No Food Beyond This Point

New Year's resolutions almost always seem to include "eat healthier" and "exercise more" (at least mine always do!). But have you ever thought about fasting?

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Intermittent fasting has no definite length of time. It can be anywhere from fasting for 14 hours at a time to fasting for a couple days a week, as long as you are restricting food consumption during specified periods. The goal is to consume little to no calories during the "fasting" periods and eat normally during the "feasting" times. (I'm already hungry thinking about this.)

But don't start fasting yet since it can have a major impact on your workout.

Your body uses glycogen, or stored carbohydrates, for fuel during exercise except when glycogen reserves are depleted, such as when you've been fasting. Your body is then forced to find and burn other energy sources, such as fat. In one study done by British Journal of Nutrition, men who ran before eating breakfast burned up to 20% more fast than those who ate before their run.

When your body can't burn glycogen, it reverts to breaking down protein for fuel. So you may shed more fat when exercising, but you may also lose muscle. Not only will this loss of muscle result in loss of strength, it will slow your metabolism and make losing weight harder in the long run. This happens because as your body tries to prevent starvation it adapts to the number of calories you give it.

Fasting regularly, therefore, causes your body to burn fewer calories per day to ensure you have enough every to stay upright and breathing. One study showed that fasting every other day for 22 days resulted in a 5% drop in the subject's metabolic rate (about 83 calories). Plus exercising while your stomach is rumbling just isn't a pleasant feeling, you'll probably feel weak and not have the energy to push your self during the workout.

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If you're still a fan of intermittent fasting then just be sure to structure your workouts so you can still get results and be safe. For example, keep cardio low-intensity if you've been fasting and go high-intensity after meals. This ensures that you have enough glycogen to fuel your workout. Also, follow up a tough workout with a carb-rich snack. Other things to keep in mind include what you're eating while you're "feasting." Regular protein is vital to muscle synthesis throughout the day as well as right after a workout so your meals should include 20 to 30 grams of high-quality protein every four hours while you're awake. During your feast time take advantage of snacks and aim for a meal that combines fast-acting carbohydrates with a blood-sugar-stabilizing protein and eat a high-protein post-workout snack.

I don't think I'm going to be fasting any time soon since I'm all about snacks! Guess I'll have to fulfill my New Year's resolution another way.