I recently met with Connolly, a sports science professional, who gave me some great post-workout tips. He mentioned that for optimum recovery after a workout, you have to strike the right balance of roughly four parts carbohydrate to one part protein in the post work-out snack. You also have to be sure to grab it 15 to 20 minutes after a workout. "That window opens and closes very quickly,” said Connolly. He also urged that for an average woman who exercises for an hour (or even two) each day, the number of calories in the snack is important. He also warned against taking in too many calories. 150 to 165 calories per snack should do it for a woman weighing 150 pounds. For most men or for more intense training that would be around 200-250 cals. The reason I love this particular smoothie as a post-workout snack is that it has that four to one ratio of carbohydrates to protein that he mentioned.