If you haven’t heard of intermittent fasting, you must be living under a rock. Power Kitchen is here to break it down!
What is IF?
Intermittent fasting (IF) is one of the world’s most popular health and fitness trends right now. To fast, we refrain from eating over a period of time and intermittent fasting deliberately extends this period. You may skip a meal now and again, so does this mean you’re already practicing intermittent fasting? Not exactly. There’s some structure to it if you want to see results.
Two of the most popular methods are the 16:8 and the 5:2. The 16:8 requires a 16 hour fasting period followed by eight hours of normal eating. The 5:2 involves restricting your calories to approx 500 for two days and interspersing these restrictive days among five normal calorie days.
Does 16 hours seem too daunting? Relax, it’s not as tough as it seems. IF does not call for a drastic change in lifestyle, you’re simply adjusting your feeding window. There’s no diet for intermittent fasting and it also cuts out on calorie counting, allowing you to be a lot more liberal with your diet (we’re not promoting pizza for every meal though).
Why are people doing it?
Why should we consider intermittent fasting? Research shows some pretty transformative benefits that are not only related to weight loss and lean muscle building. Studies have shown that IF can reduce the risk of heart disease, improve memory and reduce inflammation. When your body isn’t caught up digesting food, it has time to do a lot of other things. Now that’s impressive.
But I was told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day!
Did your parents force you to eat at least one spoonful of oatmeal before school? Well, medically there’s actually no requirement to eat breakfast. This is the news that non-breakfast eaters have been waiting to hear! The next step is eating your last meal of the day earlier in the evening to ensure that 16 hour of fasting. Easy isn’t it?
Can I work out?
Yes, you can workout while fasting. Intermittent fasting will help maintain your muscle mass and you’ll start to see results from your time spent in the gym. #GAINS.
It isn’t for everyone.
Sure, it’s all the rave at the moment but like all things in this world, intermittent fasting isn’t for everyone. It depends on your body type, maybe you simply can’t function without a wholesome breakfast in the morning (checkout Power Kitchen’s breakfast items here: https://www.powerkitchen.ca/product-category/breakfast/). The only way you’ll find out if it works for you is to try it.
If you can fit IF into your lifestyle, your enhanced energy and focus will highlight IF as a compelling health and fitness strategy. Give it a go!