Sports fasting

Can this increase performance?

No matter whether you are in the middle of targeted competition preparation or just want to improve your endurance performance: sports fasting could be just the thing for you. Here you can read what makes this form of fasting so special - and what you should keep in mind. You will also find out what benefits the combination of sport and fasting can have for you as an athlete and what a classic sports fasting plan looks like.

Sports fasting is a special dietary change that is primarily used in endurance sports. You have reduction, fasting and rebuilding days and also do sports every day. Sports fasting combines a special fasting regimen with targeted training .

According to studies , one possible result can be that you boost your metabolism. In addition, when you fast for sports, your body adjusts after a short time - you burn fat instead of sugar . According to experts, this can bring a lot of positive things for you:

• Your desire for sweets may decrease - your blood sugar level remains relatively stable throughout the day. Additionally, this can lead to fewer cravings and feeling more energized.
• Your blood pressure and cholesterol levels can improve - the risk of cardiovascular disease can decrease.
• You lose weight – up to six kilograms.

But the biggest advantage for you as an athlete is that sports fasting can have a positive effect on your endurance performance . You can read here how this works and what happens to your body during sports fasting.

Sports fasting: why it can make you more efficient

Many experts agree that sports fasting can increase athletic performance . When running, this can manifest itself as follows:

• You don't get out of breath so quickly anymore.
• You cover greater distances.
• You take inclines easier.

The so-called “ metabolic switch” is responsible for a possible increase in endurance performance. But what is it really?

Metabolic Switch: That's what's behind it

Sports fasting is based on two components: a change in diet and daily sports sessions. This combination of fasting and exercise can lead to a metabolic switch. This means: Your entire metabolism, i.e. your metabolism, changes – like turning on a light switch. More specifically, your body switches from burning sugar to burning fat.

And this is how the switch works:

During fasting, the energy supply in your muscles decreases . This is because you eat less or nothing and therefore provide less energy. At the same time, you exercise every day. And for this your muscles need energy. Your muscles draw this energy from their fat stores. So they burn the fat present in the body - instead of the sugar supplied through food.

But it's not just muscles that control this complex process. Certain genes and hormones are also involved and ensure that new mitochondria are formed . Mitochondria are the power plants or energy centers of the cells. If their number increases, your body benefits from it:

• It can produce more energy - so your muscles can work better and have strength for longer during endurance sports.
• It can absorb oxygen better - allowing you to complete longer and more intense workouts without getting out of breath.
• It produces less lactate - a waste product when sugar is converted into energy, which can lead to acidification of the muscles and make them less efficient. With less lactate in your body, you can perform better and tire more slowly.

In short: The metabolic switch and the new formation of mitochondria can have a positive effect on your performance. Studies also suggest this.

Sports fasting plan: This is what it can look like

A sports fasting plan is always structured the same way:

• It starts with three days of dismantling,
• then follow three days of fasting and
• Finally, you set four construction days.

The idea behind it: The body should be slowly introduced to fasting - this makes it easier for beginners to last the entire ten days. After the three days of fasting, you carefully get your body used to “normal” food again. This way you don't overwhelm your stomach and intestines, but rather give them time to change your diet again.

Daily training is added to the change in diet. This should only be 20 to 30 minutes long, but it should be intense. Which endurance training you do is up to you. For example, you can cycle, row or run.

You train particularly intensively with classic interval training . You exert yourself for a maximum of about one to two minutes and then take a short rest period. This is followed by another stress phase. Make sure that you do not exceed 80 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate during training. You calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220.

Our tip : Pay attention to your limits. Do you feel extremely weak during the ten days of sports fasting? Then slow down and just do yoga or go for a walk instead of intensive training.

Are you unsure whether you are fit enough for a fast or whether you should combine exercise and fasting? Contact a nutritionist, personal trainer or other expert. A short medical check-up in advance can also be useful if you want to be on the safe side and have your vital signs checked. Here you can read what the breakdown, fasting and build-up days are when doing sports fasting.

Day 1 to 3: Dismantling days

The first few days of the ten-day sports fasting regimen are about slowly getting your body used to eating less food. Instead of going from 100 to 0 , you start the program slowly - with three days of reduction. During this time, you reduce the amount of carbohydrates you consume.

During the dismantling days your menu can look like this:

• morning: fruit
• lunch: salad
• evening: vegetables and fish or meat

This means you still get all the important nutrients, but you also have to adjust to fasting.

