One of the things I was concerned about when I considered trying intermittent fasting was whether I would have the energy to continue my morning exercise routine. I am by no stretch of anyone’s imagination an athlete, but I do walk every morning, hit the gym a couple times a week and have been experimenting with some HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training – more on that in a later post).
I was pleased to discover this was not an issue at all. My workouts still felt fine, and one of the unexpected benefits that I have enjoyed the most is my increased clarity and focus on days when I am fasting. In particular, the morning is now an extremely productive time for me – I get my best and most work done in the morning because my body is not burdened with the hard work of digesting food until I break my fast in the afternoon.
A little Googling supported my personal experience. Here is a quote from an author from The Power of Ideas who tried intermittent fasting for one month:
“Intermittent fasting has now become my way of life. It feels damn good and I find myself being clear and focused. My energy levels have sky rocketed. I used to always get that afternoon slump when I felt tired at about 3 PM, but I don’t experience this anymore.
Eating has also come to be an experience that’s enjoyed, rather than just food to scoff down as fast as I can. This has made it easy to keep intermittent fasting going.
Also, after a couple weeks, I decided to try exercising (running and weights) as soon as I woke up on an empty stomach. I thought I would feel light headed and faint from working out on an empty stomach, but the truth is, I had more grit and energy.
Research has found that there’s major perks to doing this: apparently it’s meant to supercharge your body’s fat-burning potential.”
Markus