post game nutrition

[Souldriver 64]

So guys with summer hockey coming up and the extra sweat and energy spent during the warm games I've been noticing that the next day I feel way more spent than I normally do.

Besides a beer or two what do you guys eat/drink/do to rebound a bit easier?

I usually have late games and my routine has been, up until now, a small snack usually a pb&j and a small glass of milk, semi cold shower, then getting some sleep.

[Zjack38 46]

While I don't know what you should eat, I'd do know what you shouldn't eat: DO NOT EAT: any fast food, candy/sweets/energy drink, anything with a lot of sugar, and last but not least ice cream/milkshakes. I usually have pasta before, and after a game though, usually like spaghetti or something like that.

[Chadd 916]

With our team it's usually beer and something on the grill, even when the game starts at 10:30PM

[Morgz 0]

During my studies in the field of sports science the general world of law from sports nutritionists is:
you want to eat within 30minutes of completing whatever physically demanding task you have done, this allows for the body to replenish used stores of sugars and such.

Also sugary drinks in the form of juices (orange, etc) are reserved for directly postgame, If consumed during game you run the risk of rebound hypo-glycemia.

As for beer it is the worst thing for post game recovery, You will often find that a beer will cause you to feel worse the next day than if you did nothing at all (no eating, no fluids). I am unsure of the physiological reasons but I know it inhibits the bodies ability to repair and replace.

[XveritasX 13]

This summer I have been playing lots, this weekend alone I have 4 games in 3 days. So far I have been fine. It really depends on what time my game is. For example if I have a game that starts after 10, when I get home I will usually just have something to drink like a glass of skim milk. It contains some sugar, fat, and protein so it's not a bad choice at all. If it is an earlier game I will usually eat something light, I rarely eat anything large after I do something cardio based. The biggest impact on how I feel the next day is usually what I eat before. If I ever eat anything heavy or greasy I feel like crap for the rest of the night (no surprise). I also make sure to drink a lot of fluids, I hate the feeling of being dehydrated when I wake up. So often when i get home I fill up a pitcher of water and drink most of it.

[McDugan 89]

My post-late-skate routine:

Go home

Put gear away to dry out

Stretch

Shower (a little extra stretching under the hot water)

Eat a cup of greek yogurt & drink some water (16 oz or so) or the end of my weak gatorade if I haven't finished it (I bring a BIG 72+ Oz bottle w/ half-strength gatorade made from the powder)

Go to bed/Relax/Watch the end of a late hockey game/Listen to Marek v. Wyshinski podcast

[jazzyjoey 2]

choco milk with protein powder. 2 scoops protein powder + 1 tablespoon of ovaltine mixed with 2 cups of whole milk. Ovaltine is for extra sugar to swiftly replenish glycogen used up during the game.

[Souldriver 64]

That 30 minute rule is new to me. And yeah I don't go too big with artificial sugars, maybe a banana is added in. Though for me to argue with a guy that studied nutrition seems silly, but I can't see having a beer after a game to be that extremely harmful and unlessiI drink a butt load I don't feel a difference the next day. I mean beer is mostly water and does have it's own nutritional values but once again it's hard to argue things with someone that has studied this.

Maybe getting a little more nutrition into me a little earlier post game will keep my legs from being so dead the next day.

[chippa13 1844]

Think of it this way, you are already low on water from sweating all game and then you're drinking something that dehydrates you. Your first thought after the game should be hydration and right after that is nutrition. The faster you get good nutrition in the better off you will be as your body is dying to replace everything that you have just used up.

[Morgz 0]

Most people will find it difficult to eat directly after exercise (Quite often a sports nutritionist's problem area with post game nutrition), so its about finding something you yourself are comfortable eating directly after.

I like to eat dense muesli bars (not the kind kids snack on) I'm not sure what the equivalent product would be outside of NZ/AUS but I go for these http://www.tasti.co.nz/products/snak-logs or http://www.onesquaremeal.com/index_noflash.html.

Some people can eat a sandwich or creamed rice and feel fine, for me it doesn't make me feel the best in the 30 minute window.

For anyone looking for something quick and easy post game creamed rice is brilliant.

[Souldriver 64]

Good point morgz. A good portion of the time after my games my stomach does seem "upset" and many a time I passed up eatting bc of it.

