When Fasted Cardio/Training Becomes A Problem For Females

by Ali Bolch

Fasted training can be beneficial when used correctly and detrimental when not!

As females, our bodies operate differently to men. The female body is constantly trying to create an environment that can sustain a healthy pregnancy, that is why women tend to have higher body fat. If a woman is training fasted every morning (intense training and/or heavy calorie restricting) and they begin to lose their period, that is their body telling them something is wrong. If you’re training and dieting to the point of losing your period, you are not in a healthy state!

Here are my recommendations for women who are training:

Don’t fast for longer than 12 hours.

Our bodies handle stress differently to men and this prolonged fasting over a period of time can begin to effect women’s reproductive health, which can have a flow on effect to many other aspects of health, not just fertility.

Look at adding a pre-training food source.

When we wake, cortisol will be at its highest and exercise naturally increases cortisol as well. When our body is in prolonged states of high cortisol it holds onto fat storages a little more, but by having a source of carbohydrates prior to exercise this helps reduce that rising cortisol and can also provide the fuel to work out at a higher intensity and for a longer period, to help you get the most from your workouts.

Always listen to your body.

If you’re fatigued constantly, can’t get through a workout, losing your periods, that’s your body trying to tell you, something needs to change.

If you or someone you know would like personalised support to manage your health goals with a naturopathic and functional medicine approach, book an appointment online with one of our accredited Naturopath’s or call the clinic on 03 5977 0117. 

This article is intended to be informational only and represents the opinion of the author. It is not intended to be used as medical advice and does not take the place of advice from a qualified health care practitioner in a clinical setting. Please check with your healthcare practitioner before embarking upon any of the treatments discussed.