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What to Eat for Energy + Recovery

What to Eat for Energy + Recovery

 

Without the proper fuel your body needs to perform at its best, your workouts will be lacklustre and leave you feeling flat. After a workout or any intense exercise, your body is depleted of its energy reserve so it’s important to replenish it with wholesome nutrition. Perfect pre and post workout snacks include a mix of protein and carbohydrates as protein will recover your muscles and carbohydrates will feed your cells. Blackmores Wellness Ambassador, Sarah Stevenson shares a few of her favourite energy and recovery snacks to keep you going:

Banana and almond butter

Banana is a great carbohydrate as it gives you immediate energy, whereas almond butter will give you energy to help you sustain your workouts.

Avocado and tuna guacamole

Savoury pre-workout snacks are also great and my favourite is avocado and tuna guacamole. Tuna is one of the best sources of protein that’s going to feed your muscles and also help recovery, and the avocado helps keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Protein shakes

Protein shakes are a quick and easy option that you can easily chuck in your bag and take to the gym with you. Your body will absorb the hit of protein quickly as it’s easily digested by the body. If it’s been a sweat-inducing work out, I love to include one of my favourite Blackmores superfoods powders some coconut water + nature boost magnesium to replenish the body of electrolytes and help rehydrate.

Banana and Cacao Powder Blend

If you have a sweet tooth, a banana and cacao protein shake is perfect for you. Cacao is great at fighting free radicals in the body and help inflammation so it’s a fantastic recovery hack.

Recovery Salads

After every workout, it’s great to have a salad. I prep my salad at home with some cucumbers and tomatoes and just add tuna wherever I’m going. Tuna is a fantastic protein and incredibly accessible.

Oats

Oats are an amazing source of energy. Unlike other food, oats release energy slowly into the bloodstream, ensuring that your energy levels sustain throughout the whole workout. To make it more interesting, add some banana to your oats to maximise the protein intake pre-workout.

Sarah recommends to eat at least 30 minutes before your workout to make sure the food has plenty of time to digest and for you to perform at your best in order to make the most out of your pre-workout meals.

Here’s one of Sarah's favourite smoothie recipes to help kick start your day.

Ingredients:

  • Half a banana
  • 1 of scoop of Cacao powder
  • 1 scoop of your preferred protein powder
  • 1 cup of water
  • Add some ice to suit your preference (and cool down)

Instructions: 

  • Blend everything together really well and your shake is ready to go.
  • Enjoy!
Sally O'Neil - Editor in Chief

Sal is on a mission to prove that healthy and nutritious doesn’t have to be boring – and that even while staying in shape you can have your cake and eat it too. After losing 14kg from adopting a healthier lifestyle, she shares her journey with others on The Fit Foodie Blog. She also works as a commercial food photographer and stylist, is studying a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, and is the author of two cookbooks: Love Move Eat (Bauer Media, 2017) and Meal Prep Plan (Murdoch, 2019).

4 Comments
  1. I fee so great to have stumbled on this post. Worth a read. Really, with all the exercise routine to loose weight, diet seems pretty great coupled with lots of running, and meditation. Keep posting. Bookmarked this.

  2. I fee so great to have stumbled on this post. Worth a read. Really, with all the exercise routine to loose weight, diet seems pretty great coupled with lots of running, and meditation. Keep posting. Bookmarked this.

  3. Love your eating ideas! Nutrition is crucial for maintaining high energy levels. This post not only provides appropriate food, but tasty food as well. There are plenty more ways to boost energy through nutrition and specific food groups. Nuts like almonds and pistachios are great snacks that can be enjoyed anywhere and provide tonnes of energy.

  4. Love your eating ideas! Nutrition is crucial for maintaining high energy levels. This post not only provides appropriate food, but tasty food as well. There are plenty more ways to boost energy through nutrition and specific food groups. Nuts like almonds and pistachios are great snacks that can be enjoyed anywhere and provide tonnes of energy.

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