While proper mindset is important to maintain consistency with your workout routine, your body needs to be set properly as well. This after workout juice recipe can help to keep your body in the right condition.
Juice is easily absorbed by the body and so the effects are almost immediate as well. Drinking water is still essential to rehydrate but it’s not enough to reduce soreness.
If given the choice between drinking Gatorade to recharge your electrolytes or a natural juice, the latter will give you the most benefits.
What Your Body Goes Through After Workout
During exercise, your body requires more oxygen than usual. As a result, more blood is pumped into your muscles. The more intense the routine, the more oxygen is needed. If the muscles are not supplied with enough oxygen, lactic acid starts to form instead.
Lactic acid was believed to be the source of sore muscles. Recent studies show, as shared from this post by Scientific American, that this is not true. As a matter of fact, lactic acid does not directly correlate with DOMS or delayed onset muscle soreness. It has long been flushed out by our body even before the delayed muscle pains start to occur the day after.
Even if experts and scientists have not clearly determined yet which particular body chemicals are responsible for DOMS, the effects of a strenuous workout remain the same. Muscle pains, dehydration, hunger, and low energy are the most obvious and common.
If these effects are left unchecked, it may totally sabotage your routine. This is especially devastating if you’re just starting out. You’ll eventually end up finding a valid excuse to skip your training sessions which may lead to forfeiting your routine altogether.
The good thing with countering these effects is that they’re both easy and enjoyable. Drinking water is refreshing. A hot shower is relaxing. Even using a foam roller is so soothing. Drinking a juice specifically designed to target these effects, though, that’s very heavenly.
After Workout Juice Recipe
It’s best to have this juice freshly-made, but it’s not really that practical to bring your juicer with you to your gym (a gym with juicers you can use would be quite awesome). You can make the juice right before you leave your place. You can then drink it after your workout session.
The ingredients for this after-workout juice recipe are so easy to obtain and are inexpensive as well. While you can use any type of juicing machine, we recommend that an easy-to-clean juicer. This way you don’t have to exert additional effort cleaning it up after use when you’re just as tired.
Ingredients:
- 3 handfuls of spinach
- 1 green apple
- 1/4 lemon peeled
Why Add This Juice To Your Routine?
Regularly drinking this Spinach Apple Juice after your workout is not only refreshing but is loaded with lots of benefits. These benefits are both immediate and their effects can be felt even up to the next day when you’re going to start exercising again.
The juice is will rehydrate you and balance your electrolytes. It will help repair your muscles and will give you the needed boost of energy. It will also help curb your food cravings.
Spinach
There is some grain of truth with Popeye the Sailor Man and his can of spinach. Spinach really helps to build muscles. Fortunately, you will not be developing the same bulging forearms and biceps as Popeye’s.
Spinach is rich in nutrients including calcium and iron. They may not be a good source of protein, but even if your body is taking in a good amount of protein, it is still necessary to convert it into muscle mass. This is where the nutrients from spinach shine.
The protein conversion allows the muscles to recover quickly which helps counter the delayed muscle pains. Additionally, this iron-rich vegetable is highly recommended for female athletes who mostly suffer from iron deficiency.
Apple
Apple is your natural source of hydration and electrolytes. It is nature’s original Gatorade. The nutrients in apple help to restore your body fluids and electrolytes, which you naturally lose when you perspire during intense workouts.
Apples are also great in curbing your sudden spike in appetite. This is your body’s natural reaction hours after a workout. Your body needs energy and so it sends signals to replenish it by eating. You end up hungrier than usual.
The sugar in apples gives you the much-needed energy boost, which solves the part where your body craves more energy sources through eating. Additionally, the nutrients found in apple skins can help you feel full.
Lemon
Lemon is for increasing your metabolism. Even when you’re already done with our exercise routine, your body will continue to burn down fats with increased metabolism. Increased metabolism also translates to increased energy.
As you have already read earlier in this article, the body naturally flushes out excess lactic acid. A lemon can surely help with this because it alkalizes your body. Although no direct relationship is found between lactic acid and delayed muscle soreness, lactic acid is still responsible for muscle inflammation.
Increased muscle inflammation can lead to injury. The vitamin C and antioxidants in lemon are proven to reduce the risk of injury by 25%.
Wrapping It Up
There are many different ways to increase your muscle mass, burn unwanted body fats or improve your athletic performance. What I really like about this juice is that it works well with any typ of workout or training. You will definitely love how this after-workout juice can help you become more consistent. Happy Juicing!