If you managed to catch my articles on intermittent fasting in our previous newsletters, hopefully it has piqued your interest and you are ready to try fasting.
 
In the final instalment on IF I will walk you through the correct way to start your fasting journey.
Two key elements to successful fasting are being in a relaxed frame of mind and to embrace the fasting period, with this in mind I would strongly recommend beginning your 1st week’s fasting period between 10 to 14 hours. As you adjust to the feeling of fasting you can look to take this out to 16 hours.
 
Starting your fasting experience with a shorter window allows your mind and body to adjust to the longer periods without food, where a longer period may create more stress and increase the chances of breaking the fast.
 
During the fasting period there are still items you can consume, these include water, black coffee, tea or any other items with a zero-calorie count (to briefly recap fasting results are achieved by preventing insulin being triggered in the body)
Supplements are also permitted as long as they contain no calories, alternatively they should be taken within the eating window.
 
Upon entering your eating window, I recommend starting low glycemic items (Low GI) as these will prevent large fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Good examples of low GI foods are whole grain bread, apples, yogurt, oranges and quinoa. Maintaining a steady blood sugar level will prevent you from feeling dizzy or experiencing the “crashing” feeling often experienced after eating foods high in processed carbohydrates and sugars.
 
While intermittent fasting has proven to deliver many benefits to those that adhere to this eating method, there are certain conditions under which fasting should be avoided.
Anyone suffering from malnourishment should avoid fasting, it should also be avoided during pregnancy and breast feeding as the body requires more minerals and vitamins during this time. It is not recommended for children fast.
 
So, there we have some tips and safety guidelines for intermittent fasting. If you would like to know more about it, feel free to come talk to me in the gym!
 

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