Fitness & Wellness

Fermented Foods That Boost Immunity

Fermented Foods That Boost Immunity

Published by on February 15, 2022 | Leave a response

Grab some kimchi, sauerkraut or yogurt for a healthy immune system. Eat a pickle or two or enjoy some tempeh. Why? Because they’re all fermented foods that boost immunity. Your digestive system is a huge part of your immune system. In fact, a study of mice raised in a sterile environment found they had an underdeveloped immune system. Fermented foods contain bacteria and changes the starch and sugar in food to lactic acid and alcohol, preserving the food and nutrients by stopping the growth of bad bacteria and fungi. It makes the nutrients in food more bioavailable.

You can drink your fermented food, too.

Have you ever heard of kombucha or kefir? They’re both drinks that can boost your immune system. Kombucha is fermented sweetened green or black tea that is touted as having many health benefits, although no studies have been done to see if the claims are true. Kefir is fermented milk and has been around for hundreds of years. It’s like drinkable yogurt and came from the Northern Caucasus Mountains that’s known for its long-lived population. It not only contains probiotics, it contains vitamins K2, B12, magnesium, biotin, enzymes, calcium and folate.

What health benefits can you get from fermented food, besides nutrients?

You’ll improve the health of your digestive system and boost your immune system when you consume them. Fermented foods can aid people with constipation or IBS. Improving your digestive system can also help reduce bloat, constipation or its counterpart, diarrhea. In fact, when taking an antibiotic, if you consume probiotics like yogurt, you won’t experience the digestive issues that often occur. Your improved digestive system can boost nutrient absorption, elimination of toxins, increase antibody production and improve your immune system. The antibodies produced can provide aid in lowering sugar cravings and controlling appetite.

Whether you’re eating sauerkraut, a pickle or Kimchi, you’re eating fermented veggies.

Every nation seems to have found a way to keep food longer, for use during winter months when fresh vegetables and fruit was impossible to find. Sauerkraut originated in Germany and Kimchi in Korea, but both are ways to preserve vegetables for later. While sauerkraut only contains fermented cabbage, Kimchi contains cabbage plus a variety of other things, including scallions, carrots, shrimp and radishes. Both are high in antioxidants, both boost digestion and both improve cardiovascular health. Sauerkraut contains vitamins A, C, K and B vitamins. Kimchi contains the same and more, depending on the other ingredients besides cabbage.

  • If there’s a relish tray at the family gathering, load up on the food it contains. It normally has fresh veggies and pickles, which are fermented cucumbers loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and friendly bacteria.
  • Fermented foods are probiotics, which can help you lose weight. They slow the absorption of fat and help flush it out of your system. They also help process proteins better to keep you feeling fuller longer.
  • Raw cheese is another probiotic food. It uses unpasteurized raw milk that has beneficial bacteria and enzymes not killed by pasteurization. It makes nutrients more bioavailable and assimilable, particularly for those lactose intolerant.
  • Have you ever tried miso? It’s made from fermented brown rice, barley or soybean. You’ll improve the health of your skin, boost your immune system and nervous system and it’s important for bone health.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness Studio

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Health Benefits Of Cinnamon

Health Benefits Of Cinnamon

Published by on February 5, 2022 | Leave a response

You may have heard of the health benefits of cinnamon. Some clients at Primer Performance in Totowa, New Jersey have and asked me about it. Adding herbs and spices to your cooking can definitely boost the benefits of the food without adding extra calories. Cinnamon is one of those, but not just any type of cinnamon. There are two types. One is Ceylon cinnamon and the other is Cassia cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is true cinnamon, but most people have never tasted it. They’ve only had Cassia cinnamon, which is normally used in cooking and the most common type on the grocery shelves.

The cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon is what provides the benefits.

Cinnamon is harvested by cutting stems from the cinnamon tree and use the inner bark after the woody part is removed. It’s dried in strips, the ground. Cinnamaldehyde is in both Ceylon and Cassia cinnamon, but Cassia cinnamon, the one most people use, also has a large amount of coumarin that has a negative effect on health when consumed in large doses. Unfortunately, Cassia cinnamon is far cheaper than its counterpart, which is why it’s used more often.

Cinnamon can provide protection from diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance has become a huge problem in the United States. One spice for reducing blood sugar levels is through the use of cinnamon. It improves insulin sensitivity and aids the cells to uptake insulin. That lets more glucose into the cells. It decreases blood glucose levels by mimicking insulin, which allows more glucose into the cells and lowering blood sugar levels. It also slows the breakdown of carbs after a meal, slowing the amount of glucose in the bloodstream.

