When people reach out to us, their main aim is to shed pounds quickly. In this article, we’ll discuss a morning workout that incorporates intermittent fasting to help you lose belly fat and achieve your weight loss goals faster.
Before we get started, you might be wondering: what exactly is intermittent fasting? In simple terms, intermittent fasting, or IF, means restricting your eating to a few hours each day. During the fasting period, you can’t eat, but you can drink water, tea, and coffee as long as they are unsweetened and contain fewer than 30 calories. This process helps deplete your glycogen stores and encourages your body to burn fat for energy.
You typically fast for 16 hours and then have an 8-hour eating window. This approach is often called the “Leangains Model,” popularized by Martin Berkhan of Leangains.com, as noted by James Clear. It’s one of the most commonly used methods. Many people prefer to fast while they sleep, so your eating window might look something like this:
The beauty of the 16/8 model is that it allows for a regular eating schedule, so you can adjust the eating window to fit your needs. For instance, if you need to eat in the morning due to medication, you can shift your fasting window accordingly.
Another method is known as the one meal a day model, where you eat just one meal daily and fast for the rest of the day. This approach requires you to refrain from eating for a full 24 hours once or twice a week. A 24-hour fast is actually the starting point of our 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge, as it helps your body detox and reduces cravings throughout the challenge.
Now that you understand what IF is, you might be curious why anyone would choose to do something that seems like voluntary starvation. Is it safe? Absolutely! It’s safe and manageable, even for those new to fasting. In fact, IF is as natural as the sun rising and setting, reflecting our evolutionary history. The term breakfast literally means breaking the fast that occurs during sleep.
Many health professionals consider it safe, and the benefits are numerous. Some of the advantages of intermittent fasting include:
And that’s the key to burning belly fat. This brings us to the main focus of this article: sharing a morning workout that complements intermittent fasting to aid in weight loss.
The ideal workout for the morning while fasting is light yoga for 30 minutes to an hour. Your body tends to respond better to yoga when you’re fasting. As Yoga Synergy explains, “Going without solid food clears the intestines and allows students to explore yoga postures that aren’t as accessible when the gut is full. Fasting can also significantly enhance flexibility and improve energy flow.”
Since you’re in a fasting state, your body is already burning fat. Adding a low-impact exercise like yoga can accelerate that fat-burning process. Note: It’s important not to exceed 60 minutes of exercise while fasting, and you should stick to low-intensity workouts.
You want to avoid overexerting yourself because you’re consuming fewer calories. Your body is already working hard to adjust to this new eating pattern. It’s normal to feel more tired, have lower energy levels, or even feel a bit under the weather while adapting to IF. Although it can be uncomfortable at first, it’s worth it!
As you work out and use up your body’s carbohydrate reserves, the only energy source left will be fat. Burning that fat will help you lose weight and inches faster than ever. If you’re looking for a complete yoga plan to assist you, check out our Yoga Fat Loss Bible.
Not a fan of yoga? No problem! We have other intermittent fasting morning workout options available. Whatever workout you choose, just remember to stay hydrated, keep it low-impact, and take breaks as needed.
Our 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge is designed to help you lose 10-21 pounds in just 21 days, and intermittent fasting is one of the simple, effective tools we use to help you shed pounds quickly. If you have more than 21 pounds to lose, our challenge can be repeated as many times as necessary to reach your target weight. Plus, our methods help balance your body, mindset, and digestive system, so you can maintain your weight loss!
The best part? You don’t even have to exercise to lose weight with the 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge. Many of our clients have turned it into a lifestyle and lost over 100 pounds!
Start your 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge journey today! Always remember that the hardest part of starting a new healthy habit is sticking with it. Make sure to show up today and give your best effort to your new fasting and exercise routine. You deserve it!
If you found this article on intermittent fasting helpful or have any questions, please leave them in the comments below!
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