It seems like more athletes than ever before have turned to intermittent fasting to take control of their health in a whole new way. Experts agree with this too, and have been encouraging their clients to try fasting in order to reap as many benefits as possible from their dietary regimes. Read on to discover the different kinds of intermittent fasting, and what they could mean for your athletic career.
Intermittent fasting is a health trend that is definitely here to stay. It may be plenty of fun to gamble with top mobile casino, but when it comes to your health as a sportsperson, you need to be sure that you have a 100% chance of staying fit, healthy and resilient!
Full Day Fasting (FDF)
Full day fasts are fasts during which you abstain from eating anything for a period of 24 hours. As an example, if you had your last meal on a Saturday at 8pm, the next time you would eat something would be at 8pm the following day (Sunday).
During these long fasts, an athlete’s body will experience a number of beneficial changes, including spikes in growth hormone, improved liver detoxification, lower levels of inflammation, and a generally lower intake of calories.
The point of a full day fast is to assist your body in recovering from joint and muscle pain and smaller injuries sustained during the week. It is also very advantageous for sportspeople who are performing according to weight classes and have to maintain a stable body weight and low body fat levels in their chosen sports.
How to Full-Day Fast
During FDF, you need to ensure that your body is as relaxed as possible. This means keeping activity, including walking and running, to a minimum, and resting as much as you would like. When not relaxing, it’s recommended that you keep very busy with mentally challenging activities, which will also help you to keep thoughts of eating from your mind.
The one and only issue with this type of fasting is that it can sometimes be overly effective at keeping your body weight low. Some athletes might experience dramatic drops in their body weight, so it’s important to monitor yourself and work with a nutrition professional to avoid this.
Daily Fasting
When athletes think of daily fasting, Martin Berkhan’s LeanGains 16-hour fast comes to mind. This includes 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours during which you can eat, which can dramatically improve your athletic performance. During a daily fast, you might experience improved brain focus, which can be helpful when used for concentrating during sports or weight training. It could lead to better reaction times, fewer mistakes, more intelligent choices, and perhaps even quicker gains in strength for some.
To achieve this, it’s recommended to skip breakfast every day and only break your fast around 8 hours after you wake up. This will make it easier to fall asleep at night, as you will be sated rather than hungry, and more sleep improves your recovery rates. Should you have sports practice during your fasting window, you can also supplement with BCAAs for optimal results.