Hello and welcome to the Intermittent Fasting Gems with Jen Podcast.

I'm your host Jen, a middle-aged Michigan mama, wife, and teacher who

in 2021 stumbled upon this crazy cool thing called intermittent fasting.

And before I knew it.

I've lost 46 pounds in four months and gained an incredible lifestyle

filled with complete food freedom.

If you're hungry for unique, no nonsense fasting tips that actually

work, you're in the right place.

So whether you're walking the dog, folding that last load of laundry or cruising to

your nine to five, let's start fasting.

Our way to freedom together.

Hey there, fasting friends.

I am so glad you're here with me today.

If you're new to the show, welcome and if you've been hanging out and loyally

listening for the last several months.

I wanna personally say thank you.

I appreciate your love and support more than you know.

Alright, let's get to it Today.

In today's episode, I'm going to be giving you three intermittent fasting

exercise strategies to help you lose more weight and waste less time.

Let me ask you.

Are you taking precious time out of your day to exercise and you're

feeling like the scale is still stuck at the same frustrating number If

you answered, yes, I totally get it.

I've been there, I've done that for lots and lots of years actually.

I used to think the more I exercised, the more weight I

would lose, but uh, no, that just.

Really was not the case back in 2011.

I, wow.

It's been, I can't believe it's been that long, but back in 2011, I even ran the

Boston Marathon and for the six months of training prior to the race, I kid you not,

I seriously did not lose a single pound.

Now I am a firm believer.

That abs are definitely made in the kitchen and that you

can't outrun a bad diet.

However, I do think that being strategic with the right kind of exercise at the

right time can definitely help you to boost your weight loss results along

your intermittent fasting journey.

So let's get into it.

The three strategies that I'm going to share with you today have been

game changers for me for sure.

They absolutely helped me to lose 46 pounds in four months and maintain my

weight loss over the last four years.

Ears exercise strategy number one.

Start exercising in the fasted state in January of 2021, I was introduced

to and fell madly in love with the intermittent fasting lifestyle.

And as I raced and honestly sometimes crawled along my fasting and fitness

journey, I magically discovered the power of exercising in the fasted state.

And once I started exercising while I was in the fasted state, my weight

loss results really started to get.

Exciting and some weeks I was losing up to four and a half pounds

in one week for so many years.

In my thirties and early forties, I listened to all the famous diet and

fitness gurus, experts, whoever say that, Hey, you need to energize your body.

In order to do so, you've gotta fuel it.

With healthy, high carb protein, rich snacks, and fruit smoothies in preparation

for your upcoming workout session, I.

Personally spent decades following this advice after reading multiple news

articles and all the diet books and all of the fitness magazines that were

saying this is what needed to be done.

However, now that I have learned about the power of intermittent fasting.

I know that eating before a workout is not the best weight loss and

exercise strategy for me, and it might not be the best one for you either.

So again, I'm not a doctor.

I'm just an almost 50-year-old new grandma and PE teacher who just so happened to

figure out how to finally stop dieting and lose 46 pounds in four months.

Honestly, there are so many conflicting weight loss and

exercise opinions out there.

It.

Gets so overwhelming.

So I'm not going to insert some fluff medical study just to

try to prove my credibility.

Plain and simple.

I am just going off of what worked for me off of my own

personal beliefs and experiences.

And with that being said, this is what I truly believe happens

when you eat something that breaks your fast before a workout.

I believe that, um, blood sugar levels increased.

I believe that insulin is spiked.

I believe that our bodies are forced to burn that carby pre-workout snack instead.

Of our stored fat.

But if you exercise while you are in the fasted state, your body has no other

choice than to start burning your stored fat, which to me is one of the coolest

things ever when it comes to weight loss.

Just a simple strategy that can make such a huge difference.

It's as simple as that.

No snacking before sweating.

I say give it a try.

I mean, what can it hurt?

You may just find that you get super awesome results like I did.

I would however recommend drinking a tall glass of water before and

possibly during your workout to help keep you plenty hydrated.

Along my intermittent fasting weight loss journey, I kept a fitness

journal, which I believe is another very important tip for success along

your intermittent fasting journey.

I literally documented everything, so when I started exercising in the fasted state.

I was just a few weeks into my journey in, uh, January of 2021.

At that time, I was already exercising four to six times per week.

However, once I switched to fasted exercise, it absolutely

catapulted my results and the difference truly did blow me away.

The reason I know that it really did work for me was because I took

the time to document my progress and my journey along the way.

And in previous episodes, um, I've left like my monthly tracking chart.

You can find that in my free Facebook group.

So what if with Jen, um.

So tracking is very important, now, here is one more bonus tip to go along

with this fasted exercise strategy.

Are you ready?

It is a big one.

Alright, so to squeeze the absolute most that you can out of this strategy,

I highly recommend working out as far into your fast as you possibly can.

So for example, if I was doing a 20 hour fast for the day.

I would try and get my workout in somewhere around the 17th or 18th

hour into my fasts for the day.

It really, really works.

