More and more people are following different health tips in an attempt to lose weight and maintain their health. Many health fads have been introduced by the media to make it easy for the Average Joe to attain his fitness goals. However, with numerous options available today, do you know which one to use? Are you aware which of these methods is the best or the most effective for improving health?
Discovered in 1945, intermittent fasting has gained popularity among countless health-conscious individuals from different parts of the world because of its efficacy. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that requires you to track the time between eating and fasting. Unlike other health and fitness routines, intermittent fasting doesn’t specify what kind of food you should eat. Rather, intermittent fasting focuses on the time of the day when you should eat these foods.
Here are some of the health benefits that you may experience once you start practicing intermittent fasting:
1. Weight Loss
Maintaining a healthy weight should be everyone’s priority because weight impacts our lives in many ways. Being overweight or obese can become the reason why you have a poor body image and low self-esteem. How can you have the confidence to get out of your comfort zone if you’re too conscious about your weight? Do you think you can make the most out of your life if people are always looking at your weight?
If you have been trying to lose weight, but to no avail, doing intermittent fasting might be the solution to your problem. This is because intermittent fasting will make you eat fewer meals and enhance your hormones function in order to facilitate faster weight loss.
Moreover, intermittent fasting has been proven to boost your metabolic rate. This means that you can burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. The faster your metabolism, the easier it is for you to lose weight.
2. Lower Oxidative Stress In The Body
Simply defined, oxidative stress is an imbalance of the antioxidants and free radicals found in the human body. Over time, this imbalance can cause severe tissue and cell damage that can accelerate the aging process. Some of the most common signs of oxidative stress in the body include wrinkles, grey hair, muscle and joint pain, and memory loss. You can also become more susceptible to infections if you have high levels of oxidative stress.
Try intermittent fasting in addition to the usual activities that help you to relieve stress. According to studies, intermittent fasting can improve the body’s ability to fight oxidative stress. Moreover, studies have proven that intermittent fasting can also fight inflammation, one of the most common drivers of different kinds of illnesses and diseases.
3. Improved Heart Health
Your heart is one of the most important organs of your body. The heart is responsible for pumping about 2,000 gallons of blood every single day. Without this function, none of your other organs and systems can work. However, regardless of how much you take care of your heart, it will eventually deteriorate with age. As you get older, your heart will become weaker and more prone to illnesses and diseases.
Doing intermittent fasting early can help you avoid this course to a certain extent. Several studies have been published to prove how intermittent fasting can decrease the risk of age-related heart diseases. Furthermore, intermittent fasting is also known to improve some of the body’s cardiovascular functions, such as regulating blood sugar and blood pressure levels, and reducing inflammation in the arteries.
4. Improved Cognitive Functions
Just like your heart, your brain also declines with age. As you get older, your ability to control and coordinate actions and reactions weakens. Remembering vital information and thinking sharp becomes a common problem when you get older. Fortunately, intermittent fasting can help prevent or slow down these kinds of problems.
Intermittent fasting is a great way to improve and protect your cognitive functions. Intermittent fasting can actually increase the growth of new nerve cells in your brain and improve the levels of your brain hormones called the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Deficiency of this hormone can result in repression and other brain problems such as brain cancer, epilepsy, seizure disorders, and dementias.
5. Better Sleep
It’ll be very challenging for you to achieve any of your fitness goals if you don’t get enough sleep every night. Sleep plays a significant role in your physical health because it is associated with the repair and healing of your heart and blood vessels. Sleep deficiency, on the other hand, can increase your risk of high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart disease and stroke.
If you have been missing sleep every night because of insomnia or other sleep disorders, incorporate intermittent fasting in your lifestyle as soon as possible. Intermittent fasting can improve the quality and duration of your sleep. This is because intermittent fasting can regulate your body’s circadian rhythm, a natural process that dictates when you should sleep or stay awake. Having a well-regulated circadian rhythm will make it very easy for you to sleep and allow you to wake up feeling refreshed.
Another theory that links intermittent fasting to better sleep is the fact that you will have your last meal earlier than usual if you practice this method. Giving your body time to digest the food can reduce your risk of heartburn and acid reflux, and help you fall asleep faster.
Visit Your Doc First
Regardless of how beneficial intermittent fasting is, it’s always best if you consult a medical professional before you incorporate this eating pattern in your daily routine. Intermittent fasting, just like any other health and fitness options out there, is not risk-free.
Make sure that you’re free of these risks by talking to your doctor before you start intermittent fasting. With the doctor’s approval, you will have the peace of mind that intermittent fasting can become your ticket to a healthy life and not have any adverse effects.
Author’s Bio
Angel Britt is a health buff who regularly publishes content about healthy living. Most of Angel’s articles on her blog talk about healthy methods in losing weight, and the benefits of incorporating a healthy diet to one’s lifestyle.
Angel is always searching for simple and effective ways to live healthily and then share this information with her readers.