How Intermittent Fasting Impacts the Performance of Athletes
Intermittent fasting is not a new term – we all must have heard this term every now and then. It is not just a dieting trend but a lifestyle that people adopt to stay healthy and fit. But many of us wonder, how does this eating pattern impact athletic performance?
Athletes, bodybuilders, and other people associated with the sports field often adopt intermittent fasting to ensure they perform well during the game. To maintain optimal nutrient levels during their training, many turn to supplements. If you’re exploring options for peak performance, buy MK677 online and find the right supplements for your needs.
Understanding the idea behind intermittent fasting requires a holistic view, and that is what we aim to do in this article.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is all about setting your eating routine – cycles of eating and fasting. Basically, it includes when to eat instead of emphasizing what to eat. There are many advantages of intermittent fasting, and it has been associated with different cultures for centuries.
In simple words, intermittent fasting does not define the type of food you should eat; it simply modifies the timing of food you consume throughout the day. For example, if you are fond of eating chicken, oatmeal, and avocados, intermittent fasting won’t stop you from eating any of these – it changes when you are permitted to have them.
Impacts of Intermittent Fasting on the Athletic Body
When you transfer your body from constant eating habits to eating in a timely manner or shift to intermittent fasting, the body undergoes notable transitions. These provide information about the impacts fasting might have on athletic performance.
Let us consider some of the impacts one by one:
Muscle Growth and Recovery
When athletes are considering intermittent fasting, they are more concerned about their muscle growth and recovery process. There are certain studies that claim that intermittent fasting can promote the production of human growth hormone (HGH), which is important for muscle growth and development, most importantly after intense workout sessions.
It is also to be noted that the timing of protein intake is also very crucial in this case. As muscle synthesis is majorly effective after a workout, athletes doing fasting can plan their intermittent fasting windows accordingly.
Metabolic Changes
Intermittent fasting is basically the ability of your body is utilise the fat stores as the primary source of energy and indeed it is its major benefit. Though, normally body cells use glucose which is obtained from carbs to fuel up basic body functions.
The human body, nonetheless, diverts its concentration to utilizing the fat reserves for energy when your body is fasting. With this change, the athletic body gets a more sustained energy source and gets a chance to workout for a longer time.
Improved Endurance
These details might surprise you but some studies and research have given evidence that athletes practicing intermittent fasting experienced a drastic positive change in their body metabolism. Not only this, but they have also said that they experience improved endurance and stamina that helps them in doing workout for longer time durations without getting tired easily.
Conclusion
The basic criteria of an athlete’s success entirely depends on their physical fitness- and there is no denial in that, for sure! And intermittent fasting surely promotes them in their fitness journey.
