Working out fasted can give you a big metabolic boost so you look better, feel better, and become the best fat burner.
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What’s better for fat loss, faster metabolism, and vibrant health than an intense morning workout?
Doing that workout fasted!
Being in a fasted state starts about six hours after you eat. Once your body burns through your stored sugar, it turns to fat for fuel.
Learn more about intermittent fasting and its benefits here.
When you add exercise while you’re already burning fat, you create a powerful one-two punch to be the best fat burner.
So how would that play out?
- You’ll have a substantial dinner eating by the Plate
- You’ll close up the kitchen by 7 p.m.
- You’ll have a cup of Bulletproof™ Coffee the following morning
- Do your workout
- Have a loaded smoothie by around 10 a.m.
Bam, you’re on a morning win!
This is the complete opposite of what many people do, by the way.
They graze at bedtime and then eat cereal or other high sugar impact foods before their workout. Eating carbs before easy exercise doesn’t just slow fat burning, it actually inhibits it.
When you fast and get the best workout for your metabolic buck — weight resistance training and burst training — you’ve got a double win to be an all-day fat burner.
Here are three reasons to do your workout fasted.
Reason 1: Boosts Growth Hormone
We often call growth hormone the “fountain of youth” hormone because it keeps you young.
According to Anna Cabeca, DO, in Keto-Green 16, growth hormone:
“[T]ones and firms muscles, strengthens our bones, and protects our organs. What’s more, it prevents obesity, decreases fat, and firms our thighs, hips, and stomach muscles. Growth hormone is commonly considered an anti-aging hormone because it helps us stay young-looking.”
Cabeca says that too little growth hormone means that fat cells don’t “hear” your brain’s signal to burn fat.
Conversely, higher levels of growth hormone supports lean body mass and lowers body fat. (1) Sufficient growth hormone can lower insulin levels, too.
Burst training and weight resistance training are the best types of exercise to boost growth hormone.
Combine stellar sleep with intermittent fasting and the right kinds of exercise, and you’ve got a triple win to boost growth hormone levels.
Reason 2: Lowers Insulin
Insulin’s job is to help you pack away fat, and too much insulin (or fat) puts you at risk of diabetes.
Fasting and exercise in tandem are a one-two punch that drives down insulin, which can help people with type 2 diabetes improve their blood sugar levels.
In one study, participants who exercised in a fasted state at least three times a week for 12 weeks lost an average of one-quarter of their fat mass, and their fasting insulin levels fell by a whopping 25 percent. (2)
Reason 3: May Boost Endurance
Fasted workouts teach your body to tap into your fat reserves after you’ve burned through available sugar, so you don’t just hit a wall and quit.
Once you dip into your fat supply, you’re burning fat for fuel. You can go harder for longer periods.
“[E]xercising in the fasted state trains your muscles to burn fat,” says Jason Fung, MD, in The Complete Guide to Fasting. “Instead of relying on limited glycogen stores, you can use almost unlimited energy from your fat stores… When we deplete our glycogen through fasting, our muscles learn to become much more efficient at burning fat.”
Breaking your fast after a workout is a snap with a loaded smoothie. You’re giving your hardworking muscles the protein and nutrients it needs to thrive and recover… and a loaded smoothie gives you something to look forward to after a workout.
Need some loaded smoothie ideas to make your post-workout fuel count (and give you major satisfaction)? My Smoothie Guide provides over 50 yummy, protein-packed recipes to make every workout count.
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The views in this blog by JJ Virgin should never be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Please work with a healthcare practitioner concerning any medical problem or concern. The information here is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or condition. Statements contained here have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
- These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
References
- Blackman MR, Sorkin JD, Münzer T, Bellantoni MF, Busby-Whitehead J, Stevens TE, Jayme J, O’Connor KG, Christmas C, Tobin JD, Stewart KJ, Cottrell E, St Clair C, Pabst KM, Harman SM. Growth hormone and sex steroid administration in healthy aged women and men: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2002 Nov 13;288(18):2282–92. doi: 10.1001/jama.288.18.2282. PMID: 12425705.
- Martínez-Rodríguez A, Rubio-Arias JA, García-De Frutos JM, Vicente-Martínez M, Gunnarsson TP. Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training and Intermittent Fasting on Body Composition and Physical Performance in Active Women. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jun 14;18(12):6431. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18126431. PMID: 34198554; PMCID: PMC8296247.
