• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • TikTok
  • FOOD/DRINK
  • BLOGGING
  • FITNESS
  • My Story
  • Work with Me
    • Disclosure
  • Contact Us
This Real Mom

This Real Mom

Keepin' it real in motherhood!

Home / TRAINING / 5 Great Running Recovery Snacks

5 Great Running Recovery Snacks

TRAINING

Post-workout nutrition is just as important as pre-workout nutrition. Eating the proper recovery snack helps your muscles to begin their recovery after a tough training session like a speed workout or a long run.

If you are coming over from Pinterest, welcome! After you read this post, you may want to take a minute and visit my Running Resources page (in the navigation bar) for valuable information on training, nutrition, gear, and more!

Many runners focus a lot on what they eat before a race and during a race, but they do not give much thought to what they eat after a hard workout. Post-workout nutrition is just as important as pre-workout nutrition. Eating the proper recovery snack helps your muscles to begin their recovery after a tough training session like a speed workout or a long run.

4:1 IS THE OPTIMAL CARB/PROTEIN RATIO FOR RECOVERY

For workouts that are less than an hour, an exact carb/protein ratio is not as crucial as it is for workouts lasting more than one hour. For training runs less than one hour, go for a snack that has both carbohydrates and protein like fruit with yogurt or a small bowl of cereal. However, when you run for an hour or longer, you need to aim for a post-run snack/meal that contains a 4:1 ration of carbohydrates to protein. For optimal results, make sure you eat the recovery snack within 30 minutes of ending your workout.

Studies show that the mix of carbohydrates and protein is optimal for the rebuilding of glycogen stores that were depleted during your workout. Snacks/meals with the 4:1 ratio increase glycogen levels more than carbohydrates alone.

SAMPLE IDEAS FOR RECOVERY SNACKS

Because most of us cannot precisely calculate the carb/protein ratio of our snacks (especially after a tough workout!), here is a list of some good running recovery snacks to eat following those tough workouts:

  • a glass of chocolate milk (also helps with hydration).
  • half of a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter
  • sliced apples and a string cheese
  • smoothie or protein shake
  • commercially prepared recovery drink like Muscle Milk, GU Recovery Brew, or Endurox R4. My favorite is Shaklee Phsyique.

Don’t Forget Hydration

Immediately after a workout, make sure that you rehydrate properly–that’s the first priority, then feed your muscles with a good running recovery snack. By properly refueling your body, you will help your muscles repair themselves, so they can be ready for your next training session!

2 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

November 2, 2011 · 3 Comments

Previous Post: « Run with Identification
Next Post: Am I too Sick to Run? »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Trackbacks

  1. Relax and Recover – Take a Rest Day! | 30 Something Mother Runner says:
    November 11, 2011 at 8:04 am

    […] sure that you are refueling your body after workouts, as necessary. Proper post-workout nutrition is key to helping speed your […]

    Reply
  2. Recovery Brew! | 30 Something Mother Runner says:
    July 24, 2012 at 7:15 am

    […] on July 24, 2012 Written by Jessica Leave a Comment Last fall I wrote about the importance of recovery snacks. After writing that post, I definitely started paying more attention to how I refuel after tough […]

    Reply
  3. Long Run Recovery Tips - 30 Something Mother Runner says:
    August 11, 2014 at 7:14 am

    […] sure you have a post-run recovery snack with a 4:1 carb ratio when possible. The recovery snack should ideally be consumed within 30 minutes of completing your long […]

