By We all want an easy way to attain and maintain a great body – and here’s how. For so many years, I spent my time doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a rewarding response. But, as Einstein stated, that’s the definition of insanity – and yes, most of us do (without willingly knowing) fall into that pattern during our lifetime. When it comes to weight loss, this is no different. We follow fads, try something out for a week and then wonder why it’s not working. The other side of that coin is following something for many months or years, only to give in due to the inability to sustain that way of life. Time and time again, I thought that perhaps my one chance to lose weight and become a healthier person only existed back when I was in my 20’s and 30’s. Now in my forties, I figured I just had to let nature take its course and accept the inevitable. Fortunately, I’m not one to accept anything I don’t want – for the long haul anyway. Therefore, I got my butt into gear and explored one lifestyle plan that changed everything for me. What I mean by this is that I finally controlled my weight, attained the highest level of health, and had energy all day and every day. Those dusty clouds that used to take over during the most critical parts of the day no longer exist for me. I want to use up every second I have on this earth doing something worthwhile – and yawning isn’t one of them! Am I pleased with my body shape? Unfortunately, the answer is no, I have higher than average expectations, and being in lockdown since June hasn’t helped me that much! The whole time I’ve been in lockdown hasn’t created any adverse reactions to my body; instead, I’m a little soft on the edges due to a lack of proper weight training. But, unfortunately, it’s nothing that can’t be fixed when the gyms open up again. Watch this space! So my friends, if you are keen to change towards a positive and sustainable lifestyle plan, then this is for you.
One: Reducing Insulin
One of the most important factors for weight loss is the ability to control insulin. Stabilising blood sugar will win the weight loss war, and many people find it very hard to maintain when dieting. Fasting encourages insulin levels to fall, which plays a part in reducing your risk of diabetes – and can help people with diabetes control their blood sugar markers. Although people with diabetes must proceed with caution when deciding to try intermittent fasting, it’s a great way to work in conjunction with your doctor to slowly control your weight and take hold of your insulin levels without the use of drugs. For those who don’t have diabetes, fasting responds similarly. As blood sugar decreases, your fat cells can release energy to use in your daily functioning. However, insulin levels increase when you eat, that’s why fasting is so effective in lowering these levels to facilitate your fat-burning potential.
Two: Increases your rate of detoxification
The period you spend without food consumption increases the likelihood of autophagy, which is a crucial detoxification function in the body. It triggers the body to clean out any damaged cells. Thus, a break from food and digestion gives your body a chance to begin healing itself and eliminate any junk inside the cells that can accelerate the aging process. Autophagy may provide the much-needed protection from diseases like cancer & Alzheimers disease.
Two: Reducing visceral fat (belly fat)
Most people take on intermittent fasting to lose weight, which isn’t a bad thing. Fasting enhances hormone functioning, which helps to facilitate weight loss at a faster rate. Fasting boosts your metabolism (by enhancing hormone function for weight loss) by increasing your rate of caloric burn and reduces the amount of food you eat (by reducing the number of calories that come in), You have the perfect recipe for visceral fat loss when you have these two powerful forces combined and then add exercise into the mix. I know that belly fat is annoying, and it can make anyone self-conscious – and the secret lies in your caloric intake, as well as the kind of exercise you do. So first, focus on nutrition, weight training and HIIT for the most successful visceral fat loss.
Three: Building and maintenance of muscle mass.
One of the most important things we should do as age creeps up on us – is build and maintain our muscles. But, unfortunately, it may be foreign to many women who are scared of looking somewhat ‘big’ from lifting weights. It takes a lot of testosterone and weight training to get big – so ladies, there is nothing to worry about here. However, we all need to worry about the onset of a sluggish metabolism because of muscle wastage. As we age, we lose 10% of muscle mass after 30 (if we don’t use it), which is staggering when you add it up, and you haven’t been lifting those weights! Regular diets leave us with the loss of muscle mass – and decrease the efficiency of our metabolism. Fasting triggers HGH (Human Growth Hormone), which helps our bodies preserve muscle and add to that growth. Again, this is the magical properties of specific activating the necessary hormones through fasting, which enhances more than just weight loss.
Four: Fasting is easy, cost-effective and straightforward.
All you need to do is skip one or two meals per day. That’s it! It’s easy to maintain your cooking when there are fewer meals to make. Plus, it cuts down on a lot of waste, and now you have the freedom to do more things than cooking on the weekends. Now, you don’t have to spend time counting calories! Yes, that’s right! Instead, you can now focus intently on the quality of your 1-2 meals and forget about the rest. In addition, if you are eating within your macronutrient range, you should not have to fuss about too much with how many carbs or fat’s you eating (unless you need to lose weight fast). Fasting helps you stick to a healthy diet in the long run because, over time, you will come to understand how important it is to eat well during the only times you can eat. Although fasting can be a great lifestyle plan for many people, it seems to send women’s hormones a little out of whack. You can rectify this by consciously sticking to a lower intermittent fasting timeframe and play around with your fasting times when your body becomes accustomed to the change. I have not had a problem so far – but it is something to acknowledge when you first start. If you are looking for a faster and easier way to weight loss and better health, you can’t go past IF as one of the easiest lifestyle habits that tick all the boxes for health and longevity