Protect cell health with cinnamon.

There are many antioxidants in cinnamon. Antioxidants can prevent oxidative damage that cause cell injury or death. That’s responsible for serious conditions and premature aging. Cinnamon has a high amount of polyphenols and in that respect, even better than garlic or oregano for your health. It’s also an anti-inflammatory. Chronic inflammation is responsible for serious conditions, which includes heart disease.

  • The coumarin in cassia cinnamon is also found in other foods, which are also considered healthy. They include cherries, green tea, celery and licorice root, to name a few. While it does have negative side effects when too much is consumed, it also has benefits. It’s used to make coumadin, the blood thinner.
  • Cinnamon is good for lowering triglycerides and LDL, the bad cholesterol, as it also increases the HDL, the good cholesterol. It also helps lower blood pressure.
  • There are new studies that indicate that the chemicals found in cinnamon may help neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. One study found that consuming as little as a teaspoon a day of Ceylon cinnamon could help prevent the disease.
  • Improve your dental health with cinnamon. It has anti fungal and anti bacterial properties. Not only could consuming it help fight cavities and gingivitis, it can help improve your breath, too.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness Studio

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Work Like A Dog, Sweat Like A Pig, Look Like A Fox

Work Like A Dog, Sweat Like A Pig, Look Like A Fox

Published by on January 25, 2022 | Leave a response

At Prime Fitness in Totowa, New Jersey, we’re proud of how hard our clients work. As the saying goes, “they work like a dog, sweat like a pig and look like a fox” because of it. It takes both commitment and consistency to achieve the results we see in our clients. Our science based workout program has a lot to do with the success, but it all boils down to their hard work and consistency.

If you’re working out hard, you’re sweating up a storm.

Sweat is Mother Nature’s cooling system. It also helps cleanse your system of impurities. Even though sweat is a sign you’re working out hard, you don’t necessarily have to sweat to get results. Just walking can help you get into shape if you do it on a regular basis. Just standing up more often if you’re in a job where you normally sit for hours, can reduce your potential for cardiovascular disease significantly. However, when you workout at the gym or increase the intensity of the workout, which promotes sweat, you’ll get those results faster.

You’ll look fantastic and feel great.

When you workout, you’ll boost circulation, which sends oxygen and nutrient laden blood to all parts of your body. Not only will sweating clear out your pores when you exercise, it also improves air flow, and aids in clearing up skin conditions like acne. The increased circulation increases collagen production and elastin, so your skin will look less wrinkled and you’ll look younger.

You’ll have pep in your step and a smile on your face.

No one is more attractive than a person who smiles. Part of being sexy is being healthy and happy. You’ll walk with the confidence of a good looking person who knows his or her own worth and likes the person they are. You’ll have more bounce in your step, which is also youthful and attractive. While exercise won’t necessarily stop the aging process, it can reverse some damage and prolong an attractive more youthful appearance.

  • While antioxidants that protect cells are found in food, your body also makes them. The more you exercise, the more antioxidants your body makes to protect your cells and keep you looking your best.
  • Get rid of stress lines on your face. Working out burns off the hormones of stress and replaces them with ones that make you feel good. It also helps keep your mind as youthful as your body.
  • How else can working out help you look better, besides helping you lose weight and tone your muscles? It helps you sleep sounder at night. Lack of sleep not only can cause circles under your eyes, it can increase the hunger hormones in your body that causes you to eat more and gain weight.
  • The next time you workout, enjoy every minute of sweating, knowing your giving your body the workout it deserves to be its healthiest and draw you closer to your goal of a healthier, more attractive you.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness NJ

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Moderation Is The Key To Success

Moderation Is The Key To Success

Published by on January 10, 2022 | Leave a response

I’ve watched too many people start their exercise program and go gung ho the first day, even before they mastered the proper form. I often didn’t see those same people exercising the next day or for weeks afterwards. Much of the time, they either injured themselves or had such muscle pain it took weeks to recover. The solution is always to use moderation. It’s the key to success in any new endeavor.

Permanent change comes from creating new habits.

