As we begin the new year, it’s time to set those health goals and look at what you can do to optimise your health and wellbeing. This month, I am going to explain how fasting can turbocharge your health.

What is Fasting?

If we go back in time and look at our ancestors, we quickly begin to see that they used to fast all the time when food was scarce. They would hunt and gather, and then feast on what they caught, because they didn’t know when they would eat again. They would experience long periods of no food until they caught their next meal.

Fasting allows our body’s to rely less on glucose (sugar), and more on our ketone bodies (fat) for energy. As a result, “both intermittent and periodic fasting result in benefits ranging from prevention to the enhanced treatment of diseases”, according to a study in Cell Metabolism (2016).

The research on fasting suggests that it works in two ways:

1. It lowers the levels of oxidative stress to the cells throughout your body.

2. It improves your body’s ability to deal with stress at a cellular level.

This reinforces your body against cellular stress and makes it less susceptible to cellular aging and disease development over time.

Types of Fasting

There are many different types of fasting, but here are five of the more common ones.

Intermittent Fast (12-16 hours)

Your body produces ketones and switches to fat burning mode, helping with weight loss and mental clarity. It can also increase testosterone levels and reduce inflammation.

Autophagy Fast (17-24 hours)

Your cells remove bacteria and viruses, and start to heal and repair themselves. It helps to balance sex hormones and prevent illnesses.

Gut Reset Fast (24 hours)

The stem cells inside your gut start to reboot themselves. It can increase the production of serotonin to help improve your mood and happiness, and it can also help with constipation.

Fat Burner Fast (36 hours)

Your body starts to get rid of your abdominal fat by removing the body’s resistance to weight loss. This is a great way to lose those stubborn kilos.

Dopamine Reset Fast (48 hours)

Your body reboots the dopamine receptor system and new receptor sites appear, resulting in greater motivation and happiness. You will also get more enjoyment out of eating your food.

Benefits of Fasting

Extensive research shows that there are many benefits of fasting, but here are five of the more common benefits:

1. Promotes weight loss

2. Improves blood sugar

3. Keeps your heart healthy

4. Reduces inflammation

5. Protects your brain

Overcoming Hunger During Fasting

Yes, you will feel hungry from time to time, but here are three simple techniques to help you overcome your hunger.

1. Awareness - you will feel hungry around the time that you normally eat, so just be aware of this and know that it will pass.

2. Drink water or herbal teas - thirst is one of the types of hunger, so drinking water or herbal teas can help to reduce your hunger pangs.

3. Keep busy - boredom is one of the main reasons for eating, so stay active to distract yourself during a fast.

Try it Today

January is a great time to get started in order to shed those unwanted kilos that may have accumulated over the holiday period.

It can be daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it, fasting is a wonderful way to improve your overall health and wellbeing.

Reach out if you need help and let me know how you go.