7 irresistible reasons to give fasting a try
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘Fasting’? Rapid weight loss? Detoxification of the body? More energy or less energy? Improved health?
Let me share a secret with you: fasting has all these benefits and far more.The benefits of fasting, all backed by science, are nothing short of miraculous.
I have done numerous fasts in my days; from intermittent fasts, only fruit days fasts ( those are great and easy to accomplish!) to eating nothing at all for 28 days ! They all gave wonderful results and that’s why I strongly recommend doing regular fasts.
The literal definition of fasting is to abstain from food and drink from a specific period of time. In the bible there are countless mentions of fasting and I’m sure that fasting has also a great spiritual effect on us. However, I will go into the physical and mental benefits here.
But before I do I want to ask you to share your experiences, if you already had any, with fasting. Did you do an intermittent fast and how did you feel?Are you thinking of doing a fast and are you a little reluctant? Let me know. Please write in the comment section below what you have to share because we can all learn from each other.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the benefits of fasting:
- Boosts weight loss.
Fasting boosts your metabolism.We’ve been told that any long span without food will tank our metabolism, and that the solution is to snack every three to four hours. But in fact, fasting increases your metabolism. This is because it decreases leptin resistance, which increases thyroid hormone production, which results in a boost to your metabolism. - Fasting improves insulin sensitivity.When you’re fasting, you’re no longer feeding your body sugar. As a result your body secretes less insulin, and your sensitivity to insulin improves. This is fantastic news for those with insulin resistance!
- Fasting promotes the secretion of human growth hormone.HGH is naturally produced by the body, but remains active in the bloodstream for just a few minutes. It’s been effectively used to treat obesity and help build muscle mass, important for burning fat. HGH also helps increase muscle strength, which can help improve your workouts, too. Therefore combine these together and you have an effective fat-burning machine on your hands.
- Fasting improves heart health. Studies have found that fasting lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels and heart performance, reduces free radical damage, and increases the growth of blood vessels within the heart. Combine all of these incredible benefits, and you’ve got a major boost to your heart health.
- Fasting has been shown to slow aging and increase lifespan. Fasting enhances the body’s resistance to harmful stress, and improves the body’s protective chemicals. Combined with all of the benefits of fasting above, it makes complete sense that fasting increases your lifespan.
- Fasting normalizes the Ghrelin levels, known as the hunger hormones, they can stabilize with fasting unlike with dieting.
- Fasting protects and improves brain function. Studies have shown that fasting kick starts protective mechanisms in the brain, and inhibits the production of free radicals and irritating proteins that would otherwise contribute to premature brain aging. It has also been shown to increase both the growth of new nerve cells in the brain, and the production of brain proteins that protect against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Ready to try a fast?
The beauty of fasting is that there isn’t one “right” way to do it. In fact, there are several types that are popular. In truth it is far better to start easy and as your system adjusts to the changes you can increase the intervals and duration of your fast. The best way to start is probably with an intermittent fast of 12 hours wich means you restrain entirely from eating for a uninterrupted 12 hour span. Then you can increase that to 16 and 18 hours.
In my experience it is helpful to flush out toxins during a fast and drink a lot of lemon and/or apple cider vinegar water. The additional benefit of apple cider vinegar is that it curbs hunger. Simply pour a spoon full of apple cider vinegar in a cup of lukewarm water and sip throughout the day.
Read my article about the ‘Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar for weight loss‘.
Please comment below, we love to here from you. Your experiences count and give all of us an added feedback. Let us know about your triumphs and/or failures with fasting!
