Should runners do intermittent fasting?
It is still crazy for me to think that I’ve been practicing intermittent fasting for over 2 years now! And that I haven’t counted calories in almost 7 years! Because if you knew me 10 years ago, you would know that this would seem completely impossible.I spent every night writing down every calorie I ate for the day and obsessing over it. I never missed a meal, and if I did, you would NOT want to be around me. I was EVIL when I missed a meal (my daughter apparently thinks that I am still evil, but I think that just means I’m doing a good job as her mom). I was addicted, obsessed, CRAZY about every tiny morsel I put into my body and couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to not obsess over it - and surely, if I missed a meal or didn’t count my calories, I would gain a ton of weight + my running would suffer.Now, I’m FREE of counting calories! I listen to my body cues as to when I’m full, hungry, or when things just don’t feel right. I am more intune with my body now more than I ever have been, and the fact that I don’t have to count calories to get to that point is a HUGE win for me! I never thought I would NOT be eating breakfast daily, or that a simple smoothie could keep me full for 5-6 hours!It’s all about the intermittent fasting + eating a WELL BALANCED diet! Seriously, this way of eating has changed my entire outlook on food and running fuel, and I honestly don’t think I will turn back!So, what exactly is intermittent fasting and why is it so beneficial for runners? Intermittent fasting means going longer periods of time in a fasted state, without food. We have been drilled that we need to be eating as soon as we wake up in the morning and then we should eat every 2-3 hours of the day. What happens when we follow this “typical” way of eat is that our body is never able to go into “recovery mode” until we go to bed at night. You see, your body can only do one thing at a time - it can either digest food or it can actively work to repair cells. If we are continuously eating every 2-3 hours during the day, sure, we won’t ever feel hungry, but we also aren’t giving our bodies adequate time to repair our cells except for when we are sleeping. And if you are anything like me, that is maybe 5, 6, 7, or, on a good night, 8 hours every day. That means, your body is constantly digesting food 75% of the time and only repairing cells that we are constantly breaking down through daily activities + exercise 25% of the time.Doesn’t really seem to make sense, does it?So, there are a few benefits as to WHY Intermittent Fasting is so important for runners. First of all, if we are spending longer in a fasted state (16-24 hours), we are giving our bodies more sufficient time to actively work on repairing + rebuilding the cells we have broken down from running. Which essentially means STRONGER + BETTER running! Woohoo us!The second reason why Intermittent Fasting is so important for runners is that it is allowing our bodies to learn how to burn FAT over carbohydrates during exercise. Uh, who cares? Well, every runner should! We only have 2,000 calories worth of carbohydrates we have stored in our body, which is why we are always touting on carbo loading right before a long race. However, in a marathon, we are going to use ALL of those carbohydrate stores and MORE. (Think: if we burn 100 calories every mile, we will be burning 2,600 calories in a marathon. Gives you a good idea of why most runners bonk right at mile 20…)By practicing intermittent fasting, especially practicing some fasted long runs, we are retraining our bodies to rely more on our fat stores than carbohydrates to fuel our running. Which means, we are able to run HARDER for LONGER! Sounds like a win-win to me!How do you start incorporating this? Start with baby steps. Ideally, you will want to work up to fasting more and feeding less. Some people go 24-hours between meals (Eat-Stop-Eat), while others fast every day (16/8 Method). But, really, it depends on what works best for YOU.I used to do more of a 5:2 Diet of intermittent fasting: eat regularly 5 days of the week and fast 2 days of the week. However, as my mileage increased, it became harder and harder for me to fast for longer periods of time. So, I switched to the 16/8 Method of fasting: fasting for 16 hours of the day and eating for 8 hours. However, I was only practicing this 5 days of the week and don’t fast on my long run or tempo run days, since these are typically days that burn more calories and I need to replenish my carbohydrates more than on other easy run days.Lately, I’ve been trying a different way of fasting. Instead of going a longer period of time between my last meal the night before + my first meal the day of (16/8 Method), I’m trying to do 3 meals a day with fasting in between. So, instead of a 16-hour period of time where my body is in recovery mode, I’m still getting a longer fasting time between dinner + breakfast, but I’m also getting more recovery during my day by eating 3 meals a day + little to no snacks in between meals. This seems to be working better for me on days when I run compared to the 16/8 Method. I just couldn’t make it and would ruin myself before I broke my fast and start eating ALL THE THINGS. This has been working better for me and I’ve been able to stay on track a little better.What it comes down to is what works best for YOU. There is no RIGHT way to fast. But, I truly believe this method is a game-changer for runners. By learning to use fat as fuel, ultimately, we will be able to see amazing increases in our running potential!
Ready to take your running fuel to the next level? Want to support with your nutrition and (BONUS!) some guidance with your running?! The Elite Running Academy is where it’s at! You’ll learn how to start incorporating intermittent fasting into a structured training program, as well as how to incorporate a healthy meal plan to take your running to the next level. You’ll also get DAILY workouts, as well as motivation, encouragement, and support from ME as YOUR coach and other like-minded runners!The next program begins June 25th, but you can get early access to the program TODAY!https://theconcreterunner.lpages.co/elite-running-academy-live