Post Workout Drink...Chocolate Milk!?

Believe it or not a great option as a post workout drink is chocolate milk.  I know, crazy right?  No not crazy at all.

We have all been told to make sure we stay hydrated and the best way to do that is to start drinking water before your workout and continue througout your exercise.  This is sage advise and we should all adhere to it.  But if you are an endurance athlete, someone who's workouts are exhaustive and include a large amount of cardio vascular work, you need more than water after your workout to replenish your body and help it recover from the work you just put it through.  This is where chocolate milk comes in.

Keep in mind that if you are doing moderate exercise, especially to lose or maintain your with, you don't want to recover with chocolate milk as the calorie intake will cancel out a lot of the work you just put in.  8 ounces of chocolate milk can have over 200 calories in it depending on the milk you use.  But if you are in great shape and pushing your body to its limits listen to this.

Compared to your normal recovery options (milk, water, Gatorade, etc.) chocolate milk has double the carbohydrate and protein content.  These are key for muscle recovery.  The water content restores your bodies depletion of water through sweating to help prevent dehydration.  You also get the bonus of calcium which is great for maintaining strong bones.  Plus the small amount of sodium and sugar help the body to retain the water you are ingesting and replace energy.

All of that from a glass of chocolate milk.  Wow!

Keep in mind that this is for endurance athletes.  So if you are puting your self out their playing basketball, soccer, running cross country, or any other high cardio activity this could be for you.

Please use the link below to read the article I have referenced in my blog as it holds additional details and facts.

Got Milk? Try Chocolate After Your Workout

Get up and move!  Mr. Finestone