Fasting and cleansing are recently very popular methods of dieting and detoxifying the body. There are many forms of each and the one method that I find consistently manageable is Joshua Rosenthal's, founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, 12 hour method. He states in his book, Integrative Nutrition, that he fasts daily from 8:30p.m. to 8:30a.m. and that this has improved his digestion and sleeping.
I have adopted this idea of the 12 hour fast, and find that I feel very refreshed when I give my body a fairly long break from food and drinks. I personally am not so strict with the specific times that I fast, for instance during the week I am more likely to be on a 7-7 schedule and the weekends more like 8:30-8:30 or even 9 sometimes. I have, however, found that my body works best when I am done eating earlier in the evenings. I sleep better and wake up with more energy when I fast from 7p.m. to 7a.m. than from 9p.m. to 9a.m..
I recommend this style of fasting to clients who are trying to lose weight. It is a nice, fairly simple and not too regimented way to create more awareness when it comes to eating. When trying to lose weight or eat a healthier diet, we have to become more aware of what we are putting in our bodies and when. This 12 hour fasting really helps to create that awareness.
Give the 12 hour fast a try this week. Notice how your body feels when you give it this break. Notice how your energy increases or decreases depending on the times you eat and fast. Also, how much time is there between your last meal and the time you go to sleep? Do you feel better and more energized in the mornings when you eat earlier in the evenings, allowing your body more time to digest the food before going to bed?
If our goal is to be truly healthy, we should work on not only looking our best, but of course feeling our best. Good luck exploring the 12 hour fast, I hope it works for you as well as it works for me!
~One Body, One Life~
Jennifer
