The number one benefit of ketogenic diets is the fact that they can help you lose weight without having to exercise, but does this mean that exercising on ketogenic diets will negatively affect your physical performance?
The Carb Misconception
To think that eating carbs is the only way to provide enough energy for your workout is a common misconception. Though it is true that our bodies use carbs as a fuel, when you reduce your carb intake to a minimum, your body will have to find another energy source — it is going to get the energy it needs through burning fat!
Most diets are based on simply trying to eat less while not working out, which is completely unsustainable and often backfires. The reason why keto diets manage to help you maintain your desired body weight is because they reduce your appetite while simultaneously increasing your energy levels.
But if you feel that you have a lot of energy to spare nonetheless, implementing any kind of exercise into your daily routine sounds like a great thing to do. So what is it exactly that you should do to improve your exercise regime while you’re on a ketogenic diet?
Fuel Your Body Properly
The first tip to know about the keto diet in the first place is to make sure you eat enough food. As previously mentioned, ketogenic diets often cause appetite suppression, and this can mislead you to think that you’re full when you’re actually not. You need to get to know your body’s needs and the way it functions before seriously taking up any type of exercise.
This means that you have to pay a lot of attention to your diet quality, and make sure that you are maintaining a steady and balanced state of ketosis, because it is a must for improving your exercise regime!
Make Sure Your Exercise Makes Sense
Once you are completely sure that you are in ketosis, you should decide on the type of exercise you are going for. Not all workout types require the same nutritional needs. Workouts are usually divided into four groups: flexibility, stability, aerobic and anaerobic exercises. Keep in mind that, during low-intensity workouts, your body tends to use fats as a fuel.
On the other hand, during high-intensity workouts, it uses carbs as the primary energy source. This fact is the main reason why high-intensity exercises (for example, anaerobic exercises make for the most intense type) can get somewhat difficult as you just start your keto diet.
Listen to Your Body
If you are determined to make the best of ketogenic diets while doing high-intensity training more than three times a week, you should consider using the targeted ketogenic diet (TKD) from now on. This type of diet is specially designed to adjust your needed carbs intake to your exercise regime. The best thing to do is to eat anywhere from 15 to 30 grams of fast-acting carbs (namely fruits) about 30 minutes before your exercise, and to do the same 30 minutes after.
This type of diet allows your muscles to recover from the training, while also ensuring that they received an optimal amount of glycogen to perform well. It also ensures that you stay in ketosis!
What is Adaptation Period?
Keep in mind that if your exercise regime is steady and frequent, you will have more benefits from it than if you were to exercise for a week non-stop, and then make a sudden break. The reason for this is that your body gets used to the regime, and adjusts to it with a state called keto-adaptation. This means that it becomes more efficient at using ketones as a fuel, and burning fat at the same time.
Once you are fully devoted to your new diet, your exercise regime will greatly improve and give you the results you want sooner than if you were to stay on a regular keto diet. Once you find that perfect balance of physical activity and eating enough food to back you up on it, you will be unstoppable!
This task can get somewhat tricky, but it will prove itself to be worth it in the end. Keep in mind that, ultimately, properly following the diet will be even more important than working out.
Conclusion
Overall, out of all these tips you have just read about, the term keto-adaptation should stick in your memory the longest. Its power will allow your metabolism to get used to performing better in any type of physical activity with using a smaller amount of carbs as a fuel.
Most people tend to say that combining ketogenic diets and a healthy and well-balanced exercise regime is close to impossible, but with these tips on how to achieve it, you can prove them all wrong! Follow your diet and workout as much as you can, and the results will follow!