{"id":40066,"date":"2016-04-23T20:21:33","date_gmt":"2016-04-24T04:21:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=40066"},"modified":"2019-03-02T15:41:17","modified_gmt":"2019-03-02T23:41:17","slug":"5-undeniable-ways-fasting-will-improve-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-undeniable-ways-fasting-will-improve-life\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Undeniable Ways Fasting Will Improve Your Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When was the last time you were REALLY starving?<\/p>\n

You might recall a school camping trip when you thought you were going to die from hunger after a four hour trek, or that time you did an 8 hour shift and left your packed lunch at home, but was your life really dependent on getting that next meal?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s likely the cravings and excessive salivating were more due to habit and socialization than a actual physiological need to intake more fuel.<\/p>\n

We have a funny relationship with food. It\u2019s everything from a social lubricant, a means of distraction, and an event, to a performance enhancer, a source of pleasure, and a deadly addiction. Rarely it\u2019s put to use for its primary purpose: to maintain life and growth.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, there are special tools in the world that have the power to shake us out of such dangerous patterns of thought\u2014for example journaling, yoga, and meditation. But when it comes to changing how we think about food, that tool is fasting.<\/p>\n

Along with pressing the reset button and getting us back in tune with what and when we eat, fasting\u2014much like the other tools\u2014has heaps more benefits<\/a> to offer us.<\/p>\n

Studies have shown that fasting can help alleviate depression<\/a>, reduce chronic pain, burn fat (particularly nasty organ fat), strengthen willpower, heighten brain function, improve digestion, and even cause feelings of euphoria.<\/p>\n

So how do you get started? Well, an easy and well documented way<\/a> into the world of fasting is through what\u2019s known as ‘intermittent fasting\u2019. The term is used to describe frequent periods of calorie restriction, for example eating your day\u2019s meals within a limited time-frame of 8 hours, or having full days where you eat nothing or consume less than 400-500 calories.<\/p>\n

The mechanism in which it works its pretty complex, but the underlying idea is simple. By periodically giving yourself a break from eating, you\u2019re challenging the body and mind and allowing them to become stronger, more efficient, and better able to handle the daily stresses that come their way\u2014it\u2019s the same principle as weight training and other forms of exercise.<\/p>\n

So now you have a basic idea of what fasting is and how it works, let\u2019s dive into the five reasons to make it a part of your life today.<\/p>\n

Free up trapped energy and have full control of your mind<\/h2>\n

The act of abstaining from food can be a powerful workout for your willpower, strengthening it as if it were a muscle<\/a>. Taking such action against your urges naturally leads to greater self-esteem and increased control over your thoughts and actions. And as the digestive system is one of the most energy intensive systems in the body, freeing up reserves that would otherwise be spent on digesting food helps cause a dramatic increase in clarity and mental clearness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Normally our digestive systems are active the majority of the day, but even when they are not, we are thinking about where the next meal will come from. Thus many of us don\u2019t realize when our stomachs are empty that we have heaps more resources at out disposal. Following a period of fasting, many report feeling less slugglish, having a greater clarity of mind, and even being enlightened.<\/p>\n

Maintain clean and healthy blood for optimum health<\/h2>\n

When we consume carbohydrates, say for instance bread, the body breaks them down into sugars to be absorbed into the blood. The pancreas then releases insulin to transport the sugars from the blood to the various cells in the body that need them\u2014particularly those in the brain, organs, skeleton, and muscles. Eat too many carbohydrates and overload the blood with sugars, and the pancreas isn\u2019t able to keep up and produce enough insulin to clear it, eventually leading to cells being starved of energy, and the 7th leading cause of death in the US: Type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

Therefore, by periodically cutting out food<\/a>, you can give your pancreas a break to become once again sensitized to any sugars that enter the blood, helping in the short term to prevent things like fatigue, cloudy thinking, and irritability, and in the long term the plethora of problems associated with Type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

Enrich your life with heightened senses and experiences<\/h2>\n

Realistically, true hunger takes around 12 to 24 hours to set in. When lunch time comes around, we may think we\u2019re hunger, but we are so out of tune with our bodies that they usually have different ideas.<\/p>\n

Fasting resets your definition of hunger so you can experience once again what it\u2019s like to be truly hungry. It does so by regulating out of whack hormones<\/a> in the body and returning signals that let you know when you are full and when you need more food. What\u2019s more, receptors in the nose and mouth come fully alive, causing smells and flavors to become more intense and vivid and opening up a whole new world pleasure that transcends well beyond the dinner table.<\/p>\n

Accelerate brain functioning for better learning and memory<\/h2>\n

We know challenging the brain through puzzles and difficult tasks has great advantages for memory, learning, and growth. But it turns out the brain also responds in a similar way to the challenge of fasting.<\/p>\n

Putting the brain in such a stressful situation means it resorts to boosting the production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BNDF is recognized as an important protein that prevents death of existing brain cells, induces the growth of new neurons, and supports greater cognitive function.<\/p>\n

Studies have also shown<\/a> periodic fasting to increase synaptic plasticity. The greater your synaptic plasticity, the better able you are to make connections between neurons in the brain. As memories are made up of interconnected networks of synapse in the brain, this means an improved ability to create, store, and consolidate memories.<\/p>\n

Kick into action your body\u2019s immune boosting response<\/h2>\n

The first thing animals do when they get sick is stop eating. It\u2019s a deep primal instinct to reduce stresses on the internal system and divert all resources to fighting infection. However, whenever we get sick, we tend to turn straight to food (chicken soup)\u2014mostly out of comfort and habit.<\/p>\n

Similarly to how fasting bolsters brain functioning, it puts a strain on the immune system and consequently lowers white blood cell counts. This is turn triggers a response<\/a> for the body to start producing new white blood cells\u2014the key to building a strong immune system.<\/p>\n

Fasting is an incredible tool that deserves a place in everyone’s normal routine of development and growth. Just like challenging your muscles with weights at the gym, pushing your heart and lungs when jogging, or testing your mind and reactions with puzzles and games, it offers us a great opportunity for improving ourselves and enjoying our lives that little bit more.<\/p>\n

Joseph Pennington is a writer, mindfulness teacher, and the founder of Bebot, the world’s first AI mindfulness coach. You can try out the\u00a0Bebot Alexa app here<\/a> and sign up to make sure you hear the latest from Joseph and your new mindful robot friend.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We have a funny relationship with food. It\u2019s everything from a social lubricant, a means of distraction, and an event, to a performance enhancer, a source of pleasure, and a deadly addiction. Rarely it\u2019s put to use for its primary purpose: to maintain life and growth. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11063,"featured_media":40756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[33,24,112,6],"tags":[1021,4913,5013,961,2409,1478,1656,1477,3910,4642,5032,158,116,1584,4723,4318,66,4652,1821,4629,3637,5099,2072],"yoast_head":"\n5 Undeniable Ways Fasting Will Improve Your Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We have a funny relationship with food. 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