Those first few weeks into a new exercise program can be grueling. While the first day, your muscles may feel like you could go forever, but then the recovery period hits, and they hurt so bad you can barely walk. When you take the time to learn the proper form and start a program that fits your level of fitness, you won’t have to take a week or two off because of an injury. Learning the proper form is important and so is conditioning your body for a rigorous workout. It’s more important to have consistency than one muscle busting workout.

Changing your eating habits should be a priority, too.

No matter how great your workout or how hard you work, you can’t out-exercise a bad diet. In order to get the results you want, you have to eat healthier. Healthier eating isn’t dieting, but choosing your food wisely. Instead of having a candy bar in the afternoon or a donut mid morning, opt for a piece of fruit or a small bag of nuts. Using Greek yogurt on your baked potato, instead of sour cream, can also increase your nutritional level and reduce your caloric intake.

Don’t try to starve yourself.

You can’t do that for very long and end up gaining the weight back you lost when you finally eat normally. It’s unhealthy and often the cause of yo-yo weight loss and even more weight gain. Whether it’s exercise or healthy eating, moderation is always best. It helps you stick with a program and make it a habit, which means you’ll never have to worry about gaining weight again.

  • Permanent change only occurs when you have a program of healthy eating and exercise that you can stick with over a long period of time.
  • When you use moderation in diet, it means you can still have some of your favorite foods, just not as often and keeping portion control in mind. It’s not a disaster if you have a piece of birthday cake, so you live a more normal lifestyle without guilt.
  • Make it a habit of drinking a glass of water before you eat, then filling your plate with a big salad and eat it first. Both help you eat less and can, over time, result in significant weight loss.
  • Moderation is also important for safety. If you’re working far beyond your point of exhaustion, it can cause injury, particularly if you’re working out with kettlebells.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness NJ

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Should I Cut Out ALL Processed Foods?

Should I Cut Out ALL Processed Foods?

Published by on December 25, 2021 | Leave a response

If you’ve read my blogs, you know I encourage eating whole foods with as little processing as possible. That doesn’t mean you have to give up foods with any type of processing. You don’t have to cut out processed foods whose processing is washing, cutting and freezing or many of the can goods on the shelf where the only ingredient is water and the fruit or vegetable.

Some foods are processed so much, you don’t know what they were originally.

They contain a litany of ingredients that sound like they were created in a lab…and some were. Some foods require processing to be edible, such as soy products or beans. It’s all about the ingredients and the amount and kind of processing. Seriously, washing a fruit or vegetable qualifies as processing. Yogurt isn’t yogurt without processing. Look at the label and check for added sugar, salt and other ingredients. If you buy peanut butter, the label should have one ingredient, peanuts.

Frozen fruits and vegetables may even be healthier than fresh ones.

When you buy your fruits and veggies at a grocery store, if they weren’t grown in the area, they were picked early and transported quite a distance. No matter where they were grown, they may have been sitting on the shelf for quite a while. Frozen fruits and vegetables often have a processing facility very close to the fields or even right on the property. They’re allowed to ripen to freshness and immediately cleaned and frozen, sealing in most of the nutrients. Vegetables may be blanched, which can reduce the water soluble vitamins, but once frozen, nutritional levels remain stable.

Always check the labels.

Look for signs of lots of processing, such as food with refined grains or those with added sugar or salt. Refined grains have none of the nutrients, unless they’re added later artificially. Foods made with sprouted grain flour or whole grain flour are the best. Sour dough breads are better than white flour breads, too.

  • If you have canned veggies that contain extra salt, you can still use them. Green beans might be one option. Strain the beans and rinse them several times in clean water then cook and eat. The rinsing removes much of the salt.
  • While frozen and canned fruit can be quite healthy, make sure they don’t contain added sugar. They should be packed in their own juice if they’re canned or frozen without any additive.
  • If you still wonder what processed foods are unhealthy, think snack food, processed meats, white bread and most commercial baked goods. Always read the label, even if you think it’s healthy, to see if it has preservatives.
  • If you opt for fresh fruits and vegetables, check out the “Clean 15” and “Dirty Dozen” lists to see if you need to buy organic. The dirty dozen is the list of non-organic produce that show signs of chemical contamination and the clean 15 are the top 15 that don’t.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness NJ

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Does Drinking More Water Help Lose Weight?

Does Drinking More Water Help Lose Weight?

Published by on December 10, 2021 | Leave a response

At Prime Fitness in Totowa, New Jersey, our personal trainers help you with all types of problems, making suggestions, both large and small, to help you reach your goals. We find many people are looking for ways to aid in weight loss. One that’s simple but can help you lose weight is drinking more water. Hydration is important, whether weight loss is your goal or not, but knowing it can aid in weight loss can add an extra incentive.

