RULES TO REFUEL
FOLLOW THE ‘THREE RS’ WHEN IT COMES TO POST-TRAINING RECOVERY STRATEGY
Replacing nutrients lost through intense activity will pay off in the short and long term
ANY athlete could probably tell you in detail about their nutritional preparation for training and races. What and when to eat and drink before a race is engrained in their competitive psyche and often planned with unerring precision. But what happens when it’s over? Sports nutritionists bemoan the fact that the post-training diet is woefully neglected by many and that athletes could significantly enhance their recovery processes by eating and drinking appropriately when they finish a session.
“I always say practice the three Rs of recovery – rehydrate, refuel, and repair,” writes Stuart Philips, professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Canada. But how best should you plan your recovery strategy? recovery strategy?
Rehydrate
Replacing fluid and electrolytes (or body salts) lost through sweat is essential, but how much do you need to drink? Earlier this year, a panel of eminent scientists assembled by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Sports Medicine (ACSM) published the latest position statement on sports nutrition in the scientific journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. In their guidelines, they stressed the need for athletes to consume 125-150% of their estimated fluid losses in the 4-6 hours after a session, the extra accounting for the continued loss of fluid from the body through sweating and urine losses.