The Gentle Way to Fast for Longevity Benefits

FASTING AND LONGEVITY: A GENTLE RESET FOR THE YEAR AHEAD

By Alexandra Cortina

As we step into a new year, many of us feel a natural desire to begin again. Not through strict resolutions or dramatic detoxes, but through a quieter intention to feel lighter, clearer, and more grounded in our bodies. For me, fasting has been one of the most powerful ways to create this sense of renewal. It offers a pause, allowing the body to step out of constant input and into genuine restoration.

Fasting is not about deprivation. It is about rhythm and intelligent rest. When we give the body space, it can repair and steady itself. With a background in nutritional therapy and integrative health, and as a training psychotherapist, I have seen how fasting supports both metabolic repair and emotional clarity, often transforming energy, digestion, mood, and steadiness.

The Science of Longevity and Fasting

A growing field of longevity research explores how fasting influences key pathways connected to long term health. While the science continues to evolve, several well studied mechanisms help explain why structured fasting practices can be supportive when used appropriately.

Autophagy, the body’s natural cellular recycling system, increases during periods without food. The foundational work of Professor Yoshinori Ohsumi, awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, demonstrated how nutrient deprivation can help trigger this repair process at a cellular level.

AMPK, a central metabolic regulator, becomes more active during fasting. Research from groups at Harvard Medical School and the Salk Institute has shown that AMPK activation is associated with improved insulin sensitivity, mitochondrial support, and healthier metabolic functioning.

Sirtuins, sometimes called longevity regulators, contribute to DNA protection and cellular resilience. Studies from Dr David Sinclair’s laboratory at Harvard have shown that energy restriction and fasting can activate sirtuin pathways that are linked with healthy ageing processes.

Ketones, which rise during fasting, act as an alternative fuel source for the brain. Research published in Cell Metabolismhas noted that ketones may support cognitive function and help reduce oxidative stress.

These strands of research are also supported by the work of Dr Valter Longo at the University of Southern California, whose fasting studies have shown benefits to immune and metabolic markers, and Dr Satchin Panda at the Salk Institute, whose research on circadian rhythms has highlighted the advantages of time restricted eating.

While fasting is not a cure or a medical treatment, these findings help explain why structured dietary pauses have been associated with improvements in metabolic stability, inflammation markers, and markers linked to healthy ageing.

Time Restricted Eating as a Daily Anchor

One of the most accessible ways to introduce fasting is through time restricted eating. This means eating within an eight to ten hour daytime window and allowing the body to rest during the remaining hours.

Many people naturally prefer an evening fast after supper. This approach can support digestion, sleep patterns, and steadier daytime energy.

A daily rhythm like this may help to:
• support blood sugar regulation
• reduce inflammatory load
• support digestion
• improve sleep quality
• offer more emotional steadiness

Its real beauty is its simplicity. It integrates into everyday life without overwhelm. It becomes a steady foundation.

The Power of an Urban Reset

There is something uniquely powerful about stepping into a deeper reset for several days. It does not require travel or stepping away from your responsibilities. In fact, the beauty of an urban reset is returning to your own bed every night. You remain in your life, but with a gentler rhythm, a slower pace, and a supportive structure around you.

My MeyaFast approach draws from European style fasting principles as well as guided experiential therapeutic immersion. It is a workshop style reset rather than a retreat. Over several days, participants receive simple vegetable based broths, several fresh juices, gentle movement practices, restorative guidance, and supported emotional reflection. It softens the internal stress load, restores metabolic ease, and brings a sense of spaciousness back into the nervous system.

Because it takes place within your city and your real schedule, the urban reset becomes accessible rather than disruptive. It offers a practical way to shift gears and create intentional restoration without leaving everyday life behind.

My New Year Longevity Tips

For anyone wanting a grounded and sustainable approach to the year ahead, these are the practices I return to most often.

1. Start with rhythm and keep it adaptive

Begin with rhythm, though even a sixteen eight window can become effortless for the body over time. Metabolic health improves when there is gentle variation. Changing meal or fasting windows occasionally keeps the system adaptive and responsive.

2. Build your plate around protein and vegetables

A longevity focused plate centres around high quality protein, abundant vegetables, healthy fats, healthy carbohydrates, and very little processed food. Think nourishing and steady rather than stimulating or erratic.

3. Create a weekly gentle reset

Choose one evening meal each week to be lighter. A simple vegetable soup or broth based plate gives the digestive system a meaningful pause and often leads to improved energy the next morning.

4. Reduce sugar rather than calories

Excess sugar contributes to inflammation and metabolic imbalance. Reducing sugar often creates noticeable shifts in clarity, mood, and steady energy.

5. Move in ways that feel grounding

Walking, yoga, Pilates, and strength work all support longevity. What matters most is regularity and choosing movement that regulates rather than stresses the nervous system.

6. Add a daily moment of stillness

Fasting is as much about emotional space as it is about physiological rest. A few minutes of quiet breathing or time away from your phone can help settle your system in meaningful ways.

7. Plan one or two deeper resets this year

A guided three day urban reset once or twice a year can offer a powerful recalibration for both body and mind.

As seen in https://hipandhealthy.com/the-gentle-way-to-fast-for-longevity-benefits-without-extremes/