You’ve made it through the first month of the year, and you are going strong on your resolution to get healthy! You are eating the right foods, mostly, possibly intermittent fasting, and sticking to your exercise routine. Hopefully, you are seeing the desired results.
February, in addition to being American Heart month, has been deemed National Fasting February to focus on metabolic health. A healthy metabolism is the best fountain of youth. Poor metabolic health can lead to many diseases we consider part of the aging process such as diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.
It is good to know your numbers when it comes to your metabolic health. Knowing your risk level gives you the chance to make any necessary alterations to your lifestyle.
Cardiac Health Awareness and Healthy Eating
Since 1964 the American Heart Association has been promoting cardiac health awareness during the month of February. Highlighting the cardiovascular disease risk factors, which are totally preventable, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity.
All of these factors are related to diet. Diet plays an important part in these risk factors and has the power to reduce those risks. Doctors have decided that in addition to eating a healthy diet, altering your eating schedule can supercharge that healthy eating plan.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting consists of going for prolonged periods, at least 10-12 hours, without ingesting anything other than water. This gives your metabolic system a break from processing sugar and gets it to burn up some of that stored fat. In addition to being an avenue for weight loss, intermittent fasting also helps the following:
- It initiates cellular repair. It gives the body the opportunity to eliminate waste material from the cells.
- Fat burning occurs due to a significant drop in insulin levels.
- It can also increase the level of HGH – Human Growth Hormone – which also encourages fat burning.
- It reduces insulin resistance, lowering blood sugar levels, which helps with managing type 2 diabetes in men. (Results from a study indicated women did not achieve the same results in managing blood sugar levels.)
- Can help reduce inflammation in the body.
- It can reduce some of the side effects of chemotherapy.
- It may be beneficial in delaying the onset of Alzheimers. Studies have shown it mitigates the symptoms in patients who already have the disease.
There are other potential benefits that are currently being studied. Most of the data available is the result of animal testing and human data is not available yet.
So something to consider as you continue on your journey to better health. Could you charge up your weight loss by giving intermittent fasting a try?
Knowing your numbers is important so you can make informed choices when it comes to your health. We offer a number of tests that monitor key bodily functions. Knowledge is power.
Take control of your health and start by getting a baseline of your body’s numbers. Let IPE Screening provide you with some answers so you can develop your longevity strategy.