What Are the Benefits of Eating Honey After Exercise?

[baby1]

The problem with many post-workout carbohydrates is the hypoglycemia cycle. Ingest a simple carbohydrate for refueling and it is quickly digested and absorbed. This results in a spike in blood sugar followed by a quick and potentially dangerous drop. Honey may be one of the best carbohydrates to refuel with to avoid this hypoglycemia effect.

Honey After Exercise

In a 2007 review in the "Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition" by Dr. Richard Kreider, chair of the Department of Health, Human Performance & Recreation at Baylor University, the effectiveness of honey after a workout is examined. Kreider and colleagues explain that honey is an effective means of post-workout recovery. In addition, honey does not result in a state of hypoglycemia. Instead, it can maintain blood glucose more effectively than sucrose or maltodextrin.

Mechanism

Honey has a lower glycemic index than other sugars, which may make it superior for carbohydrate recovery. The glycemic index is a method of rating foods based on their effect on your blood glucose. The scale extends from zero to 100, with the higher numbers leading to a greater spike in glucose levels. Honey scores around a 43, making it a medium-glycemic food. It attenuates the response of your blood glucose, leading to a longer and more sustainable rise in blood sugar over time.

Importance

Post-workout carbohydrate ingestion is an important part of recovery. During exercise, your blood glucose levels can drop because your muscles use available glucose for energy. You must ingest carbohydrates after your workout to replenish your blood glucose. In addition, during recovery, your muscles take in extra blood glucose to replenish their internal stores of glucose, or muscle glycogen. During recovery, your muscles also compensate by increasing their stores for your next workout. If blood glucose is unavailable to your muscles at this time, your body cannot recover adequately.

Other Benefits

Honey may also be useful before and during your workout. If you eat honey before exercise, you allow for a slow and steady release of glucose into the blood. This can keep your body from using its stored muscle glycogen as fuel. Sparing muscle glycogen can keep fatigue at bay. During your workout, honey may also be effective at increasing the power output of your muscles, improving your performance.


http://www.livestrong.com/article/54...#ixzz2idgZqECN

[red crayon]

I use honey post work out. The reason is that your body has used up all the easily available energy (glycogen stores) and needs more to help recover from a work out. Your body is going to do its best to recover from the work out even with out the extra carb. source but it will start making its own fuel for recovery by converting BCAA's into glycogen. Guess where the extra BCAA's come from? Your body will break down muscle tissue and convert the BCAA's it gets from there into the energy it needs to do the repair.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/inmag12.htm

Although I did find several sources that talked about adding Honey to your post work out shake/meal I couldnt find any from a reputable source such as the Mayo Clinic or Nih.gov. I guess this is another thing that you will have to try for yourself and see what happens. It works for me. I did two weeks with honey and two weeks with orange juice, the honey didnt give me the crashed and tired feeling the orange juice did. So the honey is in my routine and the juice is out. I try and take it ASAP after the work out.

[Optimumfusion00]

I use honey post work out. The reason is that your body has used up all the easily available energy (glycogen stores) and needs more to help recover from a work out. Your body is going to do its best to recover from the work out even with out the extra carb. source but it will start making its own fuel for recovery by converting BCAA's into glycogen. Guess where the extra BCAA's come from? Your body will break down muscle tissue and convert the BCAA's it gets from there into the energy it needs to do the repair.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/inmag12.htm

Although I did find several sources that talked about adding Honey to your post work out shake/meal I couldnt find any from a reputable source such as the Mayo Clinic or Nih.gov. I guess this is another thing that you will have to try for yourself and see what happens. It works for me. I did two weeks with honey and two weeks with orange juice, the honey didnt give me the crashed and tired feeling the orange juice did. So the honey is in my routine and the juice is out. I try and take it ASAP after the work out.

How much honey should you use?

[Ironguruera]

How much honey should you use?

Yeah they left out the most important detail lol.

I've been adding it to my post workout shakes when I take slin. I crave something sweet after my workouts anyways so this helps with that as well. I love honey!