Beginning in the olden times, fasting has been practiced as part of people’s way of practicing their fate to their religions. It has been an important religious act of worship for followers of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity wherein the belief of being able to abstain from food and drink for a certain time would get you a chance to get closer to God and be more mindful of those people in need.
Though fasting has been done mostly for religious purposes, there have been accounts that in 5th century, the famous Greek physician Hippocrates who is the “father of medicine” began making recommendations that abstinence from food can help people with certain health conditions which have then paved the way for fast to be used therapeutically.
Today, fasting has become a household name and most people associate it with weight loss and improved overall health.
But have you ever heard of Autophagy?
It is a normal bodily process in which our cells quite literally eat themselves. Autophagy is derived from the Greek words “auto” which means self and “phagein” which means eat. The two words combined mean “self-eating”. The idea of our body eating itself daily is kind of strange, but this is the way for our body to get rid of old and damaged cellular material to pave the way for new healthy cells to form.
So, how does it work?
Autophagy occurs regularly in our bodies. It works like housekeeping within our body in order to keep our cells healthy. Though it is a normal physiological process, it can work more effectively by inducing various stress conditions such as exercise, calorie restriction, and the most effective one which is fasting. And nowadays, people are more familiar with the practice of intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting involves limiting the intake of foods and calorie-containing beverages for only 8 hours per day. This also means that you will have to abstain from eating or drinking calorie-rich beverages for the remaining 16 hours. Though the most common practice of intermittent fasting falls under the 16/8 fasting window, some people can opt to adjust to a more extreme level, for instance, 23/1 fasting means you only have 1 hour a day to consume food and drink calorie-containing beverages. This is referred to as OMAD or One Meal a Day where you can consume calories for 1 hour and spend 23 hours fasting.
Ask a fitness gym near me for advice on the intermittent fasting pattern that works for your body.
Some studies have shown that when you combine intermittent fasting with exercise, it is one of the best ways to induce autophagy faster. Check out gyms near me for the most effective workout routine for inducing autophagy. In a simple context, when you starve your cells of energy through fasting and exercise, your body will enter autophagy which will then begin the repair of damaged or old cells in order for a new source of energy to be produced from it. This means that you don’t have to consume calories in order for you to function well during your fasting period.
As autophagy is a way for our body to clear out damaged cells in order for healthier cells to take their place in our system, it plays a critical role in the prevention of certain diseases like diabetes, infections, cancer, and other disorders.
Increased activation of autophagy can also lead to a longer lifespan and improved longevity. However, it is also crucial to follow a safe way to induce autophagy in your body.
Consult with experts in gyms near me or fitness gyms near me for the best workouts for inducing autophagy and how to effectively practice intermittent fasting without harming the body.
