With all the Amazing Benefits of Fasting, Why Wouldn't You Do It Too?

Let’s talk about fasting – a practice that's gaining popularity in health and wellness circles. Fasting is more than just skipping meals; it's a deliberate practice with numerous scientific benefits.

Do you fast? I'd love to hear from you - what are your tips, wins, struggles? CLICK HERE: Get on the list so we can start the conversation! 

Dr. Mindy Pelz' book "Fast Like a Girl," offers insights into fasting, science behind fasting, including how it improves insulin sensitivity, aids in weight loss, boosts brain function, and promotes cellular repair through autophagy.

Fasting is shown to have historical significance in religious and spiritual traditions.
The episode includes practical tips for those interested in trying fasting, including choosing a fasting method (e.g., 16:8 or 5:2), starting gradually, staying hydrated during fasting periods, prioritizing nutrient-dense foods, and listening to your body's signals.
Fasting is a journey that requires patience, self-awareness, and intention. Embracing practices like fasting can support the body's natural healing abilities and contribute to overall well-being.

To learn more about fasting, and how fasting works with a woman’s cycle - I highly recommend the book "Fast Like a Girl"  by Dr. Mindy Pelz:  https://amzn.to/3Z8ikKJ

Here is the link to her website: https://drmindypelz.com
She also has a Podcast: The Resetter Podcast
 
If you're new to fasting or looking to give intermittent fasting a shot, here are five tips to help you get started: 

1. Choose Your Method: There are various fasting methods, like the 16/8 method (fasting for 16 hours and eating during an 8-hour window) or the 5:2 method (eating normally for five days and drastically reducing calories for two non-consecutive days). Pick one that aligns with your routine and preferences.
2. Start Gradually: Jumping into fasting too quickly can be overwhelming. Begin by extending the time between dinner and breakfast by an hour or two, and gradually increase it as your body adapts.
3. Stay Hydrated: During fasting periods, it's essential to stay hydrated. Water, herbal tea, and black coffee are great options. They can help curb hunger and keep your energy levels up.
4. Prioritize Nutrient-Dense Foods: When you do eat, focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods that provid

