Best Intermittent Fasting for Women

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Read on about the best intermittent fasting for women. What if I told you the secret to productivity doesn’t lie in a beautiful workspace? I’m talking about intermittent fasting, the secret weapon to productivity. Today, we’ll discuss intermittent fasting, why it works, and a quick start guide. The two best things about a fasting routine are that it’s simple and free! Let’s get started.

First, let’s address the elephant in the room – NO, you will not die! One of the biggest myths about food is that we require three meals and two snacks per day. Do you know why that’s burned into our brains? Because high-power industries, like the food and pharmaceutical industries, spend loads of advertising money to brainwash us. These industries benefit when we eat more often, eat more food, and develop health issues. So, is breakfast the most important meal of the day? No. Do we NEED to eat every 3 hours? No.

The top 5 reasons to try intermittent fasting:

1. It’s simple & efficient – I don’t know about you, but I have enough choices to make during the day. The fewer choices, the better.
2. It costs $0! Who doesn’t love FREE?
3. Fewer meals to meal prep = more time saved
4. Increases productivity 
5. The scientifically proven health benefits are incredible

Best Intermittent Fasting for Women:

Now, for those new to fasting, let’s briefly touch on the basics. Intermittent fasting is a protocol of when to eat, and there are many different fasting protocols out there. Common patterns include 16/8 (16 hours fasting, 8 hours eating/day) and 5/2 (5 days regular eating, two days of 24-hour fasts). The best thing about fasting is that it’s completely flexible to fit into your life.

Because I’m a creature of habit, I like to follow a daily fasting routine anywhere from 13-16 hours. A 14-16 hour fasting window is attainable and sustainable for most women. Then, it’s common to eat 2-4 meals matching the general number of calories you aim for in a day during the eating window.

The benefits of intermittent fasting include:

• Improved mental clarity and concentration
• Reduced inflammation
• Enhanced fat-burning 
• Improved insulin sensitivity
• May prevent Alzheimer’s disease
• Autophagy – the spring cleaning for cells
• Extends life

How intermittent fasting works: 

When we eat, food energy becomes stored as glycogen in the liver, and this energy source gets burned off first. It takes 10-15 hours to deplete glycogen stores unless you exercise (which speeds up the process). Once glycogen stores become depleted, we start to burn stored fat as ketones. Ketones are very good for your brain = boom, productivity. Furthermore, the body gets a break from spending energy digesting food and can spend that energy doing internal cleaning instead, such as 

Quick-Start Guide to intermittent fasting: 

While fasting, you can consume beverages with no added sweeteners:

1. Water – Still or sparkling. Optional Add-ins: Limes, lemons, apple cider vinegar, Himalayan salt, or chia seeds

2. Coffee – Black or with coconut oil, butter, ghee, MCT oil, or cinnamon

3. Herbal Tea – Hot or iced (Iced Green is the bomb)! Optional Add-ins: cinnamon, lemon. 

During the eating window, focus on natural, unprocessed foods. You can get my free beginner grocery list by clicking here. Also, limit sugar and alcohol. Stay hydrated.

However, this eating pattern is not for everyone. If you’re interested in getting started, begin with a 12-13 hour fast period, and work your way up to trying longer fasts. Download the free app Zero to track fasts (not sponsored, I use it every day and love it). It’s a simple and efficient app that tracks your intermittent fasting time. I encourage you to give it a solid 30 days to try before you call it off.

Summary: 

So, what does this mean for productivity? Let’s say you start fasting at 8 pm. You wake up at 6 am, work out at 7 am and get to work by 9 am. That puts you beginning work around the middle or end of the fast. That’s when you may experience superhuman mental focus. Maybe you’re with me on this, but I do my best work in the morning. There is nothing more productive than me, with a black coffee, at my desk, on a fast!

I hope you enjoyed reading about intermitted fasting for productivity! 

For more info on the best intermittent fasting for women:

Watch this TED Talk with Mark Mattson.

Check out this book. It is a fantastic resource, and I read the entire thing before attempting my first fast.

Disclaimer: Fasting is not advisable for people with chronic health conditions, diabetics, children, the elderly, pregnant, or those with eating disorders or a history of eating disorders. Always consult with your doctor before starting any new diet and exercise program.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the best intermittent fasting for women. You may also enjoy reading how to jump-start weight loss in 5 simple steps or getting a custom workout and nutrition plan in my shop.  

Till next time,