Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is simply to increase the window that you are not consuming food within the 24-hour day typically to between 6-8 hours. For example, not eating breakfast until 2pm and finishing by 8pm each day. Essentially this increases the effectiveness of your body’s ability to burn fat since. Training fasted is also used as a more effective way to burn fat stores, therefore intermittent fasting can play a great roll in this training strategy.
Beside the immediate physical effects of intermittent fasting there are several other lifestyle behavioural benefits. One is that with a smaller eating window it is much easier to resist snacking and just focus on high quality, balanced meals. Another is that your energy levels will take less swings throughout the day because the body is digesting for less time, digestion has a significant demand on your energy reserves. You may find that you are much more productive in other areas of your day.
Anyone that has a busy schedule, maybe very early morning starts or works unsociable hours IF is a great approach to diet. It means you can push breakfast to much later in the day and manage your time enough to have control over your food intake which is KEY in getting in shape. I have used IF for a very long time and I personally prefer it to all other approaches.
According to the science this has a myriad of health benefits not just to do with weight loss. Fasting boosts hormone production, particularly HGH (human growth hormone) which is the hormone largely associated with muscle development and the metabolism. IF also keeps insulin levels in check which is great for your overall health, lowering the likelihood of developing diseases like diabetes and obesity, keeping your appetite under control and allowing you to manage your energy throughout the day better. Insulin resistance is one of the main reasons that it gets harder to lose fat as we age. IF also has been proven to boost cellular repair and autophagy which has a positive effect on ageing and longevity. It lowers inflammation and oxidative stress on the body. It may even help with combating more serious conditions such as cancer.
