Re:Fuelling. Metabolism boosting post-workout meal.

So you've been good, done an amazing workout and now you can settle back to relax for the rest of the day. What is your body doing though?

• Rehydration - you are bound to be a little dehydrated after your workout. So continue to drip feed yourself a pint or two of water over the following 2 hours. This will keep your body in good condition to burn fat, allow for recovery of muscles and flush out waste products.
• Hyperdrive - if you have done an intense interval or weights sessions, then your body will continue to burn calories at an elevated rate for many hours (up to 72). This is particularly evident in the first two hours after the gym. So it is at this point that you want to get a good supply of carbohydrates in the body as it is unlikely to be stored as fat - it will be replenishing the glucose stores in your muscles. 
• Repair - the muscles in your body will have torn apart - on a micro level - during the workout. Over the next few days they will be repairing themselves and becoming stronger as they do so. If you have done an intense cardio sessions you also need to replenish your electrolyte levels via salts, minerals and vitamins.

So how do you do this?

Well, if you want to maintain a good level of lean muscle and reduce your fat levels you need to maintain the ability for your body to build muscle at all times. This is done through nutrition. Let's keep it specific to a post - workout meal though.
What does it need to contain?

• Complex carbs
• Lean protein 
• Vegetables
• Healthy fats. 

So here is a recipe for a great metabolism boosting meal -

Post - Workout Tuna Nicoise

• 1 tin of tuna in spring water or 1 tuna steak seasoned and cooked to your liking and cut into small piece.
• 1/2 a red onion, thinly sliced
• Roasted red pepper, sliced
• Spinach leaves
• Fine beans, asparagus, broccoli spears lightly cooked in a small amount of oil
• Cherry tomatoes - baked in a little oil, balsamic and salt
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 5 new potatoes, boiled and chopped

For the dressing

• Olive oil
• White wine vinegar
• Dijon Mustard
• Salt
• Pepper
• Lemon

There is nothing complicated here. The key thing is to make the dressing to your own taste and minimise the amount of oil. You want the salad to be tasty, but the main reason for eating it is to replenish the body with good carbohydrates, lean protein and lots of vitamins and minerals as well as the healthy fats in uncooked olive oil.

Give it a go and enjoy!