Why Recovery is Necessary
Exercise causes the muscles in your body to work harder than they normally do, and this results in small tears in the muscle fibers. The tears cause inflammation, which can lead to pain and soreness. Additionally, when you exercise, your muscles use up their stored energy (glycogen) and fluids, which can also contribute to feelings of fatigue and weakness.
Recovering after exercise is important because it allows your body to repair the muscle tissue and replenish its energy and fluid stores. This can help prevent injury and ensure that you are able to continue exercising in the future. The recovery process also allows your body to adapt to the demands of exercise, which can help improve your overall fitness level.
There are several things that can be done to help the recovery process, such as getting adequate rest and hydration, stretching, and eating foods that aid in recovery and sports nutrition. Massage and foam rolling can also be helpful, as they can reduce muscle soreness and improve flexibility.
For a deep dive into more science on why nutrition is paramount for recovery as well as the physiological mechanisms underlying the necessity of recovery head here.
Why choose Skratch Recovery?
Simple Sugar to Refuel
Consuming carbs in the form of simple sugar is one of the best ways to replenish energy spent during endurance exercise. Yes, sugar has a negative stigma, but it’s not always bad. It’s effective in fueling and refueling athletes and is a great performance enhancer. But it can be toxic if consumed when just sitting around and not exercising.
This “out-of-context fear” of sugar causes people to look for high-calorie carbohydrate supplements that have no sugar listed on the nutrition label. But this behavior doesn’t actually solve the problem.
1) Total calories still matter. If you’re avoiding sugar but consuming a lot of calories from carbohydrates because you think it’s healthier, it’s important to know that those carbohydrates all turn into simple sugars by the time they are digested and absorbed into the body. Just because something isn’t labeled as sugar doesn’t mean it isn’t sugar by the time you’re done chewing it.
2) Maltodextrin is the most common complex carbohydrate used in sports nutrition supplements. Maltodextrin is more sugar than sugar. Although it doesn’t have to be labeled as a sugar, it is highly processed, derived almost exclusively from GMO corn, is highly associated with bloating and gastro-intestinal distress, and has a glycemic index that raises blood sugar at almost twice the rate of cane sugar.
Ultimately, we believe in a “what you see is what you get” and a “less is more” approach. No tricks. No extras. Just the fuel athletes need in its simplest form when they need it most. So unless an athlete has just worked their butt off, Skratch Recovery Sport Drink Mix is not for them.
Complete Milk Protein
We use complete milk protein from dairy in our Recovery Sport Drink Mix because next to human breast milk, complete milk protein has the highest quantity of essential amino acids per gram of protein.
Essential amino acids are the basic building blocks of protein. Our body can’t make them, so they have to be obtained through our diet for us to survive and thrive. Based on the most current standard for assessing protein quality (Dietary Indispensable Amino Acid Score or DIAAS), the essential amino acids from complete milk proteins are absorbed by the body the best, giving them the highest biological value.
Interesting Fact: Complete milk protein is a naturally occurring ratio of 80% casein and 20% whey protein. Based on the DIAAS, this combination of casein and whey scores higher than either whey or casein alone. Most recovery drink products tend to only use whey – a partial milk protein, rather than the whole or complete protein. While using partial proteins is a cheaper approach, it’s unfortunately not a smarter one.
The bottom line is that when it comes to maximizing muscle rebuilding and recovery, there’s simply no better choice than complete milk protein. Partial just doesn’t cut it.
Real Recovery & Performance
Bottom line for recovery: Does it work? Our ultimate priority was to craft a drink mix that actually improved recovery, measured by real performance. Based on scientific literature, chocolate milk does this job better than many recovery drink products available to athletes (for studies and references check out the cited sources here). This reminded us to keep things simple and reinforced our belief in real food as a staple of athletic performance. But, unlike the chocolate milk you might find in a convenience store cooler, we knew we could make a product that did not contain excess ingredients like xanthan gum, emulsifiers, and flavoring agents but had a longer shelf life and was easier to travel with. Plus we make it in 3 flavor so you can mix it up. Chocolate or Vegan Chocolate, Horchata, and Strawberries + Cream.
Cheat Sheet
Recovering after exercising is important because it helps the body to repair and rebuild muscle tissue, replenish energy stores, and remove metabolic waste. This process helps to reduce muscle soreness, improve performance, and prevent injury. Additionally, recovery also promotes good sleep, hydration, and nutrition, all of which are crucial for overall health and fitness. By allowing the body to recover properly, you can enhance your overall well-being, optimize athletic performance, and prevent burnout.Timing is everything when it comes to recovery. So, when athletes need something convenient to eat and drink immediately after they’ve emptied the tank, Skratch Recovery Sport Drink Mix is an easy choice. It provides the protein, carbs, electrolytes, and taste needed to rapidly refuel, rehydrate, and rebuild after long and hard endurance workouts.
