Exercising On An Empty Stomach

A while ago I featured an article on Intermittent Fasting which has a number of health benefits, as well being very effective to burn fat, and indeed build muscle. This is because of the release of human growth hormone (HGH) – dubbed the ‘Fountain Of Youth’ hormone as it keeps us younger. HGH helps to build muscle fibres and burn fat, improve bone quality, physical function and longevity.  It also helps to improve insulin sensitivity which the standard Western way of living does not promote in the slightest with the majority of food intake being a poor selection of high GI, refined, carbohydrates – and sugar. We face an obesity epidemic of stupendous proportions because of this, not to mention Type 2 diabetes and other serious illnesses. Intermittent Fasting helps to balance hormones and improve insulin sensitivity – and this is essential for our longterm health! Typically, it involves selecting from number of different methods, the most common being fasting for 16 hours a day every day and having an eating window of 8 hours, or fasting for 24 hours a day, once a week. I generally fast once a week for 24 hours and allow myself raw organic green vegetable juices which help to improve brain function as you get the live enzymes from the green drinks which fuel the brain.

What about exercising on an empty stomach? I tend to train every morning on an empty stomach and fuel my body immediately afterwards eggs cooked in coconut oil, avocado and vegetables and a banana; a selection of proteins, healthy fats and omega 3s, and carbohydrates.  When you eat after a workout after fasting, your body better absorbs the nutrients. That said, there is an argument to suggest that you can continue to fast after your workout as HGH prevents muscle loss. Also, since you release testosterone when lifting weights, the combined effect of HGH and testosterone makes for added benefits to build muscle and burn fat – and of course improve energy and libido. This is from Greatist.com:

Optimising Hormones (Fast)

If the fact that Huge Jacked-man practiced intermittent fasting to gain muscle for his latest Wolverine movie isn’t convincing enough, consider this: An empty stomach triggers a cascade of hormonal changes throughout the body that are surprisingly conducive to both building muscle and burning fat.

An empty stomach triggers a cascade of hormonal changes throughout the body that are conducive to both building muscle and burning fat.

The fasted state produces two significant effects:

1. Improved insulin sensitivity. Put very simply, the body releases insulin (a hormone) when we eat to help us absorb the nutrients from our food. The hormone then takes the sugars out of our bloodstream and directs them to the liver, muscles, and fat cells to be used as energy later on. The trouble is that eating too much and too often can make us more resistant to insulin’s effects, and while poor insulin sensitivity ups the risk of heart disease and cancer, it also makes it harder to lose body fat . Eating less frequently (i.e. fasting more regularly) is one way to help remedy the issue, because it results in the body releasing insulin less often, so we become more sensitive to it—and that makes it easier to lose fat,improves blood flow to muscles, and even curbs the impact of an unhealthy diet .

2. The second reason a good old-fashioned fast can promote muscle gain and fat loss comes down to growth hormone (GH), a magical elixir of a hormone that helps the body make new muscle tissue, burn fat, and improve bone quality, physical function, and longevity . Along with regular weight training and proper sleep, fasting is one of the best ways to increase the body’s GH: One study showed that 24 hours without food increases the male body’s GH production by 2,000 freakin’percent, and 1,300 percent in women. The effect ends when the fast does, which is a compelling reason to fast regularly in order to keep muscle-friendly hormones at their highest levels.

We can’t speak of muscle-friendly hormones without bringing uptestosterone. Testosterone helps increase muscle mass and reduce body fat while also improving energy levels, boosting libido, and even combating depression and heart problems—in both men and women . Fasting alone may not have any effect on testosterone, but there is a surprisingly simple way to produce large amounts of both “T” and growth hormone at the same time, creating an optimal environment for building muscle and torching fat: Exercising while fasted.

Read full article on Greatist.com