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5 Tips for Getting Over Fitness Burnout
This article is part of the Greatist x Aaptiv Fight the February Slump challenge, a monthlong fitness program to help you keep that motivation going. There's still time to join! Sign up here then start your free 30-day Aaptiv trial.
Every time the new year rolls around, fitness beginners and veterans alike burst into the gym full of resolutions and the motivation to accomplish them. But what goes up must come down, right?
When we make big promises to ourselves in January, we don’t always factor in day-to-day life, which often gets in the way of workouts, healthy eating, and, most importantly, time for ourselves.
“Adrenaline and that initial spark only keep the fire burning for so long," says Aaptiv trainer Ceasar F. Barajas. "Eventually we start feeling fatigued from all of our hard work in the gym and out of it.”
According to Barajas, if you’re not making time for yourself, burnout will happen. “There’s no possible way you can maintain any routine or relationship—at work, socially, with your family—if you’re not maintaining your own relationship with yourself,” he says. “It all boils down to that: Either you commit to taking care of you or everything else around you suffers—and so do you.”
We asked Barajas to share some of his best advice for avoiding mental slumps and staying focused amidst crazy schedules and ambitious resolutions.
1. Don’t focus on the numbers.
It’s easy to focus on pounds, miles, and reps. But Barajas says not to. “We take the numbers too seriously,” he says. “We always say things like, ‘I need to lose 10 pounds,’ or, ‘I’ve got a wedding in Tulum in a month, and I need to look good in a swimsuit.’”
Rather than focusing on short-term goals, Barajas recommends looking further down the line. "Make it a habit—something that becomes part of who you are,” he says. “It’s about settling into routines that will keep you feeling great come March, April, May, and so on.”
2. Remember fitness is a practice.
You’ve probably heard about yoga practices and how it takes daily sessions to improve and better understand the movements. Well, that’s actually true of all workouts.
“Fitness is a practice,” Barajas says. “Humans want instant gratification, so when we’re not immediately great at something or we struggle at first, it’s frustrating and discouraging.”
That frustration can affect our motivation over time, which can cause us to fall into a slump. But, Barajas says, remembering that exercise requires dedicated and regular practice can help change our approach and how we see progress.
“So you’re not very good at burpees?" Barajas says. "Practice. Hate thrusters? Practice. Are you working on your push-ups or just giving up after a bad set? Are you practicing your planks?”
Everything takes time, and once you’ve mastered one element of exercise, then you move on to new and different goals.
3. Be more mindful.
Mindfulness is an area of wellness that gets a bad rep. Many people incorrectly assume they don’t have the time or patience to meditate or be mindful. But mindfulness can actually work as a major motivating force before, during, and after your workouts.
“Even as active as I am, I still need to motivate myself to get to my workouts,” Barajas says. “But I think about how I’ll feel if I skip it—and I don’t mean guilty, I mean physically and mentally how I’ll feel.”
He recommends actively thinking about how exercise will directly benefit you. “Take a meditative approach to fitness and be mindful of how each movement you’re doing will affect you and how you physically and mentally feel,” Barajas says. “When you’re directly connecting exercise with your well-being, you’re more likely to, first of all, get to the gym, and, second, stick with it and form those habits.”
4. Find time to meditate.
You probably saw this coming. But it’s true. Meditation and mindfulness are incredibly beneficial for combating negative feelings and mental slumps, as well as encouraging personal reflection, stress relief, and even enhanced workouts. And it’s much easier than it seems.
“Most people hear meditation, and they think that means sitting in lotus pose on top of a mountain,” Barajas says. “But there are walking meditations, shower meditations, commuting meditations, and so on.”
It’s easy to fall back on the lack-of-time excuse, but finding a few minutes to meditate isn’t that difficult. “If you get up in the morning and you take five conscious breaths, that’s meditating,” he says. “My own personal meditation happens every day on the subway when I’m on my way to work or to teach a class because we’re underground, there’s no reception, and it’s dark. So for a few minutes every day, I just sit and meditate.”
