How to do Fasting When you Workout at Night
Happy Monday Squadies! Today’s blog is for ALL the squadies out there who workout at night and practice intermittent fasting. What are my options if you want out at night and want to practice intermittent fasting? What do I do and find most efficient? When it comes to night workouts and intermittent fasting, you have a couple options. All these options are based off of PREFERENCE! The choice you make can dictate how you sleep and when you can break your fast the following day so keep this in mind when deciding. Here are the options:
Option #1: Refuel → workout → lean snack
This option is the one I go for most often. Since I am working out later on in the day, I like to get my big filling meal in BEFORE my workout, then enjoying a quick lean snack packed with protein such as a protein smoothie after my workout. This way, I am giving my body the proper fuel and replenishing it afterwards. Bare in mind, if you are eating your refuel before your workout make sure you are eating at least an hour or two before working out. This will give your body a chance to digest your food before working out.
Option #2: Lean snack → workout → Refuel
Option 2 is the opposite of option 1, have a lean, protein packed snack before your workout then have your filling refuel afterwards. If choosing this option, keep in mind the time you typically go to sleep. If you are eating right before bed, this can have negative effects on your sleep. Your body needs time to digest before sleeping! I typically do not choose this option unless I have a bit of an earlier workout, around 5-6pm. This way, if I eat my refuel around 7pm I will be giving my body a few hours to digest before sleeping.
Option #3: Refuel → lean snack → workout
Option 3 is great for later workouts and is what I typically choose if I workout past 8pm. Due to a late workout time, waiting to eat afterwards can firstly have a negative impact on your sleep and will also affect what time you break your fast the next day. Of course all options will affect the time you break your fast the next day, if you are working out at 9pm, eat your refuel at 10pm, finish eating at 10:30pm, you can’t break your fast until 2:30pm the next day! Since you are eating before working out, again, make sure you are giving your body the time it needs to digest before working out.
No matter which option you choose, there a few things you should keep in mind with fasting when you workout at night:
- Avoid having your heaviest meal right before your workout. If you choose to have your refuel before your workout, give yourself plenty of time to digest before working out!
- Make sure the times you choose to start and end your fast reflect on which option you choose and what time you decide to workout. Remember that the times you choose to eat your last meal will affect the time you can break your fast the following day. For example, If you choose to eat your refuel after your workout and finish eating at 10pm, if you are following the 16:8 method, you have to wait until 2pm the next day to break your fast! On the other hand, if you eat your last meal BEFORE your workout, say at 6 or 7pm, you will be able to break your fast earlier the next day, around 10 or 11am! If you are someone who typically gets hungry throughout the day, make sure your choice accounts for this!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GySOhErMasY[/embedyt]There you have it squadies how you can do intermittent fasting when you workout at night! To learn more about intermittent fasting, check out my Intermittent fasting for Beginners video![gallery columns="4" ids="1283,1075,1011,1012"]