When it comes to fitness, many people claim to have all the hacks and tricks that will help your body get back into shape. While social media is full of hacks, you cannot try just any one as you do not know what may cause harm to your body and what will not. One such trick that many people have been trying is working out on an empty stomach. While previous studies have shown that working out kills your hunger, will you be causing harm to your body if you tire it out without food? Or will it help you achieve your fitness goals quicker?

Many people wonder if there's an optimal time to work out, specifically whether it's better to exercise on an empty stomach (fasted) or after eating (fed). Fasted workouts involve exercising after a period of abstaining from food, often following an overnight fast. While some studies suggest potential benefits to fasted workouts, it's important to weigh these against possible drawbacks. The key difference lies in how your body sources energy, during a fasted workout, your body is more likely to tap into stored fat for fuel.

What Are The Potential Benefits Of Fasted Workouts?

One potential benefit of fasted workouts is that they may enhance fat burning. When you exercise after fasting for a significant period, which is often six hours or more like right after you wake up, your body's glycogen stores which is basically stored carbohydrates are depleted. This forces your body to break down fat for energy. Some studies show that this can lead to a greater proportion of fat being burned during exercise. Additionally, fasted workouts can also improve insulin sensitivity and reduce insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar, and improved sensitivity can lower the risk of conditions like type 2 diabetes. However, research on these benefits is ongoing, and more studies are needed.

What Are The Potential Risks Of Fasted Workouts?

Working out without eating might make you feel more hungry. And some studies say you might burn less energy later in the day. Also, if you have diabetes or take medicine for your blood sugar, working out without eating might be bad for you. It can make your blood sugar go too low. Sometimes, working out without eating can make you feel more tired. And it can make your body make more of a thing called cortisol. Cortisol is like a stress thing, and too much of it can be bad. It can make you gain belly fat, make your body use insulin worse, and make your muscles weaker. So, you need to think about if working out without eating is right for you.

A Few Things To Keep In Mind

Moving your body regularly is really good for you, both how you feel and how your body works. When you exercise, you can lose extra weight or get stronger muscles. But it's not just about looking good. Whether you are exercising on an empty stomach or not, you need to keep a person like your trainer or a healthcare professional in the loop. While these things may help certain people, you never know what kind of underlying issues you may have. Many people go through their entire lives not facing any issue, until one of their actions triggers a negative reaction. So as exercise helps keep you from getting sick, you too have pay attention to your health, regardless of whether you are exercise or not. It makes your heart stronger, so you're less likely to have heart problems. And it can lift your mood, which helps you feel less sad or stressed. When you're active, your brain works better too. So, exercise is like a super tool that helps your whole body and mind stay healthy and happy.

A new and breakthrough international study trial has found that exercise, when added to the recovery regimen for colon cancer patients, can dramatically enhance survival rates and lower the risk of cancer recurrence—performing better than most conventional drug therapies. The findings, delivered at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting and published in the highly respected New England Journal of Medicine, herald a possible paradigm shift in supporting cancer survivors after treatment on a global scale.

For decades, medical professionals have advocated for healthy lifestyles as a preventive measure against cancer development. However, concrete evidence demonstrating the impact of exercise after a cancer diagnosis—especially as a tool to prevent recurrence or new cancers—has been scarce. Until now.

This breakthrough trial, the first of its type, followed close to 900 patients with colon cancer from nations such as the US, UK, Canada, Australia, France, and Israel. Participants had all undergone chemotherapy for curable colon cancer. They were either assigned to a guided exercise program with coaching assistance or a control group receiving only information about nutrition and fitness.

The exercise group also had a personal coach who worked closely with them, meeting biweekly for the initial year and monthly for the next two years, who provided them with customized support to boost their physical activity. This way, there was accountability, motivation, and progress—so often lacking in generic exercise tips.

The control group, on the other hand, got an educational manual advocating general health and diet but without personalized advice or continued support.

Eight years later, the findings were shocking. The exercise group had a 28% reduction in recurrence of cancer and 37% reduction in cause-specific deaths versus the control group. Such survival advantages came with elevated physical activity levels and increased quality of life.

The results surpassed expectations, according to Dr. Christopher Booth, co-author of the report and a cancer specialist at Kingston Health Sciences Centre. "We were astounded," he said. The survival advantages of exercise are comparable, and in many cases, surpass, those provided by many medications now being given to survivors of colon cancer. Furthermore, exercise programs are relatively inexpensive and have much lower side effects.