Transcript

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Hey there and welcome back to another episode of default to yes. I'm your host, Julie Reynolds. And today we are diving into a topic that's been making waves in the health and wellness circles. Fasting. Whether you are new to the concept or have dabbled in it before there's so much to learn. And explore about the benefits of fasting for your physical and spiritual wellbeing. Before we jump in. I want to give you a quick reminder to. Hit the subscribe button so that you never miss an episode and share the podcast with your friends So we can create a great big community. Of those who want to default to their extraordinary selves. click the link to get on the list and then you can get these episodes sent to you. every week I send the episode with notes and more more resources and tips. They're right to your inbox so that you never miss out. So I have actively engaged in accountability over the past few weeks, my friend, an accountability partner and business partner. recommended a book, which I have very much enjoyed. And I was thinking that it's really too soon to share with you all of this, but I did little research on anything else this week, leaving me with the option. To share what I've learned at the beginner level of my journey Or study another topic because as much as these episodes come from what I've been experiencing, what I observe and what comes up in coaching sessions. I like to provide evidence and perspectives that come from taking time to do the research. So I'm still learning. I decided to go ahead and share that with you as part of my journey on defaulting to yes, I, this is all part of learning and growing. So I'm going to share with you what I've been learning over the past few months. And as I begin my own journey with designing a consistent practice of fasting. Intermittent fascinating. Isn't new and I have dabbled with it here and there. I have read books and articles that include intermittent fasting as a healthy practice. A few months ago. Might be longer. My parents started intermittent fasting more with a focus on brain health, mostly and starting to just really a dialogue with specifically with my mom about the science behind that. And I had a colleague visit me at my workplace and he just raved about how intermittent fasting has changed his life and how I need to do this to it would solve all my problems. It would be the easiest and most successful way. Don't make it complicated. Just do it. So here I am. Still working on it. Now they are all feeling great. And I know that when I practice fasting, I feel great. So I think having the understanding and then just putting it out there is going to help me make this more, a more consistent practice in my own. Health and wellness routine. So I hear story after story. And like I said, I've dabbled with fasting practice in the past, and I've even got a couple of weeks at a time with intermittent fasting. I have never really gotten consistent enough again, to see the results I want, or to be able to measure that. I did feel great. I had more energy, more clarity of mind. I did feel better and I wasn't hungry all the time. So I did feel better. I just didn't have anything measurable to really go by. And like I said, it wasn't consistent. So in the spirit of all of this accountability that I have engaged in the last month or so. I am putting myself out there again. And it's time for me to get consistent with this practice. Now you can message me, ask me how it's going. And for those of you who are experts, share your tips with me too. Maybe we even want to share it with the whole community. We can talk about that too. If you're experts and you have tips, bring them on. All right. So let's talk about the science of fasting. Fasting is more than just skipping meals. It's a deliberate practice that holds a wide range of scientific benefits. Researchers are found that fasting can improve insulin sensitivity, help with weight loss and even boost brain function. When we fast our body switches from using glucose as its primary energy source to burning stored fat. This process is called ketosis and it can lead to weight loss and improved metabolic health. There's also evidence suggesting that fasting can promote cellular repair. The cellular repair processes and longevity by activating autophagy. That's a mechanism that helps clear out damaged cells and regenerate. New ones. Additionally fasting can be linked with reduced inflammation in the body, which is a key factor in preventing chronic disease. I hope you're starting to see What a game changer. Intermittent fasting, A consistent fasting practice. Would be in our lives, but also in our culture. Fasting involves purposely refraining from food. And or liquids for a specific duration of typically for therapeutic reasons. Interestingly fasting holds historical significance spanning thousands of years within various religious and spiritual traditions. Having been an integral part of daily life evidence in the term. Breakfast. Which signifies the meal breaking the fast. On a daily basis. Now, most of my experience with fasting is as a spiritual discipline, many cultures. And religions incorporate fasting as a means of self-discipline reflection and spiritual growth. And by abstaining for food. We find we can find ourselves more attuned to our thoughts and emotions. Fasting can serve as a time for mindfulness meditation. And a deeper connection with your inner self and or with your creator, Jesus himself fasted for 40 days and nights in the wilderness emphasizing that importance of self-control and devotion. I have never personally done a 40 day fast, but I know many who have. The recent surge in scientific exploration of fasting has really brought forward. The impact fasting can have on our physiology cellular function, aging disease, resilience, and overall wellbeing. many of my colleagues. have had really good results as an experienced fasting as that accessible and really uncomplicated biohack. there is some research done by Dr. Oh, Sue me. In 2016, I work on a toffee G and that's again, that cellular self cleansing mechanism. And this earned him a Nobel prize, even autophagy Actually means self eating and involves the removal of damaged cells to pave way for the emergence of healthier ones. And that helps. Aiding healing and slowing the aging process. This connects profoundly with fasting as the process of fasting initiates the transformative of autophagy phenomenon. Essentially being a catalyst to the body's innate self repair process. And expediting recovery. The body is a really amazing thing. And its ability to self heal When we get, give it the right environment to really optimize the tools that are already there. Now I told you that my friend Cathy shared with me. The book. by Dr. Mindy Pelz. fast, like a girl. She has a website, which I will link in the show notes because if this is interesting