Is It Safe to Exercise When on Ketogenic Diet?

Some claim that keto can help in increasing their fat-burning ability. But can you exercise on ketosis diet? Does this diet affect your workout?

Read: Does the Keto Diet Make You Constipated?

Can You Exercise on Ketosis Diet? 

Yes, you can still exercise when you’re on a keto diet. However, it’s important to note that some workouts can be tougher than others.

But does this diet provide any favors to your workout? Here are the things you must know.

High-Intensity Exercise Becomes Tougher

The carbs that you eat power most of the high-intensity exercises. Your body stores carbs as glycogen, which becomes an immediate fuel source for your body.

Since you’re on a ketogenic diet, your body burns fat for energy and not carbs. Unlike carbs, fats are not easily burned. In that case, the process of burning fats for fuel may be less efficient.

Because of that, this diet limits your exercise performance while you’re performing some high-intensity exercises. But lower-intensity workouts are less affected.

Other athletes prefer a ketosis diet as it improved their ability to utilize fat as an alternative energy source.

The best thing to do here is to find out for yourself. Keep in mind that every person is different.

Read: Can Ketosis Diet Cause Depression?

Boost Fat Burning Ability 

One small study showed that a ketogenic diet increased the body’s ability to burn fat while the person is working out.

In that case, if you switch to a ketogenic diet, it may increase your fat-burning ability. The reason is that this diet consists of mostly fat. Thus, during exercise, more fat is burned.

However, just because this diet improves your fat-burning ability, you still need to create a calorie deficit if you want to lose weight while on this diet. Remember that fat has a higher number of calories for every gram than carbs.

Speed Up Muscle Recovery After Working Out 

Studies found that a ketogenic diet could increase post-workout muscle recovery. This small study, for instance, noted that this diet could lead to improvements in muscle recovery after exercise.

Read: Is Ketosis Diet the Same as Atkins Diet?

Are You Losing a Lot of Fat on Keto?

Although the keto diet can train your body to utilize fat as a fuel source, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your body is using up all fat stores.

To actually lose fat and lose weight, you need to burn more calories than what you’re consuming.

When you burn fat on keto, it doesn’t always mean that you’re losing the extra fat in your body. It can be that you’re burning more fat but you’re also storing more fat. The reason for this is that the majority of the calories are from fats.

As mentioned earlier, you need to have a calorie deficit if you wish to lose weight with a keto diet.

What you eat also matters. Pay close attention to the quality of food you consume on a keto diet. This is vital to maintain a steady-state of ketosis.

Working out is a crucial factor in achieving optimal health. It also plays an important role in achieving ketosis.

It improves your cardio health while it helps in building lean body mass.

What are the Types of Exercise You Can Do on Ketosis Diet?

• Aerobic exercise. Cardio exercise is best. But you need long-duration-low intensity cardio exercise. You may jog, row or bike.
• Anaerobic exercise. This can be weight lifting that involves short duration yet high intensity.
• Flexibility exercise. There are tons of them. Yoga and stretching exercise are examples. They support soft tissue while improving your range of motion.
• Stability exercise. This includes balance and core training exercises. These exercises can improve your balance and body control.

What are the Drawbacks of Exercises When on Keto Diet? 

There are indeed tons of benefits when you incorporate keto with exercise. But there are also drawbacks that you must know.

Decrease Energy Levels 

It’s especially true if you incorporate the keto diet with OMAD, which means you’re eating one meal a day. Ketogenic restrict your carb intake, while OMAD restricts how many times you can eat per day.

Even though you’re not incorporating OMAD or intermittent fasting with a keto diet, a ketogenic diet can still affect your athletic performance at first. The reason for this is that your body is still adapting to utilizing fat rather than carbs.

However, once your body has adjusted, your energy levels will go back to normal.

Impair Muscle Growth 

It can be challenging to maximize muscle growth. The reason for this is that you need a high amount of protein to promote tissue repair and muscle synthesis.

There are different types of a keto diet. Some versions of keto may include restricting protein intake.

Furthermore, this diet is often low in calories so it can be challenging to consume sufficient protein.

Conclusion 

Can you exercise on ketosis diet? Yes, you can exercise on a ketosis diet. But some types of workouts can be more challenging than others. Find out here if ketosis diet is safe for diabetics.