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TOPIC REVIEW......Fasting and Performance

As the end of the year is nigh, we decided to have a look through our back catalogue of Podcast episodes and discovered we have released over 90 episodes and have had over 21,000 downloads since we started Podcasting back in April 2020, which is very exciting and all thanks to you, our loyal followers.  

We went on to explore which of the episodes has been most popular, and the all-time most popular one is: Episode 18 Intermittent Fasting and the Female Runner.  We then decided to review it and give you any updates on the subject. So here we will:

Pull out key highlights from Ep18

Introduce some new information from recent studies

Give tips on including fasting in your daily/training life

Some of you may also find this information helpful in getting you “back on track” with your healthy eating routines following the indulgences of Christmas. 

Read full article here

SHOW NOTES:

In the past 10-15 years we have become aware of FASTING as a way to promote good health, longevity and weight loss. There are so many different fasting approaches it can be difficult to know if FASTING would be health promoting for YOU as an individual and if it would help you as a runner. Here we summarise Episode 18 Intermittent Fasting and the Female Runner. 

(07:40)

The Different Approaches to Intermittent Fasting

(10:07)

The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

(11:34)

The Drawbacks of Intermittent Fasting  

(13:50)

FEMALE FACTORS

1. If fasting leads to a high requirement for Cortisol, that takes priority over making female sex hormones and the knock-on effect from this is disruption in sex hormonal balance possibly leading to: disrupted periods, fertility issues, low sex drive, peri and menopause symptoms and other hormonally driven health conditions. 
2. Women appear to lose more weight and percentage body fat than men following fasting
3. Metabolism of the substrates of Protein/fat/CHO may differ between males and females and this could be influenced by the menstrual cycle and oral contraception.  

(17:03)

Updates on Intermittent Fasting and Sports Performance

(24:09)

Tips on Including Intermittent Fasting in YOUR Daily Life and Training

(28:01)

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Fasting comes in various forms – it is about choosing then approach that fits best with your running training and lifestyle
2. There are strengths and pitfalls to adopting a Fasting approach to everyday life and running training so be sure to weigh these up before embarking on any Fasting style
3. Remember fasting may impact on sex hormone balance in some women leading to disrupted periods, fertility issues, low sex drive peri and menopause symptoms
4. Ensure you have your everyday healthy eating plan embedded before embarking on Fasting to help limit its effects on BSB
5. Finally, remember Fasting is not for everyone…it will depend on your training, your lifestyle, your current health and other factors 

Related Topics:

Intermittent Fasting and the Female Runner

Resistant Weight Loss in Runners