Why you want to refuel after a run with chocolate milk

You just finished a run, marathon, or tomorrow’s triathlon. What’s the first thing you’re going sip when you have a chance to grab a cold beverage? Before you start thinking beer (especially you racers who waited in line to flash your ID and score a beer ticket), you’re going to want to reach for a different thirst quencher. And it’s not good ole water or the sports drink you started downing on the course.

Recent studies from the University of Texas at Austin show that you want to refuel with lowfat chocolate milk. Why? Because it’s ideal for post-workout recovery and aids in improving performance, faster exercise adaptation and better body composition. And who wouldn’t want to be faster on the race course, and have improved VO2 max and more muscle with less fat? I can’t name an athlete who would turn that down unless we start talking sumo wrestlers. Even so, chocolate milk simply tastes good—that right balance of sugar, chocolatey richness and nutrients packed under all that flavor.

Good news if you’re participating in this weekend’s Life Time Fitness Chicago Triathlon is you won’t have to search high and low for this post-race refresher. The National “Got Milk?” Campaign has your back. You’ll find the Refuel with Chocolate Milk Tour at the finish of Sunday’s triathlon, an area complete with chocolate milk, massages, a personal trainer and foam rollers—and a photo station to snap your best milk mustache. Not to mention, your body can feed off chocolate milk’s protein and electrolytes to rebuild the muscles you stressed out during your swim, bike and run. Hey, it beats feeling like a train wreck Monday morning.