Speed Up Hamstring Recovery With These Diet Tips
The Anatomy Of The Legs
Your legs have the largest group of muscles and the hamstrings (back of the thighs) are a group of four muscles that are majorly responsible for knee flexion. They also play a huge role in high intensity stop and go activities.
Many of you may be actively involved in either recreational physical activities or professional sports. Hence, the demand on your exercising muscles, increases with an increase in intensity, frequency of exercise or change in the type of exercise.
Hamstring Injury
There are many reasons for the hamstrings to experience cramps or strain and these can range from inappropriate form, weak glutes, tight quadriceps (thighs), no warm up or cool down and poor recovery. Poor recovery is often the most common of reasons, which in turn, is dependent on two important factors – diet and rest. So, here are live essential diet tips that can help your hamstring recover faster, If it has been pulled.
Helpful Diet Tips
Adequate Hydration
Endurance activities often deplete the body of water through sweat. And poor re-hydration can cause the hamstrings to cramp via over concentration of electrolytes inside the muscle cells. Hence, drink about 500 ml water two hours, before activity and sip 100-150 ml every 15-20 minutes.
Complex Carbohydrates
Poor glycogen stores in the muscle can cause early fatigue due to last build-up of lactic acid, especially in high intense short duration activities. Consume complex carbohydrates such as oats, jowar, bajra, curd, fruits etc. pre-workout and re-fuel, post workout.
Good Quality Proteins
During exercise, the muscle fibres go through breakdown and these libres need to be re-synthesized during the recovery phase to build the lost muscle. This can be achieved by consuming good quality proteins such as eggs, whey, animal proteins etc.
B Vitamins
These are required to facilitate glycogen re-fuelling and protein synthesis. Hence, it is important to consume adequate fruits, vegetables. meat (for B6) etc. in the recovery phase.
Anti-Inflammatory Foods
A pull or strain is often a state of inflammation and consuming anti inflammatory foods rich in omega 3, vitamin A. vitamin C, vitamin E etc, can help speed up recovery.
Other Requirements To Recover Soon
The other necessities to recover from a hamstring pull/strain/cramp includes compulsory warm up exercises, cool down stretches and adequate rest to the muscles. In severe situations, ice packs and compressions to avoid swelling can be utilized.