Reduce your recovery time

Needless to say, a professional footballer has access to some of the best sports science services money can buy. When games come thick and fast throughout the season, recovery is extremely important to get right. Whilst it's not uncommon to see baths at the side of the training pitch for a quick 10 min dip in 12°C icy cold water, it's not for everyone. How about a quick rub down from the team masseuse and a good night's sleep in your Lycra recovery tights?

Without the budget and expertise to match those available to a pro, what can you do to help ease the post training and match day fatigue? The cheapest, easiest and most convenient place to start is by looking at what you eat and drink.

The two main causes of fatigue are dehydration and energy depletion. To help combat these problems, make sure you eat 1g carbohydrate per kg of body weight as soon as possible after your training session or match. This looks something like a 90g pack of jelly sweets, 8 Jaffa cakes or a large bowl of cereal with milk. In addition, drinking 500ml of fluid will help to restore some of your body water lost as sweat.

If you really want to reduce your recovery time, help your muscles repair by eating 10 - 20g of protein alongside your carbohydrate snack. If you haven't got time to stock your kit bag with some tuna sandwiches and Jaffa cakes, grab a Lucozade Sport recovery drink and some jelly beans.

- Lucozade Sport Science Team

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