Milk for Post-Workout Recovery
Everyone has heard that they should be consuming protein after a workout. In the last article, we talked about how important protein and other nutrient consumption post-exercise is but there are so many ways to consume these all-important nutrients. All it takes is a quick look around the internet or social media and there are tons of products, companies, options in front of you. Many of these are great options but sometimes are costly and/or don’t taste very good. This is not the case for all but what about something that may already be in your fridge? A drink that you may have consumed in gallons as a kid.
This drink is milk. The same one you probably had with almost every meal as a kid. Milk has been shown to contain a high-quality mixture of protein, carbs, water, and micronutrients that can help in the recovery process (James et al., 2019). Moreover, it has been found that milk augments protein synthesis, rehydration, glycogen resynthesis, and reduces soreness and function losses (James et al., 2019). All this says that the carton of milk that’s sitting in your fridge has a positive impact on many measures of post-workout recovery drinks. It contains the key nutrients that have been shown to have a positive impact on recovery through building muscle and resupplying energy lost in exercise.
One of the biggest arguments for consuming milk as a post-workout recovery drink is its value. It is a cost-effective and easy to acquire. It is in every grocery store, convenience store, and gas station. No matter where you are or where your workout was, milk can be acquired quickly after a workout session or game. James et al. (2019) demonstrated that there is strong evidence for the benefits of recovery and maintaining the energy deficits that are made by exercise.
Due to its ease to acquire and benefits on recovery milk is a viable post-exercise recovery option. It can be found just about anywhere and it really doesn’t cost too much. Usually, this cost drop means that it is a lessor quality product but milk steps up in the category. It provides a high-quality mix of the much-needed nutrients after exercise. This is not to say that other products do not work or are not good options but what it means is that it should not be overlooked or ignored as a cost-effective and viable recovery option.
References
Lewis J. James, Emma J. Stevenson, Penny L. S. Rumbold & Carl J. Hulston (2019) Cow’s milk as a post-exercise recovery drink: implications for performance and health, European Journal of Sport Science, 19:1, 40-48, DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2018.1534989