When and What You Eat Can Affect Your Recovery From Exercising

Eating healthy foods right after you exercise can make a big difference!  Achieving maximum results from your osteoporosis exercise program requires the right type food and scheduling your eating times properly.

I was recently contacted by Judith (not her real name)  - a subscriber who is following the online MelioGuide Exercise for Better Bones program. She was pleased with her progress but was encountering a few challenges.

Judith was on weeks 5 to 7 of my MelioGuide Program.  She reviewed the exercises with a Physiotherapist in town who had taken the Building Better Bones course. He approved the way she was doing the exercises.  She liked the 3 day a week schedule option and wanted to continue with the program but had the following concern:

I am finding that my knees and shoulders are very sore after the exercises and for several days that follow. Is there anything I might be doing wrong? I am not using very heavy weights – only 3 to 5 pounds for my arms.

I contacted Judith to discuss her exercise routine with her. It turned out there was a few things she could modify that would help her recover better.

Eat Shortly After Your Workout

Every other day Judith has her breakfast at around 7:00 AM, works out between 9:00 and 10:00 AM, and has lunch at noon.

My concern with her work out schedule was that too much time was passing after her work out before she ate.  I suggested that she move her work out to later in the morning – closer to her lunchtime or snack time.  Studies have shown improved recovery if you eat protein and carbohydrates within a half hour of your strength training.

Make Sure You Are Getting Your Protein

Most individuals do not realize that their body needs more protein once they incorporate strength training into their exercise routine.

Judith mentioned that she had gone to a vegetarian diet in the past few weeks and was not thinking about alternative sources of protein when she cut meat out of her diet.   Whey protein isolate is lactose free and is one of the most complete sources of protein. There are also vegan sources of protein such as brown rice or soy protein.

New To Weight Lifting? Be Patient

Row with Support

Lastly, because weight training is relatively new to Judith, she would benefit from a little more recovery time between sessions. Rather than doing the exercises every other day (her current three times per week), I recommended that she do her weight training twice weekly.  As she feels better she could add the third day back into her workout week.

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