HJNO Jul/Aug 2022

54 JUL / AUG 2022 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS COLUMN FITNESS What Have You Got to Lose? AS I HAVE gotten older, I like to think that wisdom can come from information, expe- rience, and practice. That being said, I don’t think we need to be old to gain wisdom, as much information is in circulation today, and much more is being revealed daily. My commitment to myself is to maintain an open mind and a willingness to grow, to change. I’ve spent much of my profes- sional life in professional football paying attention to tools necessary for altering my body from its natural state to one of optimizing performance. Since those days, I now spend much of my time research- ing tools for optimizing my overall health. There are a lot of buzz words out there to- day, and one I wish to explore with you is “intermittent fasting.” I came across this from listening to a couple of podcasts a few years ago and, since that time, have learned a few things about the benefits of fasting, which I will share with you. But first, what is intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting is essentially not about what we eat, but when we eat. There are several protocols that are associat- ed with fasting, and they are all based on choosing a consistent feeding window throughout the day, week, or month. For instance, you could choose a daily 8-hour