Working Out While On Keto: Is It Possible?

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that puts the body in a state of ketosis, where it burns fat as fuel instead of carbohydrates. While the keto diet can have weight-loss benefits, it can also make certain workouts more challenging. The diet may be tougher for those doing high-intensity exercises, as the body uses carbohydrates for short, intense bursts of energy. However, low-intensity, steady-state workouts, such as jogging or cycling, tend to be less affected by the diet.

Combining exercise with the keto diet can maximise health and weight-loss benefits, but it's important to ease into a workout routine, as the body goes through a metabolic adjustment when switching fuel sources. Additionally, those on the keto diet should be careful to eat enough, especially enough fat, to ensure they're getting the right nutrients and energy.

Low-intensity workouts are best when starting keto

Starting a new diet can be daunting, and it can be tempting to dive head-first into a new workout routine at the same time. However, when it comes to the keto diet, it's best to take a gradual approach to exercise, especially in the beginning. Here's why low-intensity workouts are best when you're starting out on the keto diet:

The Keto Diet and Your Body

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that puts your body into a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. This transition from burning glucose to burning ketones can be challenging for your body, and you may experience symptoms like exhaustion, lack of energy, brain fog, muscle cramping, and irritability. These symptoms, often referred to as the "keto flu," are most likely to occur during the initial phase of the diet.

The Benefits of Low-Intensity Workouts

Low-intensity workouts are ideal during the first week or two of the keto diet, as they help to deplete your glycogen stores more quickly, aiding your body's transition to ketosis. Examples of low-intensity exercises include:

• Walking
• Slow jogging
• Yoga
• Stretching
• Stability work (e.g., balance exercises and core training)
• Light cycling
• Rowing

Avoiding High-Intensity Workouts

Engaging in high-intensity workouts or heavy weight lifting at the beginning of the keto diet can exacerbate the symptoms of the keto flu. These types of exercises require a lot of energy from your muscles, which are not yet optimized for keto. As a result, you may experience increased muscle cramping, lower performance, exhaustion, and intense hunger.

Listening to Your Body

It's important to listen to your body and adjust your workouts accordingly. As your body becomes more fat-adapted and your energy levels increase, you can gradually increase the intensity of your workouts. However, it's crucial to take a gradual approach and not push yourself too hard, too fast.

Maximizing Fat Loss

Low to medium-intensity cardio exercises are some of the best activities for fat loss. By continuing with brisk walks and moderate bike rides, you'll be able to maximize the fat-burning benefits of the keto diet.

Adjusting Your Diet for Exercise

If you're engaging in high-intensity workouts, you may need to adjust your diet slightly. The targeted ketogenic diet (TKD) approach involves consuming 25-50 grams of carbohydrates 30 minutes before a challenging workout. This will provide your body with the glucose it needs to fuel intense exercise without kicking you out of ketosis for long.

Listen to your body and adjust workouts accordingly

Listen to your body and adjust your workouts accordingly. This is a crucial piece of advice for anyone starting a new diet or exercise regime, and it's especially important when it comes to the keto diet.

The keto diet is a significant shift for your body, and it can take some time to adjust. During this adjustment period, it's normal to experience some side effects, such as exhaustion, lack of energy, brain fog, muscle cramping, and irritability. This is often referred to as the "keto flu."

To ease into the keto diet, it's recommended to start with lower-intensity workouts. Low-intensity aerobic exercises like walking, rowing, or biking can get your heart rate up without pushing your body too hard. Slower activities like stretching, rolling, and stability work are also great options. Yoga, which combines stretching and stability, is an excellent choice during this transition phase.

As your body adjusts to the keto diet, pay attention to how you feel. If you experience fatigue, dizziness, or exhaustion, it may be a sign that your body is struggling with the very low-carb diet. In that case, consider adding more carbs to your diet and seeing how your body responds. Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to dieting and exercise, and it's crucial to tailor your routine to your body's unique needs.

Once you're fully keto-adapted, you can gradually increase the intensity of your workouts. However, it's important to note that certain demanding physical activities, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or heavy weightlifting, may require additional adjustments. These types of exercises rely heavily on glucose for fuel, so you might need to modify your diet or workout duration to avoid performance issues.

Overall, listening to your body and adjusting your workouts accordingly is key to a successful keto journey. Start slow, pay attention to your body's signals, and make gradual adjustments as you become more keto-adapted. This approach will help you stay on track and achieve your health and fitness goals.

