WHAT’S YOUR
RECOVERY I.Q.?
ARE YOU GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR WORKOUTS? ARE YOU GIVING YOUR BODY WHAT IT
NEEDS TO RECOVER, REPAIR AND IMPROVE? TAKE THIS SIMPLE TEST TO DETERMINE YOUR
RECOVERY I.Q. AND GET THE ANSWERS YOU NEED TO IMPROVE YOUR QUOTIENT! GIVE
YOURSELF A POINT FOR EVERY CORRECT ANSWER.
5
1
AFTER A WORKOUT, I SHOULD EAT WITHIN 30
TO 60 MINUTES. T F
TRUE! After exercise, there is a window of time where
your body is primed for building and repairing muscles
and replenishing what you lost during activity.
2
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT I EAT AFTER A
WORKOUT.
T F
FALSE! A mix of foods or beverages (like shakes) that contain
both carbohydrates and protein is ideal.
3
THE BEST POST-EXERCISE FOODS HAVE
CARBOHYDRATES AND PROTEIN, SUCH AS A
PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH WITH
AN APPLE; RECOVERY SHAKE THAT HAS MILK
PROTEINS, LIKE WHEY AND CASEIN; TURKEY
SANDWICH WITH A BANANA; AND GREEK
YOGURT WITH A PEACH.
T F
TRUE! All these examples supply protein and carbohydrates.
4
6
AS LONG AS I EAT SOMETHING 30 TO 60
MINUTES AFTER A WORKOUT, I’LL BE FINE.
T
F
FALSE! Your body needs carbohydrates and protein over
the next 24 hours to repair, rebuild and replenish
properly.
YOUR I.Q.
7
8
I CAN EAT FAST FOOD AFTER EXERCISE.
T
F
TRUE! You can, but it doesn’t mean that it’s a good
idea! To get the most out of your training, you need
high-quality foods. Foods that are fried and heavy on
fat but light on high-quality protein, whole grains,
vitamins, and minerals are not going to help you
achieve your goals.
EATING ABOUT 0.4-0.5 GRAMS PER LB. OF
BODY WEIGHT OF CARBOHYDRATES AND 20
GRAMS OF PROTEIN WITHIN AN HOUR AFTER
EXERCISE IS IDEAL. T F
TRUE! As part of recovery, eating carbohydrates and
protein can help you perform at your best, especially if
you have another event or workout within 24 hours or
on consecutive days.
TO REHYDRATE AFTER EXERCISE, WATER IS ALL
I NEED. T F
FALSE! If you worked out for over an hour or if you were in
hot, humid weather, it’s likely that you lost electrolytes as
well. Rehydrate after your workout with an electrolytecontaining sports drink or a glass of water accompanying
a meal that contains electrolytes.
CARBOHYDRATE AND PROTEIN
SUPPLEMENTATION AFTER EXERCISE COULD HELP
YOU BUILD MUSCLE, AVOID SORENESS, EXERCISE
HARDER NEXT TIME AND IMPROVE YOUR
PERFORMANCE.
T F
TRUE! Carbohydrate and protein supplementation after
exercise has been shown to restore muscle glycogen stores,
repair muscles, minimize muscle protein breakdown and
support muscle building through protein synthesis. All of
these could make you feel and perform better!
If you scored 6–8 points, you’re a recovery genius! Keep eating what you know!
If you scored 3–5 points, you’re average and could use a lesson from your sports dietitian.
If you scored below 3, make an appointment with your team’s sports dietitian today!
Scientific references for all information, as well as more evidence-based sports nutrition guidance,
can be found at EASAcademy.org.