Fill up on water before a meal.

It’s simple, but true. If you drink a glass of water before a meal, you’ll eat less. There are several studies that prove that it’s true. One study showed that the caloric intake was lowered by about 75 calories. That doesn’t sound like much until you consider that’s 75 calories three times a day, which equals 225 calories a day or 1575 every week. In a little more than two weeks you’ll lose an extra pound without any effort, since it takes cutting 3500 calories to lose a pound.

Drinking water can boost your energy level.

The body needs water to function, without adequate hydration it’s not working its best. Your body is between 55 and 65% water, so it makes sense. Even slight dehydration can slow you down. If you don’t believe that, the next time you’re tired, instead of getting a cup of coffee, drink a bottle of water. You’ll feel the difference immediately. It boosts your metabolism as much as 30% and that increase can last as long as an hour and a half. Just drinking 8 ½ glasses of water a day increases the average person’s metabolism enough to burn an extra 96 calories.

You might think you’re hungry, but you’re really thirsty.

The body sends mixed signals sometimes. The line between thirst and hunger can get murky and you interpret it wrong. People may think they’re hungry, when in reality, they’re really thirsty. If something juicy, like fruit or a milk shake, sounds delicious, maybe you’re just thirsty. Before you rummage through your refrigerator to find that perfect item, often eating several others that don’t do the job, drink a glass of water first.

  • If you drink a glass of water before a meal, you’ll burn even more calories by making it ice cold water. The body burns extra calories to warm it and the body after you swallow it.
  • Substituting water for soft drinks can certainly reduce your caloric intake. Don’t even consider artificially sweetened ones, since studies show they increase the size of your waistline.
  • Even mild dehydration can cause a drop in your energy. That means you’ll burn fewer calories. Make sure you sip on water throughout your workout to maximize the benefits. Carry a bottle of water with you and sip on it throughout the day.
  • According to animal studies, even mild dehydration can slow fat burning. The cause may be hormone changes or the fact that water expands cell volume, which cause you to burn less fat.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness NJ

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Different Types Of Belly Fat And What They Mean

Different Types Of Belly Fat And What They Mean

Published by on November 25, 2021 | Leave a response

Body fat is classified in several different ways. For instance, there is brown fat and white fat, plus different types of belly fat. White fat is what you normally think of as body fat. It’s storage for extra calories. Brown fat, on the other hand was designed to generate heat and keep a level body temperature. While white fat stores energy, brown fat burns it. You inherit the amount of brown fat you have and the more you inherit, the easier it is to lose weight.

Visceral fat compared to subcutaneous fat.

The location of the fat makes a difference when it comes to subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. While function, color and how it affects the energy in the body is the difference between white and brown fat, the location of the fat is one of the biggest differences between visceral and subcutaneous fat. The fat on thighs, buttocks and arms is just beneath the surface. It’s subcutaneous fat. Visceral fat is deeper inside and wraps around the organs.

Visceral fat is the most dangerous type of fat.

Studies show that people who have more visceral fat tend to have more instances of heart problems and stroke. They’re also more prone to other diseases. How do you know if you have visceral fat. Everyone has some to protect the organs, but people with a large waist circumference tend to have more. Visceral fat makes a protein called cytokines that cause inflammation, while narrowing the blood vessels. That increases blood pressure.

Cytokines can cause lipotoxicity.

Lipotoxicity starts if there’s an excess of fatty acids and triglycerides. When the excess fatty acids and triglycerides it creates go to the liver where they accumulate. That excess goes to non-fat cells. It normally goes to the cells of the kidneys, heart, liver and skeletal muscles, causing cellular dysfunction and sometimes cellular death. It can lead to insulin resistance, which leads to type 2 diabetes.

  • Visceral fat is the hardest type of fat to lose and makes shedding the other type of fat more difficult, primarily due to the increased insulin resistance.
  • Subcutaneous fat produces beneficial hormones that act like part of the endocrine system. Visceral fat produces more fat that’s bad for the body. It produces less leptin, which is the hormone that makes you feel full. It’s also the fat that produces less adiponectin, which regulates sugar and fat processing.
  • Stress produces cortisol, which is linked to increased amounts of visceral fat. Exercise can help burn off the hormones of stress.
  • A more recent study found that not only does sugar and sugary drinks cause visceral fat, but so does the diet soft drinks. The study found that people who drank more diet drinks had larger waistlines, which is an indication of visceral fat.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness

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Is Raw Food Healthier Than Cooked?