Give it a try and don't worry about not having enough energy for your

workout, because within a few weeks of doing this, your body is going

to become fat adapted, and once you become a fat burner, you will have more

energy than you know what to do with.

You really, really well.

Alright, moving on to game changing simple exercise strategy number two.

Lose more weight by adding strength training to your exercise routine.

If you really wanna get the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to

exercise, you absolutely need to add in a little strength or resistance training.

Cardio exercises are great, but I do believe it is so important

to add in two to three days of strength training as well.

Strength training will also help your body burn more calories even

after your workout is finished.

Um, there are so many ways that you can add strength training to your routine.

You can use dumbbells or kettlebells or resistance spans.

You can even, uh, do it without equipment and just incorporate body weight exercises

like pushups, squats, and lunges.

Uh, you can do core strengthening moves like planks.

Personally, my preferred way to add strength training to my routine

is through the use of kettlebells.

I did two to three simple, kettlebell routines while I was losing the weight,

and I still consistently do them now.

I usually just search kettlebell workouts on YouTube a few times

a week and just get to it.

I first started with a 10 pound kettlebell for my workouts.

Then I slowly worked up to a 15 pounder, and now I mix it up and

do simple kettlebell routines with five, 10, and 15 pound kettlebells.

I actually keep a set of kettlebells in my gym office at work during my lunch break.

Instead of eating, I just.

Since I do Oma, I don't eat lunch.

Um, I just do my coffee and my sparkling water, and sometimes

I've moved on to tea by that time.

But I just search up a quick full body kettlebell workout on YouTube.

And I work out right there in my office before I drive home for the day and

start cooking dinner for my family.

Sometimes I do it during my lunch break.

Sometimes I do it right after work before I drive home.

But 15 or 30 minutes I can get that done and, um, I'm

well into my fast for the day.

I can drive home and then, uh, prepare for dinner.

My favorite free kettlebell workouts on YouTube are on Carolyn vin's channel.

I also really like juice and toy as kettlebell workouts.

Um, so you might be thinking.

But what about cardio?

Don't we need it to lose more weight?

I do think that cardio is very important for both cardiovascular health and weight

loss, which is why I try to mix things up during the week and incorporate a few

days of both cardio and strength training.

Um, as far as when I like to exercise, I almost always work out, like I said, right

before I eat my first meal of the day.

And as I mentioned before.

When you exercise in the fastest state, you're going to be pulling

from your fat stores to burn energy instead of from glycogen

when you have food in your system.

So after I made a conscious effort to add more strength training

to my weekly exercise routine.

I really did start to notice more muscle definition.

Um, like I said, there are so many resistance training

options to choose from.

Kettlebells, like I said, are my favorite.

I have even added a daily 62nd plank hold to my routine.

And wow, what a difference it has made in my core strength and just my overall.

Muscle tone.

So I have a few bonus tips to go along with this strategy.

First of all, I just wanna say that I am in no way, shape, or form sponsored

by or affiliated with Beachbody.

I do however, believe that they have some really awesome workout programs.

These programs deliver.

A really fantastic mix of both cardio and strength training.

Um, so again, you know, get the, the best bang for your buck, I guess you could say.

Our family pays just over a hundred dollars a year for the full subscription,

and that gives us full access to all of their workout programs.

And there are tons of them.

I am not.

A big fan of working out at public gyms.

I never have been, so this is perfect for me.

I just head to the basement in my mismatched workout clothes, and sometimes

honestly, I am working out in my pajamas.

Uh, I just go down there, I push play on my tv.

I now have completed and truly loved, um, many of the Beachbody programs.

A few of my favorites are Morning Meltdown, 100 P 90 x. It's,

you know, it's an oldie, but a goodie it and core to force.

That's a really good one too.

So again, getting back to kettlebell workouts.

I love my kettlebell strength training workouts.

Um, and I know I mentioned Carolyn Gervin.

She is seriously the bomb when it comes to.

Being an online trainer when it comes to free, but very effective online workouts.

She has short ones, long ones, full body ones, you name it, she's got it.

Just search kettlebell workout.

Carolyn Gervin on YouTube and you will quickly see what I am talking about.

You cannot go wrong with any of her workout videos.

Again, juice and Toya, they have some good ones and uh, what I like about

them is they have kettlebell workouts.

They also have HIIT workouts, which are great to incorporate into your

intermittent fasting, um, plan.

Um, some tabata, things like that.

So I'll leave the link in the show notes to my absolute favorite

kettlebell workout of Carolyn Gervin.

It's a great full body.

Muscle strength building workout.

I usually save it for days when I'm short on time because it's only 15 minutes long.

I only know Caroline from watching her on screen in my basement, in my living

room, or on my laptop when I'm at.

Work in my office or I'm away at vacation, but she's fantastic and I'm

thrilled to promote her videos anytime because she has helped me so much along

my weight loss and fitness journey.

And I really hope that she can help you too.

And if you're out there, listen, Caroline, thank you so much.

You are amazing and I sincerely appreciate you.

Finally, we have come to simple exercise strategy number three that will help

boost your results along your IFF journey, and that is to relax, distract.

