Not only does it taste great, studies show that chocolate milk is the perfect recovery drink.
The difference between an elite-level athlete and weekend warrior often comes down to how they recover. The best athletes understand that the physiological adaptions they need to get stronger, faster and fitter come through recovery—not from working out per se.
What you eat and drink post-workout plays a key role in how quickly your muscles recover and the gains you will see in terms of strength, endurance, speed and agility. All too often, athletes put in hard work at the gym or on the field, but they don’t pay enough attention to their post-workout meals and snacks.
Here are some of the key rules of recovery to help you eek the most out of your muscles.
Recovery Rules
Studies show that rehydrating is most important factor in recovery, followed by replenishing depleted carbohydrate stores (glycogen) and getting enough amino acids from protein to stimulate muscle growth. The nutritional combination that is recommended includes 15-25 grams of quality protein with .5-.75 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight post exercise.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends carbohydrates within the first 30 minutes after exercising to optimize the uptake of glucose and amino acids into muscles. However other research suggests that the body is primed to uptake glucose and amino acids for the first few hours post exercise. The key is to replenish fluids, carbs and protein soon after exercise for optimal recovery.
Low-fat Chocolate Milk Enhances Recovery
There’s a good reason why many world champions and Olympians claim that chocolate milk is one of their favorite go-to recovery options. Chocolate milk provides two recovery solutions: it helps restore fluids lost during exercise and it provides the ideal combination of carbs and protein to promote muscle protein synthesis. Since muscles are comprised of about 75 percent water by weight, getting fluids back into your body should be your first goal. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends drinking 16 to 24 ounces of fluids for every pound lost during exercise.
TruMoo Lowfat Chocolate Milk not only tastes great, it provides an ideal combination of carbs and protein. It also replenishes many of the electrolytes lost in sweat. Studies show that chocolate milk increases insulin which helps shuttle sugar into the muscle where it can be stored as glycogen for your next workout. In addition, the whey and casein proteins in milk stimulate muscle protein synthesis, that can lead to gains in strength.
When you want to get more from your workouts, try a glass or two of TruMoo Chocolate Milk. A 16-ounce serving provides 280 calories, 40 grams of carbs, 16 grams of protein and packs in eight essential nutrients. It’s also available in convenient, single-serve bottles that are great for school lunches or to help fuel and recover from after school activities. And, with no artificial growth hormones or high fructose corn syrup, you can feel good about serving it to your family.
