Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Exercise while fasting
• Method 2 of 2: Helpful post
• Tips
• Warnings

People fast for a variety of reasons - for religious reasons, to lose weight, or to cleanse the body. If you exercise regularly, you will most likely want to continue exercising. However, while fasting, we consume far fewer calories than usual, which makes it difficult and even unsafe to exercise. Learn the basics of how to do modified exercises while fasting to stay active and not hurt yourself.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Exercise while fasting

1. 1 Please consult your healthcare professional. Before embarking on any type of exercise, you should go to the doctor's office, and during fasting this is all the more necessary. The doctor will read your medical record, examine you, and be able to make recommendations.
   • Talk to your doctor about your desire to fast and your exercise plan. He will be able to determine if this combination is safe and suitable for you.
   • If you experience any pain or discomfort while exercising, or if you develop side effects from abstaining from certain foods, stop fasting and exercise, and contact your healthcare professional immediately.
   • Chances are, your doctor's main concern will be figuring out if your heart is healthy enough to exercise while fasting.
   • Nutritionists recommend consuming at least 1200 calories per day while dieting / fasting, especially if you are physically active.
2. 2 Give preference to less vigorous workouts. If you are fasting, low-intensity exercise will be better for you. Thanks to them, the body will not use protein for fuel.
   • During fasting, our body relies on stored energy in the form of glycogen (the main form of glucose storage in the body). If you don't eat for a while, glycogen can run out, forcing the body to use protein for fuel.
   • Choose walking instead of running. Moderate walking is a low-intensity way to stimulate your heart rate.
   • Practice light yoga or tai chi. Slow, deliberate movements allow not only to activate and balance the systems of the body, but also, as you know, to calm and clear the mind.
   • If you live in a private home, do gardening or do some simple yard work. This will require flexing, stretching, and lifting various weights (among other body movements). Both of these activities are actually physical exercise in the guise of hobby or casual work.
   • If at any time, even during low-intensity physical activity, you feel severe weakness or dizziness, stop immediately. You may need to drink water and eat a little to feel better.
3. 3 Do high-intensity exercise after eating. If you are following a short-term abstinence program or following a strict diet to lose weight, you can still do more intense exercise.
   • You can increase the intensity or frequency of exercise, but it's best to do this on the days you eat.
   • After a meal or snack, the body will be able to use glycogen as its main fuel.In addition, glucose from food or snacks will be absorbed into the body more evenly.
   • Some experts recommend doing high-intensity workouts only immediately after a meal so that the body has enough fuel (carbohydrates) throughout the session.

Method 2 of 2: Helpful post

1. 1 Consume protein on non-fasting days. Are you following an interval fasting plan or trying to lose weight by avoiding certain foods? In this case, we recommend that you eat more protein on days when you are not fasting.
   • High amounts of protein are especially important if you are trying to build muscle. Health professionals recommend consuming several small, protein-rich meals every three to four hours.
   • According to the National Academy of Medicine (USA), the recommended daily protein intake should be 46 and 56 grams for men and women, respectively. Try to increase your protein intake to the maximum.
   • By consuming approximately 85-115 grams of lean protein, you will provide 20-25 grams of regular protein.
2. 2 Drink water. It is imperative to stay hydrated while exercising (unless fasting includes water abstinence).
   • Adequate fluid intake is essential for the normal daily functioning of the body. Generally, most health professionals recommend drinking about two to three liters of water per day.
   • Most fasting allows drinking water (even while abstaining from certain types of food for medical examinations or examinations). Be sure to check or review your fasting plan to check what fluids you can and cannot consume.
3. 3 Make a realistic exercise plan. You may want to run instead of walking, or you think you can handle lifting heavy weights, but your habitual limits change during fasting.
   • If you need to abstain from certain foods for medical examinations or for religious reasons, include regular, low-intensity exercise in your plan that you feel comfortable doing. Once the fast is over, you can return to your regular workout routine.
   • If you are fasting from dawn to dusk, it is probably best to avoid exercising during these hours. Exercise close to the time you can eat (early morning or evening).
   • If you are abstaining from certain foods for weight loss or other dietary motives, be careful about physical activity. Understand that on fasting days, you need to do more low-intensity exercise, and only do high-intensity exercise on days when you consume more calories.

Tips

• Establish a regular exercise program as soon as you finish fasting. You can slowly build up the pace of the light exercises you did and move on to more intense workouts.
• Avoid physical activity if you are abstaining from food for blood tests. Exercise can affect the accuracy of many tests, so if you are going to donate blood, you need to skip a workout.

Warnings

• If you feel any of the following symptoms, stop exercising and seek medical attention:
  • Severe shortness of breath
  • Severe weakness or dizziness
  • Sudden loss of vision or hearing
  • Loss of muscle control
  • Severe fatigue
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Excessive sweating