Green Smoothies During or After Workout?

[Davylp25]

Hey...

Was wondering, I know that when we are finished working out, its good to have a smoothie etc, the sugar in the fruits helps the muscles recover ( not sure of the specific terms and science- slips my mind) But I was wondering, What if you drink a green smoothie while working out? Not downing it? But after each set, a sip... Or is it better for the muscle's to drink after for recovery?

I know the whole, See how the body feels. Which I have, It feels fine either way LMAO...

[Naiad]

Hey...

Was wondering, I know that when we are finished working out, its good to have a smoothie etc, the sugar in the fruits helps the muscles recover ( not sure of the specific terms and science- slips my mind) But I was wondering, What if you drink a green smoothie while working out? Not downing it? But after each set, a sip... Or is it better for the muscle's to drink after for recovery?

I know the whole, See how the body feels. Which I have, It feels fine either way LMAO...

I wouldn't drink a smoothie during a workout. Pre or post.

[Sunshine9]

Personally I wouldn't drink it during a workout. Maybe like... a little bit of it a half hour before, just water during, then have the bulk of it a half hour after.

Thats what my body would prefer anyway!

[Davylp25]

Thanks....

What would make it better after as opposed to during? What's the alchemy involved? lol If my body doesnt mind either way, I guess I want to know the specifics of why it's better afterwards, then sips during.

[littleangelbear]

I'd experiment. As an athlete myself, that's the only way I know whether something works for me and when to do it. For me, I have to have light, low fat, high carbs before a workout. During, the same, ditto. Afterwards, I like to have more of a mix of carbs, protein, and fat in a balanced, healthy way. Think of what worked prior to turning raw and see if you can do the raw equivalents for before, during, and after ;) Not sure if that helps or not :)

You can do so much with green smoothies...Each recipe is different so you can tweak them and I bet you could even concoct a "during" one. I think it depends on your digestive system and your personal caloric and nutrient needs and how you metabolize and what tastes good for you and what you can tolerate.

I have found for myself that keeping a separate food diary helps tremendously to see how I felt after eating certain things, etc., especially as it pertains to exercise. I'm a cyclist and I train a lot, so I also keep a training diary and will keep brief notes there about how I felt and I look at my food diary as a guide too :)

Hugs,
L

[Craig]

It would be better drink smoothie after a workout. It takes energy to digest food. Put it this way, do you ever feel tired after a heavy meal?

Stick to water during a workout.

[rawgumption]

It definitely depends what type of working out you're doing, duration, and level of intensity, but basically, when you digest food more of your blood goes to the stomach to aid in digestion and absorbtion of nutrients. When you work out on a full stomach (or while eating) your body can't focus as much on the digesting because your active muscles require more blood flow do to the exercise.

Now, it depends on the instensity of the exerice, but it's especially important to eat/drink at least a little something after doing moderate to intense cardio because the glucose (blood sugar) in your muscles is converted to energy and depleted. You'll recover faster by replenishing those stores. (You also sweat out salt and a lot of important electrolytes.)

[Davylp25]

Awesome... Thanks everyone. I will stick with consuming after workouts...

[littleangelbear]

It really is individual. Also, it depends on the workout. I make myself an energy drink that I concoct for during a workout. If I'm riding my bike for 3 hours LOL, water alone just doesn't cut it 'cause I have a fast metabolism and a tendency towards low blood sugar. So, water is fine for me during the first hour, but after that, I need something to nourish myself :) I don't think I'd do a green smoothie per se--that would be an excellent recovery drink IMHO. But, something with fuel to keep the glycogen stores topped off during exercise is key for my own personal success...this is just my own personal truth though and I share it with loving intentions of helping.