February is observed every year as National Fasting February, and it’s designed to raise awareness about the benefits of intermittent fasting on a person’s metabolic health. While many diets focus on what a person eats, intermittent fasting focuses on when a person eats.

During this type of fasting, a person only eats during specific times. One way to practice this form of fasting is to eat only during an 8-hour period of the day and then fast for the remainder of the day.

This causes the body to exhaust its sugar stores and instead burn fat. According to recent studies, intermittent fasting has been shown to slow down or even reverse some disease conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

The History of National Fasting February

Intermittent fasting has been around for a very long time. Not only did ancient peoples practice it, but it has also been known by the medical community to be a viable alternative to calorie restriction for some patients. However, this holiday month hasn’t been around quite as long. It was only created in 2019 by LifeOmic, the company behind the Life Fasting Tracker app.

The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Below are some facts about intermittent fasting that we think everyone should be able to appreciate. These facts have been gleaned from a dozen different scientific studies.

• Intermittent fasting boosts memory in animal trials.
• People who intermittently fast have lower resting heart rates and improved blood pressure.
• Men who fasted for 16 hours a day retained muscle mass while losing fat.
• Intermittent fasting has proven to help with weight loss.

Observing National Fasting February

Before people begin observing this month, we encourage them to speak to a doctor first. In fact, this should be the standard response to any change in diet or lifestyle. Only a medical professional can determine if it’s safe for a person to go on an intermittent fasting diet. Once a person has been cleared by a certified medical professional, then they can take the opportunity to observe this month.

There are a lot of different ways for people to intermittently fast. We already mentioned that one way is to only eat during an 8-hour window of the day. Another way to observe is by eating normally five days a week and then cutting down calories to 600 for two days. However, as we said, it’s important for a doctor to be consulted before beginning this or any other diet change.