What would it be like when you wake up in the morning and immediately go for an hour's walk outside? While it's calm and quiet? Or go for a run, a bike ride to the office and only eat your breakfast there? Exercising on an empty stomach has many health benefits and is definitely worth trying! Think increased fat burning and higher energy levels.
Hunters and gatherers
In today's society, we no longer have to deal with seasons of scarcity. We no longer have to hunt for our food and the supermarket is often within 10 minutes' reach. Whereas in prehistoric times we had to do our best for food, now we pull open the refrigerator. Consequences can be that we take in lots of sugars throughout the day, lots of processed food and we are getting fatter and unhealthier. Also, more diseases arise such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and so on.
In prehistoric times, we as humans had to hunt for our food. We were hunters and gatherers and had to work before we could eat. Over time, our genes have hardly changed and so eating in continuous abundance is not at all good for our biological system.
Increased fat burning
When you exercise on an empty stomach, you stimulate your body to tap into your body's fat reserves for energy. After a night's sleep your body asks for energy and you can also activate this by moving instead of eating. Here we are talking about moving after 10 hours of no food. Of course you cannot expect yourself and your body to be able to do this right away. Build up slowly in terms of intensity and time.
Example routine
To start with this, we often recommend first reducing your meal frequency to 3 meals a day. Continuous snacking wasn't something they did in prehistoric times either and only puts more strain on your immune system. Once you have managed to reduce your meal frequencies to 3 meals a day, you will soon find that you only begin to feel the need to eat when you are hungry. Therefore, only really do this when you are hungry!
When you get up at 6 a.m. in the morning, you can devote an hour to exercise. Are you starting exercise in the morning for the first time? Then start with 20 minutes and build up by 10 minutes a week. Can't you do this in the morning? For example, because you have a family to take care of, children to drop off or other concerns in the morning? Get up a little earlier, or arrange for a moment of exercise after taking care of your children/animals. We would like to give you 2 examples which our therapists apply in their daily life:
Routine 1:
Dinner: 6 p.m.
Sleep: around 9:30/ 10:00 p.m.
Morning routine:
05:30 get up: yoga and meditation + drink 2 glasses of water
06:30: children awake, dressing together, children having breakfast and leaving
08:00 a.m.: 30-minute bike ride to the office
08:30 a.m.: start of work day
09:00 a.m.: breakfast
Routine 2:
Dinner: 7 p.m.
Sleep: 9:30 p.m.
Morning routine:
05:30: get up and walk for an hour (or start with 20 minutes and get up later)
6:45 a.m.: getting dressed, packing up and taking the car to the office
08:30 a.m.: start of work day
9:30 a.m.: breakfast
Benefits of exercising on a fasted stomach
As mentioned earlier, there are many health benefits to exercising on a fasted stomach. We are happy to list them for you:
- Fat burning: By exercising sober, your body taps into your fat reserves instead of getting the energy it needs from the food you just ate. This can help you lose weight and increase your fat burning.
- Improved Insulin Sensitivity: Exercising on a fasted stomach can help you improve insulin sensitivity. This in turn helps regulate your blood sugar levels and thus can be supportive in preventing type 2 diabetes.
- Increased Energy: It may sound crazy, but because your body is adjusting, your body is going to see fat as fuel instead of the carbohydrates you eat.
- Mental Acuity: For some of us, exercising on an empty stomach works for greater focus. This may be due to the increased production of certain neurotransmitters that are stimulated by physical exercise on an empty stomach.
- Other positive effects: In addition to the above benefits, exercise on a fasted stomach also has positive effects in depression and has anti-inflammatory effects.
When is it discouraged?
If you are under the age of 23, we do not recommend sober exercise because your body is still developing. This also applies to pregnant and breastfeeding women. Also if you suffer from eating disorders, burn-out complaints or hormonal imbalances we advise against it. Would you like to go through with it anyway? Always do this in consultation with one of our therapists.
In short, would you like to live healthier and with more energy? Perhaps a new routine can help you do that for higher fat burning, more energy and more focus throughout the day. Like all new habits, it won't be easy at first. Always listen to your body for what it really needs. After reading this blog, will you start your new routine tomorrow morning? Good luck!