Bouncing back nutritionally from an intense workout or game. (Powerline 2003).

THE FINAL WHISTLE has blown, the finish line has been crossed, time has expired, or the last rep in a workout has been completed.

If you're a competitive athlete, your day isn't over. Chances are another workout or competition is imminent. And you definitely have to give careful thought to your post-exercise meal.

Athletes must take a proactive approach to recovery In terms of nutrition, this means providing the body with the optimal nutrients to initiate the refueling process.

Whether the athlete is a distance runner, an elite weightlifter, or a football player, two events will inevitably occur following an intense workout or competition: (1) a decrease in muscle glycogen (energy) stores and (2) an increase in muscle protein catabolism (protein breakdown).

Our bodies use muscle glycogen for energy, not only for muscle contractions during intense exercise, but for many activities of daily living.

Low muscle glycogen means low energy and poor performance for the. workouts and competitions that follow. The breakdown in muscle protein can lead to a loss of lean tissue and subsequent decreases in strength and performance.

If these two undesirable events are not addressed, several consequences may follow:

* Prolonged soreness or fatigue.

* Feeble gains in muscle mass or worse, a loss of muscle mass.

* Performance decrements.

STEPS ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

Restoring Muscle Glycogen:

The most important factors in restoring muscle glycogen levels are the timing of the post-exercise meal and the type and amount of carbohydrate consumed.

Glycogen is broken down and used during exercise as energy for muscle contraction. It has been well-established that the timing of carbohydrate intake after exercise significantly influences glycogen restoration. The storage of muscle glycogen will occur twice as rapid if the carbohydrates are consumed immediately after exercise as opposed to waiting several hours (Ivy, 2001).

The type of carbohydrate consumed will also affect the rate of glycogen synthesis. Simple carbohydrates with a high glycemic index (GI) should be the focus during this period. The GI tells us how rapidly a particular carbohydrate contributes glucose to the blood stream.

A food's GI is influenced by many factors, including the amount eaten, fiber and fat content, and the way the food is prepared (backed potatoes have a higher GI than boiled potatoes). Refer to attached table from Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook.

When comparing simple sugars, glucose and sucrose (table sugar) appear to be equally effective when consumed at a rate of .5 to .7 g/Ib body weight for two hours post-exercise.

Fructose (fruit sugar) is less effective at restoring muscle glycogen. As long as adequate carbohydrate is consumed; it doesn't appear to matter whether it is ingested in liquid or solid form.

Recommendations:

* .5 to .7 grams per lb. body weight within 30 minutes of exercise.

* Focus on high GI carbohydrates.

* Following prolonged exercise these recommendations may be repeated every two hours for six hours (a liquid carbohydrate source may be beneficial in this case).

CONTROLLING CATABOLISM

Muscle Protein Balance = Protein Synthesis (building)-Protein Breakdown

Muscle protein synthesis (building) is increased in the recovery period following resistance exercise. Good news, right? Yes, but there's also bad news. The rate of muscle protein breakdown is also increased, even more so than the rate of synthesis.

Result: Muscle protein balance is negative. The body is not building muscle, in fact, just the opposite is occurring.

The news is even worse following an endurance workout. Once again, protein breakdown increases, but now protein synthesis decreases. Adios hard-earned muscle!

It is clear that the ingestion of amino acids or protein following exercise stimulates protein synthesis. Carbohydrate, while good at replenishing glycogen stores, does nothing to ward off muscle protein breakdown. Protein must be a component of the post-exercise meal.

However, the optimal amount of protein to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis is not known. The current recommended intakes for strength and endurance athletes are 1.6 to 1.7 g/kg (.7 to.8 glib) body weight and 1.2 to 1.4 g/kg (.5 to .6 g/lb) body weight respectively (Fielding, 2002).

For the 90 kg strength athlete (200 lbs.) = 140 to 160 g. of protein/day

For the 90 kg endurance athlete = 100 to 120 g. of protein/day. This amount can easily be obtained:

2 peanut butter sandwiches   30 g
2 cups milk                  16 g
1 cup yogurt                 10 g
2 eggs and 2 whites          20 g
1 chicken breast             30 g
l cup baked beans            14 g

Total                       120 g

Combining carbohydrates and protein in the post-exercise meal may be more beneficial than consuming either one alone. A practical recommendation for post-exercise protein intake is 20-40 grams immediately after exercise.

