As we learned in last week's blog post, Intermittent Fasting is a term for various meal timing schedules that cycle between voluntary fasting and non-fasting over a given period.  It's become a widely popular health trend by many nutrition experts and used regularly in the Burn Fat and Feast program. Last week I gave you Part 1 of a 2 part series on Intermittent Fasting Myths.  We are continuing on with today's post featuring 5 more common misconceptions about intermittent fasting and the truth behind those myths.

Myth - Intermittent Fasting Impairs Your Mental Alertness and Focus

When you participate in periods of fasting, you are actually more alert, more focused, and more creative.  When you eat, your brain power goes to digestion so giving your body a rest break from feeding allows your mind to focus on the tasks in front of you.  If you are just now implementing IF into your weekly routine, you may not experience this at first, but over time you will definitely see results from being more focused and mentally present.

Myth - Causes You to Over Indulge

When your feeding window is shortened during a fasting period, it is a lot harder to over indulge.  Having a smaller window to eat makes it more difficult to eat in abundance.  NOTE: If you have a history of a binge style eating disorder, check with a professional first.

Myth - Restricts Your Water Intake

You should NEVER restrict your water intake at anytime.  We need to hydrate our bodies and brains all day long.  Our bodies need water to survive so it's very important that you drink water throughout the day whether you fast or not.  I encourage all of our BFF sisters to drink plenty of water during their long and short fasting windows.

Myth - Puts Your Body in Starvation Mode

Your body can certainly go into starvation mode if you plan to fast for longer than three days, but fasting intermittently over shorter periods of time will not starve your body.  Your body needs to rest from all that we put into it both directly and indirectly.  The rest increases our autophagy which repairs, heals, and keeps our cells healthy.

Myth - Slows Down Your Metabolism 

Intermittent Fasting actually boosts your metabolism by making you more metabolically adaptable.  Your body learns to adjust to what you're feeding it by adapting to a irregular feeding window. Want more?  Tune into my Part 1 and Part 2 video series for additional information. For additional training be sure to check out our FREE Ultimate Guide to Intermittent Fasting for Women.