The “Re-Fuel” Window

In the first hour after exercising, look to replace the important nutrients lost during your workout. Many people in the fitness world call this the “refuel” or “anabolic window.” The goal here is to replenish muscle glycogen fuel stores to help repair the muscles. Glycogen is what keeps you going when your body isn’t getting energy from food—we love glycogen. When you break it down, glycogen is made up of glucose molecules, which are the main source of fuel for our cells. The way your body makes glucose is through breaking down the food you eat. The human body is incredibly smart when it comes to storing energy. When you don’t need the energy from food right away, glucose gets put into storage in the liver and muscles to use when you’re ready. These guys hate being alone, so they huddle together and call their new group “glycogen.” Then, when you do end up needing a boost of energy—to crush your next camp, for example—the group of glycogen is broken apart to release each glucose molecule into the bloodstream to be used as fuel for the cells, leaving the glycogen “storage facility” empty. Our job is to fill that storage container back up, which requires protein and carbohydrates.

Not every workout is created equal—even Burn Boot Camp’s weekly protocol balances strength and high-intensity cardio days. That being said, it is something to consider when choosing your post-workout fuel. After an intense workout, you want to make sure to get protein and carbs with foods like smoothies or an apple and peanut butter. If you need inspiration, check out these recipes:

After a strength-based workout, adding a scoop of protein to some water or your milk of choice is a great way to make sure you don’t miss the anabolic window. Try to use a high-quality protein powder that is minimally processed for maximum absorption. Some key things to look for on the label:

• Contains zero artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives 
• Non-GMO
• Grass-fed, non-denatured whey 
• More than 20 grams of protein per serving 

Two options we love that meet all these requirements : 

• Chocolate Protein Powder
• Vanilla Protein Powder

The International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests active people aim for an overall daily protein intake of between 0.64 and 1 grams per pound of body weight—for example, a 150-pound active person needs roughly 95 to 150 grams of protein per day. If you find that you are falling short of the recommended amount, a serving of AfterBurn protein powder will give you 23 grams per serving.

10 Ways to Use Protein Powder

• Coffee 
• Smoothies 
• Yogurt 
• Oatmeal 
• Pancakes 
• Cookies 
• Brownies 
• Shakes
• Added to Milk
• Waffles 
• Cake 

If you are feeling adventurous, these Burn recipes are so delicious, you won’t believe they pack a protein punch:

• Funfetti Afterburn Protein Bars
• Baked Maple Protein Oatmeal
• Protein-Packed Afterburn Pancakes
• Giant Triple Chocolate Protein Cookie
• Sugarless Sugar Cookies with Whipped Protein Frosting

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The first thing I love about this cookie is that it is giant! How can you go wrong with a recipe that has  “giant” and “chocolate” in the name? Secondly, I love that it is single serving. Yes, that’s right—it’s giant and it is single serving! So when I bake this protein cookie, I get to indulge in the entire thing myself.

Want to know what makes it even better? You’re probably thinking, “How could this get any better than it already is?” Well, let me tell you, it can! This recipe is gluten-free, contains only naturally occurring sugar and has 25 grams of protein, which means you can eat this entire cookie yourself, 100% guilt-free!

*Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a commission. Keep in mind I linked these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission we receive from your purchases. Whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you!

This recipe calls for sunflower seed butter, but that can be easily swapped for almond, peanut, cashew or any other kind of nut or seed butter you happen to have on hand. The measurement will remain the same. The recipe also calls for unsweetened applesauce, but you can easily use pumpkin puree interchangeably. And if you want your cookie to be grain-free, you can substitute the oat flour with extra flaxseed meal—just add a total of 2½ tablespoons of flaxseed meal to the mix.

I also use cacao powder versus cocoa powder for this recipe. I personally prefer cacao powder, as it is much less processed and provides greater health benefits than cocoa powder. It’s extremely high in iron, magnesium, potassium and antioxidants. Plus, it’s a natural metabolism and mood booster! You can shop my favorite cacao powder here.

To make this more of a superfood cookie, you could sub chocolate chips with cacao nibs. Cacao nibs are just like chocolate chips but they are chocolate in its raw form and do not contain any extra ingredients. They are also an excellent source of fat and a great way to get your chocolate fix without raising your blood sugar. You can shop my favorite cacao nibs here.

Ingredients:

 1 scoop chocolate AfterBurn

 2 tbsp. oat flour

 1 tbsp. cacao powder

 ½ tbsp. flaxseed meal

 ¼ tsp. baking soda

 ⅛ tsp. salt

 3 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce

 2 tbsp. plant-based milk

 1 tbsp. sunflower seed butter

 Stevia to taste

 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

 1 tbsp. 100% unsweetened dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine Afterburn, oat flour, cacao powder, flaxseed meal, baking soda and salt. Stir until evenly combined. In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, plant-based milk, sunflower seed butter, stevia and vanilla extract. Stir until completely mixed.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until a dough-like consistency is formed. Add more milk if needed. Fold in chocolate chips.

Using your hands, form a ball with the dough and place on the baking sheet. Press ball into a cookie shape, about ½ inch thick. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, more or less depending on how soft or crunchy you prefer your cookie.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet. Enjoy the entire cookie, guilt-free!

Nutrition Facts: 

Serves 1

Calories: 404

Carbs: 30g

Fat: 20g

Protein: 31g