So you just finished running and now what? Well, it’s time to start your recovery process.
Your body is in a dehydrated and depleted state after running and needs some time to recover. That means drinking plenty of fluids, doing a cool down stretch or two, getting some food into your stomach, and most importantly: resting! Give yourself the best chance for the next hard run by giving yourself some TLC after you finish this one. Relax your muscles and take some time to rest your mind. You’ve just put a huge amount of energy into your body (perhaps more than you’re used to) so play nice for a bit!
If you’re still hurting from today and need more recovery, continue with the recovery stretches below. If you’re feeling good, well done and congratulations on completing your first hard run! You’ve now officially joined the club!
Tips: Don’t forget to drink plenty of water after running. You lose a lot of water during running so drink up – it will help replenish your body.
Cool Down Stretch
After a hard run, your legs are still going to be aching and likely at 90% of their normal strength. Give them a good stretch to keep them moving well. For these stretch exercises, it’s ok if you feel your muscles pulling or hurt after you do them – they are supposed to. It’s all about recovery! If the muscle is tight enough during these stretches it will release (and stop hurting) when you are finished. Just feel the muscle and try not to strain it particularly hard! Don’t forget to breath and relax as much as you can during this stretch session.
Running is on of the best exercises, but it does take a toll on your body. You should make sure you’re recovering properly. Why not try to make one of these post-run protein shakes today? If you’re going to go running tomorrow (as you should), then this is a great way to recover properly and get back in shape!
Now let’s talk about Protein shakes that are ideal for a post workout or run.
Protein Shake
This is the classic recovery drink for anyone after a long run. It is also great if you happen to be someone who runs on a regular basis and needs to refuel your muscles. Follow this with a banana afterwards and you’ll have replenished all of your protein stores (energy for muscle repair), rehydrated, and helped reconstruct your muscles!
Protein Shakes recipes
Protein powder in chocolate milk. (This is the best protein shake recipe, by the way!) The chocolate milk helps to smooth out the taste. It will also help repair your muscles and restore mobility back into them, it’s that good!
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Shake (use non-fat milk and a few tablespoons of peanut butter) The protein shake is easy to make and tastes great. The peanut butter helps to smooth the taste nicely.
- Easy Peanut Butter Chunks Protein Shake (frozen banana, peanut butter, skim milk, one scoop of whey protein powder) This is easy and quick to make. It’s really great for someone who doesn’t know much about cooking or making food (it’s pretty simple). Just throw all the ingredients in your blender and mix well! You can add some spinach if you like.
- Sugar-Free Protein Shake Recipe This is one of the best recipes for someone who wants to make themselves a great protein shake without actually having all that sugar in it. By the way, any of these recipes are going to be great if you have other people that you need to make something for.
- Soy Protein Shake With a little bit of cinnamon and ice, this protein shake (using soy protein isolate) is a good recipe for someone who is looking for a healthy option. This is also good because it can be made easily without adding any other items that are too cumbersome or difficult to digest.
There are many more recipes for protein shakes after running out there, just as we mentioned before, these are some excellent options. Just try them out, jot down the ones you like, modify and go from there.
