A Winning Combo for Fat Reduction and Optimal Fitness

By Dr. Mercola

If you're still not doing interval training, you're likely wasting an awful lot of time in the gym. This is one of the most important developments in fitness science that I can think of, as you can reap far greater health benefits in less time.

But I've recently also started talking about the potential health benefits of intermittent fasting and working out in a fasted state (i.e. skipping breakfast before hitting the gym).

When you exercise while fasting, it essentially forces your body to shed fat, as your body's fat burning processes are controlled by your sympathetic nervous system (SNS), and your SNS is activated by exercise and lack of food. The combination of fasting and exercising maximizes the impact of cellular factors and catalysts (cyclic AMP and AMP Kinases), which force the breakdown of fat and glycogen for energy.

Evidence is indeed mounting in support of this strategy, and I believe it could be quite beneficial, provided you've already made some fundamental lifestyle changes with regards to diet and exercise.

When combined, high-intensity exercise and intermittent fasting could very well be a winning strategy to bring your fitness to the next level.

Keep in mind that fasting, or exercising in a fasted state, would be unwise if you're still eating a diet full of processed foods, so addressing your diet is absolutely crucial before you venture into any kind of fasting. Also, when undertaking any kind of calorie restriction, such as intermittent fasting or simply skipping breakfast, it's critical to cut the right calories, namely carbohydrates (those from sugars and grains that is, NOT vegetable carbs).

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/11/02/interval-training-and-intermittent-fasting.aspx?e_cid=20121102_DNL_art_1