Intermittent fasting or simply ‘IF’ has come to be recognized as one of the more successful methods of weight loss and a general promotion of health. This article will tell you a little more about this phenomenon.
Intermittent fasting means fasting in periods. The time periods of this fasting can vary. But it generally involves a 48 hour period in which a person fasts for 24 hours and then carries on with a normal diet the next day. This leads to calorie restriction and thereby brings about results. This is similar to a cleansing and detoxifying the body routine. Therefore, it is not really fasting, but is rather about giving your system a break and thereby allowing natural responses from the system.
The Works
The 48 hour intermittent fasting is done once every week. During the fast, one cannot partake of any food at all. Water can be had throughout the day. This might seem a little extreme and rather impossible to do, but it isn’t. Several cultures all over the world promote the theory of fasting once in a while for detoxification, to cleanse the body and rest the different organs and functions (liver, digestion) that we keep loading at other times.
Some people do not prefer the only water-no food theory and therefore have one meal a day and then nothing at all. Others might have only fruits. But these are alternatives, and originally, this form of fasting involves the 48 hour rule. To try, choose a day that is less strenuous in terms of activities. After an early dinner the night before, try going without breakfast, then lunch, and then dinner as well. If you begin to feel completely washed out, have something. The next day have normal meals but don’t have anything too spicy or oily. The interesting find of the results post fasting is that after the 24 hour fasting period, when people have food, they generally tend to have a little more than normal (to make up for the lost calories) and yet they do not put on excess weight.
Benefits
- Reduces the risk of diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
- When you trick the body into thinking that it is being starved, it causes a little stress in your body and that causes the production of proteins that protect the neurons from severe stress.
- It reduces the risk of cancer by slowing the production of abnormal hormones.
- Heart diseases and diabetes are also prevented.
- When the body is without food, it makes the body more sensitive towards insulin and that helps in maintaining normal blood sugar levels in the body.
- It detoxifies the body completely and helps cleanse the system of toxins.
- Intermittent fasting and bodybuilding have shown to be linked. People who follow the IF programs have shown tremendous success in building muscle bulk. That regime suits them better.
- It helps in reducing blood pressure, risk of coronary diseases, and liver problems.
- It helps improve cognitive powers.
- A person’s general health improves.
- More energy is experienced.
- A person develops patience.
Intermittent fasting is being adopted by more and more people, mainly for weight loss. But as we’ve seen, its effects are more far reaching than just that. It leads to a shift in lifestyle and promotes general health and well-being. When you make this a part of your life, you’ll see the positive effects for yourself.
