Is pre-training a break?

If you follow an intermittent fasting dietyou may ask yourself: “Do you take a break from fasting before training?” Let’s find out.

One of the advantages of intermittent fasting is its simplicity. Count nothing: no calories, no carbs, no grains of salt. All you do is watch the clock and then schedule your meals so that, at regular intervals, you don’t eat anything. The timing varies—some people skip entire days to eat, others fast at specific hours each day—but the concept is the same:

• Eat for a while.
• Then, during the fast, stop.

Inevitably, though, people have questions—especially when their fasting schedule conflicts with other fitness-boosting practices like intake of sufficient protein or fill your body adequate carbohydrates.

Or taking supplements like Beachbody Performance Energize before training.

So let’s break it down: Do you break your fast before training? And, if so, how should you incorporate it into an intermittent fasting schedule?

What is fasting?

“Fasting, in its simplest definition, is abstinence from food or drink,” says Krista Maguire, RD. Water, regular tea and black coffee are fine during fasting as they have no calories. Some debate is over diet colabut technically even calorie-free drinks do not break the fast. All the food is outside.

“Fasting comes in many forms,” ​​says Maguire. “Intermittent fasting (IF) can refer to specific days with little or no food or in the form of what we call time-restricted feeding, which is for a certain number of hours without food each day.”

Intermittent fasting, unsurprisingly, usually leads to weight loss, primarily because you eat much less than usual during a given week. For example, in a 16:8 fast (fast for 16 hours, then eat all of your meals in the remaining eight-hour interval), most people eat much less in their feeding window than they would during a day when they were not eating time-restricted. Over the weeks and months, you end up eating less than you normally would – and weight loss is the obvious outcome.

Proponents of IF claim that this approach provides benefits that are greater than what can be achieved by simply eating a little less at each meal. Some claim that long fasts improve our ability to access fat stores or improve our ability to clear sugar from the bloodstream. However, these larger claims remain speculative.

“In terms of heart health, blood sugar management, gut healthand other health benefits, the jury is still out,” says Maguire.

The main advantage of the diet is that it is relatively safe: don’t eat, lose weight. That’s good news though. Some people who want to lose weight prefer the IF approach over the more standard practice, i science suggests that both methods work.

Will Beachbody Performance Energize Break a Fast?

Technically, yes.

Beachbody Performance Energize contains 20 calories per scoop, so having a serving – or even a portion of a serving – means you’re no longer fasting. That’s the short answer.

However, the longer answer is a resounding yes, but…

Is breaking the fast really such a bad thing? Not necessarily. As noted, most of the benefits of IF come from the fact that you eat less over time than you normally would – the other benefits are speculative.

“There’s not a lot of hard and fast data to show that a certain number of calories during this fasting period will help or hinder any health benefits,” says Maguire.

Presumably, if you’re hungry from a long fast, a pre-workout pre-workout drink can give you the energy you need for a good workout. When powered Beachbody Performance Energize or a snack before trainingyou’re setting yourself up to potentially burn more calories than your pre-workout snack or supplement contains.

Plus, you’ll have the fuel and energy you need to lift more weight and possibly build more muscle. The net result is a far more productive session than you could have if you hadn’t burned in a few calories beforehand.*

However, if you really want to do IF by the rules, think twice working at the beginning or end of a fasting period, so you take a pre-workout supplement — or a nutrient — before your workout post-workout meal after — does not break the fast that you would rather extend.

Alternatively, choose an exercise modality – like walking or low intensity cardio — that relies less on stored carbohydrates, and your performance won’t suffer during exercise.

Finally, know that even some pros would probably drop a shot of Beachbody Performance Energize in the middle of a fast. “Some experts say that eating low-calorie foods or drinks under about 50 calories is fine during the fasting period as long as increase blood sugarMaguire says.

The ingredients in Beachbody Performance Energize that won’t break quickly

Some of the ingredients in Beachbody Performance Energize they contain calories — mostly carbohydrates — and so break the fast: organic cane sugar is a carbohydrate, providing about four calories per gram.

But the other ingredients in Beachbody Performance Energize — including beta-alanine, quercetinsilicon, citric acidand others — contain little or no calories.

big picture: If losing fat, building muscle, and getting healthy and strong are your fitness goals, the low calorie count in Beachbody Performance Energize shouldn’t deter you from taking it. In the long run, you can achieve these goals faster by fueling your body with a pre-workout supplement than by extending your fast for another hour or two. The advantages far outweigh any disadvantages.*

Finally, remember that it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.