To Inspire:

I (Matt) came down with the flu this week so was home for a couple of days. While resting I did some reading on intermittent fasting and was impressed with its benefits. In this issue of Wealth Notes, I thought I’d share some of those benefits with all of you as you pursue your great life – a life of energy, vitality, joy, and purpose.

Like exercise, intermittent fasting is a low-level stressor on the body that serves to strengthen and improve health at the cellular level. It increases cell survival, it enhances metabolic pathways (better glucose and cholesterol maintenance), it increases mitochondrial function and energy production, and it increases the production of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which improves brain function. It also contributes to longevity. David Sinclair, PhD, a longevity researcher at Harvard, states that there are four major factors that impact longevity: 1) calorie restriction; 2) food quality; 3) exercise; and 4) cold exposure. Done correctly, intermittent fasting is a significant aid to the first which Sinclair says is also the most important of the four. With lower caloric intake, glucose production will decrease, and the burning of fat will increase, producing ketones that the body will use as energy instead.

As importantly, intermittent fasting has a spiritual and emotional benefit. It encourages us to rely less on feelings of pleasure and allows us to focus more clearly on those things that are most important to us – God, family, and living a life of self-giving love.

There are three common ways to do intermittent fasting:

1. Time Restricted Eating – This is probably the easiest but very effective. A person simply reduces the eating window in their day. For example, an individual might eat during a 12-hour period and fast during the other 12 hours of the day. Consider beginning there and slowly move to eating in a 10-hour window or even an 8-hour window and fast the rest of the day. By including sleep as part of your fasting time, these periods can be done more easily.
2. Alternate Day Fasting – Here an individual would fast from food entirely every other day or a total of 2-3 days a week.
3. 5:2 Fasting – With this type of intermittent fasting, one eats normally for five days but during the other two days reduces calorie intake to only 500-600 calories each day.

Greater physical, emotional, and spiritual health leads to a life of energy and vitality – so key to living a great life. Try intermittent fasting and reap the benefits!

Life – what a gift!

Written by Matt Palmer, Partner & Co-Founder