Chocolate milk help athletes exercise intensely without feeling tired for longer than sports drinks
Highlights
- Chocolate milk has been found to improve heart rates after exercise
- It is better than sports drinks for recovery after an intense workout
- Fruit juice make for healthy post-workout recovery drinks
Attention, chocolate milk lovers! A new study has found that chocolate milk is a better than sports drink for boosting recovery after exercise. Researchers say that chocolate milk helps athletes exercise intensely without feeling tired, for 6 minutes longer than sports drinks. As part of the study, 12 previous studies were analysed. As many as 150 people participated in these studies. They completed exercise tests like running and then drank chocolate milk. They were then analysed for how tired they felt, what their heart rates were and what was the level of their lactic acid. The results showed that not only did chocolate milk result in improved heart rates, it also improved lactic acid levels. Chocolate milk contains proteins, carbs, flavonoids, electrolytes and some vitamins which make this drink a good choice for recovery in athletes and people who exercise regularly. Chocolate milk is thus a low-cost, delicious and feasible drink for recovery, which provides similar or superior effects as compared to commercial drinks. The findings of the study were originally published European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Chocolate milk is considered to be better than sports drink for post-recovery workout
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Post-workout recovery drinks are important as the muscles suffer from protein degradation and depletion of glycogen. It is important to restore electrolytes and replenish fluids which are lost after an intense workout. Post-workout recovery drinks are also important as we need to replace muscle fuel, i.e. carbs which are utilised during workouts.
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Following are some health post-workout recovery drinks which will revitalise and energise you must better than sports drinks:
1. Fruit juice
Fresh fruit juice from a mix of different fruits comprises a healthy balance of carbs and electrolytes. It helps in replenishing the fluids and electrolytes launched because of sweating while exercising. They replenish glucose quickly after an intense workout.
Fruit juice helps in replenishing glycogen after an intense workout
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2. Fruit smoothie
A fruit smoothie can be made with the help of yogurt and frozen berries. Fruit smoothies contain simple sugars from fruit and help in replenishing glycogen stores quickly after an intense workout. They provide you with good quality protein which helps in repairing muscles. Making smoothies with berries is going to be beneficial as berries contain powerful vitamins and antioxidants.
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3. Sugarcane juice
Sugarcane juice is an effective post-workout recovery drink. It helps in digestion and is also good for liver. It helps in detoxification of the body after an intense workout and is much a better post-recovery drink that sports drinks.
Sugarcane juice help in recovery after an intense workout
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4. Cherry juice
Cherry juice is known to contain anti-inflammatory compounds which can offer protection from muscle damage because of an intense workout. It is a natural revitaliser as compared to sports drink and helps in reducing muscle soreness as well.
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5. Watermelon juice
After excessive sweating while exercising, watermelon juice can help in reducing muscle soreness. This is because of presence of some essential and rare amino acids in the juice fruit.
6. Green tea
It might sound a little strange but green tea helps in boosting energy after a workout. You can opt for having iced green tea after workout as a post-recovery drink which is much better and organic than sports drinks. Green tea also helps in fighting the damage caused by free radicals in the body. Green tea contains powerful antioxidants which help in metabolising fat. It helps in reducing inflammation and muscle soreness after workout.
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