Nutritional Recovery

Nutritional Recovery

Recovery is a very broad category in the performance world. It encompasses so much of what an athlete and coach do to help the athlete perform at their highest level. Recovery ranges from exercises and movements, to nutrition and supplements, to rest and sleep. Many people are aware that mobility movements, stretches, and low intensity movements play a critical role in recovery and even sleep is getting more press these days. Even nutrition, people understand that what the eat impacts their body, but what about the direct impact on recovery and thus the next workout or competition that their food has. This is an area that people need to have a clear idea of what they are consuming and its impacts. This article covers a just of couple of the many available but these are one that I get at Grisdale Performance regularly, so decided to address them here as well.

Nutrition is critical in the recovery process as the food and supplements on consumes directly impacts the body’s response to the muscle damage that occurs from exercise. We know that protein consumption is essential for rebuilding and strengthening muscles but there are many other nutrients that people claim to benefit recovery. While there are many different nutrients that people have tried to take in the quest for improved recovery and performance, some are more popular than others. One of these is omega-3s. Many people are not only looking to consume this nutrient through their food, but it is a popular supplement as well. Omega-3s are talked about as having a positive impact on reducing inflammation and long term on helping reduce risk of heart disease (DiNicolantonio & O’Keefe, 2018). In the context of training, this sounds great because exercise causes inflammation so why not consume something that can aid in the anti-inflammatory response.  Also in this category is tart cherries. I would say that tart cherry juice

This goal of reducing inflammation or making sure the body is prepped for the next activity is one of the most sought-after results from anything you eat or take as a supplement. Another product that has gained traction for supplementation lately is vitamin-D. Most know this as the vitamin that you can get from spending time in the sun, but in reality, just standing in the sun does not get you enough, especially if you live in a part of the world that doesn’t have sunlight every day. So, what are the benefits of taking this important vitamin. It has been shown to have a positive impact on post exercise muscle damage and reducing inflammation (Owen et al., 2019). Vitamin D plays a crucial role not just getting the muscles that were damaged during exercise to feel less sore but to also help in their growth and proper function. Supplementing one’s diet with vitamin D can help to ensure that not only is there less soreness but that the muscles grow and get back to their normal function quickly.

Ultimately, nutritional recovery is all about consuming food products or nutritional supplements that have a strong positive impact on how the body returns to a high performing level. It cannot be said enough that recovery is specific to the goals of that training session and cycle. If you are trying to get large adpations from a training session or period, inflammation is critical for producing the desired increases in size and strength. But if the goal is all about getting ready to compete again the next day, reducing inflammation and getting soreness out so that the body is prepped for the upcoming game or match is not a bad thing. When considering if you should consume a food or supplement, think about what your goals are and the decision will become clearer on whether or not a particular product is for you or not. Recovery is all about consistency so whether it is improving your sleep, eating well, doing mobility, or taking a supplement, there is not overnight fix but with time and regular work amazing progress will be made.

References

Owens, D., Twist, C., Cobley, J., Howatson, G. & Close, G. (2019) Exercise-induced muscle damage: What is it, what causes it and what are the nutritional solutions?, European Journal of Sport Science, 19:1, 71-85, DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2018.1505957

DiNicolantonio JJ, O’Keefe JH. Importance of maintaining a low omega–6/omega–3 ratio for reducing inflammation. Open Heart 2018;5:e000946. doi: 10.1136/openhrt-2018-000946.