Sure, it takes guts, sweat, and tears to start working out but the immense happiness and satisfaction you’ll feel after you’ve finished a session is like no other. It’s the kind of high you’ll definitely want to feel again but will involve a lot of dedication and effort.

However, people tout soreness as one of the reasons they skip a gym session, which happens because you use/stress your muscles to perform a workout that results in super-tiny tears—but don’t fret just yet. The good news is, there are certain kinds of food that help with the pain, which you should consume within the first three hours after your sweat sesh:

Chia Seeds

Those blackish, grayish sesame seed-looking bits in almost all influencers’ salad bowl are called chia seeds, which had been around for so long but is only gaining popularity in the past years. Essentially, it is a very flexible food: you can add these to any food or beverage and it won’t affect the taste of the meal or drink at all.

You can add chia seeds to your pudding or water

Don’t underestimate the little guys, though, because they pack 3 grams of protein – that means these have the amino acids we need. Dietician Cynthia Sass said that chia seeds also pack minerals like magnesium, calcium, and iron.

Bananas

You may feel like eating something heavy after a workout, but a banana may be what you need. As per the expert, the yellow fruit is rich in potassium and carbohydrates.

Because you burn calories, sweating is just normal, but to rehydrate, you need electrolytes and potassium. You will need to replenish the energy used with carbohydrates.

Blueberries

All fruits have antioxidant properties but what sets blueberries apart is that it has the highest amount. These tiny blue foods along with raspberries have carbohydrates as well.

Blueberries have high antioxidant properties

On top of that, these berries contain sirtuins, which help in organismal and cellular functions like metabolism and cell repair and recovery. You can pre-pack these fruits in tiny containers so that you can bring them to the gym and eat them as you go home.

Spinach

You know how Popeye becomes buff whenever he eats spinach so it shouldn’t surprise you that this leafy green veggie made it on this list. It has loads of anti-inflammatory nutrients like vitamins A, B, and C.

This vegetable boasts 5 grams of protein for just a cup

For just a cup, your body gets 5 grams of protein! You don’t have to eat it raw – you can add it to your usual shake and you wouldn’t taste the difference.