Friday, April 15, 2011

Are Fasting and Fitness Compatible?

By Owen Jones


A lot of people do not understand their bodies. That much is obvious because they think that fasting will help them become fitter. They feel convinced that their bodies will feed off their surplus fat and that they will lose weight as a consequence. They also seem to imagine that they will automatically end up with more muscle, just in the right places too. Some take up fasting for fitness because they believe that it will rid them of the toxins in their bodies.

Another conviction that these fasters have is that they are will be able to flush out all of the toxins in their bodies by drinking lots of water while not eating food. Even if this is true, it would be a lengthy process that would mean that you would have to fast for at least five to seven days though in order to complete the detox process, although it is still not clear scientifically whether fasting is the right approach for those that desire fitness.

There are many other paths to fitness that do work well though. For instance, you can cut back the amount of food that you eat. Cutting back is not fasting, it is dieting and it is not only far more effective, it is also far less difficult. This, together with drinking lots of water and increasing your amount of physical activity will help you to get fitter.

If you drink a lot of soda like cola or lemonade, which are full of sugar, like a lot of kids do, or lots of cups of sugared tea or coffee, like a lot of adults do, then just replacing those drinks for water or weak tea will help you lose weight fairly rapidly even if you do not make any other changes to your diet or your amount of activity.

It is also possible to damage your body if you embark on a strenuous exercise routine only relying on body fat to keep you going. Your body probably will not be able to deliver enough energy to fuel such a change, because your metabolism will be too low.

Someone going about it in this way, can become very weak and dizzy. It is not a good idea to run the risk of injury because you have not given your body all the energy it requires to complete the tasks you are requiring it to perform.

It is better to consult a doctor before you make any alterations to either your diet or your fitness routine. Confer with your doctor about your thoughts on fasting and fitness. They will be able to tell you whether they feel it is something you can try or whether it is just too dangerous.

Fasting is all right if you have do it for religious purposes, but do not attempt much physical exertion. Ask a Muslim how he or she feels during Ramadan! Fasting for long periods can lead to high blood pressure and even liver damage. So, be very wary before attempting to starve yourself fit, there are much better ways.




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