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Nutrition

August 09, 2024

How to Train While Time-Restricted Eating

If you watch the clock before meals and love intense workouts, you might wonder how to balance the two without getting wiped out. Let’s be real, combining time-restricted eating with your exercise routine might be rough to even think about. What’s worse, losing the energy to crush your workouts can be downright frustrating.

The good news? There are ways to work

through time-restricted eating and strength training routines without burning out. Let’s discuss how to combine the two to achieve your fitness goals this year and ahead!

Science Behind Time-Restricted Eating (TRE)

In case you’re unfamiliar with the concept of time-restricted eating, it’s a type of intermittent fasting that sets up an eating window for you each day. An example of TRE is deciding to eat all your meals between 12 pm and 8 pm every day. Let’s say you have breakfast at noon, lunch at 4 pm, and dinner at around 7 pm. After that, your body enters a fasting mode until the next day at noon.

During the fasting period, your body isn’t getting any calories, ultimately using up the stored energy. This 8-hour window has proven to accelerate weight loss and reduce the risk of multiple diseases. The main idea? By taking huge breaks between meals, your body learns to manage energy better and even conditions you to eat less in the long run.

Nonetheless, it’s important to repeat the pattern consistently so your body gets used to the routine.

Benefits of Combining Intermittent Fasting & Strength Training

Scientists believe that combining intermittent fasting with strength training comes with a multitude of health benefits. Especially for folks looking to lose weight quickly, this combination can take your fitness to the next level. The core benefits of combining workouts with time-restricted eating include:

Improves Fat Loss

When you strength-train your body while fasting, your body oxidizes fats for energy more effectively. Since you’re not eating, your body resorts to the stored fat instead. Once you get used to the routine, you can notice a significant improvement in your body’s weight management system.

Better Insulin Sensitivity

Fasting makes your body more sensitive to insulin, which, in turn, manages blood sugar levels better than normal. When you strength train during fasting, the two work together to reduce the chances of developing type 2 diabetes.

Preserves Lean Muscle Mass

Intermittent fasting has been effective to help preserve lean muscle mass, especially when prepared with strict strength training. While your body burns fat, it maintains your muscle mass to keep you toned. This helps you lose extra bulges while staying in shape.

Lifting While Intermittent Fasting

When fasting, many people may wonder if it’s okay to lift weights. Well, the good news is that it’s not only okay but also an excellent way to lose fat while preserving your muscle mass. Lifting prevents your body from using muscle as fuel during fasting, so you don’t lose the muscles you already have.

However, it’s important to ensure you’re listening to your body during the process and refueling it with a proper diet during the eating window to support muscle growth!

Final Thoughts

All in all, time-restricted eating, when coupled with training, is a great way to achieve your fitness goals. However, it’s important to keep your calories in check, especially if losing weight is your top priority. Plus, make sure you’re giving your body enough energy it requires during the 8-hour eating window!

Ready to begin your high-intensity workouts with fasting? Our AI-powered app will track the journey, one step at a time, till you achieve your dream body!

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