Fasting, we have all heard of it and most of us have engaged
in it at one time or the other. When you thing about a fast, what usually comes
to mind is a religious exercise to discipline the body through the mind and to
seek spiritual guidance from God. A wonderful side effect of fasting is fat
loss, fasting for whatever reason is a form of calorie restriction as you eat
less than what you normally would on a non-fasting day. Today I would like to
talk about intermittent fasting as a tool for weight loss and muscle maintenance,
if you have been working out religiously and watch your diet and yet those last
few stubborn pounds refuse to come off, then intermittent fasting might just be
the key.
SO WHAT IS INTERMITTENT FASTING?
Intermittent fasting, basically is a period of eating
followed by a period of non-eating, it’s that simple. Intermittent fasting can
be on consecutive days i.e. 5 days of regular eating a week and 2 non
consecutive days of fasting a week. Scientific studies have shown that
intermittent fasting of this nature helps promote fat burning without the loss
of muscle associated with prolonged fasting. Another element of intermittent
fasting is the time restricted feeding, where you eat only within a 4 hour
window. We should note that intermittent fasting is not a magical cure all for
fat loss; you have to reduce your calorie consumption while fasting, and
consume them within a relatively short time frame for the program to be
effective.
The funny thing is that most of us to some degree or the other
are already intermittent fasting, the average person eats for 12hours a day and
fasts for 12 hours (That’s why the first meal of the day is called breakfast!)
What I am proposing to you is nothing too radical. Instead of the usual 12:12
fast, I am proposing a 16:8 fast i.e. you fast for 16 hours and eat for only an
8 hour window. In practical terms, if you were to eat dinner by 7pm the
previous day, you do not eat your next meal until 11 am the next day. Easy
isn’t it?
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF INTERMITTENT FASTING?
1.
GREATER FAT LOSS:
Intermittent fasting has been
shown to increase your metabolic rate; the rate at which your body burns
calories. Meaning that your body burns more calories on your fasting day, it
does this by supporting Gene activity, fasting turns on genes which produce
proteins which make the body less efficient, this lowered efficiency means that
your body has to burn more calories and fat to accomplish daily tasks. When you
combine this with high intensity exercises like weight lifting or aerobics you
have the perfect plan for fat loss while maintaining lean muscle mass.
2.
IMPROVED HEALTH:
Research shows that intermittent fasting
supports improved immune function, which means that as you fast, you are less
likely to get sick. Other studies have shown that intermittent fasting helps
improve insulin sensitivity and cardio vascular health. To put it more clearly,
if you fast you are less likely to get sick and will be fitter and stronger in
the long run.
3.
CONVINIENCE:
One great thing about intermittent fasting
is that it is very convenient to implement. On the days I fast, I don’t have to
prepare breakfast or think about food till about 2pm. Also when 2pm finally
rolls around, you don’t have to be worried or too picky about what you eat (watch
the quantity though!) Intermittent fasting allows you to have a much more
flexible diet than normal non fasting meal times.
So there you have it folks, intermittent
fasting and the benefits you can get from it. Next week I will be writing about
the different types of intermittent fasting programs you can adopt to suit your
lifestyle, so keep it a date. Only at www.corefitnessngr.blogspot.com
Thanks and do have a wonderful day!
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