Intermittent Fasting: Benefits & Balance

Maybe you’ve heard about it, maybe you haven’t…Let me introduce you to this very important part to my whole—(drum roll) intermittent fasting!

The literal definition of intermittent fasting is various diets that cycle between a period of fasting and non-fasting during a defined period.

You may think fasting is synonymous with starving— that’s definitely not the case here! While people have been fasting for hundreds of years for religious traditions, intermittent fasting is now being used as a tool to improve health and body composition.

I chose to adopt this cycle of eating primarily because of my digestion issues. Do you ever wake up feeling bloated, full, and just blah? I used to feel that almost every single day! There are a few ways you can use intermittent fasting, but here is what works best for my lifestyle.

I do 8 hours of scheduled eating and 16 hours off. I know 16 hours may seem like a long time without eating because…it certainly is! Here’s a tip: I started with 13 hours of fasting and then worked my way up to 16 hours. Not eating for a specific amount of time with the ratio of time eating is the whole point to this masterpiece—and it’s when the other benefits come into play.

10 potential health benefits of intermittent fasting:

• Reduced Blood Lipids (fatty substance found in blood)

• Increased Cellular Turnover (the constant shedding of dead skin cells and replacement with younger cells)

• Reduced Blood Pressure

• Reduced Inflammation

• Increased Fat Burning and Metabolic Rate

• Improved Appetite and Blood Sugar Control

• Improved Cardiovascular Function

• Increased Growth Hormone Release

• Reduced Oxidative Stress (imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract or detoxify their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidants)

The way I started this was by deciding what frame of time worked best for me. I knew this was a lifestyle so I had to make a few adjustments to my bedtime, my meal choices, and my workouts. A big portion of the 16 hours of fasting is when I’m asleep at night, so I had to make sure I was getting a sufficient 8 hours of rest. The days when I knew I would be busier than usual, I would meal prep! This is a HUGE factor, everyone. Let me repeat, MEAL PREP! This is when the involuntary starvation can come into play, so this is extremely important. Even though it’s called intermittent fasting, eating is just as important!

And yes, I still workout without eating beforehand. I workout early in the morning, but I’m not gonna lie it was hard at first! I had lower energy levels but my body adjusted over a short period of time. The body gets used to cyclical feeding patterns. As a result, many of us experience hormonal hunger, which is NOT true hunger. Rather, it’s just because the body is expecting food. I personally think intermittent fasting gives us the opportunity to realize what ACTUAL hunger feels like. Even more interesting is that hunger hormones are trainable. Most likely, your body gets hungry near the same times every day—regardless of what you eat. Intermittent fasting can help you re-train your hunger hormones, putting you in total control of your appetite which was an old struggle of mine.

Balance is key here! Intermittent fasting not only has helped me with weight loss, it has given me total mental clarity. I feel more focused, driven, and balanced. Mental health is the most important factor in our lives! “You can do anything if you put your mind to it!” Right?

All in all, this lifestyle of dedication comes with a much larger perk…a longer lifespan! If you maintain the health of your mind, body, and spirit whether it being through intermittent fasting or any other health practice, you are on a beautiful path to wholeness, wellness, and longevity!

Peace&Love