Yesterday I mentioned about how I was feeling uncomfortable and sick in my tummy with all the junk food that I had at the cinema hall the previous night. To feel good and back to normal, the best therapy for me was to go on a 24-hour fasting. It did help me a lot. I kept myself well hydrated throughout the day and that helped me stay good with my energy level. I consumed a cup of homemade herbal tea as it is rich in antioxidants and helps to flush out toxins from the system.
For my dinner meal, which was the first meal of the day, I went in for proteins and some healthy carbs which was a simple dal rice, sprouts and some boiled chicken with capsicum. Felt so much better from the previous night not only in the body but also in the mind. Following the same pattern and the same diet today will surely help my system reset.
I like to follow the intermittent fasting pattern on a daily basis following the 16:8 rule. Studies prove that in the first 4 hours of the fasting our body is burning out the food that we have consumed in proportion to the energy needed and storing any excess for later use. Hence it is said that after meals one should not go to sleep immediately and do a small walk of 5 to 10 minutes. Around 400 to 500 steps work well. From the 4 to 16-hour window, the benefits of fat burning start showing up and the autophagy process starts. Which is that the body starts breaking down on the stored cells and uses it to generate energy for the body. In the 18-to-24-hour window the autophagy process speeds up. Now the body is breaking down the stored fats at a much faster pace.
If the fast continues for a longer period, it has more benefits. A 72 hour fast can-do miracles for the body, giving a total cleansing. Post 24 hours body starts producing ketone bodies which replaces glucose to fuel the brain. It's good to do a 72 hour fast once in a while, specially coming out from a holiday and festive season. Honestly, I have never done a complete 72 hour fasting, but I have done a liquid diet for that long, and it has helped me tremendously.
To lose weight one does not need to starve, one can lose weight with a full meal also but what is important is what we eat and how we eat. These fasting windows are very helpful in detoxification process accompanying with the right supplements. In the olden times also when people used to fast, they would consume certain herbs to compliment with the fasting process, like Potassium, Sodium, Magnesium are some important nutrients needed in the fasting process. It is advisable that in the fasting process when one consumes water, they can add a little of salt in it to stay well hydrated, this allows the brain to remain active and not succumb to the hunger cramps.
Fasting is a very old tradition and people followed it with certain principles because they did understand the benefits of it. The whole thing is nowadays we rely too much on scientific evidence, whereas in the olden times people listened closely to their physical bodies, studied them well and did what was best for it.
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