It's incredibly important that you eat after you workout. Especially if it's an intense, hour long pilates class! Your muscles are tired, you've sweated it out and now it's time to give your body exactly what it needs to get stronger. Without the proper post workout nutrition you'll feel exhausted, your muscles won't rebuild properly (it also messes with your metabolism) and your brain won't be as sharp. When you think about a post workout snack, try to keep it between 150-200 calories unless your workout was really intense. Think, 90 minutes or more with lots of heavy weight or cardio. Also, when you are selecting your post workout fuel, think low sugar and high protein. So girl, it's time to get the proper foods into your body in that post workout moment!
1. Almond butter with chia seeds - I love this on-the-go snack post workout. It's my go to! Before I leave for my workout I put 1.5-2 TBSP of fresh almond butter in a small tupperware with a little sprinkling of chia seeds. Almond butter is packed with healthy fats and protein to help your muscles recover and chia seeds (Aztec warriors used to eat them for sustained energy and and stamina in battle) are packed with antioxidants and omega-3 fats which are perfect to help give you energy for the rest of your day! If you need a little extra added fuel pair it with 1/2 an apple.
2. Green juice with a hardboiled egg - Forgot to pack your post workout snack and now you're starving? This is a really easy snack to throw together. Pop into the closest grocery store and grab a low sugar green juice (think Suja or Blue Print with less than 8g of sugar per bottle) and then grab some pre-made hardboiled eggs off the shelf. This great little combo delivers the hydration and fiber your body needs along with a kick of protein and healthy fats from the egg.
3. Coconut Water and avocado - Yum! This is another great quick and easy post workout snack. Grab some coconut water from your local grocery store; just make sure that you grab a single serving carton because the sugars in coconut water can add up quickly if you drink too much. I like unsweetened Zico or Harmless Harvest. Then, pair that with half of an avocado for added healthy fats which will give you sustained energy. I love this duo because it keeps me full for a couple of hours so I don't find myself ravenous in my morning meetings!
4. Protein Smoothie - Throw 1 scoop of protein powder (I like vega or a grass fed whey) into your blender with ice, a handful of organic blueberries and/or 1 TBSP of almond butter. The protein powder supplies your body with amino acids to help rebuild your muscles and also helps stabilize your blood sugar post workout. Life hack....make this little smoothie the night before your workout, stick it in the freezer and then throw it in your bag on your way to class. By the time you've worked out, showered and changed it will still be cold but ready to drink!
Remember, when you think about a post workout snack shoot to get in at least 10g of protein, keep your snack to about 150-200 calories, and celebrate the fact that you just kicked butt in your workout. Go girl!