“To keep the body in good health is a duty… Otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”
–Buddha
After backpacking SE Asia for 6 months and noticing the practice of fasting through religion, I heard of intermittent fasting as a lifestyle choice that results in improvement of overall health. I started intermittent fasting 4 months ago, in July 2018.
Intermittent fasting is an eating style where you eat within a specific number of hours each day, then fast for the remainder of the 24 hour period from which you had your first bite. I personally follow 16/8 – eating all of my daily calories in an 8-hour window, then fast (water only) for the next 16 hours. They say its good to throw in a 24 hour fast about once or twice a month. In my 4 months of fasting I’ve only been successful with a fast for 24 hours twice!
Powerful benefits of Intermittent Fasting include:
- Boosts weight loss
- Increases energy
- Promotes Cellular repair (your cells initiate cellular repair processes. This includes autophagy, where cells digest and remove old and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells)
- Lowers bad cholesterol
- Promotes longevity
- Protects against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
- Improves memory and boosts brain function
- Makes cells more resilient
I personally do not drink coffee, so outside of my 8-hour eating window, I’m primarily drinking water. For you coffee lovers, coffee is definitely welcomed to consume in the mornings during your fast, so long as it’s served black …!
A typical day of a 16-hour fast for me would be:
Step 1: Wake up, go for a run (drinking only water)
Step 2: Lunch at noon
Step 3: Feel free to eat anything in this 8-hour window.. (I’m no nutritionist so I can’t really validate telling you what to eat!)
Step 4: Finish eating by 8pm
I have this amazing app on my iPhone called Zero. It has helped me so much. All it is, is a timer where you can log your fasts. It keeps record of the last 7 days and is just a great tool to help keep you accountable and organized.
I stick to this about 90% of the time. In my daily routine I’ve grown accustom to it and it works easily in my schedule. However, if I have friends in town or I am traveling or partaking in the occasional late night out with friends I will skip my 16-hour window of fasting and indulge in a late night drink or early breakfast.
Switching to an intermittent fasting diet expands your limits and boosts your performance in a number of ways. The 16/8 method is known to be the simplest, most sustainable and easiest to stick to. Give it a try, your body will thank you!
Happy Fasting, yall!
