Post Workout Nutrition Plan: 8 in 10 don’t Have One

We are in a society that encourages fitness and the number of fitness enthusiasts increases daily. We can see people walking, bike riding and going to their early morning workouts, everywhere we go. While having an avid exercise program is a healthy thing, new study research is showing that most do not include a plan for post workout nutrition.

Survey results of those people that are considered workout or exercise enthusiasts (working out three to four times per week) showed that 82% admitted to not having a post workout nutrition plan. The surprising information demonstrated the difference in levels of understanding between the desire to workout and the balance of the body’s needs for post workout. This is an important factor to note because the human body needs the proper nutrition for post exercise to maximize the training regiment benefits. The workout purpose is to reduce body fat and improve muscle tone, however, fitness enthusiasts actually view adding nutrition as a post workout process with a negative impact on their desired results. In other words, people view post nutrition as potentially reducing the effects of exercising, when it is actually the opposite.

The survey shows that 36% don’t want to add calories as post workout; 53% seem to think that adding protein to your post workout will add undesired muscle; 50% believe the consumption of carbohydrates as a post workout process will yield less than desired results. Some of the benefits of post workout nutrition is to eliminate the common problems that effect fitness enthusiasts. These often include overall soreness of the body and muscle fatigue. Almost all of those surveyed indicated that they were indeed seeking ways to improve how they felt as a post workout situation, which included 42% wanting a higher energy level and 52% less fatigue and muscle soreness. Another interesting area to note is that 72% of the exercise enthusiasts realize that post workout nutrition can help to restore energy, only 1 in 3 knew that it helps to decrease the muscle breakdown process.

The survey should be a red flag to everyone in the medical and nutrition industries as to the staggering lack of knowledge for those that are avidly involved in daily fitness for themselves. We may have done too good of a job in reinforcing low fat, low carbs and low intake, because this philosophy has carried over into the workout area where the body actually requires the proper nutrition. There is an educational need as well as a merchandising need to ensure that fitness enthusiasts don’t continue this one-sided and nutritionally depleting process that can actually undermine all of their efforts. Various supplement companies are seeking to include additional post workout nutritional information and alert those in the health and wellness fields to add the information as part of their counseling services.

For those people that are fitness aware, you need to consult with your primary medical advisor and nutritionist on the proper post exercise nutrition to add. After all, you don’t want all of the time, effort and pain to go to waste.

Sources: http://www.drugstorenews.com/article/survey-8-10-workout-enthusiasts-dont-have-post-workout-nutrition-plan

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.