The importance of hydration in workout recovery
August is the start of many preseason fall sports with the intense summer heat. Many of our athletes only think of nutrition to help support their athletic performance, but hydration plays a huge role not only in performance but in post workout recovery.
Many people ask me for advice on hydration and their kids and one great nutritious recovery drink is at times overlooked by the many post workout varieties beverages on the market today. Milk, is a powerhouse of nutrition that contains 9 essential nutrients to nourish your body and help with the hydration after a workout. Hydration should not be overlooked especially milk to hydrate your athlete.
Milk, particularly chocolate milk, has received a considerable amount of attention in both the scientific community and mainstream press for its effectiveness as a post-exercise recovery beverage. The drink many of us loved as a kid is now being recognized as a good source of high-quality protein and carbohydrates that can help fuel an active lifestyle. Milk also provides fluids and electrolytes that support hydration. Of note, a recently published study (Volterman KA et al., 2014) in children and adolescents showed that milk can be as effective, if not more, at restoring fluid balance following a bout of cycling exercise in the heat compared to water and a carbohydrate/electrolyte drink. These findings support previous studies performed in adults (Waston P et al., 2008, Shirreffs SM et al. 2007). Resourced from NDC.
Body temperature is regulated by sweating, which in turn increases the loss of water. This loss of electrolytes and water need to be replenished or you will have a negative effect on your athletic performance which could cause you to fatigue early and have impaired judgement.
In conclusion, as a parent, athlete and nutrition expert I would recommend milk as a recovery beverage not only for myself, but for my kids. Please visit Western Dairy Association for more information on sports nutrition.
