Intermittent fasting is a recent diet trend that is here to stay. Unlike Paleo, low carb or the keto diet, intermittent fasting every day has tons of benefits for your health and even your mind.
One of the reasons intermittent fasting is so effective is because there is simply less time of the day to eat. With intermittent fasting, you only eat 6-8 hours while most people do the opposite by eating 16-18 hours per day.
Fasting is one of the most ancient healing traditions in human history which has been practiced by virtually every culture and religion on earth.
I’ve been practicing intermittent fasting since the beginning of 2018 and couldn’t be happier with the results.
Here are five ways intermittent fasting can help your mind just as much as your body.
1. Increased Discipline
As,l Jocko Willink said, “Discipline equals freedom.” In any area of life, how disciplined you are, determine how successful you will become.
When you stick to intermittent fasting on a regular basis you are being disciplined by not eating when everyone else is. Some people will scoff when you tell them your plan but it doesn’t matter. As long as you know what you are trying to achieve that’s all that matters.
This discipline to stick to eating during specific hours has poured into my business and fitness routines. Discipline is contagious and fasting can help add some to your life!
Here’s Kerwin Rae talking about how fasting is one of the top 2 life hacks he knows:
2. Better Brain
Once you get past the first few days of your body adjusting to the new eating schedule you will feel more focused, positive, and optimistic than ever before.
A study from the Society for Neuroscience in 2015, revealed that intermittent fasting offers “enormous implications for brain health.” According to the study, IF stimulates the brain in a number of different ways including the growth of neurons, recovery from brain injuries and enhanced memory performance.
There is also evidence to show that intermittent fasting might actually improve both cognitive function and quality of life for people living with those conditions already.
3. Health = Wealth
Unfortunately, people spend too much time on wealth while forgetting about their health during the process. But if you want to be truly successful you have to look out for your health.
Intermittent fasting is a commitment to your mind and body.
4. Improves Spiritual Well Being
Fasting has been practiced throughout history by almost every religion in the world. IF can lead to increase spirituality and I’ve found to have more clarity, peace, and focus during fasting times.
Studies have also shown that fasting can help regulate your mood by reducing stress and anxiety. To me, intermittent fasting can lead to feeling more connected with yourself. This can lead to a more positive outlook on how you see the world.
5. Trust Yourself
How can fasting help increase your confidence?
By making a promise you keep to yourself. Intermittent fasting is a big commitment if you’ve been eating the opposite your whole life but once you switch it becomes second nature.
This commitment, day in and day out, will instill confidence and self respect in yourself.
More confidence equals higher self-esteem and the ability to reach your goals quicker.
Are you ready to try intermittent fasting?
While it may seem like a daunting challenge, fasting is more than doable. Not only can you lose fat and have more energy but you can also gain more clarity on a daily basis.
Whether you can practice intermittent fasting every day or only on certain days, the benefits are endless.
This clarity can lead to more focus, confidence, and ability to push through the hard times to achieve your goals.
And how exactly you fast then? There is no description of the process itself!
I think you basically choose 8 hours in the day you can only eat . Example 9-5 would be the 8 hours and you can only eat in between those hours. During the non eating hours your body goes into a fasting state.
This was beautiful. It seems a person who has achieved solitude and full of wisdom is sharing his views. I really appreciate the way you are motivating people with practical examples.
I have found that being alone has had a great effect on me not only mentally but even more so spiritually…ever notice how the most influential people in history took days and weeks off to be alone and gain more wisdom and understanding…
While I think this article is great as I’ve done this and works. Once I started strength training, I could no longer fast, even if the training was during the 8 hours of eating. I lost all energy and focus even after trying to continue after a few weeks.
Fasting is such a great tool because it can be adjusted to everyone needs no matter where he lives, who he is and what he eats.
I really like the attitude of being a
Modern Fasting Warrior
Fasting equals
Discipline
Freedom &
SELF-Control over your own urges
It’s a positive addiction.
And for people who are saying it doesn’t work for them..?
I always ask how long did you practise/try it?
Most answers are between 5-14 days.
So you honestly think that after eating breakfast for many, many, many years every day and just skipping it for a few days will be without any urges and consequences? Really?
Come on!
One strategy for those people…just eat breakfast a little bit later.
Instead of immediately after waking up…maybe 1 hour after waking up…maybe combine it with a new morning routine of exercising for 30 minutes, taking a shower and afterwards having a strong healthy breakfast…you just did 30 minutes of fasted training!!! = #win
keep it that way for a few weeks and see how you feel. Expand your comfort zone and enjoy the Journey of Fasting. It works.
Been doing IF since 2017 but it’s just last year that I really committed myself to it. I’ve been struggling to lose post pregnancy weight after giving birth in 2013 and 2016 but IF helped me a lot. The change doesn’t always show on the weighing scale but I love how I feel when I’m doing it regularly. I still eat whatever I want, I need to discipline myself more when it comes to consuming sweet though. But IF plus doing 20-minute walks daily help keep me healthy.