Dr. Booth pointed out the cost-effectiveness of this intervention: "Exercise programs can be provided for several thousand dollars per patient, an amazingly reasonable intervention that will make individuals feel better, have reduced cancer recurrences, and live longer."

The findings of the trial indicate that cancer centers and payers ought to take seriously integrating exercise coaching into routine survivorship care plans.

How Exercise Works Against Cancer?

Though clinical benefits are evident, scientists continue to examine the underlying biological mechanisms for exercise's protective effects. Blood draws from volunteers are being tested to reveal how physical activity affects cancer prevention.

Potential hypotheses include enhanced insulin metabolism, stronger immune function, and decreases in inflammation—all elements known to affect tumor development and metastasis.

Dr. Kerry Courneya, a co-author and University of Alberta exercise oncology specialist, emphasizes that lasting behavior change among patients is important if long-term benefits are to be achieved. Coaching social support, pleasure from activity such as walking and listening to music, and confidence in the benefits of exercise assist patients in sustaining these healthy behaviors.

One of the participants, Swain-Collins, who had finished the coaching program, still stays physically active by walking in the countryside around her house. She keeps herself motivated by listening to music and likes the process—a central aspect in maintaining physical activity independent of clinical supervision.

"This research demonstrates it's never too late to get moving even after a diagnosis or if patients have already begun treatment," Courneya said, making clear that taking up physical activity after diagnosis can continue to provide substantial health gains.

The trial results come in the face of a disturbing global trend: increasing incidence of colon cancer among younger adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s—a group traditionally less prone to this disease.

In America, new cases of colon cancer total about 142,000 per year, while in the UK, about 32,000 occur yearly. Colon cancer is still the third most frequent cancer in the UK and one of the top reasons for deaths due to cancer worldwide.

While the majority of cases occur in people over 50, diagnoses in younger adults have surged over the past three decades, confounding medical experts.

Possible Causes of Early-Onset Colon Cancer

Researchers have proposed multiple potential triggers for this unsettling rise. Obesity, widespread antibiotic use, exposure to mobile phone radiation, and even microplastic contamination in drinking water have all been suggested as contributing factors.

Yet, a mounting body of evidence points to diet, specifically the higher intake of ultra-processed foods, as a primary suspect. These foods are rich in sugars, unhealthy fats, and additives, which can increase inflammation and imbalances of the gut microbiome—both associated with cancer risk.

Identifying Colon Cancer Symptoms Early

Early detection continues to be key to enhancing colon cancer survival. Signs to monitor include alteration of bowel habits like new or ongoing diarrhea or constipation, abnormal urgency or frequency in bowel movements, and blood in the stool.

Other symptoms can be stomach pain, bloating, feeling of a lump in the abdomen, unintentional weight loss, and ongoing fatigue. Everyone exhibiting these symptoms needs to get medical attention immediately.

This global trial establishes a new standard of care for cancer survivorship, highlighting exercise as not only a way of life but also a powerful medical treatment. With increasing evidence on its benefits, healthcare systems globally are challenged to reassess how they care for patients post-treatment.

Most people think yoga is just about stretching your muscles and relaxing but it is certainly much more than that. It's about moving carefully and using your muscles deeply. The reason why many healthcare professionals encourage people to do yoga is because it helps your body move and stetch.

Unlike some exercises that work only one muscle, yoga often strengthens many muscles at once, making you strong and flexible. Hips muscles, although we use them in many different ways daily, doing hip exercises can ensure that they stay strong for a long time. They may get ignored in our daily worries, but they are the foundational joint of our body.

They help you move around easily, stay steady, and even stop pain in your lower back and knees. Lots of exercises to strengthen your hips are done standing up, but there are also some great yoga poses you can do while sitting down. This makes them easy for almost anyone to try, no matter their fitness level.

Having strong hips is key to good posture, stopping pesky lower back pain, and just making everyday life easier.

Seated Yoga Poses To Try

Remember to listen to your body in each pose. If you experience any sharp pain, ease out of the pose. Consistent practice of these seated poses can significantly contribute to stronger, more flexible, and healthier hips.

Bound Angle Pose

Sit tall with soles of feet together, knees open. Hold feet or ankles, gently pressing knees towards the floor. Keep spine long. This pose deeply stretches inner thighs, groin, and hips, improving flexibility and opening the hip joint effectively.

