Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Chocolate milk: It's not just for kids anymore!

After doing BFL for about 7-8 months I realized I had been missing a VERY important step in building muscle. How I missed it, well I guess I was so focused on just losing the weight, not really building muscle...since girls don't do that anyway right. What I was missing is a post-workout recovery meal. Somehow this didn't fit into my 6 meals a day, eaten every 2-3 hours.
After a strenuous workout your body/muscles are depleted of many important nutrients, and it is vital to replenish these nutrients in order to build muscle. Otherwise your body will start using your hard earned muscle to replenish itself..eeks! Your muscles only grow while recovering...not while lifting. In general it is recommended to DRINK something within 45 minutes after exertion, I say drink because it will be more easily absorbed than solid food. Whey protein (made from milk) is a gold standard for post-workout recovery because it is easily digested. You also need some simple carbs to create an insulin spike in order build muscle and stop protein breakdown. There are a lot of different ideas about the ratio of carb to protein for post-workout, but the one I've seen the most is 4 carbs to 1 protein. And as a side note, other recommended nutrients for a post-workout recovery drink are: glutamine, glucosamine, vitamin C, branched chain amino acids, and b-complex vitamins.

I'm sure many of you have heard about the studies done on chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery drink. Well, even though I had read those studies, I just couldn't get over the mentality that I was cheating if I drank chocolate milk while 'on program' (key word for eating right and exercising according to BFL standards). Since I've been doing BFL for nearly a year (although not consistently unfortunately), in fact it was 1 year yesterday that I started my first 12 week challenge, I figured I could start to play with things a bit. So I did a little more research on chocolate milk, and although there are still those die hard protein shake guzzlers that think there is nothing better than a manufactured protein powder, I think I will stick closer to nature and go with the old fashioned chocolate milk. I'm not saying that some protein powders might indeed be better than chocolate milk for post-exercise recovery, I'm just saying I REALLY like chocolate milk. Let me also just say that I am talking about non-fat or 1% chocolate milk here, not the high fat stuff. Also, I did not find any study that directly examined chocolate milk vs. protein shakes. Most of the studies done have been chocolate milk vs. Gatorade and other mostly carb drinks.
Here is an excerpt from a study

From the February issue of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

"Our study indicates that chocolate milk is a strong alternative to other commercial sports drinks in helping athletes recover from strenuous, energy-depleting exercise," coauthor Joel M. Stager, PhD, from Indiana University in Bloomington, said in a news release. "Chocolate milk contains an optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio, which is critical for helping refuel tired muscles after strenuous exercise and can enable athletes to exercise at a high intensity during subsequent workouts."

So, today, after my upper body workout, I came home to a nice, cold, refreshing glass of 1% chocolate milk. My kids looked at me strange, because they NEVER see me drinking chocolate milk, and we always have it in our house since my kids are now addicted to it, and will not drink white milk. Even my husband gave me a strange look.
So lets all raise our glasses and say CHEERS to chocolate milk :)

3 comments:

Lindsay said...

HI Kristen,

I found your blog off Kelly's blog....I really enjoyed reading all your research about diet/exercise. I have been working really hard at losing the "baby weight" this summer and I think I will try the high intensity exercise you talked about. I walk for 30-40minutes a day, but could boost it up by doing the running throughout. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the encouragement. It's always nice to know others are at the same place with losing weight, etc!

~Lindsay

Kristen said...

Hi Lindsay!! I snoop over on your blog too :) Your kids are so so so cute, and I love hearing all the stuff Wyatt says. My 5 year old Aaron seems wise beyond his years, and he says some of the funniest, cutest things, but I haven't written them down. I really need to!

Anyway, in regards to the "baby weight", it has seemed like a long uphill battle, but I'm finally coming to terms with the idea that I will have to eat well and exercise for the rest of my life in order to get/maintain the body I want. It's hard to get out of the "diet" mentality, and start thinking of it as a way of life. Anyway, give the interval training a try. It is hard work, but the benefits can be huge. I would only recommend doing it 3x a week, then do your regular walk the other days. Also, a good weight lifting plan/resistance training is one of the best ways to lose fat, and there is so much you can do at home. I know lots of moms that have done all their workouts at home and have made amazing transformations.

Kristen

Greta said...

Hey there....found you through Swigg's blog......I am intrigued by the chocolate milk idea. I too have read this but also feel weird about drinking it....maybe its time to give it a try. I do love the chocolate. mmmm

Thanks!