When you put in long hours at the gym bodybuilding with fitness equipment and sweating through aerobic classes, you’ll probably want to go into couch-potato mode at home and avoid expending any more effort than necessary. But there’s more to keeping your body in peak physical condition than just a gym session—nutrition is just as important, especially post-workout. Use these tips to keep your body nourished and rejuvenated for your next work out.

What Should You Do After Working Out?

1. Rehydrate

When you sweat, your body loses water and electrolytes. Drinking water or an electrolyte-rich beverage can offset sweat loss and replenish fluids, preventing dehydration symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, and muscle weakness. Try to drink at least 8 ounces of water no more than 30 minutes after hopping off your fitness equipment to aid recovery and exercise performance.

2. Eat Plenty of Carbs

Your body expends energy during exercise through glycogen storages, which store carbohydrates that drive energy production. After vigorous workouts on your gym’s fitness equipment, your muscles weaken because 80% of glycogen in your body is stored in them. Delaying carbohydrate consumption by 2 hours post-exercise reduces the rate of glycogen replenishment by 50%. To encourage muscle growth and recovery, consume around 8 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight within 30 minutes of working out to stimulate glycogen resynthesis. Carbohydrate-rich meals include potatoes, oatmeal, rice, and pasta.

3. Incorporate Protein in Your Diet

The use of glycogen storages in the body through exercise triggers muscle protein breakdown. Eating foods packed with protein helps repair and rebuild muscle protein through the production of amino acids, or “building blocks” of protein. Ingesting 0.2 to 0.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight within 30 minutes to 3 hours of exercise stimulates increases in muscle protein synthesis. Protein-rich meals include eggs, Greek yogurt, salmon, and chicken.

Put these nutrition tips into practice after exercising with fitness equipment from Exercise & Leisure Equipment Co in Cincinnati, OH. Staff members are dedicated to finding the perfect machines for you to achieve personal bodybuilding and health goals. From ellipticals to treadmills, this fitness store will install and deliver products best suited to your exercise regimen. To transform the way you exercise, order the right equipment by visiting them online or calling (513) 531-7777 for more information about their products and services.