Putting in winter miles on the bike and logging hours at the gym will get your body raring to go for the new year. Whether you have a big cycling challenge on the horizon, or whether you want to improve on last year’s performance, winter training helps keep your body in the riding habit, but you need effective recovery to make it all worthwhile, and hot chocolate can help.
Last year we were over the moon to learn that a case study had proven dark chocolate can actually improve cycling performance. With this deliciously dangerous knowledge, we’ve been exploring other ways in which chocolate and tasty treats can benefit our training too.
Regardless of how many hours of training you put into your body, it won’t go very far if you don’t recover properly. Recovery time is an essential period for allowing your muscles to repair, recover and grow. Eating a combination of carbohydrates and protein following a work out is the ideal blend of everything that the body needs.
Believe it or not, hot (and cold) chocolate drinks contain the perfect proportion of carbs to protein, which is a 3:1 ratio. Along with the many mineral and health benefits found in cocoa, these drinks are great for reducing the build-up of creatine kinase, which is responsible for post-workout muscle damage.
