A health journey comes down to the right timing and right mind frame to begin. Do you start in school holidays or school term?
As a mum and a coach school holidays have always been a mixed bag when it comes to reclaiming health.
I have conversations with some mums to find strategies to get through their school holidays with temptations and organization.
These mums are rushed, feeling utterly flustered, kids everywhere, temptation of food 24/7 and no help whatsoever to have control of what they eat and how much they eat.
Other mums are on a different page with the relax mode, loads of sleep and plenty of prep time to get themselves and the family sorted. Mornings are delayed with sleep ins, meals are spread out, relaxed and they have the mindfulness of resting and digesting.
I find that I am bringing the same strategy to both blends of mums, some are completing this naturally, others I am bringing it to their attention; what I am talking about here is Fasting….
Yes it’s the most popular chat amongst health conscious warriors at the moment, and that’s because of all the benefits it can bring to your health.
It is also very cheap (no food needed), it is time efficient (no prep time or clean up time in the kitchen), and it is accessible anywhere and anytime of the day.
As mum’s we are rushed most days of our lives when the children are living under our roof. We are always putting everyone else first, then ourselves, and school holidays can feel ten times worse for some mums.
When and if you have time to eat, it is rushed, and usually a ‘grab-and-go’ style meal. Mum’s then particularly reach for a carb loaded snack, getting that quick surge of energy into her, then once ‘the crash’ happens about 2 hours later, the next grab-and-go product is consumed.
However when we fast, not only does the crash stop, so does the craving and control will appear, with ‘will power’ close behind.
This is because your cognitive power gets better, but you do need to be following a good diet as well.
We all know now the importance of good fats in the diet, along with clean protein and loads of fresh vegetables.
What happens when we Fast?
The process of using and storing food energy that occurs when we eat goes in reverse when we fast. Insulin levels drop, signaling the body to start burning stores energy. Glycogen (the glucose that’s stored in the liver) is the most easily accessible energy source, and the liver stores enough to provide energy for twenty-four hours or so. After that, the body starts to break down stored body fat for energy.
So you see, the body really only exists in two states – the fed (high-insulin) state and the fasted (low-insulin) state. Either we are storing food energy or we are burning food energy.
If eating and fasting are balanced, then there is not net weight gain.
If, however, we spend the majority of the day storing food energy (because we’re in the fed state), then over time, we will gain weight. What is needed then is to restore balance by increasing the amount of time we burn food energy (by going into the fasted state).
When you are on the go 24/7, your fight-and-flight nervous system is on, cortisol is switched on, and this is all stored in your belly region. But when you fast and you’re not eating, (eating can load stress on your body), your body can rest more. When your body is resting without food…….
Insulin goes Down
A decreased insulin level is one of the most consistent hormonal effects of fasting.
Longer-duration fasts reduce insulin more dramatically.
Regularly lowering insulin levels leads to improved insulin sensitivity – your body becomes more responsive to insulin. The opposite of insulin sensitivity, high insulin resistance, is the root problem in type 2 diabetes and has also been linked to a number of diseases, including:
Heart disease
Stroke
Alzheimer’s disease
High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Abdominal obesity
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (fatty liver disease)
Polycystic ovary syndrome
Gout Atherosclerosis
Gastroesophageal reflux disease
Obstructive sleep apnea
Cancer
Lowering insulin also rids the body of excess salt and water because insulin is well known to cause salt and water retention in the kidneys. This is why low-carbohydrate diets often cause diuresis, the loss of excess water – in fact, much of the initial weight lost on a low-carb diet is water. This diuresis is beneficial in reducing bloating and helping you feel lighter.
Some may also note a lower blood pressure.
But the other key fact when you fast is……
Growth Hormone goes Up
Human growth hormone (HGH) is made by the pituitary gland. As the name implies, it plays a huge role in the normal development of children and adolescents. Levels peak during puberty and gradually decrease with age. Excessively low growth hormone levels in adults leads to more body fat, less muscle mass, and decreased bone density (osteopenia).
Growth hormone, along with cortisol and adrenaline, is a counter regulatory hormone. These hormones signal the body to increase the availability of glucose – countering the effect of insulin and producing higher blood sugar levels. Levels of counterregulatory hormones peak just before waking, at approximately 4:00 am or so, increasing blood sugar levels, which fall during the night. The increase prepares the body for the upcoming day by making more glucose available for energy.
Growth hormone also increases the availability of fats for fuel by raising levels of key enzymes, such as lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase. Since burning fat reduces the need for glucose, this helps maintain stable blood sugar.
Meals very effectively suppress the secretion of growth hormone, so if we’re eating three meals per day, we get effectively no growth hormone during the day.
“Worse, overeating suppresses growth hormone levels by as much as 80%.”
The most potent natural stimulus to growth hormone secretion is fasting.
So many of my clients who are mums find their children or themselves end up sick over the school holidays, so a suggestion of fasting could help this, as you all know when we are sick, we do not feel like eating, this is when the body can heal.
“Fasting is not so much a treatment for illness but a treatment for wellness. The regular application of fasting helps protect people from illness and keeps them feeling well.” – Dr Jason Fung
I understand that getting started on a health journey comes down to the right timing and right mind frame to begin, so some mums feel that school holidays is a prime time, others veer towards the school term when the children are at school and routine in key for them.
There is no wrong or right, but one thing I will suggest is to attempt fasting, it can be as easy as 12 hour eating period, and 12 hour non eating period, and once you feel good with this maybe try 10 hours of an eating window and 14 hours of non eating, then keep tweaking to what suits you best.
A great book to read is ‘The complete guide to fasting” by Dr Jason Fung. I paraphrased in this article some of the important facts you need to know.
If you are looking at starting a health journey, I have a RESET program starting in September that might be something to look out for.
In the meantime here is a FREE EBOOK that has very simple steps to start the ball rolling.
To your health
Kerrie
– help people live healthier for longer.
