What's the best drink after your workout?

There are pros and cons to drinking iced coffee after a workout. — Filepic

What is your favourite drink immediately after an intense workout?

For me, it’s always slightly chilled water (unless a Milo truck is nearby), but for many people, they’d prefer a sugary, soft or carbonated sports drink, or iced coffee.

Understandably so; we need carbohydrates in our diet for recovery and pre-training fuel, and sugars are the base of carbohydrates, hence we reach for sugary drinks.

Part of our craving is also physiological as advertisements have led us to believe that these drinks can give us a mental and energy boost.

Sports drinks are specifically designed for endurance workouts and competitive sporting events because they help maintain hydration levels during prolonged periods of physical activity.

They are meant to replenish the glucose, electrolytes and fluids your body loses during high-intensity exercise and enhance your capacity to keep going.

However, most come with a high sugar content, so unless you are in a situation where you need rapid rehydration and energy, these drinks are likely to cause weight gain.

Coconut water is a much better option as it is low in sugar, but contains high levels of electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium, which help minimise muscle cramps.

However, let us take a look at other options.

> Coffee and caffeine

When it comes to iced coffee, expert views are mixed.

Drinking milk post-workout helps with rehydration and muscle repair. — Pexels

Research indicates that drinking coffee around 45-60 minutes before a workout allows for caffeine to reach its peak effectiveness.

The benefits are actually coming from the caffeine, which is the stimulant, and not necessarily from the coffee itself.

While caffeine is good to kickstart your system in the morning, coffee is not exactly a hydrating drink unless you drop in a cupful of ice cubes.

Since it has a mild diuretic effect and makes you want to pee, you might lose more water than usual.

Also, both working out and coffee increases your blood pressure and metabolic rate.

And if you’re prone to being jittery or anxious, it’ll keep you edgy and awake all night, especially if you exercise late in the evening.

> Milk

There is some research that suggests milk is one of the best post-workout beverages as it contains carbohydrates, proteins, electrolytes and water.

This makes it an ideal choice for rehydration, refuelling, and muscle repair and rebuilding.

Better yet, add in some cocoa, which is rich in flavanols and magnesium.

This is better than drinking chocolate milk, as chocolate milk has additional sucrose in it.

However, milk is slightly acidic and could cause a tummy upset.

It’s also a no-no for those who are lactose tolerant or have a dairy allergy.

> Beer

If you consume alcohol after exercise, it will increase the stress hormone in your body (i.e. cortisol), causing a loss of muscle, rather than muscle recovery.

The exception: light beer, drunk together with plenty of water.

Light beer is apparently hydrating as it contains a mix of water, carbohydrates, sodium and protein.

But it will slow down the recovery process.

An occasional beer post-workout is all right, but don’t make it a habit.

Do remember that as absurd as it sounds, we embark on physical activity to damage the body.

Exercising causes microtears in the muscles, depletes the body of electrolytes and increases your cortisol levels.

Once you’ve completed a session, your body will begin to repair and rebuild the torn muscles to make it stronger, with the help of nutrients and rest.

So, what you drink (and eat) is important in this recovery process.

Revathi Murugappan is a certified fitness trainer who tries to battle gravity and continues to dance to express herself artistically and nourish her soul. For more information, email [e-mail]. The information contained in this column is for general educational purposes only. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.