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“The keto diet makes me feel exhausted even when I’m not doing anything. If I add exercise to my routine, I might collapse and die!” That’s what my colleague said few days after doing the keto diet. Sounds funny huh? But those who do keto diet can relate to it.

Keto diet necessitates following an extremely low-carb, high-fat diet in order to induce ketosis in your body. This boosts your body’s ability to burn fat. However, people who starts a ketogenic diet may feel more tired and weak than usual. This fatigue occurs as the body shifts from burning carbohydrate to burning fat for energy. Carbohydrates provide the body with a quicker burst of energy.

The million-dollar question being asked is: “Is Exercise Safe While on a Ketogenic and Low-Carb Diet?”

To begin, let us discuss the numerous health benefits of exercise, such as preventing heart disease and other chronic diseases caused by sedentary or unhealthy living. Exercise keeps us fit, which increases our risk of developing debilitating and fatal diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. It also aids smokers in quitting by reducing cravings, strengthens bones and muscles, improves mental health, and many other benefits.

Exercise was also beneficial to post-juniors. Exercises that improve balance and muscle strength reduce the risk of falling and increase the likelihood of living a longer life. Of course, only God knows when we will die, but we are given wisdom to live wisely, and taking good care of our bodies is an excellent demonstration that we are good stewards of the things we borrow.

Are Keto and Exercise on the same team?

A combination of a ketogenic diet and exercise will bring a whole range of complementary health benefits and improve general well-being. For those who have just started the ketogenic diet, I suggest that you stick to low-impact exercises such as walking. I had written something about it, which you can read here.

Some keto dieters suggested that an alternate high-carb and low-carb diet is good for those who spend more time in the gym, like those who exercise 1-2 hours four to five times a week. I started with a cyclical ketogenic approach: five days of strict keto and two days of a normal diet to replenish stored glycogen in the body tissue, which I spent during my workouts. However, since our bodies and our responses were different, you can still do the experiment and see what suits you best. Check out the types of ketogenic diets here.

So, what kinds of physical activities and exercises are recommended while on the keto diet?

Yoga, stretching, pilates, and tai chi are all examples of flexibility exercises. They are beneficial exercises that improve a joint’s ability to maintain the movement required for daily tasks and physical activity.

Walking, cycling, and swimming are examples of low-impact cardio workouts. Weight lifting and high-intensity workouts are also options. I do high-intensity interval training twice a week.  Listening to our bodies, I suppose, is essential for knowing our limits. Because HIIT requires a lot of energy, it will be difficult for those who have just started a low-carb diet. To perform a high-intensity workout without jeopardizing your performance (and your life), you must first fully adapt to the keto diet.

Furthermore, individuals who exercise frequently and intensely will benefit from a targeted keto diet in which carbs are consumed around your HIIT workout rather than at random times throughout the day. This could imply consuming 25 grams of carbohydrates 60 minutes before your workout and another 25 grams of carbohydrates afterward.

The vast majority of individuals begin a diet journey in order to lose weight; however, as we learned the fundamentals of healthy eating, healthy living, and healthy thinking, our perception changed, and losing weight became a side benefit only. We now know what it entails to be healthy – toned and stronger muscles, more energy to do things not only for ourselves but also for others, (such as helping some post-juniors carry their grocery bags or cross the street), sharper memories, increased self-esteem, promote creativity, lessen stress, and a happier and more positive attitude in life.