I have been working out all my life. Before I had kids, I could easily spend 3 hours at the gym every day. Taking a day off from working out was almost unbearable.  Yes, I was pretty much obsessed with working out and weight lifting. Then one day my doctor said, if you want to have children you will have to  slow down a bit. I did, I gave up my dream of the perfect sculpted body. I have no regrets. Doing too much of a good thing can easily have the opposite effect. I started to have more time to do other things than working out. There was no way back!

Post-Workout: What You Need to Know

During that time, I learned so much about strength training and post-workout meals and recovery.  You can work out all day at home or at the gym but if you don’t eat the right foods you are working against your goals. The same is true for stretching after you exercise.

Stretching might not be your favourite part of working out, but doing flexibility work is very important. Stretching will help you make your workouts more efficient and safer. You will improve your flexibility, reduce tightness and promote a wider range of movement.

Eating healthy snacks after working out will maximize the benefits of all your hard work at the gym. It is important to replenish quickly the glycogen that was depleted during  your workout and to eat lean protein for a speedy muscle recovery. Ideally, you should refuel your body within 30 minutes of working out to get your energy back up.

Stretching and eating healthy snacks after exercise have great benefits worth the extra few minutes it will take you to do. Always make sure to promote your recovery by having an essential post-work routine. Have a good workout!