I get a lot of questions about my lifestyle, but one of the most common is about exercise. People hear that I eat only one meal a day (OMAD) in a 2-hour window, and they can't wrap their heads around how I function, let alone exercise.
"Chris," they ask, "how can you possibly play a 4-5 hour round of golf on an empty stomach? How do you do your daily calisthenics or go on a 15km weekend walk?"
They're asking this because they're used to the old "sugar-burner" rules: "You have to 'carb-load' before a big event." "You need a sugary sports drink to 'refuel' or you'll crash."
I'm here to tell you that this is one of the biggest myths in nutrition. My clean keto lifestyle doesn't just make fasted exercise possible; it makes it optimal. All of my activities - my daily walks, my calisthenics, my 15km hikes, and my 9- or 18-hole golf rounds - are now done in a fasted state, often 16-20+ hours after my last meal.
It's not a superpower. It's just a different, more efficient metabolic engine. Today, I want to talk about the powerful science behind why this is so beneficial.
Part 1: The "Fat-Adapted" Engine (The Prerequisite)
First, let's be crystal clear: what I'm describing is not for someone on a standard high-carb diet. Attempting a 15km fasted walk while your body is a "sugar-burner" would be a miserable, shaky, "hangry" disaster.
The key that unlocks all of this is becoming "fat-adapted."
Think of your body as a hybrid engine.
The "Sugar-Burner" (the old way) runs on glucose. This is a tiny, high-octane fuel tank. It burns fast and runs out quickly, leaving you desperate for your next "refuel" (more carbs).
The "Fat-Burner" (the clean keto way) runs on ketones, which your liver creates from your own body fat. This is a massive, clean, efficient fuel tank.
My strict, clean ketogenic protocol—and my
Part 2: The Science: Why Fasted Exercise is a "Health Cheat Code"
Once you are fat-adapted, exercising in a fasted state stacks benefits on top of benefits. It's not just about burning fat; it's about triggering powerful healing and hormonal processes.
1. Accelerated Fat-Burning (The Obvious Benefit)
The Science: When you are fasted, your insulin levels are at rock bottom. Insulin is the "storage" hormone; when it's high, it locks your fat cells. When it's low (like in a fasted state), your fat cells are "unlocked" and ready to release energy. When you start exercising, your body demands fuel. With no glucose in the tank, it has no choice but to go directly to those unlocked fat cells and start burning stored body fat at an accelerated rate.
My Benefit: My 15km walk isn't just "burning calories"; it's a 2-3 hour, targeted fat-burning session.
2. Increased Insulin Sensitivity (The Heart-Health Benefit)
The Science: This is a crucial one for my health goals. Both fasting and exercise (independently) tell your muscle cells to become more "hungry" for glucose and nutrients. When you do them together, the effect is amplified.
My Benefit: After my fasted golf game, my muscles are primed. When I finally eat my one, high-protein, nutrient-dense meal, my muscles are incredibly efficient at absorbing all that nutrition, leaving less to be stored as fat. This is a powerful tool for reversing the insulin resistance that is a root cause of heart disease.
3. The Human Growth Hormone (HGH) Boost
The Science: Fasting is one of the most potent natural stimuli for Human Growth Hormone (HGH) secretion. Exercise also triggers an HGH release. When you combine them, you get a powerful synergistic spike in HGH.
My Benefit: HGH is a vital hormone for anyone in a weight-loss phase. Its primary jobs are to preserve lean muscle mass (so you're burning fat, not muscle) and to further accelerate fat metabolism. This fasted exercise is helping me get leaner while staying strong.
4. Enhanced Autophagy (The "Anti-Cancer" Benefit)
The Science: As I've discussed, my 22-hour fast is designed to trigger autophagy—my body's "cellular cleanup" crew that recycles old, damaged cells and proteins. Exercise, which adds a beneficial layer of metabolic stress, has been shown to enhance this autophagy process even further.
My Benefit: Given my family history, this is a non-negotiable for me. My fasted exercise routine is another tool in my "anti-cancer" and "anti-inflammation" toolkit, helping my body clear out cellular "junk" more efficiently.
Part 3: "Keto on the Course" (My Real-World Fuel)
So, what does this look like on the 1st tee? How do I fuel a 4-5 hour game of golf?
The answer is simple: I don't fuel. I hydrate.
My "golf bag" doesn't have sugary sports drinks or "keto bars" (which are almost all
Water: A large bottle of plain water.
Electrolytes: This is the real secret. My
clean, sugar-free electrolyte mix
The other benefit is mental.
The "Sugar-Burner" Golfer: Is running on a glucose-fueled brain. On the back nine, as their blood sugar crashes, their focus shatters, their patience disappears, and their game falls apart.
The "Fat-Adapted" Golfer: Is running on a ketone-fueled brain. Ketones are a stable, long-lasting fuel. My mental clarity and focus on the 18th hole are just as sharp as they were on the 1st. For a game that is 90% mental, this is a massive advantage.
The Takeaway
Fasted exercise isn't about suffering. It's about efficiency. It's about changing your fuel source.
By adopting a clean ketogenic lifestyle, I've turned my body into a fat-burning engine that doesn't need constant refueling. My 22-hour fast, combined with my daily exercise, is a powerful synergy that burns fat, preserves muscle, increases insulin sensitivity, and keeps my brain sharp. I'm not "powering through" my golf game; I'm just running on a better, cleaner, more sustainable fuel.
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