The Ritzville Adams County Journal - Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887

Lind-Ritzville/Sprague athletic director Greg Whitmore talked about the benefits of intermittent fasting at a lecture that was open to the public he held this month at Lind-Ritzville High School.

Besides his athletic duties–which includes coaching the Broncos football team–Whitmore has also taught health at the high school for 28 years. In an interview with The Journal in August, Whitmore said he was wanting to also bring health lessons to the general public.

Part of this effort to teach health to the public included starting his own website, tyeemountainwellness.com. His website includes a blog that talks about health issues as well as links to YouTube videos about health.

One topic that is addressed a lot on his site is intermittent fasting and the benefits he says he has experienced with it.

Whitmore said he is only promoting intermittent fasting because he practices it himself with positive results. He says he researched the practice a lot before trying it.

“I’m always seeking truth,” Whitmore said at the lecture. “It’s tough to know what the correct health information is out there. It’s like anything else, it’s almost like politics, it depends on who you are listening to and who you are getting your information from. One thing I always try to do is research things.”

A conversation with his doctor led Whitmore to try intermittent fasting. After looking at some of the supposed benefits, including weight loss and slowing down aging, Whitmore decided to give it a try. He says he’s never felt healthier.

Intermittent fasting is the practice of limiting the time each day or week that you consume your meals. It does not necessarily have to be practiced with a diet. The idea is to have your body go through extended periods of time where it is not intaking foods and sugars and producing insulin.

There are several forms of intermittent fasting. A more common version involves eating during an eight-hour window and fasting the other 16 hours of the day. For example, a person might hold off eating their first meal until 11 a.m. Then, they would eat two or three meals for the next eight hours, before stopping at 7 p.m. After 7 p.m., only water, tea and black or plain coffee may be consumed.

In addition to allowing the body to fast for 16 hours a day, Whitmore says this is also likely to eliminate extra calories from late-night snacking.

Whitmore said he simply hopes people look at intermittent fasting to decide for themselves if it is right for them. He encourages people to research the practice. He also provides a lot of information on his website.

At the lecture, Whitmore said anyone who has any questions on the topic can email him at [email protected]