5. Stop saying, “I don’t have…”
The wonderful thing about resolutions is they come from a place of wanting to be better. Barajas explains that while we’re perfectly capable of achieving the goals we set for ourselves, we don’t give ourselves enough credit.
“We set ourselves up for failure by saying things like, ‘I don’t have,’ instead of, ‘I have it,’” he explains. “You do have time, you do have strength, you do have support, but you need to actively remind yourself of that. That’s goal-setting 101.”
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Which Alternative Cold and Flu Remedies Actually Work?
Sneeze in a room full of family, friends, or coworkers, and you're bound to receive buckets of unsolicited cold and flu remedies people swear by—assuming they haven't put on their gas masks and run away.
Given the ineffectiveness of this year's flu vaccine (although it’s still worth getting—here’s why) and that forever-elusive "cure for the common cold," many of us have found ourselves turning to some combination of Grandma's home remedies, health food stores, and integrative health specialists for help. But even as we're meticulously dosing ourselves with vitamins and herbs, we'll be reading the latest headlines about scientific studies indicating it's all snake oil.
Who should we believe? Is there a Big Pharma conspiracy out there, or are alternative medicines just another product in a for-profit system? If I think my favorite homeopathic cold medicine makes me feel better... can't I just trust my anecdotal experience?
"I don't think mainstream medicine is looking to be proactive," says Deepa Verma, M.D., AIHM, an integrative health physician, says of the mainstream approach to cold and flu viruses. "They're reactive—they just wait for things to happen and then treat it. That's what I was taught in med school."
Natasha Bhuyan, M.D., the district medical director of One Medical in Phoenix, Arizona, explains that unfortunately, money often plays a role in whether traditional doctors recommend alternative medicine.
"Doctors can't often endorse these treatments as there is a lack of trials and research on them," she says. "This is simply because funding a research trial is super expensive. It would be amazing if there were a lot more funding support for alternative treatments."
In many instances, alternative treatments may be as effective—perhaps more effective—than mainstream approaches. However, these treatments generally don’t receive the same kind of funding for high-quality clinical trials, so we can’t know for sure about their efficacy.
Where Science and Integrative Health Agree
Verma bases her practice on her own analysis of published research—and most of what she prescribes for her patients revolves around boosting their immune systems.
One of the supplements she recommends for immune system health is vitamin D (yeah, you may have thought we were going to say C—we'll get to that surprisingly controversial vitamin later).
"I live in Florida, and the number of people who are vitamin D deficient here is staggering—so you can imagine what it's like in people in the Northeast or Midwest," she says. "Studies have shown that vitamin D is very powerful in boosting immunity and preventing cancer, and also helping with a host of other things like heart disease, obesity, and diabetes."
Because the FDA doesn't regulate what goes into supplements, Verma said the best bet for patients is to get pharmaceutical-grade supplies straight from an integrative health specialist, naturopathic doctor, or other medical professional. She often administers her supplements via IV, so the active ingredients bypass the digestive system and enter the bloodstream in purer forms.
Want more?
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Does Vitamin C Really Help Prevent a Cold?
Verma also relies on established knowledge about how our immune systems sometimes fail us. The thymus gland, for instance, is where the body produces disease-fighting T-cells, but it naturally atrophies with age. An age-old remedy for treating the gland involves consuming the thymus glands of calves, and some current studies support this practice in the form of a supplement, which is derived from the same source but thankfully doesn’t involve actually snacking on a literal thymus gland.
The liver produces the antioxidant glutathione (GHS), which helps us fight infections but depletes naturally as we age. Reduced levels of GHS are associated with upper respiratory tract issues. In hospitals, when patients have overdosed on Tylenol, they’re given N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), a glutathione precursor, to replenish their GHS. Studies have shown that NAC has also helped HIV patients and postmenopausal women improve their immune function, and some studies have shown it to be effective in fighting influenza. That’s why Verma often administers glutathione infusions after an IV.