Half Lord of the Fishes Pose

Sit with legs extended. Bend one knee, placing that foot outside the opposite thigh. Twist your torso towards the bent knee. This pose helps release tension in your outer hips and glutes, simultaneously strengthening your core and spine with a gentle twist.

Cow Face Pose

Sit with legs extended, then stack one knee directly over the other, bringing heels towards hips. Sit evenly on both sit bones. This pose offers a deep stretch for the outer hips, glutes, and IT bands, and significantly improves external rotation of the hips.

Seated Pigeon Pose

Sit with knees bent, feet flat. Cross one ankle over the opposite knee, forming a figure-four. Gently draw the supporting foot closer to deepen the stretch. This fantastic hip opener targets the piriformis muscle and glutes, essential for hip stability and strength.

Easy Pose (Sukhasana)

Sit comfortably cross-legged, ensuring both sit bones are grounded. While simple, actively strengthen your hips by subtly pressing your knees downwards using your hip muscles without straining. This builds awareness and subtle strength in hip flexors and external rotators.

Staff Pose (Dandasana)

Sit with legs extended, feet flexed, spine tall. Place hands beside hips. Gently tilt your pelvis forward and backward, engaging hip flexors and core. This seemingly simple pose establishes a strong foundation and encourages subtle engagement of deep hip and core muscles, crucial for stability.

Seated Wide-Legged Forward Fold

Sit with legs spread wide in a "V" shape, feet flexed. Keep spine long and hinge from hips, reaching hands forward. This pose deeply stretches the inner thighs and hamstrings, while also engaging the muscles around the hip joint to maintain the wide-legged position effectively.

While yoga may seem like stretches and lengthening poses, it is a great way to build strength. What many people do not know about yoga is that while yoga poses do make us more flexible, they are also a great way to ensure our muscles get utilized in different ways than we normally do. For example, while we may only use our legs to walk, doing leg stretches allows your body to go beyond walking. Stronger strides, easier switching from walking to running as well as being able to swiftly use your dynamic energy.

We should focus on core yoga poses because your core is like the powerhouse of your body. A strong core helps you with balance, prevents back pain, and makes all your movements smoother and more powerful. By doing these poses, you're not just building muscles, but also improving your body's ability to move easily and safely every day.

Core Yoga Poses you Should Try

These yoga poses use your own body weight to engage your core muscles, making them stronger and more stable. They also help improve your balance and overall body control.

Plank Pose (Phalakasana)

Plank Pose is a foundational core exercise in yoga. It works your entire core, including your deep abdominal muscles, lower back, and obliques, while also engaging your shoulders, arms, and legs. Holding this pose helps build incredible stability and endurance throughout your body, making it easier to maintain good posture and perform daily tasks.

Side Plank Pose (Vasisthasana)

Building on the regular plank, Side Plank targets your side abdominal muscles (obliques), which are crucial for twisting and bending movements. This pose also strongly engages your shoulders and arms, challenging your balance and strengthening the muscles that support your spine. It's excellent for improving overall body stability and coordination.

Boat Pose (Paripurna Navasana)

Boat Pose is a classic for core strength. Sitting on your sit bones, you lift your legs and torso to form a "V" shape. This pose intensely activates your abdominal muscles, hip flexors, and lower back. It's a static hold that builds endurance and control in your core, helping you maintain an upright and stable posture.

Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

Chair Pose might seem like a simple squat, but it powerfully engages your core, glutes, and quadriceps. As you "sit" into an imaginary chair, your core muscles work hard to keep your torso upright and balanced. This pose helps build lower body strength and core stability that translates directly into activities like lifting and standing.

Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)

Warrior III is a challenging balancing pose that demands significant core engagement. As you extend one leg back and your torso forward, your entire core works to stabilize your body and keep you balanced on one leg. This pose improves overall body strength, balance, and focus, mimicking movements needed for agility and stability.

Dolphin Pose (Catur Svanasana)

Dolphin Pose is like a forearm-supported Downward-Facing Dog. It strengthens your shoulders, arms, and core deeply. Holding this inverted V-shape on your forearms builds upper body endurance and requires strong core engagement to stabilize your spine and maintain the pose. It's a great way to build functional strength for pushing movements.

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

Bridge Pose is a gentle backbend that effectively strengthens your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles, all part of your core. Lifting your hips off the mat engages these muscles, improving spinal flexibility and stability. It's an excellent pose for strengthening the posterior chain, which supports many everyday movements and helps relieve back pain.