The term Intermittent Fasting (IF) is quite the buzz word lately! But all it really is is a period of eating and non-eating. Simple as that!
Last week’s Wellness Wednesday post talked about Reasons to Cleanse and touched on some of the benefits of cleansing/IF. But let’s get a little more sciencey and talk about what’s really going on in your body! Here is an awesome article that goes into lots of detail (while still in laymen’s terms) – 10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting.
Here are some of the major takeaways:
1 – When you’re fasting, the body does some amazing things – like dropping insulin levels, increasing your human growth hormone, and initiating important cellular repair processes.
2 – Aids in weight loss and maintenance – short term fasting increases your metabolic rate by 3.6-14% & reduces your caloric intake.
3 – Studies show IF can help fight inflammation, which is a common denominator for many types of diseases!
4 – When you’re fasting, your cells go into a cellular “waste removal” process called autophagy (ie ridding cells of unnecessary or dysfunctional components). Say good bye to toxins!
5 – IF has been linked to preventing cancer in animal studies! (More human studies are needed, but since 1 in every 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer, this is promising news!) Also, IF can reduce side effects of chemo.
6 – Daily short term fasts were able to significantly improve Alzheimer’s symptoms in 9 out of 10 patients!!
So, are you looking to detox, lose weight, prevent disease!?! Intermittent Fasting could definitely be of benefit!! Read up, talk to Coach Brandon or Michelle and give it a try! It could be the boost you need!!