to you, if you're getting started or you're wanting to take this to the next level. That she's a great resource for this. she talks about the power of fasting. Specifically from a female perspective. So a lot of our research has been done on men. And Doesn't factor in a lot of the hormonal influence and the cyclical nature of a woman's body. And so I liked that she really does embrace this. Fascinating is not a one size fits all approach. And in this book, she dives into some of the unique ways that best it can impact women's bodies and She provides insights. In the tailoring fasting. practices to the needs of a woman and to the cycle. This book is a really eye-opener for anyone who's interested in understanding the connection between fasting and hormones. As well as overall wellbeing. Now she highlights various methods of fasting and various desired outcomes. Now, like I said, not all fasts are considered equal. The most popular. Fasting right now. And the easiest and most accessible is probably intermittent fasting and that's that 12 to 16 hours. It's the most popular. And we're going to come back to that. I want to go through some of these different Types of fasting because I really find it fascinating And if you have a specific outcome, this is something that you could work towards. So around 17 or 18 hours of fasting, that's when the autophagy that cellular repair process starts to kick in. This process involves the body getting rid of. Of old cells and repairing salvageable ones. Leading to improved cellular health. There are some research projects done with cancer patients that are very significant on some of these different, various levels of fasting. And I will. I'll put those in the show notes too, but they also she covers those in her book as well. Stem cell activation happens around 24 hours of fasting. Stem cells contribute to the repair and the regeneration of the gut promoting gut health and overall digestive function. So if you're somebody who deals with digestive issues, or if you've been on medications that have done some damage to your gut over time, You may really want to look at the cell activation. Properties that happen around 24 hours. Around 36 hour mark of fasting, the body enters an accelerated fat burning state. and this can assist with weight loss efforts and improve metabolic function. For a fascinating about 48 hours results in the reset of the dopamine system, this process involves the creation of new dopamine receptors, potentially leading to improved mood and mental wellbeing. And then in approximately 72 hours of fasting, there's a potential to reboot the immune system. This can enhance the body's immune response to an overall immune function. Anything, this is the this is the level of fasting that was incorporated into patients with chemotherapy. Now, like I said, intermittent fasting, that's the most popular style of fasting and most people's definition of. Intermittent fasting is going anywhere from 12 to 16 hours without food. the easiest way to understand how this works is just to walk through a 24 hour period. Might look like when you're incorporating the intermittent fasting interior life. I like to give myself an end time on the day before. three hours before bedtime. We probably shouldn't be eating anything. So you stop eating or drinking three hours before your bedtime. You get a good seven, eight hours of sleep. And then push your breakfast a little bit. So let's say that you finished dinner at 7:00 PM. You don't eat or drink anything after that point. So your blood sugar starts to decline. And then if you delay your breakfast until the next day until 10:00 AM, that's 15 hours of fasting. So as a general rule that your liver will switch off and start making ketones somewhere around eight hours from the last time that you ate or drank anything. And then somewhere between 12 and 15 hour mark, that's when your body is making Energy by burning fat and the ketones floods, your bloodstream. Now. The first place those ketones goes to, is your brain turning off the hunger and giving you that boost of physical or mental energy? So the concern about being real tired or not eating breakfast may not really actually be an issue. It's maybe a story that we tell ourselves. Now your cells begin to move into a state. A top McGee. They begin to repair and detox and regenerate themselves. So this is also why intermittent fasting is an amazing tool to use before a big test or before a speech or a performance where you need to have that mental clarity. So if you have a big event coming up or you have somewhere where you just want to be at your best. Let's say you have a reunion or a conference or a big test. Incorporate this into a ritual or routine that you have in preparing your mind and body for this time. Now as your liver continues to sense the absence of glucose. it. We'll keep releasing glycogen and insulin stores by breaking down more fat. When we tap into those fasted states over time consistently, again, consistency is key. You will start to see the longterm improvements and the metabolic markers like blood pressure. Fasting glucose and insulin. Hemoglobin A1C and even C reactive protein. Now the bacteria in your gut will also start to shift as bad bacteria die off and good bacteria regress. this is going to help your overall microbial makeup. So good for gut health. Lowers blood pressure allows the body to make more mood enhancing. Neuro-transmitters Help your blood sugar balance more efficiently. Think of intermittent fasting as your entry point into fasting, it's the easiest fast. to fit into your life and It will give us the quickest results. Many people turn to intermittent fasting. When they start to feel weight loss, resistance. Or they get fed up with yo-yo dieting intermittent fasting is a huge step forward and getting your body to go back to the burning energy of fat instead of sugar. And like I said, I've experienced this in the way I feel, and I'm ready to embrace this as more consistent. Part of my routine. Now, these various benefits highlight how different fasting durations. Can have specific positive impacts on cellular health gut function. Fat metabolism, mood regulation, and auto-immune system strength. So at this point, it's just deciding what do you want, what is the outcome that you most want? And then you can start to work towards building up to that level of fast to, to get the results that you want. Now fasting, isn't just about physical health. It has spiritual benefits to. I told you that my experience initially almost exclusively growing up or even in my young adult years, was the fasting for spiritual reasons and many cultures and religions incorporate fasting as a means of self discipline, reflection and spiritual growth. But there is just something about all of the science backed information that I was reading that really resonated with me. I realized that fascinating wasn't about deprivation. It was about