The Risk of Forcing Yourself to Exercise During Fasting

JAKARTA - It turns out that there is a dangerous risk to the health of the body if you force yourself to exercise after fasting. That's what was conveyed by Sports Medicine Specialist graduated from the University of Indonesia dr. Antonius Andi Kurniawan Sp.KO.

"Forcing yourself to return to a normal or higher portion suddenly increases the risk of everything from injury to overtraining syndrome," said Andi as quoted by ANTARA.

Andi menganjurkan agar masyarakat dapat menaikkan beban atau durasi latihan secara bertahap untuk mengembalikan kemampuan tubuhnya.

If you force yourself, then there is a possibility that the individual concerned will suffer from musculoskeletal injuries such as muscle strains, ligament sprains, or tendinitis due to loads that exceed the capacity of the tissue adaptation at that time.

The next risk is the experimental Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) which can be very severe in the form of pain or stiffness and interfere with daily physical activity.

In other conditions, individuals can also suffer from Rhabdomyolysis or extreme muscle damage that releases myoglobin into the blood, which risks damaging the kidneys.

"Although rare, this can happen with excessive activity without enough hydration," he said.

The doctor who practices at the Pondok Indah-Bintaro Jaya Hospital also revealed another risk is experiencing overtraining syndrome or chronic fatigue which triggers sleep disorders and a decrease in body immunity.

Therefore, he recommends that you do sports gradually followed by nutritional management and stable protein consumption.

"Go back to a balanced nutritional diet. Focus on complex carbohydrates as the main source of energy to replenish muscle glycogen reserves used during exercise," he said.

Citing guidelines from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), Andi said that for individuals who are actively exercising, protein needs range from 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kg of body weight per day.

"Does it have to be more? It doesn't have to be more than the standard for active athletes/individuals, but the most important thing is the distribution of protein. It is recommended to consume 20-40 grams of high-quality protein every 3-4 hours to maximize muscle protein synthesis," he said.