Elderberry, aka sambucus nigra, also appears promising. This plant (when processed to eliminate naturally occurring cyanide) has antiviral properties and has been shown in multiple trials to be moderately effective in preventing people from catching the flu and colds, and failing that, in shortening their length.
Bhuyan is optimistic about Pelargonium sidoides, an ingredient in Umcka, a common natural cold medication. "There have been two fairly good randomized studies that show this can reduce the severity of symptoms of the common cold and acute bronchitis," she says.
"This is an herb that has been widely used in South Africa and Europe. Early lab studies show it has antibacterial and antiviral properties, in addition to giving your immune system a boost. However, in medicine, we are always seeking more evidence (i.e., multiple, super-strong trials with thousands of patients). But I still recommend this, as it's safe to use and has good early data."
Remedies Science Isn't So Sure About
Headlines about the efficacy of vitamin C fluctuate about as much as those for red wine, eggs, and coffee. The latest verdict from the National Institutes of Health on vitamin C is that it's an important antioxidant, and adults should consume about 75-90 mg a day, preferably from food. But they say it's not the miracle cure for colds and flu.
"There are fascinating studies on vitamin C," Bhuyan says. "A large analysis of 29 trials showed a small reduction in the duration of cold symptoms, but only in adults taking regular vitamin C (200 mg a day). It didn't really show a benefit for people who start taking it when they feel a cold coming on."
The results have been similarly disappointing for echinacea and colds. But when you go to the research on the immune system, both vitamin C and echinacea seem to do some good work. That's the research Verma pays attention to when she formulates her IV fluids in a combination called Myers' Cocktail, after a doctor who developed the method in the 1960s. When someone comes into her office feeling cold or flu symptoms, she typically uses about 25 grams of vitamin C, plus trace minerals, B vitamins, and glutathione.
"I take all those articles and I just compare them," she tells Greatist of what she does if the latest studies cast some inconclusive doubt on certain supplements. "I look at how the research was done. If they're inconclusive, I just do more research. If I can pull more articles that are saying it's more beneficial than not, then to me, that works. When I'm doing these treatments with my patients, I do check in on them a few days later, or they send me a text or email and tell me they're better or didn't come down with the flu."
After administering her Myers’ IV, Verma sends her patients home with echinacea, thymus extract, and two more ingredients with ambiguous science behind them: medicinal mushrooms and astragalus root.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says the research on Chinese herbal remedy astragalus is sparse and poorly conducted—which doesn’t mean that astralagus isn’t a good supplement, it just means we don't know yet. Studies on various medicinal mushrooms seem quite positive so far—particularly in terms of its antiviral properties in the face of influenza—but very few have been conducted. As Bhuyan notes, it seems there just hasn't been enough money used to look into these naturally available ingredients.
What No One Is Recommending: Homeopathic Medicines
Coldcalm and Oscillococcinum are two brand-name homeopathic medicines widely available in stores. I load up on them every time I feel like I'm getting sick, and I feel like they keep me healthy or shorten my illnesses. But there's a huge chance that's all in my head.
A review of six studies of Oscillococcinum, which is derived from duck heart and liver but diluted down to one percent, found that the only evidence that this treatment shortens the flu came from a possibly biased study. The idea behind homeopathy—that an almost undetectable amount of a thing that's similar to what is making you sick will activate your body to get well—has been met with a lot of criticism, and manufacturer Boiron has been sued for its claims. At the same time, Bhuyan doesn't tell people not to use it.
"It's up to the patient if they want to use this product and spend the money," she says. The benefit of this medicine might be (read: probably is) a placebo effect, which is another way of saying that our minds can make us feel better too—at least a little bit.
"There is definitely validity to the placebo effect," Verma says. "When you think of something, it can manifest. That's why we encourage people to do meditation and think positive thoughts. When you have positive thoughts, you're releasing chemicals into your body that boost your immunity. That mental aspect goes hand-in-hand with the physical aspect. But your thoughts only go so far."
How Can We Make These Decisions?
Read up! Most of this research is available online, after all.
