Smoothie to Reduce Post Workout "ouch"

 

We have all been there, it's the day after a tough new workout & you are feeling the burn!  Well, Green Apple Active is here to help.  First off, let's talk about the cause of the pain - inflammation.  Inflammation from exercise can be a confusing subject.  In the short-term, exercise causes inflammation, while in the long-term, it reduces inflammation.  According to fitness &  health guru Mark Sisson in the article The Relationship Between Exercise and Inflammation and What it Means For Your Workouts.

Some degree of inflammation is necessary if you hope to get anything tangible out of a workout regimen – hypertrophy, increased stamina, increased strength, improved work capacity – because your body gets stronger via the inflammatory response to the stress and by rebuilding and refortifying its tissues to deal with future demands. An effective training session is basically an acute stressor that initiates a transitory, temporary, but powerful inflammatory response.

Mark goes on to explain the dangers of not recovering properly from the inflammation:

Remember that acute inflammation (good, healthy, necessary) is characterized by an inflammatory response that resolves quickly, or as soon as the offending factor is removed. This takes a day or two, maybe even three, but as long as you remove the stinger/take your hand out of the flame/kill the pathogen/put down the barbell for a couple days, you will recover and the inflammation will subside. Inflammation becomes chronic when the stress is not removed, when you keep getting stung by the same bug/putting your hand in the flame/licking the dirty spinach/doing heavy deadlifts every single day. Don’t do these things and expect differently.

The bottom line? Allowing yourself proper recovery from inflammation will help your body to reduce long-term inflammation. Green Apple Active promotes a healthy lifestyle & wants to help out in your recovery!  What you eat after your workout can greatly reduce inflammation.  Flax seed, berries & high enzyme fruits such as kiwis and papayas all reduce inflammation.  We suggest the following tasty smoothie recipe to follow your workout & minimize the "ouch".  

 

1 Cups Fat Free Milk

1/2  Cup Greek Yogurt 1/2 Cup Orange Juice

1 Cup frozen blueberries 1/2 Cup frozen strawberries 1/2 Cup papaya  

Blended until smooth. Serves 2.