Friday, 16 February 2018

INTERMITTENT FASTING: 3 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD DO IT TODAY!



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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