"Patients should feel empowered to read medical studies themselves and discuss them with their doctors," Bhuyan says. "When reading a medical study, here a few questions to ask yourself: Who funded this study and could there be some bias? Is the study well-designed, with enough patients and a control group? Were the end results actually meaningful to my life?"
Sure, these make for dry reading on a sick day—but you can always balance it out with a few hours of streaming Riverdale.
Sabrina Rojas Weiss lives in Brooklyn, surrounded by her fellow freelance writers and competitive stroller-pushers. Follow her on Twitter @shalapitcher.
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Hey, Extroverts! Here are 7 Reasons Alone Time Really Is Important for You
Being constantly busy with zero alone time seems perfect for the extrovert—and if you consider yourself one, you probably have a tendency to overpack your schedule, maintain a full social calendar, and attend social gatherings on days that don't start with an F or S. But extroverts need alone time too, for a whole host of reasons. But before we get into all that...
What exactly are extroverts and introverts? And what the heck is an ambivert?
According to famed psychoanalyst Carl Jung, who coined the term in in his book, Psychological Types, extroverts get their energy from being around people—from being social—while alone time can result in feelings of loneliness. "Some of my extroverted patients have to constantly be doing things," says clinical psychologist Anthony Mullen, Ph.D. "When everything stops, they start to shut down and feel alone."
Conversely, introverts reset and re-energize away from other people; they typically need to recharge alone. The introvert is probably the first person to leave a party; they usually feel more comfortable away from high-energy, loud crowds and avoid big, people-packed events like the plague.
Of course, most people aren't one or the other—they fall somewhere on the spectrum. "A healthy, well-integrated person has aspects of both extroversion and introversion," Mullen says. The majority of us are actually ambiverts, which means we have characteristics of both. If you're curious as to where you fall on the spectrum, your Myers-Briggs can map your personality type.
Being extroverted seems like it's an easier way to live life, right? To start with, when being around people recharges you, you're more likely to have an easier time making friends. One study even found a strong link between extraversion and happiness. But this strength can also be a weakness: Extraverts tend to stay as busy as possible. As Mullen says, "There is an implicit idea that it's bad to be alone."
So what happens when extroverts don't get alone time?
From personal experience, you can end up with messy, unwashed hair; no time for the laundromat; and chipped nail polish. But more importantly, overexerting yourself can leave you exhausted and stressed.
Everyone needs downtime: We all need to sleep and engage in the self-care activities that keep us healthy. If we're constantly with people and leave no time for ourselves, we can become burnt out, emotionally and physically, and even display extremes in behavior. Personally, I was once so overwhelmed and exhausted that I definitely burst into tears when they were out of my favorite dark chocolate marzipan bar at my local bodega. That's kind of extreme.
"You could be overstimulated to the point where you could feel psychotic or manic," Mullen says. "Before that, you might feel exhausted, depressed, and perhaps anxious."
"Time alone—free from technology and goal-oriented activity—is beneficial to extroverts, introverts, and everyone in-between," says New York City-based psychologist Sevan Basil, Ph.D. "The main difference is that solitude doesn't feel vital to the daily emotional survival of an extrovert the way it does to an introvert."
So what are the benefits of alone time for extroverts?
1. Finding time to truly discover ourselves.
It's good for extroverts to learn who they are—away from the crowd. What are our goals? If we typically go along with things just because that's what the rest of the group is doing, alone time can help us understand our wants and needs, likes and dislikes, and properly cultivate our understanding of ourselves.
"Time alone is important because it provides an opportunity to become better acquainted with ourselves," Basil says. "In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it can be difficult to stay in touch with our inner worlds—our thoughts and feelings—because of the strong pull exerted by the external world: work, family responsibilities, and social commitments. The thing is, the more alienated we are from our inner worlds, the less freedom we have to be intentional and authentic in our choices, large and small."
2. Gaining a newfound appreciation for the quality people in our life.
With time to reflect, we can gain a new perspective about who the really awesome people in our life are—the folks that push us positively and make life a little brighter. "I'd encourage all people to take time to reflect on how different relationships impact them, emotionally and psychologically," Basil says.
