Today’s Features

We hope you had an amazing weekend. Our drive back from Denver brought us through South Dakota and a trip to Mount Rushmore and The Badlands. The Badlands are like this strange alien world dropped in the middle of the prairie, beautiful and highly recommended.

Today we are talking intermittent fasting and the popular 16:8 method. Read on to learn about the many benefits and how to get started now with this fasting approach.

As we consider the founding of our democracy, young people were not designing what our country would become. We were surprised to learn when Ben Franklin made his biggest impact.

Revitalize Your Health with the 16:8 Method

Healthy stress is good for your body.  The right amount of stress makes us healthier.  Our bodies are designed to be challenged and then grow and strengthen from challenges.  Weight training is an obvious example.  Fasting is another.  Today we are talking about one of the most popular fasting approaches, intermittent fasting.  Intermittent fasting (IF) has a host of benefits and the 16:8 method of intermittent fasting, stands out for its balance of effectiveness and sustainability. 

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

1. Weight Loss and Fat Reduction: IF naturally reduces calorie intake, leading to significant weight loss without strict dieting.

2. Improved Metabolic Health: Fasting enhances insulin sensitivity, lowers blood sugar levels, and reduces inflammation, potentially preventing type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions.

3. Enhanced Cognitive Function: IF promotes brain health by encouraging new neuron growth and reducing oxidative stress, improving mental clarity.

4. Better Heart Health: IF can improve cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure, reducing cholesterol levels, and decreasing inflammation.

These benefits of IF have been studied and documented in numerous published studies.  There have been some challenges raised recently however. Some of these come from non-peer reviewed studies and should be taken with a big “grain of salt” however. One concern is loss of muscle mass.  If you eat enough healthy protein during your eating window and strength train, don’t concern yourself with this one.  If you have a health condition, IF might not be right for you yet.  Like starting a weight training program with an injury, you need to address that first and work around the injury.  Do the same for IF if you have a health condition.  We feel the proven benefits of intermittent fasting far outweigh these recent concerns.

Comparing Intermittent Fasting Methods

1. 16/8 Method: Fast for 16 hours, eat within an 8-hour window. Popular and sustainable, ideal for beginners.

2. 5:2 Diet: Eat normally for five days, restrict calories to 500-600 on two days. Effective but challenging to maintain.

3. Eat-Stop-Eat: Fast for 24 hours once or twice a week. More advanced and potentially difficult for newcomers.

4. Alternate-Day Fasting: Alternate between normal eating days and fasting or very low-calorie days. Effective but hard to sustain.

5. Warrior Diet: Eat small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables during the day, consume one large meal at night. Quite restrictive.

The 16:8 method is favored for its balance of effectiveness and sustainability, offering flexibility and easier long-term adherence.  Let’s dive into how to do a 16:8 fast.

Protocol for the 16:8 Method

Getting Started

1. Choose Your Fasting Window: Select a 16-hour fasting period and an 8-hour eating window (e.g., eat between 12 PM and 8 PM, fast from 8 PM to 12 PM the next day).

2. Stay Hydrated: Drink water, herbal tea, and black coffee during fasting periods.

3. Start Gradually: Begin with a shorter fasting period and increase gradually.

4. Incorporate Exercise: Schedule workouts towards the end of your fasting period or just before eating.

What to Expect

Days to Weeks:

- Improved digestion and reduced bloating

- Increased energy and mental clarity

1 to 3 Months:

- Noticeable weight loss and fat reduction

- Improvements in insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels

Beyond 3 Months:

- Sustained weight management

- Enhanced overall health, including better heart health and cognitive function

Sample Day on the 16:8 Method

8 AM: Hydrate with water or herbal tea, coffee is great too

12 PM: Break fast with a balanced meal, protein, healthy fats and carbs

3 PM: Nutritious snack

7 PM: Final balanced meal of the day

8 PM: Begin fasting period

Give Intermittent Fasting a Try

1. Commit to a Trial Period: Try the 16:8 method for two weeks.

2. Track Your Progress: Monitor changes in energy, digestion, weight, and overall well-being.

3. Adjust as Needed: Make adjustments to find a sustainable routine.

4. Stay Consistent: Aim to follow the 16:8 method regularly.

5. Seek Support: Find a fasting buddy for motivation and accountability.

By trying IF for just a couple of weeks, you should start noticing positive changes in your body and overall health. The increase in energy and mental clarity, reduced bloating and improved digestion will motivate you to keep going and experience the additional benefits.  Healthy stress, that’s what this is about.  Get started.  You’ve got this!

In this week’s LinkedIn piece we share a revelation on the value of Challenge that we learned from a week long meditation retreat. It was a phenomenal reminder on how to hang on to the mindset that makes us perpetually young. You can read it here.

Be Timeless,

Mary and John

Publishers, AgeBetter.news