The Prime Window of Recovery™ (P.W.R.)

Based on the blog title, right off the bat, you probably have some questions: 

  1. What is the Prime Window of Recovery™?  
  2. Why does it matter so much?  
  3. If you know the answers to numbers one and two, you might be wondering how you can optimize it.  
  4. If you are a workout recovery expert and you know all of this information already, consider this blog a refresher. 

We are going to answer all of the above questions, and by the time you’re done, you’ll be an expert yourself or renewed in your knowledge of post-workout recovery.  

 

What Is the Prime Window of Recovery™? 

When you break it down, the concept of the Prime Window of Recovery™ makes a lot of sense. You just worked hard, and when you were doing so, you were using key vitamins and nutrients your body needs to function—in overdrive.  

You need to replace those vitamins and nutrients, and there’s actually a best time to replace them. That time is right after your workout, as soon as possible. When studying the recovery process, doctors and scientists have found that the first hour or two is really key for recovery, but even more so, the first 30 minutes. 

So at its simplest definition, the Prime Window of Recovery™ is the 30-minute window right after a workout in which your body is best able to absorb the vitamins and nutrients it needs to recover.  

 

Why Does the Prime Window of Recovery™  Matter? 

First and foremost, refueling within this window helps ensure maximum recovery and muscle growth, as you’ll be repairing and rebuilding muscle stores. When you were grinding away during your workout, you were tapping into important energy reserves. In the long run, that work will pay off and you’ll be a stronger athlete for it, but to help those athletic gains occur, it’s just as important that you replenish those reserves right away. 

In fact, if you don’t replenish your body right away, your body may actually work against you. If you consistently delay your post-workout fuel and hydration, you may be faced with negative consequences, including faster fatigue, poor muscle recovery, and a higher injury risk. The body is amazing, because you’re making it stronger by breaking it down, but all of that work may be wasted if you don’t rehydrate and replenish your body properly.  

 

How Can I Optimize My Own Prime Window of Recovery™? 

An important part of refueling, perhaps the most important part, is rehydrating. During exercise, we lose fluids through sweat and other body processes. Having fluids, such as water, after exercising allows the body to replace what was lost and primes the body for athletic recovery. Research done by Susan Hewlings, PhD, RD and Douglas Kalman, PhD, RD has shown that drinking fluids after exercise helps the body regulate body temperature, primes the body for muscle protein synthesis, and helps the body maintain cognitive and other important metabolic and physiologic processes.  

While water is the world’s greatest nutrient, it’s not the only rehydration that’s great. Yes, of course life-sustaining water helps the body rehydrate after a workout and contains naturally occurring electrolytes, but it’s only a small amount, which is where a rehydration tool like PWR LIFT can come in handy. An all-encompassing sports drink, PWR LIFT contains ingredients that have been shown to help the body physically and mentally recover after exercise, nutrients that resupply those that were lost during exercise and those which promote overall health and well-being.  

Containing protein, PWR LIFT helps promotes greater fluid retention and glycogen reaccumulation, which is needed for whole body and muscle recovery and helps you make gains after exercise. The protein type that PWR LIFT utilizes, whey protein isolate, is the purest available form of whey protein, which is dehydrated protein from milk sources processed to concentrate the protein while removing lactate and fat. Whey protein has been found by doctors and scientists to be the most effective protein source for repairing and growing muscles, reducing muscle soreness, and increasing strength, so whether you’re looking to build strength or to recover faster between longer workouts, the protein in PWR LIFT will help you get there. 

In addition to protein, PWR LIFT contains all five electrolytes. As aforementioned, water may only contain a minute amount of naturally occurring electrolytes, while PWR LIFT packs all five—calcium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, and sodium—into one recovery beverage. These essential minerals have hydrating benefits such as increased water absorption, uptake, and retention, so you can help replenish the nutrients that you lose during your workout with the hydrating electrolytes in PWR LIFT.   

Add in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to limit muscle damage and B-vitamins to help gain back nutrients needed for energy metabolism, and subtract all the sugar, PWR LIFT can be a powerful recovery and rehydration tool for every athlete to have in their back pocket during that first 30 minutes after a workout. Optimizing recovery within that window becomes easier when you know you’re rehydrating with everything you need to keep you going today.  

And tomorrow. And the next day. And the next week. And next year. Boom.  

 

#PWRUP 

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