"Not all relationships are nourishing. Perhaps introverts are more naturally inclined toward this, though, knowing intuitively that their reserves for socializing are limited. This is something anyone can learn to do, by getting into the habit of paying attention to how they feel during and after their time with friends."
3. Taking time to make positive changes (or tap into our creative sides).
"By slowing down and making space for solitude, we are in a sense making a commitment to not flee from ourselves," Basil says. "Amazing and terrifying things can happen when we are alone with ourselves in this way: We might pick up a book that shifts our worldview, notice the tree outside our bedroom window for the first time and feel inspired to sketch it, or invent a delicious new recipe with the five ingredients left in the fridge."
4. Processing emotions we wouldn't normally explore.
When we're alone, the experience isn't always fun—but it's still important, Basil says.
"We might experience unpleasant feelings that have previously been warded off by our business, sadness connected to a loss, feelings of inadequacy we don't allow ourselves to speak about, or ambivalence about a romantic commitment," she says. "We might be forced to confront unhealed emotional wounds, both recent and longstanding."
While these are difficult aspects of life to consider—even scary, in the moment—it's a worthwhile endeavor. "A problem can only be solved if its presence is first acknowledged," Basil says.
5. Practicing self-care.
Sure, it's a buzzword, but self-care is also really, really important—especially for folks who spend a lot of time taking care of other people and don't focus enough on themselves. "When you're alone, you're not bothered by others' needs—or you don't have to be. So you can take that nap, be energized by doing your yoga at home, or do absolutely nothing," Mullen says.
6. Beating the social media blues.
If you're the kind of extrovert who procrastinates (or just stays awake way too long) by hanging out on social media excessively, then this one's for you. One study found that using written social media platforms is "negatively associated with positive mental health variables and significantly positively with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms." And social media use can delay your reduction of cortisol levels—which leads to you feeling stressed out, according to another study. So when you're home alone, if you can just hit the power button on that phone of yours and chill out genuinely alone, you'll feel way better.
7. Finding ways to feel less stress overall.
Putting our own needs ahead of others' and not worrying about pleasing other people all the time lowers stress levels immensely. Stress less about demands, others' expectations, and pleasing people. "Some people feel that their social calendars just 'fill up' out of their control and end up feeling sapped by this over-scheduling, but can't seem to change," Basil says.
"Although they might start out thinking of themselves as an extrovert, it's possible that through intentional time alone, they'll discover that solitude feels more energizing and enriching than reflexive socializing for them—and that maybe they were more introverted than extroverted all along!"
Alone time isn't so scary. Maybe it's time to ditch that Saturday night party and put the kettle on.
Kari Langslet is an avid dater, impulsive adventurer, unofficial therapist to friends and family, and animal lover. You'll usually find her at a dive bar playing Jenga with her dog or headbanging into oblivion at a Brooklyn show. Stalk her on Instagram and Twitter @karilangslet.
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What to Do When You Really Want to Be in the Mood, but You're Just Not
Sex with my partner can cheer me up, mellow me out, and make me feel needed and desired—but sometimes, I can't figure out how to get in the mood. And it's hard to figure out how to explain to my partner, "I don't feel like having sex, but I want to feel like having sex."
I think we've all had those days (and sometimes weeks or months) when our sex drives play hide-and-seek. After a difficult project at work, a stressful time with the kids, or even an amazing but exhausting vacation, sometimes I can't find a way to feel sexy. There are so many other shortcuts that yield the results that I want: If I don't feel like cooking, sometimes I can order takeout. If I need to take a break from my kids for a few hours, I can often arrange for someone to come help out. So what's the shortcut to making me want to get it on?
If there are times when you know you'd enjoy having sex but don't always know how to get there, then this is for you. After talking to experts in the field and doing a little research, I found some great ways to get yourself in the mood.
