Is it safe to Exercise while Fasting?

Posted on May 5, 2008 in Latest News

The answer is YES, it is safe to exercise while you are fasting. But it is always better to keep your exercise regimen on a lower profile while you are fasting. Exercising during fasting has always been a debatable issue. Basically fasting is a kind of test of your willpower and patience.

The activity level differs from person to person but one need to plan out before following exercising schedule during fasting. Now the question arises is: why it is safe to exercise during fasting? Or the question can be rephrased as what are the benefits experienced by exercising during fasting?

Basically there are 2 circulatory systems in human body: Cardiovascular Circulatory System and Lymphatic Circulatory System. Exercising during fasting basically improve your lymphatic circulatory system. Lymphatic circulatory system basically is a network of ducts and nodes distributed throughout your body. Lymph system carries all the waste material to the center of the body from where it is eliminated.

The lymphatic fluid is circulated throughout the body with the help of muscular contraction. Hence a moderate activity or exercise during fasting stimulates the muscular contraction. The enhanced muscular contraction and lymphatic circulation improves the process of detoxification. To stimulate muscular contraction you don’t need to workout for long. Even simple and easy exercises like deep breathing exercises, walking or stretching can also stimulate muscular contraction.

Usually it is said that never exercise after eating or drinking something. But in case of exercising during fasting it is better to perform exercise after you break your fast. According to an experiment mentioned in the Journal of Applied Physiology exercising after breaking the fast reduces the rate of muscle glycogen depletion and increases the fat utilization.

According to a research study published in Journal of Nutrition people exercising while fasting tend to loose weight faster as compared to people only fasting. The research study also showed that there was a marginal difference between weights lost by the 2 groups. It is always better to do light exercises during fasting.

In case of over-do you might have to face problems like headaches, vomiting, dizziness, etc. Hence it is better to be careful while you exercise during fasting period. you also need to understand that only to a certain limit your body can handle the pressure of detoxification.

Comments

2 Responses to “Is it safe to Exercise while Fasting?”

  1. Nicolas Says:
    July 8th, 2008 at 7:33 pm

    I intend to hike for a week while fasting. Is there any food complement recommended to take? I heard some people drink fresh fruit juice in the morning and broth (or soup) at night. What would you recommend?
    Thank you for your very useful and easy-to-use website. Thank you for your efforts.

  2. Nicole Says:
    October 30th, 2009 at 11:41 pm

    i am on a ten day water fast. I am excited to get excersising!

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