Fitness Tips For Weight Loss

Intermittent Fasting Tips To Safely Lose Weight

Intermittent fasting has been a popular weight loss method as of late. The concept of fasting itself, however, is not new; the practice of temporarily going on without eating or drinking actually stemmed from many major world cultures and religions. Unlike fasting, though, intermittent fasting is done mainly as a way of getting its health benefits, as opposed to being a part of a religious and cultural tradition. 

One benefit of intermittent fasting is that it helps promote autophagy, a process where your cells essentially "take out the trash" by removing malfunctioning cell components. Increased autophagy can lead to a revitalized immune function, increasing your cells' anti-stress protection. Fasting was suggested by some research to lower blood pressure and also increase sensitivity to insulin, lessening hunger between meals.

However, the real reason why people practice intermittent practice is to lose weight. Losing weight is a largely individual journey, even though the results of it and calorie restriction have been shown in one study to be the same.

Like any dietary, fitness and lifestyle method, intermittent fasting has its risks, and is therefore not for everyone. Still, if you are serious about losing weight through intermittent fasting, here are some tips that will help you safely burn off unwanted pounds:

Pick A Suitable Fasting Method

There are many methods of intermittent fasting that works for people with varying dietary and health conditions. A typical intermittent fast has a 12-, 8- or 4-hour daily feeding window, but, depending on the condition/s you have, there are other alternative methods for 

getting the fat-burning, weight-reducing fast you need: 

One Meal Per Day Fasting - It involves eating only once daily.

Alternate Day Fasting - Alternate day fasting is a less-regimented fasting method that lets you switch between days of zero-calorie drinks and full eating; basically, you eat only every other day.

Extended Fasting - It is fasting for 24 or more hours.

5:2 Diet - A 5:2 diet involves eating normally without restrictions for five days and only 500 to 600 calories for two fasting days.

During a fast, it is best to consume either plain sugar-free coffee, tea or water.

Consult With A Doctor

If you want to practice intermittent fasting without experiencing its downsides, it is always best to consult with a doctor before starting a fasting diet because they know how to help you approach it as safely as possible.

That is because fasting is not recommended for people with chronic health issues, particularly for those with gout or diabetes. In addition, medical professionals have advised against fasting for people who either are underweight or have experienced an eating disorder in the past. 

Otherwise, trying a fast is fine if you are in a good health condition and are either seeking an alternate way of shedding weight or simply interested in the benefits of autophagy. 

Stop Fasting If Not Feeling Well 

If you notice yourself feeling dizzy, light-headed or are having difficulty concentrating, then it is best to stop your fast and get some nutrients and calories that your body need, especially if you have been doing it for more than a few hours. Start slow with either a light soup or something easily digestible like crackers before proceeding with a full meal. 

Generally, if you feel bad during a fast to the point where it affects your life, then it is best to consider stopping.

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The 6 tips to burn more fat and lose weight fast when you run

IF you're trying to lose weight then lacing up your trainers and heading out for a run is one of the best ways to do it.

Running burns loads of calories, may actually help suppress your appetite and targets harmful belly fat.

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There are a few things you can do to burn more fat when you runCredit: Getty Images - Getty

However, there are a few tweaks you can make to your runs to really unleash its full fat burning potential.

In particular, mixing up your speed, cutting down your pre-training snacks and even resting more can all help you shed a few more pounds.

Here, we take you through some simple ways you can become a fat burning machine when you're out pounding the pavements...

1. HIIT

Short explosive bursts of running at around 80 per cent of your maximum heart rate is guaranteed to make you instantly enter the 'fat burning zone'.

This is because, intense training activates fat burning genes while you work out, and increases your metabolism afterwards.

You can try this in a simple 30 minute HIIT session by alternating between one minute sprints and four minutes of jogging in between.

2. Add rest periods

You may think take a rest in the middle of your training run may seem counterproductive - but it turns out this could be the key to shedding a few extra pounds.

Scientists from Japan asked two groups of participants to complete a one hour cardio workout, with one group exercising for the full 60 minutes while the others rested for 20 minutes halfway through.

Despite exercising for less time, the second group actually burned more fat than the first.

The experts behind the study claimed that the break in between the exercise sessions meant that fat metabolism was accelerated higher than it was through continuous exercise.

3. Love the long run

Not every run needs to be all about channelling your inner Usain Bolt and going as fast as you can.

While long, steady runs are key if you're marathon training - they may also be the secret to blitzing excess body fat.

In particular, running for over 30 minutes will significantly boost the rate at which you continue to burn fat when you have finished training.

Jo Pavey's top tips for getting into running

Olympic runner Jo Pavey, who is an ambassador for Simplyhealth, has shared her top tips for beginners wanting to get into running.

Get family involved - it can be a lot easier to get out of the door for a run if you get your family or kids involved.

Build up gradually - you don't need to keep running, you can maybe try and jog for a couple of minutes, walk for a couple of minutes, jog for a couple of minutes and gradually build up your confidence.

Set a long term goal - if you set yourself a really long term goal that can help - whether that's to do your first ever 5K or 10K.

Give yourself a cheat day - it's all about balance and just generally I've found having that balance in life does a lot of good.

Mix up the pace - there are things like tempo runs where you run slightly harder for say ten or 20 minutes, so you're really practising that sustained effort. And then of course interval sessions, where you're breaking your running up into chunks.

Run in new locations - switch it up and try and go and run in beautiful or new locations.

Make it fun - most of all you just need to make your running enjoyable, it's a wonderful sport. Try and make it fun for yourself - try and run with a running buddy to keep you motivated.

One study, published in the Canadian Journal of Sport Sciences, found that runners who trainer for an hour saw a 500 per cent increase in post-run calorie burn when compared to their half hour sessions.

4. Cut back on pre-training snacks

Many people think that because they're running they can get carried away with carbo-loading and gorging on as many energy bars as they want.

While excess carbohydrate consumption can help boost energy levels before a marathon, it simply isn’t necessary before shorter training runs and can stop you from burning fat.

Scientists at the University of Texas found that runners displayed significantly lower levels of fat metabolism when they had a pre-training snack.

5. Resistance training

Scientists in Tokyo discovered that the most efficient technique for weight loss is to exercise with weights before going for a run.

In their study, when participants took part in a resistance training session before running, they lost more weight during their run than those who did no preparatory exercise.

As well as prepping your body for improved fat loss, working out with weights before cardio helps to strengthen your cardiovascular system.

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6. Hill training

Not only will running up hills add more intensity (and pain) to your runs - it will also help you burn more fat.

Your body will have to work harder which will ramp up your heart rate - in turn meaning you will burn more calories.

The London Marathon will this year celebrate its 40th race