One of the many advantages of the people today is that we have more access to information than in the past. We now have the internet which makes learning a lot more easier. Given our advantages, we still have to be careful since not all information that is readily available outside are credible. Whether it is from the internet or not, it is crucial that we take a closer look on the information given before believing it right away. This would prevent wrong assumptions that might lead us into the wrong direction of life. That is generally speaking, but in this topic I'd like to take a closer look on the information revolving around fitness.
There are actually a lot of misconceptions about fitness that people surrounds us with. When it comes to health and diet, I grew up with a notion that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. They also say that skipping meals slows down metabolism therefore preventing the burning of fat. The statement about breakfast is not entirely false since we need energy to perform our daily activities, but tracing the diet of the early humans, breakfast are non-existent since they only eat at night after they've finished hunting. In becoming fit and healthy, how could it happen that skipping "meals" and not having to eat "the most important meal of the day" and yet their physique are incredibly and effortlessly lean and muscular? What is really the link between timing of meals, breakfast and fitness?
I read an article entitled "The Case for Intermittent Fasting" written by Sheila Mulrooney Eldred from the site experiencelife.com. The article states that fitness experts now argue about the conventional wisdom of eating. Scientists and experts have concluded that constant eating can actually interrupt metabolic pathways and that the best way to kick our metabolisms into high gear is to occasionally eat less often — in short, to observe an eating pattern known as intermittent fasting. The article elaborates intermittent fasting to be beneficial in obesity-related diseases as limiting the periods of food intake limits the risks obesity. "Researchers have found that after a few hours of fasting, the body starts to burn fat and break down cholesterol into beneficial bile acids — as if it were flipping a fuel-selector switch. The liver, meanwhile, shuts down glucose production for several hours, lowering blood glucose levels. Instead of ending up in the bloodstream, extra glucose is used to repair damaged cells and make new DNA, which can help prevent chronic inflammation. Meanwhile, liver enzymes are activated and help in the creation of brown fat (the good kind, which converts extra calories to heat)." Other than weight loss, intermittent fasting is a relief to eating, longevity booster, and may also help stave off Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other degenerative brain conditions. The article stated the different ways to do intermittent fasting such as Eat Stop Eat by fitness guru Brad Pilon, in which you fast for 24 hours once or twice per week, and eat normally on non-fasting days. The other one is by nutritional consultant and personal trainer Martin Berkhan, called Leangains, which advises condensing your nutritional intake into an eight-hour period.
Upon reading about intermittent fasting and its facts, I remembered one of the misconceptions I heard about fitness- the need to level up metabolism by eating 6-8 meals a day, or else the metabolism will slow down and lead to weight gain. I was once a supporter of that notion and remember getting "hangry" hungry + angry every time I miss a meal. I learned that what we call hunger is really a learned reaction to a combination of metabolic, social and environmental cues to eat. This includes having the social cues to eat breakfast as the most important meal of the day. While the thought of fasting may scare some of us and think of it as hunger strike, intermittent fasting is simply short-term periods of caloric restriction. We are unaware but all of us actually practice fasting everyday when we abstain from food during our sleep. That is the reason why our first meal of the day is called breakfast, because we "break" the "fast". It is only during our sleep that we allow our digestive system to rest. Therefore these short-term fasts causes our metabolisms to operate more efficiently when freed from the burdens of 24/7 digestion and nutrition assimilation. Intermittent fasting is just taking “intermittent” times of fasting (no food) and working them into your lifestyle. Through multiple short-term periods of caloric restriction, our metabolism is able to operate more efficiently when freed from the burdens of 24/7 digestion and nutrition assimilation.
I read another article entitled "A Look at Intermittent Fasting and Muscle Building" written by LJ Walker from the site muscleandstrength.com. The article discussed the possible downside of restrictive eating. The article states that intermittent fasting, when taken a bit far may induce negative metabolic effects despite its benefits. The article suggests that if a person still plan to follow an IF eating pattern, it is best to conside keeping the fasting period short enough (around 8-12 hours) to get the benefits and avoid the downside of fasting. Some of the downside of fasting that's stated includes the feasibility of the eating pattern's compliance, the possibility of binge eating, and it may limit the person's capacity to build muscle.
According to the author, LJ Walker "The body is adaptable and can make do with what you give it, but sometimes we can push it a bit too far for our own good."
Intermittent fasting can cause a multitude of lifestyle benefits such as not being a slave to eating all day long (like modern “diets” seem to preach), having more natural daily energy/focus, and even just learning how to enjoy eating once again (with good foods and friends). Overall it can be a simple eating lifestyle that can not only help you lose weight, but more importantly let you relax and provide relief from obsessing about food or “diets” all day. But at the end of the day, It’s all about finding what works for you and helps you achieve your goals. Nutritionally, many people find eating frequent, smaller meals too stressful and time consuming – for them intermittent fasting provides optimal results. Others find that frequent small meals help them keep hunger at bay with fewer calories so they can lose fat and get ripped easier. Again, find what works best for you.
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