Today is National Donut Day. That means free donuts – this is college, we’ll take anything free. A healthy diet includes a good free donut every now and then, don’t you think? Here’s how to get the most bang for your buck on National Donut Day.

Step 1: Get moving.

Swim, run, lift, cycle…pick your preferred method of moving and get to it. Sweat, pant and move until you can’t any longer. Here’s why:

When you workout, you deplete your muscles of glycogen (carbohydrates in your body used for energy). The harder you work, the more glycogen your body will use to fuel you workout. So after a workout, your muscles are ready to soak up anything they can get their hands on. Enter, the donut.

Step 2: Obtain free donut.

Celebrate National Donut Day and go get yourself a free donut. Thank you Thrillist for this wonderful list of every place you can go to get free donuts on National Donut Day.

Step 3: Eat free donut.

And enjoy it, dammit. Maybe even have a cup o’ joe along with it. Enjoy every bit of frosting, every little sprinkle and every bite down to the last. That sugary goodness is getting put to good use, ya know. Here’s how it works:

Remember how those muscles were glycogen-depleted? Well, they need to be replenished with glycogen.

• Glycogen are carbs.
• Sugar are carbs.
• Donuts are high in sugar.

So if you eat a donut right after a workout, your body will use those sugars from the donut to replenish your muscles first, before storing them as fat cells. 

*Note: This is not to say you should eat a donut after every workout…everything in moderation, yeah? But if you’re gonna eat a donut (or other sugary goodness), best to do it post-workout.