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

One of the best things about whole foods plant-bas One of the best things about whole foods plant-based eating is that weekday meal prep can get a lot easier! This afternoon, I came home from a day of teaching, tutoring, and kid,-chauffeuring, and there wasn’t a lot of time to get some thing ready for dinner. Thankfully, there was some arugula in the fridge and I used the night before’s pasta dish and a can of diced tomatoes to repurpose a new dinner! #who#wholefoodsplantbaseda#plantstronga#plantbasedrecipesa#plantbaseddinnern#runonplantsa#plantbasedg#veganfood#mojo.video
Here’s the lineup for today’s meals: sprouted Here’s the lineup for today’s meals: sprouted whole wheat toast with almond butter and banana for breakfast; field greens with Thai veggie burger, and edamame topped with maple mustard vinaigrette; and for dinner or warm potato salad served over farro with apple cider vinaigrette. The Thai veggie burgers were from dinner the night before— an easy work lunch to prep in the morning!
Instagram post 18003924953010638 Instagram post 18003924953010638
Loved this “leftovers” salad! One of my favori Loved this “leftovers” salad! One of my favorite things to do for lunch the next day is take last night’s leftovers and put them over greens. Just added some sunflower seeds, lime juice and avocado to this one and it hit the spot!
Perfect end to a beautiful #mdw at home on the Cap Perfect end to a beautiful #mdw at home on the Cape! Picked up the oldest from a friend’s house and headed to @seacrestcapecod for a cocktail on the beach before heading home to get dinner and watch the @celtics 🏀
Checking out a sneak peek of @dcleagueofsuperpets Checking out a sneak peek of @dcleagueofsuperpets with 2 of the boys! #hosted 🐾
.
.
.
.
.
.
#dcleagueofsuperpets #movies #summermovie #pets
#ad Summer is going to be SUPER busy in our house #ad Summer is going to be SUPER busy in our house with 3 active boys and mom teaching and in grad school! #MakeMealsEZBBxx. 
Frozen meals are an AWESOME option for busy weeknights or a quick lunch at work. Our family loves bowls, so the @fronterafoods Chicken Verde Burrito Bowl was a huge hit! My personal favorite was the @mariecallenders_  Shrimp Fajita Meal – it had the perfect amount of spiciness and the black beans were delicious! My middle son is a pasta lover, so he called dibs on the @bertolli_us Pasta Sides Herb Gnocchi - SO GOOD! It’s perfect for a quick meal or to serve alongside an easy to prep Italian meal like the @mariecallenders_ Duos Creamy Pesto Chicken + Four Cheese Ravioli. Since our family loves PF Chang’s, the battle for the  @pfchangshomemenu Chicken Teriyaki bowl was hotly contested! The last item we were excited to try was the @gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Breakfast Saus'ge Original. Believe it or not– 2 of our boys are still in school until June 29th, so these plant-based breakfast sausages have been a great option to add to a quick breakfast before school. Stock up on these delicious frozen options and save the time and hassle of prepping lunch or dinner on busy summer days!
#sponsored We had so much fun hosting a backyard f #sponsored We had so much fun hosting a backyard friends with help from @stopandshop - we love one stop shopping! It was the perfect ending to a beautiful day. S’mores choices included sea salt and caramel, mint chocolate, peanut butter cups, milk chocolate, strawberries, bananas! It was sea salt and caramel for the win. 🥇 
#StaycationWithStopAndShop #FeedTheMoment #StopandShop
Load More...
One of the best things about whole foods plant-bas One of the best things about whole foods plant-based eating is that weekday meal prep can get a lot easier! This afternoon, I came home from a day of teaching, tutoring, and kid,-chauffeuring, and there wasn’t a lot of time to get some thing ready for dinner. Thankfully, there was some arugula in the fridge and I used the night before’s pasta dish and a can of diced tomatoes to repurpose a new dinner! #who#wholefoodsplantbaseda#plantstronga#plantbasedrecipesa#plantbaseddinnern#runonplantsa#plantbasedg#veganfood#mojo.video
Here’s the lineup for today’s meals: sprouted Here’s the lineup for today’s meals: sprouted whole wheat toast with almond butter and banana for breakfast; field greens with Thai veggie burger, and edamame topped with maple mustard vinaigrette; and for dinner or warm potato salad served over farro with apple cider vinaigrette. The Thai veggie burgers were from dinner the night before— an easy work lunch to prep in the morning!
Instagram post 18003924953010638 Instagram post 18003924953010638
Loved this “leftovers” salad! One of my favori Loved this “leftovers” salad! One of my favorite things to do for lunch the next day is take last night’s leftovers and put them over greens. Just added some sunflower seeds, lime juice and avocado to this one and it hit the spot!
Perfect end to a beautiful #mdw at home on the Cap Perfect end to a beautiful #mdw at home on the Cape! Picked up the oldest from a friend’s house and headed to @seacrestcapecod for a cocktail on the beach before heading home to get dinner and watch the @celtics 🏀
Checking out a sneak peek of @dcleagueofsuperpets Checking out a sneak peek of @dcleagueofsuperpets with 2 of the boys! #hosted 🐾
.
.
.
.
.
.
#dcleagueofsuperpets #movies #summermovie #pets
Load More...
© Copyright This Real Mom 2019. Site design by Seaside Digital Design & Marketing LLC
2 shares