Intermittent fasting is a dietary approach that involves alternating periods of fasting and eating. The thought behind intermittent fasting is to limit the variety of calories consumed throughout the day by compressing them right into a shorter window of time, while still ensuring adequate nutrient intake.
Latest England Journal of Medicine has shown evidence of human and animal research on the wide-ranging health advantages of intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting improves blood pressure, advantages heart health, improves cell repair processes, and reduces inflammation.
Nonetheless, intermittent fasting generally is a difficult dietary approach for many individuals. Many individuals may struggle with intermittent fasting as a result of various reasons, equivalent to hunger and cravings, lifestyle and social pressure, medical conditions, lack of preparation and planning, and psychological aspects.
This text will examine how you can motivate yourself to do intermittent fasting.
10 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Do Intermittent Fasting
Listed here are among the only ways to motivate yourself to remain committed to your fasting schedule:
1. Set goals
One in every of the numerous ways to motivate yourself to do intermittent fasting is to set goals.
What’s your goal in embarking on intermittent fasting? Is it to shed some pounds? Is it to permit your body time to rejuvenate itself?
If weight reduction is your goal, track your progress to look at the outcomes. You might be motivated to proceed fasting whenever you begin to see results.
2. Start regularly
Intermittent fasting may be daunting, so start regularly by incorporating shorter fasting periods into your routine.
Begin with a 6-hour fast, after which regularly increase the duration of your fasts to eight hours after which 12 hours.
3. Keep a record of the health advantages
One other great option to motivate yourself to do intermittent fasting is to record the advantages of fasting.
Knowing that fasting will make you healthier and reduce your risk of heart problems will motivate you to proceed it.
A major option to keep a record of the health advantages of fasting is to open a gratitude journal.
There, you’ll be able to note all of the health advantages that you simply are thankful for and have noticed about your body because you engage in fasting. This keeps you energized and wanting to complete the fasting.
4. Plan your meals
Meal planning is a useful tool that may assist you to stay healthy and shed some pounds.
Subsequently, plan your meals upfront, and make sure that they’re healthy and balanced.
Knowing what you’ll eat during your eating window can assist you to avoid overeating or making unhealthy food selections.
Plan your meals to incorporate nutrient-dense foods that may keep you satisfied during your eating window. This may help reduce cravings and make fasting easier
5. Fast together with your spouse or friend
Doing intermittent fasting with a spouse or friend is one option to motivate yourself to do intermittent fasting.
It’s because you each will support and encourage one another through fasting. Moreover, you each can function accountability partners for yourselves. Above all, it makes fasting interesting.
6. Stay hydrated
While you’re well-hydrated, you’re less prone to confuse thirst with hunger, which might assist you to stick with your fasting plan.
It’s because dehydration could cause feelings of hunger, even in case your body doesn’t really need food.
Drinking water, tea, or coffee may help manage hunger pangs and keep you feeling full during fasting periods
Moreover, drinking enough water can assist you to feel full and satisfied, which might make it easier to withstand the temptation to eat during fasting periods.
Being properly hydrated can even improve your overall mood and energy levels, which may help motivate you to stick with your fasting routine.
7. Reward yourself
Rewarding yourself plays a major role in keeping you motivated throughout fasting.
Reward yourself whenever you reach a milestone, equivalent to fasting for 12 hours. It could be a massage or field trip.
This can encourage you to fast for more hours for more significant rewards.
8. Track your progress
Tracking your progress is an efficient option to motivate yourself during intermittent fasting.
By keeping track of your progress, you’ll be able to see how far you’ve come and the way much closer you might be to achieving your goal.
You possibly can do that through the use of a food diary or fasting app.
9. Join a wellness group
Last but not least, the option to motivate yourself to do intermittent fasting is to affix a wellness group.
You possibly can draw from the success story of others and run on them. Also, you get more support and encouragement from the team that may keep you going.
10. Keep yourself busy
Staying busy is a very important aspect of intermittent fasting because it could possibly help distract you from thoughts of hunger and food cravings.
While you’re focused on a task or activity, you’re less prone to take into consideration food, which might assist you to stick with your fasting schedule.
When does fasting start?
That is one query that confuses many individuals. Fasting starts immediately after you are taking your last little bit of food. Fasting helps your body burn stored glycogen, a style of sugar within the liver and muscles. The body burns glycogen for energy.
The right way to appropriately break your fast after intermittent fasting
It’s one thing too fast. It’s one other time to know how you can break your fast appropriately. When you fast appropriately and break wrongly, it’ll destabilize your body system. When breaking your fast, take water first.
Afterward, eat healthy protein foods equivalent to fish, meat, chicken, and eggs. Avoid foods which might be high in sugar and calorie-dense. Make sure you eat sparsely during your window period. Eating without stopping will defeat your purpose of fasting.
Conclusion
Intermittent fasting is one in all the wellness activities that makes you healthier. Although it could possibly be very difficult to start and stick with the dietary plan, the above effective ways on how you can motivate yourself to do intermittent fasting can assist you to immensely.