Just have fun.

So let's be brutally honest for a minute here, with the exception of a few people

that claim that they exercise for fun.

Yeah, right.

Most, most people, myself included, exercise to lose weight and to

get healthy or better yet both.

But let's get back to being brutally honest.

For years, I had days when I genuinely dreaded the thought of working out,

dragging my body to the basement to work out or hitting the pavement for a run was

the absolute last thing I wanted to do.

All joking aside though, if you truly hate working out, you

probably aren't going to do it.

And if you aren't moving, you probably aren't losing either.

I have stayed pretty active throughout my life and I do believe that exercise is

very important for a variety of reasons.

Um, what I have learned recently though.

And this is very encouraging.

What I've learned is that you don't have to be a crazy workout fanatic

to lose weight to see results.

You really, really don't.

What you can do is relax a little bit, take a chill pill.

It's, it's time to come to terms with the fact that abs

really are made in the kitchen.

There's no denying exercises important, however.

I do believe it's a small sliver in the weight loss pie diet and staying

consistent with your fasting plan and schedule is the clear winner here.

And in the grand scheme of things, we can kind of calm down a little bit and relax.

So it just means that you can relax and leave the 90 minute.

Grueling sweat sessions to the crazies out there who love to exercise for fun.

I'm making quotation marks with my fingers right now.

I can tell you that I personally have been able to maintain my weight loss

almost four years now by incorporating just 15, sometimes 20, sometimes 30

at the max, 40 minutes of low impact exercise four to five times a week.

Alright, next, distract.

How many times have you been working out and the whole time

you're thinking about all of the things that you need or want to do?

What I have found that works for me is to distract myself with entertainment.

Since you're not.

Having to do this grueling workout.

I like to put a mindless but entertaining show or a movie on the television

that's right in front of my treadmill.

Um, or like I might do my kettlebell workout, just, I will mute my la I put it

on my laptop, search something up and put, like I said, right in front of the tv.

So.

I find that it makes me feel like I can run or work out forever.

I'm just having a blast 'cause I am getting my workout in and I'm

being entertained at the same time.

So music can also be a great way to rid distractions in your

mind and kind of groove you back into exercise mode and, um.

You know, just find something that works for you and don't stress about it.

Finally, just have fun.

Who says you have to complete an official workout to check off,

workout complete on your to-do list?

No way.

You don't have to.

Do that.

You will honestly lose more weight if you are having fun

while you are moving your body.

So why not have fun taking your dog for a walk or maybe do some gardening?

Um, I don't know.

What is your favorite way to have fun while you are moving?

I would love to hear from you.

Um.

On that 'cause I'm always looking for new ideas.

So there you have it.

Although it has taken me a few decades, I do finally feel like I've

cracked some kind of secret code on this whole weight loss thing.

Um, but not just weight loss.

I feel like I've cracked the code on long term sustainable weight loss.

The discovery of intermittent fasting is still my number one game

changing discovery, but adding in these three exercise strategies have

made my weight loss and my fitness journey so much more successful.

So.

If you are looking to lose more weight and waste less time along your intermittent

fasting journey, consider adding in these three exercise strategies.

Number one, start exercising in the fasted state.

Number two, don't forget about strength training.

Shoot for two to three days each week.

And finally, number three, relax, distract, and just have fun.

Thanks so much for listening.

My fabulous fasting friends.

I would love to connect with you personally and hear all about how your

intermittent fasting journey is going.

Please feel free to reach out and connect with me on my website.

So what if with jen.com or you can find me on Pinterest and

YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And remember, bathing suit, weather is quickly approaching.

If you are ready to get serious and you wanna take the next six weeks to go

through my video course, where I give you all of my tips and my tricks and my

recipes and every little thing I did to lose 46 pounds in four months, all in one.

Place that you've got, um, that you can review at any time.

You can get my course.

It, normally retails for $49, but if you use the code gems 10 GEMS 10

at checkout, you can get it for $39.

And once you get it, it's yours forever.

Including all future updates and all of that good stuff.

Alright everybody, I hope you have a super spectacular day.

And I'll catch up with you in the next episode.

Bye.

Hey, thank you so much for choosing to spend part of your day listening

to this episode of the Intermittent Fasting Gems with Jen podcast.

If you think these tips could help a friend or a family member, please

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And if you really enjoyed the show, taking a minute or two

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Would be so appreciated.

Tune in for new 15 to 25 minute episodes released on the 10th,

20th, and 30th of each month.

Episodes will feature solo shows filled with if F hacks that

have worked for me, as well as episodes where I get to chat with.

Fun folks of all ages who've experienced incredible success

with intermittent fasting.

If you have questions or want more unique intermittent fasting health and

weight loss tips, tricks and recipes, please visit my website and blog at.

So what if with jen.com?

Finally, we'd love to welcome you into our free intermittent.

Fasting Facebook support group.

So what if with Jen?

Find all of these links in the show notes below.

And as always, I hope you spend your day loving without fear and

laughing until your cheeks hurt.