Intermittent Fasting and Exercise Revisited
How to become fit with intermittent fasting and exercise
In recent years, intermittent fasting has grown in popularity to lose weight, gain energy, clear the mind, alleviate digestive issues, and feel better. Intermittent fasting has several benefits, but there are still many unsolved issues concerning the practice. Intermittent fasting and working exercise are two of the most often asked questions. To assist you in deciding if working out and intermittent fasting are a good fit for you, we’ve reviewed the existing research.
What is Intermittent Fasting, and how does it differ from regular fasting?
We won’t get into the nitty-gritty of fasting and intermittent fasting in this article. Some of those may be found in more in-depth articles on the subject. You need to know that intermittent fasting involves changing your fasting and eating windows to achieve varied health outcomes. There is a lot shorter duration of fasting during the periodic method than prolonged fasting. Intermittent fasting has a typical 17-20 hours and a typical 4-8 hours feeding window. Numerous health advantages and even benefits to sports performance have been linked to this strategy.
During Intermittent Fasting, can you work out?
Yes, that’s the quick answer. It’s becoming increasingly popular to exercise when fasting, and many individuals report positive results. Since incorporating intermittent fasting and working out into my routine over the past several years, I’ve noticed increased energy, greater fat reduction, and improved mood and mental clarity, contributing to better exercise.
Inquiring minds want to know:
Is it safe to combine intermittent fasting with working out?
Yes, although there is an “it depends” factor involved in a nutshell. Trying fasting exercises for the first time might be difficult if you haven’t been exercising or eating properly. While exercising, if your body isn’t used to producing energy while fasting or fuelling the needs of an exercising body, you may feel weariness, shakiness, and hypoglycemia, which might cause you to pass out.
When it comes to intermittent fasting and working exercise, this should not scare you away from doing so. The two are a perfect match, in my opinion! We advise that you begin exercising and fasting on your own before combining the two.
Fasting Intermittently and Exercising Regularly
When it comes to the body’s response to intermittent fasting and working exercise, glycogen depletion is a common theme. Glucose or carbohydrate is stored in our bodies as glycogen. When we don’t eat or exercise, our bodies turn to their glycogen reserves for the energy they require to function. Carbohydrate reserves are used up, and our bodies begin to use fat as an energy source after depleting it. Ketone bodies are a form of extra energy that the body might produce due to fasting or exercise. You may learn more about ketones by reading this article.
Fasting and working exercise complement each other because of their comparable effects on the body. This synergy can lead to a wide range of health advantages. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of this pairing.
The advantages of fasting while working out
What’s the big deal now that we know we can work out while fasting? The following are some compelling reasons to consider combining exercise with fasting:
Loss of body fat Research shows that exercising in a fasted state can increase fat oxidation [*], making it a great weight loss strategy because when we fast, we begin to deplete our glycogen stores, which means that when we exercise while fasting, we are already close to or already tapping into fat as an energy source.
Benefit #1: Increased ketone production:
Since fat is the source of ketones, it stands to reason that a combination of intermittent fasting and exercise would result in greater ketone concentrations. Anyone hoping to experience the increased energy and mental clarity that comes with being in a state of ketosis would benefit greatly from this approach.
Benefit #2: Autophagy
Cells that are damaged or no longer needed are broken down by autophagy, which occurs naturally in the body. We need this physiological activity to keep cells like cancer cells from multiplying. In the absence of research on the effect of fasting on autophagy and working exercise together, we hypothesize that the deeper ketosis and lower blood sugar levels associated with fasting would be favourable to greater autophagy.
Benefit #3: Muscle gain
What a tricky one. Muscle gain is unlikely to occur if you only fast and follow it with a mediocre exercise regimen and inadequate post-workout diet. With that said, a combination of fasting, resistance exercise, and an appropriate protein/calorie intake during the feeding window might increase muscle mass due to the HGH-stimulating effects of fasting.
Benefit #4: Endurance performance
Studies have shown that exercising when fasting results in improved VOx-max and endurance performance.
Benefit #5: Less bloating
In addition to the health benefits of fasting and working out. When you’re fasting, your digestive system gets a break, which might make you feel less bloated and more energized when you go to the gym.
Intermittent Fasting and Working Out: The Takeaway
Even while fasting and exercise don’t have to go hand in hand, they can create a potent combination that can help us shed pounds and enhance our metabolic health.
