Have you ever thought about what to drink after a workout? Most people don’t think about it. Some don’t even bring a drink with them. Others will find whatever is readily available around them, like a water drinking fountain at the gym. Then others will bring their own drink, like water or some form of sports drink; Gatorade, PowerAde, Vitamin Water, All Sport, etc. Sometimes the individuals will drink something before, during, and after their exercise. Regardless of whatever drink you chose of how you hydrate, rehydration is essential after a workout.
During exercise, generally the body loses more fluid through sweating than we can drink and our body can absorb. Sweat loss is easy to control and much easier to rehydrate if you only exercise one day a week. Most people who do exercise, don’t exercise once a week, which can make rehydration more difficult. These individuals need to make sure they are rehydrating especially after exercise. Intake of fluids after a workout can help the body minimize detrimental effects of physiological functions and your future workout performances.
After exercise, you generally lose some weight. This weight loss generally isn’t body fat loss, but water loss. This is because your body loses water through sweating. It’s recommended for every pound you lose after a work out, that you drink 16-20 ounces of fluid to rehydrate your body efficiently.
From the images below, which do you think is the best rehydration beverage to use after a workout?
I bet you guessed water or a sports drink. However, according to Susan M. Shirreffs, Phillip Watson, and Ronald J. Maughan, milk is the best post-exercise rehydration drink. In their article “Milk as an effective post-exercise rehydration drink,” milk trumps water and sports drinks as a rehydration post-exercise choice.
During the study conducted by Shirreffs, Watson, and Maughan, they found that milk had a greater ability to replace the individuals’ sweat losses and help maintain their sweat losses, when compared to water and a sports drink. From the results, milk’s effectiveness was likely do to it’s concentration of sodium and potassium, which helped the rehydration process in the body. Also milk emptied the stomach at a slower rate than the two other drinks. Milk has a higher energy density than water and sports drinks because of the protein, fat, and carbohydrates found in the solution. The article states, “Energy density has been shown to be one of the most important variables that regulate the rate at which ingested solutions empty the stomach…” This lead to a greater fluid intake balance when milk was consumed.
Obviously, those with a lactose intolerance shouldn’t consume milk as a rehydration beverage after their workout. Depending upon the exercise intensity, duration, and the environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity, the milk should be consumed at a greater volume and within a short period of time. Those with lactose intolerance would be at risk for gastrointestinal distress and discomfort.
Milk is nutritious, healthy, and will work better than the traditional options, like water or a sports drink. The next time you complete a workout, I hope you give a try as you post-exercise rehydration beverage.