How Intermittent Fasting with Exercise can Improve Mood and Memory

From depression to dementia, the benefits are proven.

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I like running, but not after midday. I’m a morning person, and like to harness the extra energy that comes with the first half of the day. This routine means that I don’t usually eat anything until 11am at the earliest. Thus, with no palpable hardship (but with the assistance of some good coffee and plenty of water), I am practising intermittent fasting and fortifying the neurons in my brain.

Most people practise intermittent fasting in order to lose weight, and it is indeed an effective strategy. Less well known are the neurological benefits, which include improved mood and memory, and reduced risk of stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Because I usually have my evening meal between 6pm and 7pm, I effectively fast for 16–17 hours. This overnight abstinence is the cheat’s version of intermittent fasting; there are other, more challenging methods for the stronger-willed.

Although there is no official definition of this increasingly popular practice, the IF fundamentals involve a pattern of eating based on extended periods of abstinence. There is ‘time-restricted feeding’, where food is limited to an eating time-frame of around 8 hours — my preferred method. ‘Periodic…