allowing my body to tap into its natural rhythms and mechanisms for healing. So as with anything, there's a mixture of excitement and nervousness, but I decided to take the plunge and start with a 14 hour fasting window. my challenge a lot of times was in my varying schedule. Now the first morning was a little bit challenging I am accustomed to getting up and having coffee. And breakfast almost immediately When I wake up, I might shower first drink a glass of water. But then almost part of my routine, because especially when I'm going to work, My routine doesn't involve eating when I get there. So I try to eat before. Even when I'm not hungry, but the idea of waiting a few more hours felt like a big change. But I reminded myself of the benefits that I had read about the cellular repair, the potential for improved focus. And even the chance to kickstart fat burning. I remembered that some point in there that my body was going to not be hungry anymore, and that I could just really listen to that. So I. Worked in I'm on the, on my days in my office, I distracted myself with from even mild hunger pains. I decided to go for a walk or make a call or start a new projects. I time block my projects so I could simply move. Ty block into that time with a creative project, meaning that I really wouldn't be in a space for eating for about two hours. And when I get busy creatively, I don't really think about eating. That would make it easier to, so it took some planning. And in knowing what I was going to do. Expecting some obstacles, Maybe just those of mindset, Not necessarily physical hunger. Even just at work, This is the habit. So drinking water, filling my diffuser, choosing some oils for the moment. Getting fresh air and sunlight. All of those things make the experience more manageable. And by the time that I would get back from the walk or finish the project, Or my break time would be done. It was almost time to break my fast. so I can. I can honestly say that I easily make it through 14 hours. And so now I knew I could do it regularly and expand my practice from there. So I struggled most, like I said, with variation in my home and work schedule. And I think with practice, I'll figure that out too, because I feel great when I do. And if this will give my body, the time to heal itself and to recalibrate, and I can get the results that I want, it's easy and it costs nothing. fasting is one of the few healthy habits that are truly accessible to everyone. All right. So let's get practical. If you're new to fasting or are looking to give intermittent fasting a shot, I'm going to give you five tips to help you get started. First choose your method. There are various fasting methods. There's 16 eight, which means fasting for 16 hours and eating in an eight hour window. Or there's the five, two method eating normally for five days and then drastically reducing your calories for two non-consecutive days. So that would be those longer hour fast. If you are wanting some of those benefits of the brain fog and immunity reset. really getting some of those benefits of autophagy. You might want to do that. you pick just two days. Like I said five to so five normal days. and then fasting. In a different way for two non-consecutive days pick one of those that aligns with your routine and preferences. So Even when I was preparing for this, I thought maybe I should try the five, two method because I have two days off of work that I could work in the fasting on, and then I could eat normally for those five days. So that might be something that, that I try as well. Regardless, choose what's right for you. And you don't have to start with a 16 hours. You can start with 12 hours, work to 14, and then maybe try to work up to the 16, eight. Start gradually jumping into fasting too quickly can be overwhelming. And I think that's what I did to myself is that. I wanted to get to that. That 16, eight right away. I didn't give myself the time to gradually learn a new routine. Begin by extending the time between dinner and breakfast. By an hour or two and then gradually increase it as the body adapts. and tip three is remembered to stay hydrated. During fasting periods is essential to stay hydrated, water herbal tea and black coffee are great options. If you don't want the caffeine, then go, just stick with the tea and water. That can help. curb your hunger. And create, keep your energy levels up at the same time. Prior to prioritize nutrient dense food. So when you do eat, focus on whole nutrient dense foods that provide sustained energy and support your overall health and Tip five is just listen to your body. Fasting should never feel torturous. If you're feeling unwell or overly hungry, it's okay to adjust your fasting window and stop fascinating for the day. All right. Whether you're interested in science backed benefits or intrigued by the female hormone center in perspective, in a fast like a girl. Or curious about the spiritual journey of fasting. There's something here for everyone. Remember fasting, isn't a one-time fix. It's a practice that requires patience and self-awareness. As you explore fasting, be kind to yourself and pay attention to the positive changes both in your body and in your soul. If you have known health issues, bring your practitioner in on what you're doing, let them know your goals and how you're going to implement fasting. Ask how they can help you track your progress. Notice, I didn't say ask them for how you should fast or if you should fast. That needs to be your decision based on your own research and listening to your own body. Unless, of course you have a practitioner who is open to a more holistic approach, lifestyle medicine, or functional medicine. Key is to ask them how they can help you track your progress, because you're going to do this anyway. All right. When I say I'm on the journey with you, I obviously mean it. Fasting is something that I have studied more than I have practiced. I'm a beginner and I'd love to hear your experience. Maybe you have tips for me. Thanks for joining me on the exploration of the power of fasting. Remember our bodies possess the innate ability to heal and rejuvenate. When we provide the right conditions. As we journey through life. Embracing practices like fasting can be a powerful way to support this natural healing process. I think it was Deepak Chopra that said our bodies are remarkable vessels of healing energy. And by nourishing them with intention, we embark on a path of self discovery and wellbeing. It's a reminder that each day when we wake up and we choose to default to, yes, we're affirming our commitment to our extraordinary selves, our health and our limitless potential. If you enjoyed today's episode. Please share it with your friends and family. I would be forever grateful for that. And as always keep embracing growth, nourishing your body and spirit. As you go out every day to default to yes. Your extraordinary self.