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Hot off the back of the Olympics in Rio, we’re buzzing with all things sports nutrition! Team GB did the nation more than proud and came back with an amazing 67 medals, 2 more than they achieved at London 2012 and smashing their pre-games target of 48, set by UK Sport. 

For an athlete to achieve their potential, so many factors must come into play – not least a rigorous training schedule and comprehensive nutrition planning.

Most people are aware that it’s important to eat the right food to support energy production before training or competition. However, it’s less well known that you need to supply your body with recovery fuel after exercise too. This recovery fuel is needed to replace the energy that’s been used and support muscle adaptation too.  For an Olympic athlete like Mo Farah, competing in heats and finals of 5K and 10K events in one week, this aspect of recovery is crucial, along with plenty of rest and recuperation.  Recovery fuel must supply a mixture of high quality protein and fast-release carbohydrates.

There are many powder formulas on the market that you can mix up into a convenient recovery shake to replenish stores after exercise. Recently we heard about a slightly less conventional but who knows, perhaps just as effective, way of supporting recovery that you might be interested to hear about:

Glass of milk, teaspoon of sugar, teaspoon of turmeric and a pinch of black pepper

(Milk supplies protein, sugar supplies carbohydrate, turmeric is added for anti-inflammatory joint support and black pepper improves the absorption of curcumin - the active ingredient in turmeric.)

What an intriguing take on sports recovery…

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