The Morning After
HAPPY TURKEY DAY
Workouts can be brutal on the human body. That’s because there is a process in place that needs to run it’s course if you are to gets the results you want. Muscle tissue must be stretched, stressed, and in most cases, torn – at the micro level – in order for new muscle tissue to be build and strengthened in order to prepare for the next bout of impending exercise. Only the strong will survive is an adage that is more than applicable when it comes to strength and fitness training.
Every wall constructed, is only as good as the components of what it is built with and built on. Bricks, straw, mudd, or steel. The choice is up to you. Will it stand the test of time, weather and stress? Did you use sand, clay, or concrete as a base? The same can be said for working out. You have to use the right materials to build and reconstruct torn muscle after heavy bouts of exercise and lifting and in order to get the desired results, you need to start with the right foundation: goals, timelines, proper regimen and meal plan.
Other than amino acids (basic building blocks of muscle) and protein (another source of amino acids – after it is broken down by the body) there is another group of key chemicals that will aid your recovery. They’re called digestive enzymes. With all the stress that the body goes through with exercise, work, and the price of just being alive, it needs a little boost for the energy systems that aid in the breakdown and elimination of food and wastes. Here’s a little more information on digestive enzymes to whet your appetite.
Digestive enzymes are enzymes that break down polymeric macromolecules – such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, etc. – into their smaller building blocks, in order to facilitate their absorption by the body. Digestive enzymes are found in the digestive tracts of animals, as well as inside cells.
Digestive enzymes are diverse and are found in the saliva secreted by the salivary glands, in the stomach secreted by cells lining the stomach, in the pancreatic juice secreted by pancreatic exocrine cells, and in the intestinal (small and large) secretions, or as part of the lining of the gastrointestinal tract.
The next day following exercise is a critical period, because if you have taken the proper steps in the recovery process – diet, rest, digestion – you will feel, look, and operate better. You need to stretch those muscle groups you worked out from the day before. All the necessary elements contribute to achieving maximal results. For my workout regimen, I fuel up with a shake that has a blend of both protein and digestive enzymes. It gives me everything I need to bounce back from those grueling workouts and stay in the game. I trust my body to it, and you can too.