Why Should I Fast?

Jul 10

Why Should I Fast?

We all want to know what’s the magic pill that helps us have more energy, get a well-rested sleep, lower our body’s inflammation, boost our digestive system, lower your Body Mass Index BMI and help increase our memory and concentration. Would that even be possible?

Well, the short answer is not. But today, I want to share with you a fast way to improve your health: Intermittent Fasting. Let’s get clear of what it is, how it works, and most importantly, how you can add this tool to your daily activities to boost your body’s efficiency.

Let’s start by understanding that this is not a new trend. Intermittent fasting or full fasting has been used for centuries to improve health. Religions and philosophies practiced fasting to show sacrifice and cleansing; such Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, and Hinduism. Some cultures fast for non-religion reason. For instance, Genova, Switzerland, holds the “Fast of Genova” in September. The holiday originated in the Middle ages fasting days as a penitence after calamities such war, epidemics, or the plague.

There are many types of fasting methods, but today we are going to focus on Time-restrictive Eating. When is done right, it’s not about eating less, it’s about eating effectively! It’s about allowing your body a window of time to eat and time to fast (not eating only drinking water, tea, or coffee).

According to Mark Mattson, senior investigator for the National Institute on Aging, part of the US National Institutes of Health. Mattson has investigated the health benefits of intermittent fasting on the cardiovascular system and brain and has called for “well-controlled human studies” in people “across a range of body mass indexes” (J Nutr Biochem 2005;16:129–37).

There are several theories about why fasting provides physiological benefits, says Mattson. “The one that we’ve studied a lot, and designed experiments to test, is the hypothesis that during the fasting period, cells are under a mild stress,” he says. “And they respond to the stress adaptively by enhancing their ability to cope with stress and, maybe, to resist disease.”

Though the word “stress” is often used in a negative sense, taxing the body and mind has benefits. Consider vigorous exercise, which stresses, in particular, muscles and the cardiovascular system. As long as you give your body time to recover, it will grow stronger. “There is considerable similarity between how cells respond to the stress of exercise and how cells respond to intermittent fasting,” says Mattson.

Here is why Intermittent Fasting might be good for you:

Balanced blood glucose (sugar) by lower insulin levels for longer period. This helps prevent insulin resistance and keeps your body in a fat-burning zone longer.
Improve mental clarity and concentration
Increase energy
Weight and body fat loss
Improved lean muscle mass
Improved fat burning
Your body will go into a fat stores for energy, any fatty acids called ketones will be released into the bloodstream
Improve REM when sleeping
Lower overall inflammation in your body
Protects memory and learning functionality

Fascinating, right?

Ready to give it a try?

There are several ways that people do fasting. But the most effective and easy way to follow when you get used to it is the 16:8 method. You are fasting each day for 16 hrs and eating nutritious meals during your 8 hours window. Now, let’s create your eating window that works best for you.

First, choose one of the following eating windows.

Here are 3 options: 16: 8, 14: 10,

My recommendation is to find your own balance where you feel happy. You don’t want to skip meals with friends and family! So, set up a realistic schedule. It’s very important to understand that in order to see and feel positive changes in your body, this practice should become a habit. Experiment with these windows and find what works for you and the lifestyle you love.

PS-Pregnant women or individuals with a history of disordered eating should abstain from all types of fasting since this could encourage extreme behavior such as binging. Diabetes or cancer patients should consult with a health care provider before engaging in any type of fasting.

I’ve been doing Intermittent Fasting consistently for the past 9 months and I can honestly say this is a habit of mine that its going to stay because it makes me feel just great!

I hope you are ready to do it and would love to help you with the process.

Connect with me, I would love to guide you through this process

xoxo