What are fasted workouts, and why are more and more people willing to let go of their protein shakes and breakfasts to go for their fasted workouts? Do not worry. We are here to tell you just what that means. Fasted workouts are exercises that you perform before you snack in on something.
Before we delve deep into the benefits of fasted workouts, we have to tell you this not all good things are for you or let’s just put it like this what is good for you may not be good for someone else vice versa. So, before starting any workouts, it is best to consult your health care practitioner to get the most out of it.
Burns Fat
An empty stomach can trigger a cascade of hormonal changes that may switch on your muscle-building hormones and help burn fat. Hugh Jackman first popularised the whole concept of working while fasting. Exercising on an empty stomach helps you gain muscle, as it helped in the movie Wolverine.
Improves Insulin Sensitivity
Not only that, your body releases a hormone called insulin when you start eating. This can help you absorb your nutrients from food better. The hormone takes sugars from your bloodstream and helps direct them to your liver, muscles, and fat cells, helping your body enter the storage. So, it is important not to eat too much or too often, as doing it may spike your insulin levels.
Insulin resistance is bad news in general as it may lead to metabolic syndrome, right from diabetes to elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. Constant insulin spikes can make your cells react less to insulin, and this may there is too much sugar to circulate in your bloodstream. Also, too much insulin may give rise to the fat percentage of the body.
Boosts Growth Hormones
The second reason that working out after an overnight fast may help you is it may muscle gain and fat loss, and it all goes down to the one thing, the Human Growth Hormone. Once you can switch on your HGH, you help your body make new muscle tissue and puts it in a fat-burning mode. It helps improve physical function and helps your body’s power to break down glucose and use oxygen.
Try getting enough sleep and at least two or three weight training sessions to increase your body’s GH level. A few years ago, a study showed that going without food for 24 hours increased GH production by almost 2000 percent in men and about 1300 percent in women. However, the effect ends when the fast ends, which is why you have to keep on fasting at regular intervals to ensure the hormones function at their peak.
Is It Safe?
Too much of a good thing is not good, and it’s the same with fasted cardio. Ensure that your body needs adequate levels of fuel to function. So too much exercise after a full night’s sleep may send your blood sugar levels lurching downwards and may even make you feel giddy. You may also feel dehydrated after a fasted workout.
Should You Try it?
To understand if this workout routine suits you, you could try some simple exercises while you are fasting. Just ensure you consume enough water before you start working out.
Everybody is different, so whether a fasted workout is right for you or not is for you to find out. The key to initiating weight loss is maintaining a calorie deficit and maintaining a proper diet and exercise. Start small and then gradually increase the time of your workout duration.
Keep a water bottle handy and eat something if you start feeling dizzy, especially in a person with diabetes. Ensure you have healthy snacks nearby and start nibbling on them if you feel weird. However, there is something that you need to do before you get on board with this fasting routine. It would help if you talked to your healthcare practitioner and your fitness coach. They will help you understand if this workout routine works best for your body and give you the go-ahead. That way, you can be sure that you are making an informed decision. Good luck with your workout regime, fasted or otherwise!