Intermittent Fasting

Recently, I have been experimenting with intermittent fasting for numerous health benefits. My main motivation for trying this is to achieve a stronger natural response to fight inflammation and repair my body during off season. The idea behind intermittent fasting is that you don't eat for a period of at least 12 hours. You can fast up to three days. I've been starting with 16 hour fasts. In that period where you aren't eating, your body is not working to digest food (which can use up a lot of energy). Instead of your body using energy on digestion, it can devote more energy to healing itself through cellular repair.

Here are some of the changes that occur in your body during fasting:

• Insulin levels: Blood levels of insulin drop significantly, which facilitates fat burning.

• Human growth hormone: The blood levels of growth hormone may increase as much as 5-fold. Higher levels of this hormone facilitate fat burning and muscle gain, and have numerous other benefits.

• Cellular repair: The body induces important cellular repair processes, such as removing waste material from cells

• Gene expression: There are beneficial changes in several genes and molecules related to longevity and protection against disease.

Hour by hour breakdown of fasting:

4-8 hours

• Blood sugars fall

• All food has left the stomach

• Insulin is no longer produced

12 hours

• Food consumed has been burned

• Digestive system goes to sleep

• Body begins healing process

• Human Growth Hormone begins to increase

• Glucagon is relaxed to balance blood sugars

14 hours

• Body has converted to using stored fat as energy

• Human Growth Hormone starts to increase dramatically

16 hours

• Body starts to ramp up the fat burning

18 hours

• Human Growth Hormone starts to skyrocket

24 hours

• Autophagy begins

• Drains all glycogen stores

• Ketones are released into the blood stream

I have more research to do, but it fascinates me.

Here is one more helpful YouTube video that explains the stages of intermittent fasting over one day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgy4lMS-eIw

As always, I'll continue to cook healthy meals like this delicious salmon dinner with mushrooms, green beans, walnuts, fresh tomatoes, and rice!

I will say, that symptoms of a Baker's Cyst in my left leg have significantly improved with no exercise.

It's amazing what happens when the brain signals to the body that it is time to rest!