Fasting is ingrained in the Indian culture. Other religions and cultures also incorporate fasting in their customs. Perhaps you are aware of the religious significance but if not, it’s important to be aware fasting is not just a religious and cultural practice. There is a rational explanation of the benefits of fasting. Modern living has woken up to the benefits of fasting, which is no longer considered a religious activity.
What Are The Benefits Of Fasting?
Builds Willpower
Fasting helps the body resist food, a pleasurable activity for the body. It takes a tremendous amount of willpower to overcome this desire. Since willpower is about control, resisting what you eat is a great way to build mental strength. Fasting requires mental and physical discipline, regardless of the reason. It changes perspectives, helps prioritize and develops self-control. Over time, it helps control all desires.
Releases Endorphins & Corrects Mood Imbalance
Fasting releases the right proportion of hormones at the appropriate time. According to anthropologists, our prehistoric ancestors ate a proper meal only once a day, ensuring a balanced mind and mood. A JAMA Internal Medicine study, surveyed over 200 participants, who cut down their food by at least 25 percent. It was revealed, people who fast are in a better mood through the day and sleep well at night.
Helps Weight Loss
The same JAMA study revealed diligent participants lost weight during the period. Apart from physical changes in the body, participants felt renewed energy and vigour. Thus, if you are battling the bulge, maybe this age-old traditional approach will work.
Preserves Mental Agility
Fasting helps increase neuronal autophagy promoting the growth of new brain cells. It fights diseases and protects cells by accumulating proteins or damaged organelles. Autophagy is also called cellular self-cleaning and helps improve brain function that influences learning, memory, and concentration. It also improves brain connectivity and promotes growth leading to enhanced motor skills. The US National Library of Medicine tested the hypothesis on mice showing autophagy can be induced in many organs, including the liver.
Simple Fasting Techniques
The 16/8 Method
This method requires fasting for 16 hours and eating 2-3 meals during the balance 8 hours. Keeping the stomach empty for most of the day boosts metabolism. Mitochondria that powers the cells, get a break from processing calories helping it perform other functions, efficiently. The diet helps the body manage the benefits of fasting and eating and has proved to be a great method if work is physically intense. The added bonus is weight reduction.
The 5:2 Diet
This diet advises that you eat regularly, consuming about 2000 calories, five days a week and on any two chosen days reduce the intake to about 500 calories. If your sweet tooth has ever been an impediment to weight loss, this is your ideal diet. The diet promotes lifelong brain health, improves brain function, reduces the risk of heart diseases and improves cholesterol levels.
Eat-Stop-Eat
The basic premise of this diet is fast for 24 hours, eat regularly for 48 hours and repeat the process. This ritual leaves you feeling lighter and clear-minded. Benefits of this diet include increasing levels of growth hormone decreasing body fat & body weight, and overall maintenance of skeletal muscle mass.
Why not try one of these methods today.
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