances, especially when >4% of body weight has been lost (see fluid balance test), and the pre-race diet is very important.
Reference—http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/abd.pain.html
I am posting this because i thought you will be interested…
Anyway thanks for all the support.
Thanks for sharing it Navneeth. Good to know.
Great stuff here.
Sorry if I missed something, but what would be within your natural sports drink that would address the electrolytes that are found within the mainstream sports drinks?
Thanks so much. You’re one fantastic advisor and leader in this field.
Nile
The minerals found in the citrus and the sea salt.
Thank you Yuri.
Hey Yuri,
I’m loving your advice and workouts and recently purchased your book, Eating for Energy. I’m learning so much. I really appreciate the scientific basis that you present for these positions that you have.
I have one question regarding maple syrup. I’ve heard that maple syrup is refined, because what you buy is not directly from the tree. Therefore people have recommended molasses to me instead. Could you please tell me what your thoughts are on this?
Thanks.
I would use agave nectar rather than molasses.
Great. Thanks!
Yuri,
Great advice.
I have a question regarding post workout nutrition. I do my strength workout late in the night … around 9 or 10 pm … I have my dinner before my workout at around 7 pm. So what can I have after my workout is done, before I go to sleep?
Thanks,
gill
A smoothie or fresh pressed vegetable juice would be fine. Some nuts and seeds as well if you want.
Thanks, Yuri.
Yuri, I have a question for you. Beyond what to drink after a good workout, I would like to know what to do to tighten my skin. You see. I am older and since I do mostly raw foods, I find my mass is less than what my skin had to cover in the past when I had more volume. Want to tighten the skin over my thighs and abdomen. Any suggestions, much appreciated.
Regards,
Frank
Yes, me also and my arms!!
Hi Yuri,
Quick question, I seem to be getting addicted to pre-workout(store bought) powders. I always want to go to the gym or outside to get some cardio…. the energy to do it- is never or almost never there. These store bought are full of ??? but they sure get me going.
Any suggestions on what could help that is more appropriate?
Just prepare a natural smoothie with fruit, hemp seeds, nut butter, and some omega-3s. You can use a good quality protein if you want but I wouldn’t rely on all those “pre-made” drinks.