What Julianne Hough Always Eats After Her Workouts
As a dancer, actress, and creator of the KINRGY workout classes and app, Julianne Hough is on the move most of the day, and prioritizing a post-workout snack is critical to keeping her energy high while speeding up recovery. For years, she's stuck to one tried-and-true post-workout meal: A protein-packed recovery shake.
"Your workout is just one part of staying healthy — the rest is sleeping and what you put into your body," Hough told Delish. She adds that scheduling time for workouts as well as making healthy meals is critical to success when it comes to staying fit. Making time for that post-workout meal might be tough, but it's important for helping the body repair and recover (via the Mayo Clinic).
She's shifted the ingredients in her post-workout smoothie in past years, going from a more protein-based shake to one that is packed with both protein and healthy fats. She most recently told Women's Health that after a hard session at the gym, she prefers a blend of avocado, almond butter, almond milk, spinach, protein powder, blueberries, and a banana in her shake. In the past, her shakes featured ingredients like non-fat Greek yogurt, bananas, and apples, according to LIVESTRONG.
What about the rest of the day?
If Hough is in a whole-food mood, a post-workout snack might be a repeat of her go-to breakfast of eggs with tomato and avocado rather than a smoothie, but that combination still provides plenty of protein and healthy fats thanks to the egg and avocado. She also prioritizes drinking plenty of water before and after workouts—and throughout the day (via Delish).
Pre-workout, Hough keeps it simple with fresh juice. She told People that her favorite blend is cucumber, spinach, kale, pear, celery, carrot, green apple, ginger, lemon, and beets. According to the Mayo Clinic, this simple juice might be a great way to head into a workout with a small amount of carbohydrates, in addition to the hydration from the juice.
The rest of the day, she still emphasizes foods that will boost muscle recovery. Rather than using loads of powders and supplements, she sticks to simple ingredients when possible, telling Shape, "I don't want a whole paragraph of ingredients in my body." She prioritizes protein and vegetables at mealtimes, reportedly making simple but well-seasoned dishes like chicken and broccoli or salmon and spinach.