Challenge Tip: Give Your Gut a Break
"If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can't hear them anymore."
Give your Gut a Break. If we keep our guts in a constant fed state, it doesn't give it any time to process and digest what we have consumed. Fasting, even if it is as simple as limiting the time you eat in the evening, is a form of fasting and can help tremendously with your diet — losing or gaining. Don’t forget to read my other blog on Intermittent Fasting to learn more.
Here are 2 essential elements of fasting that I include in all my meal plans.
Start by limiting the hours of the day when you eat, and for best effect, make it earlier in the day (between 7 am to 3 pm, or even 10 am to 6 pm).
Avoid snacking or eating at nighttime, after you finish your last meal, that is it. You shouldn't eat anything after your last meal of the evening.
A couple of different methods of fasting:
The 16:8: Eat all of your food in an 8-hour window and fast for the remaining 16 hours of the day. This is a great protocol for beginners because the fast isn’t terribly long, and for 7-8 of those 16 fasting hours, you should be asleep.
The 20:4: involves fasting for 20 hours and seriously feasting during a 4-hour window at night. It’s best for people with some experience fasting and people.
Alternate-day fasting: eat normally on one day, fast on the next, and so on.
Did you know?
Fasting can:
Reducing levels of insulin, which makes it easier for the body to use stored fat
Lowering blood sugars, blood pressure, and inflammation levels
Dramatically increases human growth hormone, or HGH, which helps the body utilize body fat and grow muscle.
The body activates a healing process doctors call autophagy, which essentially means that the body digests or recycles old or damaged cell components.
Tips for Meal Plan Members:
Don't forget your oatmeal! This is such a great carb to include in your diet.
You will begin a protein shake for Week 2, no fruit added just yet.
Tips for Workout Guide Members:
This week try to challenge yourself by adding more reps or going for a longer time. Remember 2 extra reps or 5 seconds longer is still progress.
Utilizing different (lb) dumbbells can also make your workout more challenging and effective.