1. To start with, do something relaxing.
This might seem like the answer to everything, but that's because it actually works. I can't go from feeling stressed-out to sensual sexpot without taking some time to relax. Maybe I need a bath, a massage, a cup of coffee and a cookie, or just a few minutes to myself. Whatever I do, I do it with the intention of preparing for sexual pleasure.
2. Change the rules.
I asked Alicia Sinclair, certified sex educator and CEO of The Cowgirl, how a couple could make date night more sexy and fun.
"Sometimes, it's easy to fall into the routine of day-to-day life without looking up to take in your surroundings. A date night can be a really awesome time to touch base with your partner and try something you've both never done before," Sinclair says. "Whether it's a new type of food or a new move in the bedroom, using this time to explore new opportunities (or each other) makes it into not only a fun experience but a chance to grow as a couple."
Making alone time a priority has always been important to my husband and me, but if we aren't mindful, we can sometimes miss opportunities to reconnect because we are preoccupied with everything (work, kids, household tasks) but each other.
3. Change the scenery.
Find a place that removes you from your everyday life for a while. Leah Millheiser, M.D., director of the Female Sexual Medicine Program at Stanford University, suggests that leaving your "usual spot" can add some excitement.
When I was home with kids all day, I loved a night away in a nearby hotel. (Actually, I still do.) Sometimes I'll go somewhere special with my partner for a quick dinner or a drink while making sure there's enough time left in the evening to go somewhere to get it on. Sometimes even my guest room is enough of a change of scenery to make me stop thinking about my daily grind and start focusing on my sexual desires.
4. Try reading or watching something that turns you on.
Millheiser suggests focusing on something exciting. I prefer erotica, but some of my friends enjoy steamy romance novels, and a romantic movie that has some racy sex scenes in it often makes me want to do more than just watch. Porn that depicts fantasies I enjoy will almost always get me going.
5. Try new sex toys.
While a massager like the Lelo Smart Wand is my go-to for a quick and easy orgasm, it doesn't always leave me wanting more from a partner. The Fiera is a product that I've found creates responsive desire that I love using alone or with my partner.
Vibrators designed with a partner in mind, like the Eva or Fin, are also fun to use together or solo. For something beyond standard genital stimulation, bVibe has some great options. And while I don't want to blow my whole paycheck on sex toys, I've learned that investing in a few quality toys is better than having a treasure chest full of inexpensive toys.
Sometimes I can't relax and enjoy sex because I'm really stressed—and sometimes I'm stressed just because it's been a while since I experienced sexual pleasure. Using the above tactics, I've gotten out of this catch-22 more and more often, which has led to me becoming more sexually satisfied and more connected to my partner. After all, it's true that an orgasm (or three) is the perfect way to eliminate stress.
Eva Giunto is a writer, daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend who happens to have a high sex drive. She enjoys many things besides sex, but sex is by far her favorite thing. Eva hopes to be one of many women who share a positive and realistic perspective on women who love sex. Follow her on Twitter @forevagiunto.from Greatist RSS http://ift.tt/2ofpqwn
Want to Try Intermittent Fasting? Here's What You Need to Know
Before changing the way you eat and altering your diet in any significant way, please speak with a health professional to make sure it's the best decision for you.
You’ve read about people’s shocking transformations on Facebook, seen the hashtags trending on Instagram, and know all about the weight-loss buzz from your friends at the gym. But what is Intermittent Fasting? And can you actually pull it off when you barely can make it to 10 a.m. without ripping someone’s head off in a hangry rage?
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
Fasting is nothing new. Our ancestors did it (because they didn’t have constant access to food) before anyone ever muttered the words “skinny jeans,” “thigh gap,” or “cleanse.” Countless religious ceremonies revolve around some form of dietary fast—from the 25-hour fast of Yom Kippur in Judaism to the month-long daytime fast of Ramadan in Islam.