Day 4 to 6: Fasting days

Solid food is taboo during the three days of fasting. Of course you can – and should – continue to drink a lot. Unsweetened tea and water are best for this. They contain no calories, but provide your body with valuable vitamins and minerals. According to some sports fasting programs, fruit juices are also okay. The idea: Three small glasses of juice a day provide you with important vitamins, fiber and trace elements.

However, some experts advise against drinking juices during sports fasting. The reason: fruit juices contain a lot of sugar . And that could increase blood sugar fluctuations and therefore cravings and get in the way of your big goal - achieving the metabolic switch.

During sports fasting, solid food is taboo during the three days of fasting. But you should drink enough.

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Similar to the topic of juices, the same applies to dietary supplements . Some experts recommend supplementing your diet with nutritional supplements during sports fasting - such as amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids, minerals and vitamins . Other experts, however, say that you can do sports fasting successfully without nutritional supplements.

In any case , electrolytes – in the form of salt, magnesium and potassium – are a good idea. Because: Electrolytes can prevent muscle cramps, tension and pain after endurance training. It's particularly easy and quick to replenish your electrolyte levels with Zero Calories** . The sugar-free drink in effervescent tablet form contains the five essential electrolytes sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium and chloride.

Is it particularly important to you to maintain your muscles despite the metabolic switch ? Then you can supply your body with 30 to 50 grams of amino acids or protein during sports fasting. The vegan protein powder Plant Protein, for example, is suitable for this - with valuable plant proteins from peas, rice, sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

Day 7 to 10: Set-up days

In the last four days you will rebuild your diet in a targeted manner . In other words: You slowly get your body used to the fact that it will soon receive more food again. As in the dismantling days, you can now eat solid food again. However, you should still avoid carbohydrate-containing foods such as pasta, bread and sweets.

Your menu could look like this:

• Morning : An apple or other fruit is enough for breakfast.
• Lunch : Eat a salad - with a hard-boiled egg if you want.
• In the evening : Cook some vegetables and some fish or meat.

You should also continue to exercise on the build-up days. Does daily training put a lot of strain on you and do you lose a lot of fluid? Then trysalt tablets from Dextro Energy* . These chewable tablets dissolve quickly in the mouth and are suitable for use thanks to the sodium they contain additional sodium intake with high sweat loss . And if, in addition to sodium, you also want to consume quickly available liquid carbohydrates after sports fasting, then the Liquid Gel in the Blackcurrant + Sodium variety is the right choice for you.

Sports fasting: These tips will make it work

Before you start sports fasting, it can be helpful to do four weeks of intermittent fasting . In this way, your body and mind learn to cope better with the feeling of hunger. And this is how intermittent fasting works: You can eat normally for eight hours. As soon as the ninth hour begins, you stop eating - for 16 hours. The next 8-hour phase then begins.

Are you ready for ten days of sports fasting? These tips can help you stay on track:

• Set your first day of fasting on a Friday . So in a regular working week you only have to last one more day and then it's the weekend. On the second, particularly bad day, you have the day off. By the third day you are usually feeling better.
• Distract yourself when hunger gets too intense , which might be especially the case in the first 36 to 48 hours. This works particularly well with light movement. Positive side effect: If you move more, you break down your carbohydrate stores faster. This means your body switches to burning fat more quickly and your feeling of hunger decreases more quickly.
• Fight energy holes with coffee , which are especially common in the first days of Lent. However, it should be black. You have to avoid milk and sugar because ultimately you want to move away from sugar and towards fat burning.
• Drink a fruit tea or a vegetable broth if you feel like something fruity, sweet or salty.

Sport and fasting: a dream team?

Sports fasting can help your body switch from burning sugar to burning fat. And this in turn can improve your endurance performance. To ensure this is successful, we recommend: Make a precise plan, pay attention to your body and, if in doubt, seek the advice of an expert. Are you curious whether the combination of exercise and fasting can boost your endurance performance? Then just give it a try!

* Magnesium contributes to normal energy metabolism.

** applies to the prepared drink

A varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important.

SOURCES

Anton, SD, Moehl, K., Donahoo, WT, Marosi, K., Lee, SA, Mainous, AG, III, Leeuwenburgh, C. and Mattson, MP (2018), Flipping the Metabolic Switch: Understanding and Applying the Health Benefits of fasting. Obesity, 26: 254-268.

Fuhrmeister, J. et al. (2016). Fasting-induced liver GADD45β restrains hepatic fatty acid uptake and improves metabolic health. EMBO Molecular Medicine, Volume 8(6).