Intermittent Fasting – A few basics.

To fast is to go without food. We do this every time we go to sleep and then break our fast with the first food we eat that day (breakfast).  Wikipedia defines Intermittant Fasting (IF) as an umbrella term for various diets that cycle between fasting and non-fasting during a defined period. Some folks take a day off food, and then a day on. Some choose to eat only during a restricted period of time during the day over the course of the fast (Time Restricted Feeding). How long you choose to fast is up to you and your metabolism. Some folks have unsteady blood sugar and would need to have a little something  available, others don’t need anything and won’t feel hungry even after 2 days (me – I tried it. I was a little peckish at the end of day 2).

The question of “is it safe?” can be answered easily; YES. It is fine to take some time off eating. We carry hundreds of thousands of calories and store other nutrients in our bodies, so we don’t really need to eat everyday. Early on in our evolution we were not guaranteed daily food, it depended on foraging and hunting success. Food availability changed with the advent of agriculture and food storage. However, it’s a pretty wriggly can of worms involving habits, customs, culture, food addiction and lots of potentially conflicting information. As always, the answer is a qualified  “It depends”, however research is supporting the use of Intermittent Fasting (IF) to maintain body health.  There is something called a metabolic switch - after a certain time following the onset of fasting (12hrs)  the body switches fuel sources and starts to metabolize “fat through fatty acid oxidation and fatty acid-derived ketones, which serve to preserve muscle mass and function. Thus, IF regimens that induce the metabolic switch have the potential to improve body composition…” . But this is not true in all bodies (of course) or for all time courses because everyone metabolizes at different rates. Many studies have show that IF has led to improved insulin and blood glucose levels, lower blood pressure, and sustained weight loss.

If you are going to try Intermittent Fasting (IF) start with simply pushing your breakfast time back and see how you feel. A recommended time frame is 16 : 8, or 16 fasting hours to 8 eating hours. It has been noticed that keeping the 8 eating hours during the daytime has improved outcomes (Circadian rhythm theory) because you are matching your fuel intake to your more active times.

Take away: Intermittent Fasting is an age-old protocol that is gaining more research support and recognition. Adding mindful fasting to nutritious diet choices and movement habits are some of the most sustainably healthy things you can do for yourself.

Stair climbing; calories burned, offset the metabolic creep!

On average, you’ll burn about 2 calories going up a flight of stairs (loosely based on median person weight, about 10 steps in a flight, and no huge baggage lugged). Calories burned taking the elevator -> zero. Burning a mere two calories seems negligible, but it does add up. I live at the top of 4 flights of stairs, and probably go up and down them (minimally) 3 times a day. That’s 2 cal x 4 flights x 3 times = 24 calories/day. But if I do this every day, that’s 8544 calories a year. If a pound of fat is contains 3500 calories, then my stairs are burning 2.4 pounds of fat per year. With age, metabolism tends to decelerate by about 5% for every decade of life past age 40. If your resting metabolic rate (amount of calories needed to keep you alive at rest) is say, 1,200 calories per day at age 40, it will be around 1,140 at age 50 and 1000 at age 60. The average weight gain after age 40 is one pound per year if one is not paying attention. Luckily, you can offset this with regular daily exercise, and very importantly, keeping your muscle mass up. Choosing stairs instead of elevators is an easy life hack to offset the metabolic creep. Also, it’s good ongoing training for your leg and butt muscles, stabilizing your knees and ensuring that you’ll never get stuck in an elevator.