The Science Behind FSTFUEL
While intermittent fasting seems simple enough to understand, it's more complex when you start combining intermittent fasting with strength-training and cardio workouts.
Maintaining electrolytes combined with amino acids will help your body maintain a critical balance for optimal functioning during intermittent fasting, so you don't have to choose between fasting and fitness.
The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Your body becomes more efficient at utilizing energy stores, improving metabolic health, increased stress resistance, may improve longevity and may decrease incidence of diseases, including obesity and cancer.
Working out in a Fasted State
The benefits of working out in a fasted state are increased fat oxidation, cognitive benefits, improved insulin sensitivity, and potential growth hormone release. Be mindful of the intensity levels and duration while working out in a fasted state. Many people feel more energized during fasted workouts up to 60 minutes. If you are doing a long run for a marathon training program or a long period of training, you would not want to do these types of workouts in a fasted state.
Fueling with F2 FSTFUEL is critical to maintaining energy sodium, magnesium, potassium, and key amino acids that can power you through your regular fasted workouts.
Electrolyte Imbalance
When we fast, our bodies expel essential electrolytes like potassium, sodium, magnesium, and so on. The depletion of these electrolytes nearly triples during a fasted workout as we're engaging in activities and sweating.
An electrolyte imbalance can show up in a number of ways, from confusion and irritability to fatigue and headaches or worse.
Dehydration
Clinical studies have shown that intermittent fasting reduces insulin levels. While this is beneficial to those with insulin sensitivity, lower insulin levels still cause sodium levels in the kidneys to decrease. This equates to more fluid loss, and that's on top of electrolyte loss — which means a greater chance of becoming dehydrated.
Mental Fatigue
Mental fatigue, in addition to physical fatigue, headaches, and moodiness, are also common side effects of intermittent fasting gone wrong. These symptoms can worsen during a fasted workout as the body becomes even more depleted of electrolytes and fluids.
Therefore, it's essential to provide your body with the support it needs to thrive during your fasting window — especially when you plan to work out!