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I would like to start this week by acknowledging my client Claire and the effort she put in to working out — two personal training sessions with me, spin class, pump class, and walking 10,000 or more steps per day.

All high intensity, tough sessions — just what is necessary for Claire to reach her goals.

When you are working out at a high intensity it is important you do not disregard your body’s recovery.

When people hear the word ‘insulin’, they often think of diabetes and fat storage, and those two things none of us want.

Even though insulin may be associated with those things, it’s also the main hormone responsible for helping you recover properly after exercise.

Without insulin after exercise, your body won’t refresh your muscle glycogen stores, and it won’t help repair any damaged muscle protein.

Insulin helps transport food that you eat after exercise directly to your muscle cells so it can be used for repair, but it also stops your body from breaking down protein for energy, so your muscles don’t become so sore and damaged.

Insulin increases blood transport to and from your muscle cells so the ‘waste products’ of exercise, like carbon dioxide, can be removed. It also helps reduce elevated cortisol levels that are formed during intense exercise, which helps reduce stress on your body.

But the only way to increase insulin after exercise is to eat the right foods. If you eat the wrong nutrients, your recovery efforts will be useless.

A window of opportunity has been shown by some top sports nutrition researchers to occur between 15-45 minutes after your exercise session. This is because your muscles are most receptive to nutrients at this time. However, after 60 minutes, your body’s ability to replenish the glycogen you used and muscle protein you damaged is greatly lost.

And by lost, we mean it’s gone and it’s going to take you at least twice as long to recover after your workout than it would if you took in the right nutrients at the right time.

The ideal meal after your workout can come in two forms: solid or liquid.

Regardless of the form, it has to consist of quick-digesting carbohydrates with essential amino acid-containing protein (complete protein).

Some examples are protein shakes, banana, tuna, fruit, lean chicken, and vegetables.

Here we have focused on post-workout eating, however, overall healthy eating is the key to succeed in your fat-loss journey.

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