What is Intermittent Fasting? (and why you should try it)

Athena Wellness Podcast - Reclaiming Our Warrior Spirit

#045 What drives your eating habits and what impact does that approach have on your wellness? For years, my eating habits revolved around my schedule. I would find small periods of time during days of back-to-back work meetings, late nights in the office, and family responsibilities during the weekends.

I became much more attuned to when I was eating when I began training for ultra-endurance events. I had to be very intentional on minimizing inflammation, eating nutrient dense foods, and keeping up with sleep so my body could repair itself.

Here's what I learned about myself during those years of intense cross training. I feel my best when I eat unprocessed whole foods. I feel my best when I move my body. I feel my best when I'm in a certain weight range. And I feel my best when I get a solid night of sleep.

If you're nodding your head thinking, “Yeah, me too,” what if I told you, there's a framework that holds all of this together that’s super simple, yet has big impact? The solution I found that fits the bill for me is intermittent fasting or IF – and that's what we'll be exploring today.

We'll cover:

• What intermittent fasting is;
• The benefits along with who should not practice it;
• How to do it and why I love it; and
• Tips if you'd like to give it a try.

Intermittent fasting is a helpful lifestyle strategy. Think of it as a wellness lever you can pull, along with eating whole foods, moving your body and getting quality sleep. IF is useful tool to keep you mindful of the food decisions you’re making and it can help you intuitively connect with what your body truly needs.

Links:

How Good a Diet is Intermittent Fasting? – Scientific American article

Ten Evidenced-Based Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting – Healthline article
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