Do Intermittent Fasting for younger looking skin

 

The sure-fire way to lose weight . . . and look young in the process

There is a serious health problem that’s affecting America today . . . and it’s called obesity. This problem is ruining the health of not just Americans but people of most Western countries – with conditions like pre-diabetes, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The main culprit of this problem is the foods we put in our mouths . . . the amount and type.

The types of food and the amount we consume has to be replaced with a better method of getting our daily calories while still properly nourishing our bodies. If not we will have a nation with more overweight and obese people than ever before in our history.

One such method that you can put into practice starting today is intermittent fasting (IF).

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting is to be distinguished from occasionally skipping a meal. It’s a way of eating that is done for a purpose. We all miss a meal now and again for various reasons but when we do IF we are consuming our meals within a preset window. For example – eating all your meals within in an eight-hour period. We could also do what’s referred as the 5:2 eating plan where we eat five days per week and skip food for two days. You can do IF every other day for six hours or every third day for eight hours. The variations are numerous. The important take away is that you give your body enough time to completely digest what you ate.

Many religions practice fasting for spiritual reasons. I practice it for both spiritual and health reasons. It’s not a diet but a way of eating.

After eating a meal it takes your body about three to four hours to digest that food. We usually don’t give it that amount of time before we consume our next meal. Our body is constantly working to digest our last meal and as a result we are not giving it enough time to do self-maintenance. Intermittent fasting gives it the opportunity to do this since you are eating only within a preset window.

Fasting is not a new concept. We do it everyday. When we go to bed at nights we are in effect entering a fasting state. We break our fast the following morning by having our first meal. In-fact this is how we lived in the past. There was no such thing as three square meals every day.  

Intermittent fasting has become a popular form of eating over the last few years. The reason for its popularity is because of its many benefits. It will help you lose weight and prevent illness even when consuming the same number of calories every day as you would with three meals throughout the day.  Many celebrities and fitness gurus practice IF – ever see Hugh Jackman in his role as the Wolverine or Beyonce when she is performing? They do IF as a way to stay in shape and have bounding energy.

I have been doing this form of eating for the last couple years and it has helped me to stay within a few pounds of my ideal weight. I recommend this to anyone who want to shed useless weight and look younger.

Take a look at some of its important benefits –

Benefits of intermittent fasting for diabetics

• The most important need for those with pre-diabetes and diabetes is to control their blood sugar levels. Our bodies come pre-equipped with a pancreas to do the job for us without any effort on our part. When it becomes over-worked and starts to break down IF can help improve its functioning again. If  done correctly it will improve your insulin sensitivity and make it easier for your body to use sugar more efficiently.
• It also improves your leptin function. Leptin is a hormone made by your body’s fat cells. Its main function is to communicate with our brains that we have enough fat stored . . . that we can stop eating. It’s also called the ‘starvation hormone’ since it signals us when to eat and when to stop eating. If our bodies become resistance to this hormone the result is weight gain. Doing IF will help to restore this function.
• Intermittent fasting will  recycle and repair the cells in our bodies through a process called autophagy. This is our bodies way of getting rid of old, dead cells and using the process to generate energy. It can stop cancerous growth and prevent pre-diabetes and diabetes, as well as obesity, from developing. As a side benefit – it will make your skin look younger – giving you a more youthful overall appearance.
• Intermittent fasting will boost your body’s autophagy process and slow aging, reduce inflammation and improve your body’s biological function.

Other benefits include . . . 

• It increases our fat burning capabilities.
• IF will improve your cardiovascular function.

Do a little digging and you’ll find more.

How can you get started with IF

Over the next week choose a six or eight-hour time frame that’s convenient to you – preferably during the most active part of your day – such as between ten in the morning and four or six in the afternoon. Eat all your meals during this time and give your body the next sixteen or eighteen hours to process this food and repair itself. Make a food journal with times and the amount of food eaten. Follow this schedule consistently for a set period – a week or a month – however long you need to.

For optimum health and fitness combine IF with a consistent exercise program and in a short time you will begin to change your body-shape and gain a more youthful appearance . . . naturally. This would also be a good time to tweak your diet to a more healthful one. Consult with a dietitian who can provide you with the best nourishing foods for your lifestyle.

Visit How to Prevent Pre-diabetes for more information.