Protein and endurance sports, do they go together? Yes they do!
Endurance athletes, in particular, need a lot of energy to sustain their intense athletic performances. Proteins are essential for recovery after physical exertion. A protein deficiency worsens your recovery and can even lead to the loss of muscle mass. Therefore, it is extremely important for endurance athletes to get enough protein.
Want to know how much protein you need per day? Then read our blog: How much protein do you need per day?
After intensive exercise, you need to get enough protein for muscle recovery and muscle strengthening. Therefore, it is wise to take a protein-rich meal or a protein shake after exercise. It is important to combine protein with carbohydrates. This combination allows the glycogen stores to be restored faster when you have done a heavy prolonged workout.
Proteins, carbohydrates and fats
When the glycogen supply is used up, your body will burn more fats, as well as muscle protein, to get enough energy. If you want to improve your performance, your muscles must recover optimally and you must avoid this. Therefore, both proteins and carbohydrates play an important role in your diet. Proteins therefore have a double function for (endurance) athletes: they ensure the recovery and building of new muscle tissue and prevent the body from using the proteins from your muscle cells as fuel.
In addition, endurance athletes consume a lot of carbohydrates, which is why it is important that you eat carbohydrate-rich foods. If you don't eat enough carbohydrates, the proteins will be used for energy burning and it will come at the expense of your strength. Therefore, the recommended dietary percentages per meal for endurance athletes are as follows: 60% carbohydrates, 15% protein and 20/25% fats.
Water
In addition to protein and carbohydrates, fluid is essential for your athletic performance. During exercise, you can lose a lot of fluids, which can quickly negatively affect your athletic performance. It's not always easy to drink enough during exercise, but it really is a must. Read here why it is so important to drink enough water.
Protein shakes
Protein shakes are a good and easy addition to an endurance athlete's diet. It's best to take these right after training to get and maintain protein levels. The ideal post-workout shake is a mix of (fast) carbohydrates and both fast and slow digesting proteins. Consider, for example, a protein smoothie with almond milk, banana and a scoop of protein. Need inspiration for a protein shake? Then check out our website: Recipes
Pay attention!
Be careful when choosing a protein shake. There are lots of protein powders available on the market. Many of them generally contain ingredients such as GMOs, artificial flavors, dyes, refined sugars and other unhealthy additives that, in our opinion, do not belong in a healthy and balanced diet. In addition, the production process pays little attention to animal welfare and the environment.
Ekopura works only with pure, healthy and organic ingredients. The result: protein that is free of artificial and unnecessary additives and is good for humans, animals and nature.
Want to know more about our products? Then click here
Also read:
- THE 10 PERCENT RULE IN RUNNING
- THE IDEAL STRIDE FREQUENCY WHEN RUNNING!
