We know you’re more than ready to take on Challenge 27, but it’s important to remember that consistent, quality training stems from our ability to both work hard and recover. Especially during your first week back into training, be mindful of fueling up both before and after your workouts. We put a lot of effort and time into our training goals, but in order for adaptation to occur and body composition to change over time, we need to fuel up with the right nutrients. When we work out, our muscles utilize glycogen, our body’s storage form of carbohydrates. In order to recover and allow our worked muscles to repair and grow muscle proteins, we need to consume both lean proteins and a quality source of unrefined, complex carbohydrates.
A post-workout meal should include:
- Lean proteins, which provide amino acids that repair and rebuild muscle proteins.
- Unrefined complex carbohydrates, which replenish lost glycogen stores to aid recovery.
Our team at F45 has outlined some of our favorite post-workout dinner options to keep you fueled through the first week of Challenge 27. These meal options are not only rich in lean protein and healthy complex carbs, but can be whipped up in under 20 minutes. It’s easy to resort to quick and easy store-bought or fast food options when we’re tired and don’t feel like cooking. However, these simple home-cooked meals require minimal cooking time and are loaded with all the right nutrients to optimize training. No hidden ingredients, processed oils, or excess sodium—just quality food.
Garlic Basil Salmon with Broccoli and Beans
Wild-caught salmon is one of the leanest forms of protein around and can be prepared in under 15 minutes. This dish packs 38g of quality proteins with a side of nutrient-dense steamed broccoli and beans to provide a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals to promote recovery and training the following day.
Lemon Chicken with Roasted Potato and Vegetables
Organic, lean chicken breast is first dressed in a quick and easy marinade made with rosemary, olive oil, lemon juice, and parsley, then baked in the oven. This dinner is clean, perfect for post-workout, and provides all key nutrients to help you recover while also saving time in the kitchen.
Chili Beef and Zucchini Noodle
For all pasta lovers—zoodles (zucchini noodles) make the perfect substitute for regular pasta noodles! They taste delicious in a tomato sauce served with lean ground turkey and a number of herbs and spices. We recommend using a spiralizer to make the zoodle prep even easier. With about 45g of protein and 23g of carbs per serving, this post-workout dinner will ensure you’re fully recovered and ready to go for your next workout.