REHYDRATION

Rehydration after exercise involves not only the replacement fluids lost in sweat, but the replenishment of electrolytes, primarily sodium.

Despite consuming fluids during exercise, most athletes will become mildly to moderately dehydrated. Even after exercising, when fluids are freely available, many athletes will still fail to fully replace their fluid losses. In fact, it may take up to 24 hours for some athletes to replenish fluid losses.

This becomes a problem when the athletes carry this fluid deficit into the next day's practice or-workout. The result can be a moderate to high level of dehydration, a decrease in performance, and possible health risks. As little as 2% dehydration (2 lbs. in a 200-lb athlete) can impair performance.

As coaches, we must force the athletes to drink! The palatability and temperature of the drinks will have a huge impact on how much fluid an athlete replaces. A sweet-tasting drink is sure to be favored over tap water. When an athlete is hot and sweaty, a cool drink is more welcome than a luke-warm fluid.

The drinks should be kept between 10-15 degrees C to promote greater intake. Practically all of the many sports drinks that contain sodium will do the job.

Recommendations:

* Monitor pre- and post-exercise body weight.

* Drink two cups of fluid for every pound lost.

* Replace sodium losses using sports drinks, salty food, or adding salt to food.

Table 7.3

Glycemic Index of Some Popular Foods

Food *                         GI

High
Glucose                       100
Gatorade                       91
Potato, baked                  85
Corn flakes                    84
Rice cakes                     82
Potato, microwaved             82
Jelly beans                    80
Vanilla wafers, Nabisco        77
Cheerios                       74
Cream of Wheat, instant        74
Graham crackers                74
Honey                          73
Watermelon                     72
Bagel, Lender's white          72
Bread, White                   70
Bread, whole wheat             69
                          (65-75)
Shredded Wheat                 69
Soft drink, Fanta              68
Mars Bar                       68
Grape-Nuts                     67
Stoned wheat thins             67
Cream of Wheat, regular        66
Couscous                       65
Table sugar (sucrose)          65
Raisins                        64
Oatmeal                        61
                          (42-75)
Ice cream                      61
                          (36-80)

Moderate
Muffin, bran                   60
Bran Chex                      58
Potato boiled                  56
Rice, white long grain         56
Rice, brown                    55
Popcorn                        55
Corn                           55
Sweet potato                   54
Pound cake, Sara Lee           54
Banana, Overripe               52
Peas, green                    48
Bulgur                         48
Baked beans                    48
Rice, white parboiled          47
Lentil soup                    44
Orange juice                   57
All-Bran cereal                42
Spaghetti (no sauce)           41
Pumpernickel bread             41
Apple juice, unsweetened       41

Low
Apple                          36
Pear                           36
PowerBar -                  30-35
Chocolate milk                 34
Fruit yogurt, low-fat          33
Chick-peas                     33
PR Bar -                       33
Lima beans, frozen             32
Split peas, yellow             32
Milk, skim                     32
Apricots, dried                31
Green beans                    30
Banana, underripe              30
Lentils                        29
Kidney beans                   27
Milk, whole                    27
Barley                         25
Grapefruit                     25
Fructose                       23

* Amout based on 50 grams of carbohydrate per serving

Foods with a high glycemic response have a value above 60; foods with a
moderate glycemic response have a value between 40 to 60; and foods with
a low glycemic response have a value less than 40.

Data from food companies and K. Foster-Powell and J. Brand Miller, 1995,
"International tabels of glycemic index," Am J Clin Nutr 62: 871S-893S.

REFERENCES

* Fielding, RA and Parkington J.: "What are the dietary protein requirements of physically active individuals? New evidence on the-effects of exercise on protein utilization during post-exercise recovery," Nutrition in Clinical Care, Jul-Aug, 2002.

* Ivy, JL: "Dietary strategies to promote glycogen synthesis after exercise." Canadian Journal of Physiology, 2001.