Homemade Recovery Shake Ideas for Runners

When finished with a run, especially a long one, your first thought may be to consume a big meal in order to recover the nutrients lost. However, this may not be the best option. You can carefully prepare a meal, or if like many runners you lead a very active lifestyle, you may want to consider shakes. They are a fast, taste great if prepared well and should do the trick. A shake, or smoothie is a beverage that is prepared from whole fruits, vegetables, or other ingredients such as protein supplement additives making it thicker than juice, a an effective method of replenishing your body. Smoothies can be very nutritious and will meet a runner’s needs by replenishing calories and adding nutrients to any diet depending of what your preference is. For a perfect smoothie, you should aim for 15-20 grams of proteins accompanied with other nutrients such as and carbs. Drink the smoothie after 40 to 60 seconds after a workout to replace damaged muscles while restoring energy.

To get started, you will require you will need a good blender that can crush ice cubes for making a great smoothie. Here are some of the delicious and nutritious smoothies to boost both performance and recovery from exercises.

Low-Calorie smoothie

Ingredients

½ of almond milk (not sweetened)

1 cup of fresh spinach

I sliced Kiwi

A half froze banana (blend all ingredients until smooth)

This drink contains almond milk which has half the calories of a low-fat milk. Spinach is a rich source of ions which help in the transportation of oxygen around the body. While Kiwi fruit raise the absorption of iron minerals because it has a large amount of vitamin C. Lastly, frozen banana cools the smoothie and also acts as the compensating equivalent of the bitter greens.

Calories – 128, Carbs – 28 g, Fibre -6 g, Protein- 2 g per serving

Crunchy Coffee Fix

Ingredients

4 ounces of coffee (chilled)

4 ounces of milk (fat-free)

1 frozen banana (Sliced)

2 tablespoons whole almonds

2 teaspoons natural cocoa powder (blend all ingredients until smooth)

First of all, this smoothie is beneficial because coffee speeds up recovery while having a great taste too. Research has proven that taking caffeine with carbs simultaneously assists the body to resupply glycogen of the muscle faster. The natural cocoa powder gives anti-inflammatory antioxidants while bananas help in maintaining fluid balance because of it as an electrolyte that is rich in Potassium. Not only do almonds add a crunchy feeling but they also have healthy fats that assist in keeping you full.

Watermelon smoothie

Ingredients

2 cups chopped watermelon

½ cup yogurt

I cup of ice (blend all ingredients until smooth)

This smoothie will refresh you after a long run. Beforehand, you can freeze watermelons making it easier to at the time of preparing the smoothie. Watermelon is rich in lycopene antioxidant promotes a healthy heart and also helps in reducing soreness of muscles.

Cran-Beet crusher

Ingredients

I cup silken tofu

½ cup fresh cranberries

1/2 raw/ roasted medium beet

1 celery stalk

One cup kale

1 freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons of raw honey (blend all ingredients until smooth)

Research has shown that beet juice for runners reduces inflammation and increases blood circulation and stamina hence you can endure more running. Vegetables such as kale give a wide range of minerals and vitamins lower the risk of heart diseases and cancer. The smoothie contains

Calories- 332, Proteins- 18 g, Carbs – 53 g, Fibre- 9 g, Sugars – 34 g, Fat- I g, Sodium- 105 mg per serving.

Mango smoothie

Ingredients

2 cups of spinach

I cup of frozen mangoes

½ cup baby carrots

Half a cup coconut water

¼ cup orange juice

2 Satsuma peeled oranges

½ plain yoghurt (blend all ingredients until smooth)

Spinach and orange juice provide nutrients named carotenoids that restore cells that were damaged during a workout. While coconut functions to balance electrolytes lost through respiration.

Calories- 364, Proteins- 12 g, Carbs – 80 g, Fibre- 12 g, Sugars – 62 g,  Sat Fat-  1.5 g, Sodium – 321 mg per serving.

Pumpkin smoothie

Ingredients

½ pumpkin (canned)

7 or 2% Greek-style yoghurt

½ cup of water

¼ avocado

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1 tablespoon maple syrup

½ tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (blend all ingredients until smooth)

Canned pumpkin is full of vitamin A that shields the body from cell damage that happens while working out. Also,  Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fat that is known to reduce inflammation.

Calories- 383, Proteins- 22 g, Carbs – 40 g, Fibre- 11 g, Sugars – 26 g,  Sat Fat-  4.5 g, Sodium – 82 mg per serving.

Banana Peanut butter smoothie

Ingredients

½ plain yoghurt

½ cup milk

1 banana

I tablespoon peanut butter

1 g spinach

½ tablespoon vanilla (Blend all ingredients until smooth)

Bananas are rich in Potassium and replace it when lost after a workout while giving out fibre that prevents constipation. Meanwhile, peanut butter gives proteins and monounsaturated fats that are good for the heart.

Calories- 249, Proteins- 12 g, Carbs – 45 g, Fibre- 4 g, Sugars – 29 g,  Sat Fat-  3.5 g, Sodium – 179 mg per serving.

Wheat smoothie

Ingredients

2 cups of spinach

1 cup peaches (Frozen)

½ cup fresh banana

½ raw zucchini

¾ coconut water

½ plain yoghurt

2 tablespoon wheat germ (Blend all ingredients until smooth)

It is far better than cold cereal. This is because It is a blend of wheat germ that contains folic and assists in cell growth and development. Consequently, the spinach will aid in preventing depletion of irons that is not rare among female athletes.

Calories- 312, Proteins- 15 g, Carbs – 60 g, Fibre- 11 g, Sugars – 37 g, Fat – 4 g Sat Fat-  2 g, Sodium – 358 mg per serving.

Benefits of smoothies

Improvement of digestion

Smoothies contain fibre that prevents constipation. The blender makes it easy to consume fruits while taking in a lot of healthy nutrients.

Delicious

Smoothies have a great taste which is an added advantage after being incredibly healthy.

Detoxing

Greens such as kale assist the body in removing toxic chemicals from the body.

Improves performance

Smoothies give the body nutrients that will enable you to perform even better in exercises. Smoothies make it easier for the body to absorb nutrients compared to eating.

Strengthening of immunity

Nutrients from smoothies decrease the chances of getting sick very often if at all by empowering the immune system.