I’m all about feeling more alive after 40.
Many of you know that I have been sober for many years, and have taught others how to knock off bad habits and addictions one by one.
As I turned 45, I was feeling sluggish and didn’t really “feel alive.”
I knew I was still young enough to experience an amazing life, spiritually, mentally, and physically.
You know what they say: 40 is the new 20.
So, why was I feeling so old?
One of the reasons I felt old was my body was stuck in routine; I ate pretty much the same everyday, worked out the same, slept the same amount of hours, etc.
My routine was so predictable that my mind went into autopilot and my body got soft.
I aged the fastest when I started working from home full-time two years ago.
I watched my muscles wilt away and my passion followed.
For the first time, I really felt my age. . .
I had always been active, landscaping, racquetball, drumming. . .
Now, all I really looked forward to was the occasional sauna and a Breve from Starbucks.
Then, my wife introduced me to fasting, and it was really hard at first, and
I got weak and shaky, because I still had a lot of sugar in my body – basically was having sugar withdrawals.
Now, I realize I have to cut out every single carb and get my body into Ketosis before starting a fast.
How to Begin intermittent Fasting:
- Get all the sugar out of your system. Switch to an Atkins style diet three days before.
- Drink a lot of water, up to a gallon a day, before fasting. Use Alkaline water, ideally 8 PH or above.
- Get your body into Ketosis by drinking one teaspoon of baking soda in your water, or drinking apple cider vinegar with lemon.
Here’s the Top 7 Reasons Men Over 40 Should Fast Once a Day Periodically
One – Cutting daily caloric intake by 25% can improve heart health.
Periodic fasting for a 24 hour period, once or twice a week, can lower the bad LDL cholesterol and reduce blood sugar levels associated with heart disease.
Two – Intermittent fasting may skyrocket growth hormone in men up to 2000%. Fasting decreases the hormone Leptin, which immediately stimulates the secretion of testosterone in men, according to the Journal of clinical Investigation.
Three – Intermittent fasting can greatly reduces disease processes. According to the National Institutes of Health (NCBI), fasting may reduce:
- Autoimmune Diseases
- Atherosclerosis
- Cardiomyopathies
- Cancers
- Diabetes, Renal Diseases, Neurodegenerative Diseases
- Respiratory Diseases
Four – Improves memory in Older People. Just like I said earlier, when we live in constant repetition and do the same thing everyday, our minds go on autopilot. Fasting triggers “survival mode” which heightens cognitive function, including memory retention, awareness, and quicker reasoning.
Five – Increased Energy. Every time we eat, the carbohydrates get converted into blood sugar and is either burned for energy or stored as fat. When our body uses or stores the blood sugar, we get tired. Fasting trains our body’s metabolism to burn our body fat instead of carbohydrates, which keeps our energy more constant throughout the day.
Six – Sleep Better. Fasting can reset your circadian sleep cycle. In a primal sense,when you fast you’re telling your body that food is scarce, so you might as well sleep. Sleeping hard might not happen in the beginning as your body starts to digest fat rather than carbs, but eventually sleep becomes very hard and satisfying.
Seven – Live Longer. Simply put: fasting heightens your need for survival, which then kicks out diseased cells. Fasting dramatically reduces oxidative damage to cells, which further prevents disease from ending your life prematurely.
To Conclude the Top 7 Vital Reasons Men Over 40 Should Intermittent Fast Periodically
Intermittent fasting has saved my life in more ways than one: I have passion again, more testosterone, sleep better, gain muscle quicker, and feel more alive.
There is no reason that men my age need to feel old, especially in a world that is moving faster than ever.
