My tips for intermittent fasting

Hi love

I wrote last week about practising Intermittent Fasting (IF) and how I find it great for health and weight management with the main three benefits being autophagy, ketosis (fat burning) and digestive rest. Adding an extra day of IF is my go to for detox and coming back into balance post holiday splurge!

I got so many replies from other people who find IF really useful too. One of my subscribers lost over 2 stone with this approach and another does it particularly for the health benefits.

This week I wanted to tell you about how I personally incorporate it into my daily routine.  

Quite a few people who replied practice IF on a daily basis. I myself only do it two to three times each week and I find, especially as a woman, that this is enough. Extensive fasting can be disruptive for female hormones and can cause our periods to stop because our bodies think we are in famine and are protecting us from the additional burden of reproducing. This is especially true if you're a Vata type in Ayurveda.

The two days I choose to start are Fridays and Sundays. I eat pretty healthily in the week and I like to relax it all and have what I want on the weekends but I top and tail the weekend with a fast. I stop eating by about 7pm on Friday night and don't eat again until around 1pm on Saturday. I eat what I want over the weekend but by 7pm on Sunday night I fast until Monday afternoon, again until about 1pm.

In order to maximise the benefits of the fast I'll drink a cup of black coffee, green or turmeric tea as the research suggests these increase autophagy.

Another way of making the most of the fast is by doing a HIIT workout or some form of intense exercise as your body gets most out of workouts in the fasted state so I incorporate some exercise whilst fasting too. I find that works quite well psychologically because it's also a distraction from not eating!

I love the fact that fasting is free too and actually saves you money. No need for an expensive health club or juice cleanse. You detoxify yourself body, achieve a sort of master cleanse and actually save your money!