Is Raw Food Healthier Than Cooked?

Published by on November 10, 2021 | Leave a response

There are a number of diets and ways of eating that all promise good health, but are they really healthy? The buzz around a raw food diet has spread to Totowa, New Jersey. While it’s supposed to be healthier than a diet of cooked food, but is it really? There are three types of raw food diets. The first includes no animal based products and is vegan. The second is a vegetarian raw food diet, so it includes eggs and dairy products. Finally, there’s the raw omnivorous diet that includes all types of raw plant and animal based foods.

The raw vegan diet is the healthiest, but you might have problems getting adequate protein.

Raw oatmeal topped off with ground flaxseed, hemp seed or nuts is one way to start your day. You can make a paste from nuts and seeds and dehydrate it for a protein based bread. Nut milk, nut butter, protein powder and smoothies can also fill in the gap, but it takes a lot of planning. A raw vegetarian and omnivarian diet can be dangerous. It includes unpasteurized dairy and raw meat and eggs. You can get listeria and salmonella from them.

What about just eating vegetables raw and cooking everything else?

While that may seem healthier, it’s not necessarily. Even though raw vegetables have more nutrients, they aren’t necessarily bioavailable. Your body may not be able to absorb them, so potentially you won’t benefit as much as the cooked version. A study of three groups of women, one that ate both raw and cooked vegetables, one that ate just raw vegetables and the third that ate the diet of most Americans. The group that ate raw food had a higher intake of nutrients, such as beta-carotene, the group that ate both cooked and raw vegetables absorbed more nutrition.

Some vegetables benefit from cooking.

Lycopene, the phytochemical that makes tomatoes red, actually increases when you cook tomatoes. However, the vitamin C diminishes. Cooking can also help release certain vitamins and minerals. For instance raw spinach contains oxalate that binds to calcium so you can’t absorb it. Cooking the spinach reduces the amount of oxalate. The best method of cooking was boiling. Oxalate also adds to the potential for kidney stones if you’re susceptible to them.

  • Flavor is often enhanced by cooking and so is digestibility. Potatoes contain lectins and starches that are hard to digest, while eggplant and corn have their flavor enhanced. Carrots are healthier when you heat them.
  • Eating more vegetables and fruit is important, so finding a way you enjoy eating them is also just as important. If you like a vegetable cooked, then eat that that way.
  • Experiment with your diet. Have you ever had sliced raw Brussels sprouts in a salad. Many people find that they actually taste better that way. Keep in mind however, that introducing too many crucifers like kale, Brussels sprouts and kale, at once can create digestive problems. Go slowly.
  • Find ways to add vegetables, whether cooked or raw, to your diet. Roast some vegetables for a meal and then add leftovers to a salad. Include chopped leftover veggies, no matter what they are, to stir-fry. Even omelets can improve in flavor and healthiness with extra vegetables.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness

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Easy Healthy Breakfasts

Easy Healthy Breakfasts

Published by on October 25, 2021 | Leave a response

If you want to get the day started right, make sure you have a healthy breakfast. A Danish and coffee, or sugary cereals don’t fit that category. While we focus on fitness via exercise at Prime Fitness in Totowa, New Jersey, we also tell clients that eating healthy is just as important. What are some easy healthy breakfasts that won’t bog you down in the morning?

Overnight oats is a quick morning option that’s healthy.

The night before, mix a two to one ratio of liquid to oats, such as, two cups of coconut milk to a cup of rolled oats, in a jar. Put a lid on it and place it in the refrigerator. If you use steel cut oats, allow for more time in the refrigerator to soften the oats. You can add chia seeds, fruit or nuts when you store it if you plan on eating it cold, but add the fruit later if you’re reheating in the microwave.

Make breakfast sandwiches ahead and reheat them in the morning.

You can make breakfast sandwiches ahead, wrap them in foil and store them in an airtight container to freeze. When you’re ready to eat, remove the foil and heat on a microwave plate for 60-90 seconds. Use a sour dough muffin, whole grain, sour dough or sprouted bread or bun. Sauté your vegetables, such as broccoli, onion, mushrooms or chopped spinach first, then mix six to eight eggs in a bowl and add the vegetables. You can also add cooked turkey or cheese to the mix. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and pour the egg mixture in a 9X13 pan coated with cooking spray. Cook for 20-30 minutes, then cut in squares and place on bread or a bun. Wrap it and freeze it, ready to microwave and eat on the go.

