More and more people today are searching for ways to live healthier lives. They try out things like juice regimens, diets, exercise routines, and everything in between. While these practices will help you achieve a healthier body, their results are too unpredictable, and they can sometimes be hard to stick to. What if we told you there were a simpler approach? What if there was a simple practice that would save you time and money while allowing you to get in touch with yourself and the world around you? Well, there is, and that practice is fasting.
The Ancient Practice
Fasting has been practiced by nearly every civilization on the planet, and it’s been going on for thousands of years. The reason for this longevity is that it works. Ancient civilizations considered fasting to be a great way to detoxify and cleanse the body. In the modern age, we’ve been able to back up these claims with research, linking the practice to a reduction in body fat, increase in energy, and even the potential to reverse type 2 diabetes. But even with all of these benefits, there are still some misconceptions when it comes to fasting. You’ll hear things like:
Isn’t fasting the same as starvation?
It is common for people to make the association between fasting and starvation, especially when both have to do with eating very little or no food. However, while starvation is done unwillingly and for an unknown (and potentially fatal) length of time, fasting is a choice. It’s done for a safe length of time, it’s closely monitored, and the person fasting has the option to end the fast and re-feed at any time.
Won’t I lose muscle tone by fasting?
This is another common misconception. Obviously, the last thing you’d want to do is lose some of the good muscle tone you have while targeting your body fat, but that isn’t what happens with fasting. With fasting, your insulin levels will naturally go down. When this happens, the body signals to start burning stored energy. That stored energy comes from fat. So fasting works by targeting areas like that stubborn belly fat without damaging muscle or other parts of your body.
Doesn’t fasting do more harm than good?
Simply put, no. There are many documented health benefits when it comes to fasting, aside from the obvious loss of body fat. These benefits include improved mental clarity, reversal of type 2 diabetes, increases in energy, lowered levels of blood cholesterol, and reduced inflammation in your body. You’d be hard-pressed to find a diet that could accomplish all of these things. And even if you did, you’d probably have to pay premium prices for the foods you’d be buying. Fasting is completely free. And on top of that, it saves you time. Instead of worrying about what you’ll do for dinner, you can spend more time doing the things you love.
These are just a few of the misconceptions that are out there when it comes to fasting. Now that we know what fasting isn’t, let’s find out what fasting is: The Benefits of Fasting Part 2.
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