Today, it’s not so much used by the masses as an enlightening or spiritual experience, but rather a simple way to restrict calories and lose weight. Intermittent Fasting (IF) involves alternating cycles of abstaining from food and eating it. Sounds simple enough, right? I mean, we basically do that every day anyway when we go to bed and wake up. While this popular weight-loss diet doesn’t dictate which foods to eat or even how much to consume, it’s definitely a little more structured than just deciding to eat and deciding to stop.
During the fasted period, whatever the length may be, no food should grace your lips. You are, however, allowed to drink water, tea, coffee, and other non-caloric beverages (so no, a Grande Frappuccino doesn’t fly). Today, IF has been adopted by health and wellness gurus all over the world, each whom advocate a specific IF regimen.
Types of Intermittent Fasting
12/12 Method
This is a beginner's IF regimen and probably something a lot of people are doing without even thinking about it. It means you’re fasting for 12 hours a day and eating within a 12-hour window. If you eat your last meal at 7 p.m. and have breakfast the next morning at 7 a.m., congratulations, you’re already an IF pro.
16/8 Method
In this IF method, you fast for 16 hours each day and restrict your eating window to just eight hours, which likely means you can squeeze in two, maybe three meals. Most people following the 16/8 method simply skip breakfast, have their first meal midday, and refrain from eating too late at night.
20/4 Method
Here’s where it’s getting a bit more intense. Now, you’re fasting for a full 20 hours and allowing yourself one four-hour window to eat. It’s likely you might get just one, maybe two meals in each day, depending on what you find works for you.
5:2 Diet
In this more extreme “alternate-day fasting" (ADF) method, you’re severely restricting calories two days of the week (to approximately 500 calories each day) and eating whatever you want the other five days.
Eat-Stop-Eat
Like the 5:2, this ADF method doesn’t provide a consistent daily fast schedule, but rather allows you to choose one or two days in the week to have a full 24-hour fast. TBH, this one sounds like pure hell.
What Are Some of the Benefits of Intermittent Fasting?
1. You’ll eat less.
If this is the only benefit 99 percent of you care about because you're interested in IF as a weight-loss aid, we get it. But does it actually work? Well, it probably will. Since the purpose of IF is to restrict your window of eating, it’s likely you’ll eat fewer meals, and assuming you don’t binge during your “feasting” window, you could lose weight.
One study compared a high-protein, reduced-calorie IF regimen with a traditional heart-healthy diet plan and found that while they lost comparable amounts of weight, the IF had a bit of an edge for minimizing weight regain after one year. Another study found that IF was as effective as daily caloric restriction for weight loss, but the IF group had less lean muscle mass loss during dieting. Bonus!
2. It keeps your brain sharp.
We all want to keep our brain sharp, and IF may help. Animal research suggests that fasting may help increase the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which may play a role in brain dysfunction and degeneration.
Other studies suggest that IF helps prevent short-term and special memory loss, can reduce brain damage and functional impairment, and even mediate the severity of Alzheimer’s in rats. While we’re still waiting on the credible studies on humans to draw any solid conclusions, it’s definitely some good food for thought.
3. It helps reduce the risk of diabetes.
Reducing the risk of diabetes has always been top of mind for most public health professionals, and it’s looking like IF may play a role. One preliminary study on mice discovered that a fasting cycle diet could restore insulin secretion and promote new insulin-producing pancreatic cells in mice with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Evidence from human trials suggests that ADF does not alter fasting concentrations of glucose but may play a role in improving insulin sensitivity, an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Most recently, a review of the literature found that IF helped reduce visceral belly fat, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance as effectively as traditional caloric restriction. So, if a fasting protocol is more sustainable for you than consistent calorie cutting, then it looks like IF may be a valid option.
4. It might help maintain a healthy heart.
Early research on heart health has suggested that IF may help improve a number of risk factors for heart disease, like blood pressure and cholesterol. One very small human study found that a month of fasting resulted in declines in total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, LDL cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure.
Another found that after three weeks, good HDL cholesterol increased in women and triacylglycerol decreased in men, but neither systolic nor diastolic blood pressure budged. Considering the inconsistencies in the findings, experts have therefore concluded that we definitely need larger randomized control trials to see how IF can improve heart health.
