Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America’s Exercise Obsession
. And at a moment when there are more at-home exercise options than ever, it behooves gyms and studios to offer such amenities that can only be enjoyed in-person, points out Friedman. Just as it’s nearly obligatory to buy popcorn at the movies, a post-workout smoothie is a part of the in-person gym experience for a lot of folks. This cultural connection has thus far withstood the test of time—and the rapidly changing trends in both fitness and nutrition—because smoothies are such a malleable category. They are customizable, and can be packed with supplements and other trendy ingredients.
Personally, Petrzela says she is wary of any food that claims optimization as a main benefit, or that has the potential to strip away the social function of food. There’s also the fact that smoothie ingredients are often marketed as magical ‘superfoods,’ saysDiners, Dudes, and Diets: How Gender and Power Collide in Food Media and Culturewhen it comes to receiving nutrition advice, especially in the context of fitness.
But with the right ingredients, and in the right context—as in, not a replacement for an actual meal—Stephens says a smoothie can be a perfectly nutritious post-workout snack. The keys to its long-term success may just be the same as the keys to seeing any long-term gains when it comes to fitness: convenience and consistency.