Hi meaningful leader,
It’s Tuesday again and I’m so glad you’re here. I hope your weekend was awesome and your week so far is going great.
For this week’s article, I want for us to talk about a topic that a great deal of leaders overlook, but that has a tremendous impact in our ability to perform at the highest level, and that is our body.
As life gets busy with goals and projects, we tend to maximize the time we dedicate to them and more often than not, we leave certain things sitting in the back burner. I’ve personally experienced seasons at work in which between the workload and hectic business travel, I don’t pay attention to hydrating well or getting enough sleep. Sometimes my meals consist of the closest fast food restaurant Uber eats can supply or even in some occasions, just a vending machine on the go.
Tackling goals and getting the job done, and done right, takes a huge priority among high performers, but reality is that if our health is impacted due to the poor choices we make, we won’t be able to deliver on any of the commitments we have.
One easy practice that I’ve integrated to my lifestyle and that has provided tremendous impact in my health and well-being is Intermittent Fasting (IF). People normally get intimidated when the hear the word fasting, because they associate it with starvation. However, the cliche phrase we’ve been sold that breakfast is the most important meal of the day is a flat out lie. But please don’t take my word for it just keep reading!
When it comes to nutrition, when we eat is as important as what we eat. Like any other machine, our body requires fuel. What we put in it, will consequently produce the result we get out of it. Aside from the fat-burning benefits, IF allows our body to regenerate, rejuvenate and perform at a more optimal level.
The following benefits have been attributed to Intermittent Fasting and rightly so:
Metabolic Disease Prevention: IF can help to prevent type 2 diabetes, obesity, as well as metabolic syndrome. It helps to control blood sugar levels by decreasing insulin resistance.
Supports the Cardiovascular System: IF promotes heart health by improving our blood pressure while reducing “bad†cholesterol levels in the body It can also reduce the risk of coronary hearth disease.
Champions for the Immune System: IF helps to reduce inflammation; which can help reducing allergies, inflammatory disease and autoimmune diseases. As you know, an optimal immune system, gives our body a fair fighting chance when diseases attempt to attack us.
Brain Function Optimization: IF improves the flow of blood to the brain, which consequently promotes a better supply of oxygen. This maximizes our brain function, and reduces the dreaded brain fog. It can also prevent neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimers’, Huntington’s and Parkison’s diseases.
My optimal combo for IF is what is referred to as 16/8. This means 16 hrs of fasting with an 8 hr eating window. In practical terms, I eat lunch (my first meal of the day) at 12 and then have dinner (my second and last meal of the day) between 7 and 8 PM and voila.
It sounds challenging, but like with every habit, if we ease in into it, by probably starting with 12/12 and adding an extra hour each day, it becomes totally doable. One important thing to keep in mind that IF is not for everyone. There are certain conditions like diabetes or pregnancy in which IF can become dangerous, so please apply caution and as with everything make educated decisions. All I’m doing is sharing what works for me.
One thing I have learned in my journey to reach meaningful, life altering leadership and high performance is that the better I treat my body, the most optimal my performance and focus become.
I hope you find value in this information and please let me know if you have questions or would like me to dig deeper into this topic. I get that this is not the typical leadership content, but ignoring the physical side of the leader, can only drive the mental and spiritual sides to decline as well. A well oiled and well maintained machine, will always run smoothly, and having the energy, stamina, and focus to lead our teams is all we can ask for.
Thanks again for stopping by and reading the blog. I hope you have any amazing rest of the week and God bless,
Maria
PS: IF data obtained from the SIMPLE app