5. It might help fight cancer.
While research on cancer is dicey and currently limited to rat models, one study found that after 16 weeks of IF, the incidence of lymphoma in rats was 0 percent compared to that in the control group whose incidence was 33 percent. Another found that 50 percent of the rats who were put on a fasting regimen lived 10 days after being inoculated with a tumor, compared with only 12.5 percent of those that were fed as much as they wanted. While interesting, we clearly need some human trials to make any sound inferences about the link between IF and cancer.
What are Some of the Concerns of Intermittent Fasting?
1. Infertility
We know that adequate caloric and nutrient intake is essential for reproductive health, particularly because amenorrhea (loss of menstrual cycle) is directly linked to under eating and low body weight. While we don’t have any large human trials specific to IF, it’s quite possible that the restrictive nature of the diet can interfere with nature doing its thing. In fact, one animal study found that an IF regimen interfered with the fertility of rats.
2. It could impair athletic performance.
Getting the most out of your workout really comes down to carefully timed fuel, and restricting calories for long periods of the day can definitely get in the way. Not only can it leave you too sluggish to really push the pedal to the medal, but if your workout isn’t timed perfectly during your “feasting” phase, you could be missing out on a really important window for muscle growth and glycogen replenishment. The result is that you might actually start breaking down metabolism-boosting muscle, not building it.
3. It's not realistic in the long run.
Like most diets, IF can be really hard to stick with in the long run. One study actually compared IF to daily caloric restriction and found that the dropout rate was significantly higher among fasters than calorie-cutters. Interestingly, this study also suggested that the individuals assigned to the fasting group gradually just ended up cutting calories over time, suggesting that this may just be a more natural way to eat.
4. It could cause disordered eating.
While it’s not officially documented, as a dietitian, I can attest that it’s very easy for people in the “diet mindset” to overdo their “feast” phase. In other words, if you’re given free rein to eat whatever you want for a short few hours and you’re hangry when you get there, it’s not unreasonable to assume you’re going to face plant into the first thing you see. Hello, office donuts! Not only will this negate any weight-loss benefits, but it’s also possible it can lead to some dangerous disorderly binging behaviors over time.
5. There's a lack of solid evidence.
So the preliminary research we do have sounds promising, but there’s still a really long way to go. Most of the studies we do have are on animals, and our human trials are generally very small. Also, the long-term effects of IF have not been studied, so we don’t know for sure if there are any dangers or major benefits for dieters eating this way in the long run.
Who Is Intermittent Fasting Good For?
As you can see, there are a plethora of different methods of varying difficulty when it comes to Intermittent Fasting, so it’s not necessarily a one-size-fits-all diet. Considering the benefits and risks, IF may be best for people who enjoy a wide range of foods and who struggle with diets that restrict certain types of food groups or macronutrients. With IF, the focus isn’t on the quality or even the quantity of food you’re eating, rather just the time frame that you’re eating in. So, if you want to keep pasta, chocolate, and wine on the table while staying “on your diet,” it may be a palatable option.
IF may also be helpful for those who tend to have digestive problems at night time as bumping up the last meal of the day before bed may help prevent heartburn, acid reflux, and other digestive woes.
Who Should Avoid Intermittent Fasting?
While early research suggests that fasting may have some benefits on blood sugar control, individuals with insulin-dependent diabetes should likely avoid radical fasting regimens. Enjoying regular, healthy meals can help prevent blood sugar spikes and dips that can be life-threatening for diabetics if not controlled. It may also not be ideal for amateur or professional athletes who depend on perfectly timed fuel before and after activity for athletic performance and recovery.
Bottom Line
We're still really just scratching the surface of trying to understand the role of IF in overall health and weight management. Like all diets, it might work for one person but fail miserably for another. If you’re looking to get started in IF, I highly suggest speaking to a registered dietitian and your doctor, who can walk you safely through the best regimen for you and make sure you’re getting all of the necessary nutrients you need.
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