Many of us thrive off of our own unique daily routines; what time we wake up, what time we go to work or school, socialize, exercise, sleep and you guessed it, eat.
Each of us also has our own circadian rhythms, also known as the the "sleep-wake cycle," which play a major role in the repairing of cells. That said, it should come as no surprise that the timing of your meals and sleep cycles can have a HUGE impact on your health. This is where implementing an intermittent fasting schedule could be a game-changer for many.
Each of us also has our own circadian rhythms, also known as the the "sleep-wake cycle," which play a major role in the repairing of cells. That said, it should come as no surprise that the timing of your meals and sleep cycles can have a HUGE impact on your health. This is where implementing an intermittent fasting schedule could be a game-changer for many.
| What is Intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting (AKA IF), is an altered eating schedule where one would cycle between periods of fasting and eating. For example, in the 16:8 method, you fast for 16 hours and have a set eating window of 8 hours and then restart the process of fasting again the next day. However, countless research and case studies have shown that fasting a MINIMUM of 12 hours per day can greatly improve overall health. Shoot for 12 hours if 16 hours sounds a little challenging to begin with. | Benefits Reduced inflammation -Loss of body fat -Higher levels of human growth hormone- aids in muscle growth and fat burn -Improved digestion -Lower blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin levels -Slower aging -Lowered risk of cancer |
Live Like Our Ancestors
Thinking back to cave man times, human beings were not able to wake up, walk into the kitchen and instantly have food to eat throughout the day. They had to go hunt and search for food and sometimes would come up empty handed. In keeping this in mind, fasting from time to time is actually more natural than always eating 3–4 (or more) meals per day.
Just like many clean-out functions occur in your brain during deep sleep, all other organs also need downtime. Many organs actually need between 12 and 16 hours of rest, meaning a minimum of 12 hours without food, to allow for repair. Human growth hormone for example, might rise in the middle of the night, in the middle of sleep. At the same time, if there isn't too much food in your stomach, then the stomach lining will start to repair. For that repair to work perfectly, the growth hormone from the brain has to coincide with the stomach repair time. This is key if you are looking to reduce body fat and increase muscle.
Thinking back to cave man times, human beings were not able to wake up, walk into the kitchen and instantly have food to eat throughout the day. They had to go hunt and search for food and sometimes would come up empty handed. In keeping this in mind, fasting from time to time is actually more natural than always eating 3–4 (or more) meals per day.
Just like many clean-out functions occur in your brain during deep sleep, all other organs also need downtime. Many organs actually need between 12 and 16 hours of rest, meaning a minimum of 12 hours without food, to allow for repair. Human growth hormone for example, might rise in the middle of the night, in the middle of sleep. At the same time, if there isn't too much food in your stomach, then the stomach lining will start to repair. For that repair to work perfectly, the growth hormone from the brain has to coincide with the stomach repair time. This is key if you are looking to reduce body fat and increase muscle.
The Takeaway
As humans, these circadian rhythms are deep-rooted in our DNA, we just have to do a few things: sleep at the right time, eat at the right time, and be sure to spend time in the natural sunlight. By engaging in a few simple, primal habits as our ancestors did, we can tap into the benefits of the ancient wisdom of our bodies.
As humans, these circadian rhythms are deep-rooted in our DNA, we just have to do a few things: sleep at the right time, eat at the right time, and be sure to spend time in the natural sunlight. By engaging in a few simple, primal habits as our ancestors did, we can tap into the benefits of the ancient wisdom of our bodies.
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