You can still do HIIT workouts, but you'll likely feel more sluggish

It is possible to do High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts while on a keto diet, but you will likely experience some challenges. HIIT involves short bursts of intense activity followed by periods of rest or low-intensity exercise. While on a keto diet, your body switches from burning glucose to burning ketones for fuel, which can make you feel more sluggish during HIIT workouts as fat is not as easily burned as carbohydrates.

When starting a keto diet, it is important to focus on lower-intensity workouts during the first week or two. This allows your body to deplete its glycogen stores and make the transition to burning ketones for fuel. Lower-intensity aerobic exercises like rowing, walking, or biking are ideal during this period.

Once your body becomes keto-adapted, you can gradually increase the intensity of your workouts. However, certain high-intensity activities that require sustained maximal effort will still rely on glucose for fuel, and you may experience decreased performance. To optimize your energy levels for HIIT, you can adjust your macros or try a targeted ketogenic diet (TKD), which involves consuming a small amount of carbohydrates before and after your workout.

Additionally, it is crucial to listen to your body and know your limits. Combining a keto diet with HIIT can be challenging, and it is important to ensure you are not overexerting yourself. Overall, while it is possible to do HIIT workouts on a keto diet, you may need to make adjustments and be mindful of your body's signals to maintain a healthy balance.

To improve performance, boost your carb intake before a high-intensity workout

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that puts your body into a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. While this can have weight-loss benefits, it can also make certain workouts more challenging, especially high-intensity exercises.

High-intensity exercises, such as strength training, sprinting, and other sports, require short, intense bursts of energy, which are typically powered by the carbohydrates you eat. When you're on the keto diet, your body burns fat for energy instead, and this process is less efficient, which can lead to decreased performance during high-intensity workouts.

However, if you're engaging in high-intensity workouts while on the keto diet, there are ways to improve your performance. One way is to boost your carb intake before a workout. Here are some tips to help you optimize your workouts and improve performance:

• Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD): This approach involves consuming 25-50 grams of net carbs 30-60 minutes before your workout. This provides a targeted boost of carbs to fuel your muscles and improve performance. It's important to time your carb intake correctly to avoid being kicked out of ketosis.
• Choose the right types of exercise: During the initial adjustment phase of the keto diet, focus on lower-intensity workouts such as walking, biking, or yoga. These activities will help deplete your glycogen stores and ease the symptoms of the "keto flu." Once you're fully keto-adapted, you can gradually incorporate high-intensity exercises into your routine.
• Listen to your body: The first few weeks on the keto diet can be challenging as your body adapts to using fat as its primary fuel source. Don't push yourself too hard during this adjustment period. Scale your workouts accordingly and listen to your body's signals.
• Ease into your workout routine: While exercise is beneficial on the keto diet, don't force yourself to work out if you don't feel up to it. Start with lower-intensity workouts and gradually increase the intensity as your body adjusts to ketosis.
• Make sure you're eating enough: It's important to nourish your body with quality foods, especially when engaging in a consistent exercise routine. Focus on consuming healthy fats, such as MCT oil, fresh fish, omega-3, avocado, and quality meats, to ensure you're getting the necessary nutrients.
• Consider a modified Keto diet: If you experience a significant decrease in performance during high-intensity workouts, consider switching to a modified Keto diet, such as the TKD or Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD). These approaches allow for a higher carb intake while still maintaining the benefits of ketosis.

Make sure you're eating enough fat

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet. Typically, 70% to 80% of your daily calories should come from fat, with only a moderate intake of protein. This equates to around 122-133 grams of fat per day for someone consuming 2,000 calories.

On the keto diet, it's important to eat enough fat to stay in ketosis. Here are some tips to ensure you're getting sufficient amounts:

• Meal planning: Planning your meals can help you meet your fat requirements.
• Add fats to hot drinks: Try adding butter or coconut oil to your coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
• Use vegetables as a vehicle: Dip or dress low-carb vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, or celery in high-fat dressings or dips.
• Make fat bombs: Create ball-shaped snacks with a base of coconut or nut butter, freeze them, and eat them as needed.
• Eat oily fish: Consume more salmon or tuna, which contain more healthy fats than white fish like cod or haddock.
• Choose fatty cuts of meat: Opt for poultry with the skin on or grass-fed meat, which has more omega-3.
• Eat fatty snacks: Include portable snacks like olives, boiled eggs, nuts, and avocados in your diet.

Remember, it's crucial to listen to your body and adjust your diet and workout routine accordingly.

Frequently asked questions