If you have the luxury of time in the morning, use leftovers to create a healthy breakfast.

You don’t have to have the luxury of enjoying a leisurely breakfast, but can precook some of the ingredients ahead of time, this recipe can use up all the leftovers you have. If your refrigerator is stocked with healthy veggies like broccoli, red peppers, mushrooms and onions, you can make a delicious scramble that’s easy and healthy. Even spinach, kale and carrots can go into it as well as left over cooked chicken or turkey. Cut all the veggies and meat into pieces and sauté, then add an egg mixture and scramble it as it cooks.

  • Put the veggies and egg mixture from above into prepared muffin cups and bake it in the oven. It’s a mini scramble egg muffin you can heat and serve later. Make sure the veggies, if raw, are cut in tiny pieces.
  • Cook onions first when sauteing vegetables, to add flavor to the other veggies. If you’re cooking kale, peppers or spinach, it has a high water content, so do it separate from other vegetables to avoid steaming them.
  • If you’re adding cheese to breakfast sandwiches, make it a healthy choice. It has to be real cheese not the processed type. If you’re including chicken or turkey sausage, choose organic and low sodium options.
  • To ensure your breakfast will keep you feeling fuller longer, make sure it contains healthy protein and healthy fat. You can add an avocado or nuts, but in breakfast sandwiches, eggs and cheese will provide both.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness Studio

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Does Fasting Ruin My Metabolism?

Does Fasting Ruin My Metabolism?

Published by on October 10, 2021 | Leave a response

Fasting has gained a lot of attention for it’s health benefits, but not all types of fasting are alike. Some types of fasting can actually improve your metabolism, while others slow it down. What’s the difference? How does it work? It’s a matter of how often you fast, how long and the amount of calorie restriction you endure.

If you fast for long periods continually, your body adjusts and expends fewer calories.

If you’re burning a specific amount of calories a day, then suddenly lowers the amount chronically, for several days in a row or continuously, your body clamps down to protect the reserve by slowing its metabolism to ensure you have adequate fat for fuel for vital functions. However, intermittent fasting, which is a short fast that lasts approximately 12 to16 hours and then eat normally the rest of the time, you maintain enough calories to keep your metabolism functioning optimally, while giving your

You need to vary the type of fasting you do.

Initially, you’ll see great improvements. You’ll have more energy and lose weight. However, if you chronically fast, you might find that you’re not only gaining weight, you’re also tired. What’s the reason? Your body suddenly realizes it’s not only low on fuel, it also isn’t getting nearly the amount of fuel it needs. It’s like having the gas tank registering empty and trying to nurse your vehicle to the next gas station. You don’t speed or turn on the air, but try to drive slowly to conserve the gas. You need a feast day if you’re fasting frequently over 16 hours at a time. Feast days don’t mean gorging yourself on high calorie foods with gobs of sugar, but eating normal healthy meals.

Occasional fasts or intermittent fasting can make you healthier if done correctly.

Long term fasts will definitely slow your metabolism and so can short term fasts, those that last four days or longer, when done too often. The best way is to fast occasionally if you’re doing more than a 16-hour fast or use an alternate method of eating within an eight to twelve hour window and fasting the rest of the day. It can actually boost your metabolism, compared to traditional calorie restriction diets, plus provide other health benefits, such as diseases and conditions associated with inflammation, like asthma, MS, stroke, arthritis and Alzheimer’s.

  • Intermittent fasting, short term fasts or eating within an 8 to 12 hour window, can help you live longer and look younger than you are, even without cutting down on the number of calories consumed, according to animal studies and some human studies.
  • Some scientists believe that intermittent fasting using the 12-16 hours of fasting and eating the rest of the time, gives your digestive system a rest, improving fat burning. It aids in blood sugar regulation and increases the activation of stem cells.
  • If you’re doing the 16/8 style of fasting, make sure when you eat, you load up on healthy food with plenty of vitamins and minerals.
  • Long term fasts can definitely slow your metabolism, short term, intermittent types of fasts probably won’t, as long as you don’t fast repeatedly or use the alternate fasting technique of eating within an 8-12 hour period.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness Studio

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