How to use Intermittent Fasting to Stay LEAN Throughout the Holidays!
Happy Wednesday Squadies! Intermittent fasting (IF) is something I use throughout my daily life to help me stay on track and feel my best! Although it is something you can use all year round, using IF during the holiday season can allow you to ENJOY yourself, have some guilt-free whoopsies, and stay on track! No need to hold off on your health and fitness goals until 2021! You can start NOW! Today I will show you how to use intermittent fasting to stay LEAN throughout the holidays!
You’ve probably heard it OR said it before: What’s the point in trying to start or continue my lean journey throughout the holidays if I’m just gonna cheat anyway?!
While living a healthy balanced life, it is not about cutting out all the things that you LOVE, but rather, learning how to utilize healthy habits, routines, and motivation to live a balanced life!
One leamazing tactic you can use to help you stay on track is INTERMITTENT FASTING! If you haven’t heard of it before, check out my beginner's guide to intermittent fasting.
The great thing about IF is that it is NOT a diet but rather an eating routine, meaning you can utilize it even on those whoopsie filled days!
What Does IF do?
Fasting boosts your metabolism & burns fat!
One of IF’s most sought after benefit is weight loss. Overeating is a huge issue that causes weight gain. The culprit behind overeating? OUR HORMONES! When our hormones are unbalanced, we are more likely to have bad cravings and feel like we need to eat more food than we actually need.
IF can help you regulate your hormones therefore can help stop overeating. Since you are also eating only within a window of time instead of whenever you want, you may also naturally eat fewer calories!
Some research suggests that fasting can also help boost your metabolism, which in turn can help your body process all the extra calories, faster and more efficiently!
Counteract negative effects of overeating
When you are consistently eating or eating lots of heavy foods, it can be a huge stress on your body. Digesting all that food takes tons of energy.
Fasting gives your body time to relax and replenish itself before its next eating spree.Going back to IF’s effect on your hormones, another benefit of balanced hormones is your body’s ability to adapt better to stress, so you are able to cope with the changes in diet, sleep, and the general schedule (or non-schedule) of the holiday season.
Here are a few ways to use IF this holiday season!
Fasted workouts
Starting your day off with a fasted workout is a great way to get your day started! When in a fasted state, your body is depleted of its glycogen stores. It is now running off of your own BODY FAT as its energy source.
When you workout, you of course need to use MORE energy to complete it; therefore you are burning EVEN MORE fat. The more vigorous the workout, the more fat you will burn! That is why I always suggest HIIT workouts like the 30-minute sessions on my 30-day lean challenge.
Even something as simple as walking, or light exercises can help enhance IF’s fat-burning effect! Try doing a fasted workout a few times a week throughout the holiday season!
Allows you to focus on what matters most!
Throughout the holidays, it is so easy to get caught up in negative feelings of guilt, and feeling super unmotivated because you “indulged” and had a few more whoopsies then usual.
Using IF is one way to start you off on a balanced lifestyle, so you can enjoy your treats, enjoy your favourite meals, and spend time with your loved ones, GUILT-FREE!
Putting a little bit of effort into the schedule in which you eat can make a world of difference! Try it, and start using intermittent fasting to stay LEAN throughout the holidays!