After a long, hard run, you don’t always need to go straight for a Powerade or Gatorade or even the other sports drinks that don’t end in –ade. There are other options.

“Mother Nature has given us a huge range of healthy drinks,” says Molly Kimball, sports dietician.

Some fruit juices, such as cherry juice, make for an ideal post-run drink.

Reason to be cherry
A 2008 British study found that runners who drank 470 millilitres of tart cherry juice in the days before, the day of, and two days after a marathon decreased inflammation, oxidative stress, and muscle damage.

Cherries are higher in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties than many other types of fruit.

Try drinking a cup of tart cherry juice after exercise – particularly during heavy training. But don't guzzle it like tap water: one cup has about 30 grams of natural sugar and 546 kilojoules.

If cherry juice is too tart for you, try a sweeter blend with cherries and other 100 per cent fruit juices.

Or to make a heartier drink with extra protein and carbs to boost recovery from a run, try a shake.

Cherry coconut shake
INGREDIENTS
1 325 millilitre container coconut water
1 cup cherry juice
1 scoop unflavored or vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup strawberries, frozen
1 banana

Add all the ingredients to a blender and whirl until smooth. Serves one.

Kilojoules 1848, Carbs 70g, Protein 27g, Fat 2g