No doubt you too are trying to help clients combine intermittent fasting and exercise. I’m sure it’s come up. You may be attempting to do it. You may know their doctor is suggesting it.
But here’s the incongruence for midlife women.
Low Energy Availability (LEA) and exercising while fasting are one and the same. If you’ve been involved in fitness or nutrition for a minute, you know of the Female Athlete Triad. Generally, young active women essentially become menopausal when they should be having regular cycles because of energy insufficiency.
LEA is right back to that and yet more detrimental for women over 40 trying to maintain muscle, also push performance, who can’t afford to lose bone density but will, and have already depleted adrenals and hormone chaos occurring.
In this episode, I respond to a question from one of our Food Flip programs. If you’re helping clients, or yourself through the conflicting information on intermittent fasting and exercise, this may help.
Right now, if you aren’t yet, consider the Flipping 50 Menopause Fitness Specialist and kickstart your year with more knowledge about hormones, their function relative to exercise and understand when a client asks, what they should do, exactly how to help.
Intermittent Fasting and Exercise for Midlife Women
Polly, “Debra I have been wanting to incorporate fasting into my health regime. However with your current recommendations of working out in a fed state I have found it is very difficult to get enough protein and to maintain the fasted state. I read the book Feast Fast Repeat and it goes against a lot of the information you recommend. It’s difficult for me to fast for 18 to 20 hours and feel good. Just wondering what your thoughts are on fasting?”
Start earlier. It’s pretty simple! You don’t have “dinner” at dinner time.. You have a last high protein meal at 3 or 4pm.
Fasting has a purpose. Getting off a plateau. You can kickstart with an 18 or 20 hour fast but there is NO reason if you’re an active person to do this regularly. Rotate.., 12, 14, 15, 18 …. And the amount of carbs you do.
If this was your first book? Keep reading.
Your week should NOT ever look the same every day or you lose metabolic flexibility. If your goal is to stay active and gain muscle and bone density … tell me in a 20 hour fast how you manage to get micronutrients in.
What we all have to do is prioritize.
Are you inflamed? Need to reduce that and kick up the autophagy? Fasting for a short time may be your priority
But high intensity exercise and fasting long are NOT going to coincide together well. That leaves you energy deficient. That puts you in stress. That causes a loss of muscle.
Other Episodes You Might Like:
Training Midlife Clients | Zone 2 Training For Menopause: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/zone-2-training-for-menopause/
7 Tips to be a Personal Trainer Every Midlife Woman Wants to Work With https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/be-a-personal-trainer/
5 Menopause Exercise Programming Tips from Recent Exercise Studies
https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/menopause-exercise-programming/
Resources:
Menopause Fitness Specialist™ Program:
https://www.flippingfifty.com/menopause-fitness-specialist-program-2022/
Health & Fitness Business Scorecard: https://www.fitnessmarketingmastery.com/scorecard
WellPros Mastermind & Mentorship Group: https://www.flippingfifty.com/WELLPROS
