Fasting, what does it mean to fast and what exactly are the benefits of fasting?
This is a question you have probably asked yourself when seeing this feature. Well before we talk about what fasting is let’s talk about what fasting is not. It’s not forced starvation, but a balance of testing your discipline and mind.
People fast for many reasons for example to grow closer to God, to exercise self-mastery of spirit over body, and to build discipline. If used correctly fasting can become a very powerful tool that can provide so many positive benefits. We will be focusing on fasting as a tool for wellness and physical fitness.
Fasting is can be the key to reinventing yourself as it takes away a very natural instinct which to eat and forces us to restrict it to only a certain time of day or it forces us to give up certain foods we love or prefer to test our will power. What better way to test exactly what you are made of than removing what effectively makes you, you ( considering the fact that we are what we eat).
What happens during a fast? Well, a lot at first you will get hit by an explosion of cravings around the times you usually eat from then onward the cravings get worse, to be honest. You will get hungrier and hungrier until the potent where you eat.
This might sound horrible and honestly, it is but that it serves a purpose. What comes along with the hunger are opportunities, opportunities to test your discipline throughout the day you will be tempted to eat but you would have set a goal not to eat and if you push yourself and bare the pain, the satisfaction of reaching that point where can eat will be euphoric, food will taste so much better and you would be pushed what you are capable of a little further and these little pushes will add up and have a major impact on your life over time.
The more you commit to fasting and dealing with day to day pain the more your mind will be able to focus, the more resilient and stronger you will start becoming. Fasting has so many benefits and one of the biggest is that you give your body time. Time to process what you have eaten previously. We eat so much on a daily basis, more than our ancestors ever did, and move so little. By the time you are eating lunch, your body hasn’t had the time to fully process your breakfast and the same goes for lunch and dinner.
That’s why we so often end up bloated and sluggish because we keep feeding our bodies fuel ( food ) and not giving it enough to finish burning the fuel. Fasting will help redress this and bring back natural balance while helping your body get rid of toxins and fat leading to weight loss over time.
This effect added up with working out regularly and eating the right food will result in unbelievable body transformation.
Here are a few ways you can fast.
Full Fast Drink only water (you establish the number of days).
The Daniel Fast Eat no meat, no sweets, and no bread. Drink water and juice. Eat fruits and vegetables.
3-Day Fast This fast can be a Full Fast, Daniel Fast, or give up at least one item of food.
Partial Fast A partial fast is from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm or from sun up to sundown. You can select from three types of fasting —a Full Fast, Daniel Fast or give up at least one item of food.
Here is a list of the benefits of fasting
1. It can help you lose weight
Fasting every other day has been found to be just as effective for weight loss as traditional low-calorie diets. Going longer without eating seems to have a positive effect on blood sugar and fat burning.
However, the way you break your fast also matters. Returning to your pre-fasting ways (i.e., abandoning any lifestyle changes meant to maintain the weight loss) can result in weight regain.
2. It’s anti-inflammatory
You’ve probably heard that chronic inflammation is tied to a higher risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis.
What you might not be aware of is that 1 month of daily 12-hour fasts could be enough to lower levels of inflammatory markers in your body. That could help keep your body in better shape as a whole.
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3. It could help protect against depression
Fasting may have an antidepressant effect, thanks to its ability to make feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and endogenous opioids more available to your brain. Fasting and calorie restriction have been shown to relieve negative emotions like tension and anger and boost feelings of euphoria.
4. It may help you live longer
Fasting seems to help cells repair themselves, which might be why it’s tied to a lower risk of many diseases. Fasting could reduce the risk of several metabolic and cardiovascular conditions — and having better overall health and less likelihood of illness could contribute to a longer life.
And that’s why you should fast leave a comment below and tell us what you think about fasting we would love to hear your thoughts. Stay well and stay fit don’t hesitate to let us know how we can help you achieve the body you want.