Does Keto-Adaptation make you want to work out more?

JQuinnLife

I was reading over The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance.... again. And I came across a part that resonated with me that hadn't before:

Genetically Modified Mice

These athletes [considering animals as athletes] have been referred to as "Might Mice" or "Super Mice" owing to their ability to perform prodigious amounts of exercise. Dr. Richard Hanson and his laboratory group at Case Western Reserve University made this serendipitous discovery during experiments initially aimed at elucidating the role of PECPCK (phosphoenolypruvate carboxykinase), a key enzyme involved in the pathway that converts non-carbohydrate substances into glucose. They created a line of mice that over-produce PEPCK specifically in skeletal muscle.

What they discovered can described as nothing short of astonishing. These mice were easily distinguished from normal mice because they were noticeably more active, ate more food, but were nonetheless leaner. They were up to 10 times more active, sometimes exercising continuously for up to 6 hours. This incredible propensity to exercise was accompanied by a remarkable capacity to burn fat despite having less subcutaneous and visceral fat stores.
....

Hunch
Keto-adaptation in humans often results in a greater desire/drive to be physically active, likely because there is better total body fuel flow based on fatty acids and ketones. Could this be linked to PECPCK?

Ever since becoming Keto-adapted my drive to workout is incredible. I think about going to the gym all the time, and when I'm there, I work out for 2:30hrs to 3:00hrs constantly going as hard as I can, only leaving when I feel like I have to.

Is this a result of the consistent drive and determination that I have been cultivating? Or is it a result of the brain's mental reaction to the body's physical keto-adaptation?

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TL;DR: Eating no carbs makes me workout like an obsessed monster, hbu?

wabmester

No, I still get bored after 30-45 minutes. 6 hours!? Maybe it just makes the mice crazy.

Sunny_Bunny_

I don't know, but I didn't get that! lol
Well, I can't totally say that... I was walking pretty regularly at one point. Nothing strenuous, but I gave it super quick as soon as it got a little cold in the morning, and I wish I could say that I miss it. Truth is, I don't really like exercise of any kind that I've ever tried.
But! I think I could be spending my energy a little differently. I read a lot now and I pretty much never did that. Specifically health related stuff. Trying to understand the science. As someone with ADHD, spending any time learning, especially complicated subjects, would've been completely overwhelming for me before Keto.
I also tend to be more on top of my to do list and household stuff. So, maybe I'm just directing my extra energy differently.

deksgrl

I feel less sluggish than when I was eating more carbs, but not more motivated to work out. Unfortunately. lol.

ladipoet

I don't work out like you do but I do walk every day (usually for somewhere between 1 to 1.5 hours), and I have noticed that since I changed to a keto lifestyle it's almost like my body craves (demands?) the physical activity and I'm driven to get up and do something to move every day. For what it's worth, prior to following this WOE I had never experienced that.

AshleyC1023

I'm new to keto, less than 2 weeks, but I notice a surplus of energy, or just the fact that I don't feel like *kitten* all the time and am motivated to do more. Could be that.

baconslave

ladipoet wrote: »

I don't work out like you do but I do walk every day (usually for somewhere between 1 to 1.5 hours), and I have noticed that since I changed to a keto lifestyle it's almost like my body craves (demands?) the physical activity and I'm driven to get up and do something to move every day. For what it's worth, prior to following this WOE I had never experienced that.

^So much this for me as well.