Tn I have a game and I'm going to try to eat / rehydrate a little bit earlier than I usually do. Maybe bring a snack bar with me to eat post game. With two games in 2 nights it'll be a telling trial.

[Souldriver 64]

I got a little stomach cramp tonight but it's never anything major and it passes quick. Within 30 minutes I ate a burger and drank a bottle of water. I then had to help the elderly neighbors move a couch for about 30 minutes and I got home and ate a bagel with some cream cheese and a small glass of milk. I'll probably drink another bottlle or two of water before bed but the litmas test will be how I feel for tm nights game.

[coryroth24 15]

Chocolate milk is my go-to. Had a nutritionist come in and talk to the girls I coach about two years ago and she recommended chocolate milk over sports drinks and the such. Some of my girls also were invited in the the Harvard women's hockey team's locker after a game down in Princeton. They came running back to tell me they were actually passing around a couple of gallon jugs of chocolate milk around the locker room. But of course, water can't hurt you either...

[TeamHonda401 54]

Chocolate milk is actually one of the best things to drink post game. There have been several studies done on it's benefits after exercise, one of which is linked below. Chocolate milk has always been one of my favorite things to drink, and finding info like this gives me even more reason to.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/10/30/benefits-chocolate-milk-after-your-workout/

[splitbtw 2]

Protein.

[Souldriver 64]

twist my arm guys!
Ill drink some chocolate milk tonight!

I going to say getting that burger in me pretty quick after the game with a bigger amount of water helped. my muscles are a little sore but I would be stretched to say they feel fatigued and i feel like im ready to gun it at tonights game.

[english15x 3]

I don't like to eat post game so I try to drink something. I make it before hand.

8oz coconut water

8oz tap or bottled water

2 scoops protein

Banana

Couple ice cubes to keep it cold

Blend it. Take it in your bag for after. Great recovery. I got the recipe off of Gary Roberts blog.

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

Chocolate milk is the way to go: cheap and simple. I used to do all the time in college after games/practices. Now I indulge depending how many games I work in a given day and their respective levels of competition. Stretching is also good but I need to get in the habit of doing it more often.

[Souldriver 64]

So my team went out postgame so me trying out to eat right went out the window. I had 2 jack and gingers. And when I got home an hour and a half later and ate a pb&j with banana slices on it quick before bed.

I'm going to say my muscles feel noticably more stiff and a tiny bit more fatigued. I also felt like I was starving when I woke updespite the 1 am snack. I felt pretty ok yesterday despite that post games meal being much earlier.

[Souldriver 64]

Tried out some chocolate milk and the pb&j post game last night. To be completely honest I was laboring the last period of the game because i was so exhausted, and it was hot to the point where my legs started to cramp and tighten.

Today i woke up a little sore but it wore off the first hour of work once i got the blood going and now im feeling fine. I also have to admit i wasnt starving like i usually am in the morning and none of it did anything to upset the stomach one bit. Im happy with it and next time im going to add in the usual banana, which was absent this time due to the fact they were way too green.

One thing i also did was make a half and half mix of water and gatorade for game time. i dont like all the sugar gatorade has by itself and the mix cuts that in half and if you do it with a lighter flavor like their lemon lime its not that noticeable. i know they have their "light" flavors but they taste so artificial, like liquid jello or something, i just dont like it. The half and half mix was also suggested to a family member by our doctor when they had a little spout of dehydration.

[Meals 2]

Post game I have a protein shake, chased by a beer. The two most likely cancel each other out, but hey it's better than nothing !

[Souldriver 64]

I don't like to eat post game so I try to drink something. I make it before hand.

8oz coconut water

8oz tap or bottled water

2 scoops protein

Banana

Couple ice cubes to keep it cold

Blend it. Take it in your bag for after. Great recovery. I got the recipe off of Gary Roberts blog.

^this is delicious. i put it all together and blended it after work bc i found a coconut water i like and it was great. the only things i changed was using a little chocolate syrup for taste but not much.

[Stewie 721]

i use a recovery accelerator by a company called Vega. It works wonders for me, in terms of recovery, but isnt like a meal or anything. I mix the product with a protein shake mix and im usually good to go the next day. Ive taken a lot of supplements, but this is one i definitely stand by