Intermittent fasting is an important cultural pillar at H.V.M.N..

The body of research behind fasting (and its associated effects on ketosis and autophagy) is robust and rapidly growing. Benefits span from improved longevity and metabolic biomarkers (described in published peer-reviewed studies) to subjective reports of increased focus and productivity (described anecdotally). It has been over a two-year journey for us, and we expect this cultural component to continue growing. I'll describe five key outcomes from our fasting practice that have proved beneficial for my company.

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I. Discipline

Fasting isn't easy–it’s something our entire team trained toward.

The world is engulfed by consumption, and we've essentially trained our bodies and minds to expect snacks every few hours.

By participating in a weekly fast, every member of our organization developed greater discipline and self-control, tenets which have transcended lifestyle choices: more exercise, less happy hours, healthier diets, elimination of soda and refined sugars. A healthier team becomes a happier and more productive team.

II. Shared Camaraderie

A shared struggle is the best way to build trust and teamwork quickly. Conquering the challenge of a team fast every week is a good anchor for coworkers to support and encourage each other outside of day-to-day work projects. Breaking a fast together isn't simply a shared meal–it's a celebration of accomplishing a common goal.

III. No Afternoon Slump

Instead of the carb and insulin spike that leads to a crash, the team maintains level energy throughout the entire workday during a fast. That means things like less interruptions to a deep discussion, which is important to uncovering real insights.

On fast days, there’s no post-lunch slump or afternoon team coffee break.

H.V.M.N. is a productive group; we set and keep aggressive pace for revenue, research, and partnerships, and fasting encourages us to accomplish those goals.

IV. Quantitative Approach to Business

We measure our glucose and ketone levels while fasting through continuous monitors or finger stick devices. This exceeds the level of "biohacker" with which most people might want to experiment, but the focus on quantitative results is important. We run our company quantitatively with key performance measures of happy customers, top-line revenues, churn rates on cohorts, etc. Embodying the ideology of quantitative metrics through our own metabolic health helps train ourselves in this way of thinking. That's important as we operate a research-driven organization.

V. Seeding our Community

The foundation of every business is a core community of customers, supporters, and followers.

Our company serves people who want to improve work productivity and health biomarkers. By committing to a weekly fast ourselves, we developed a synergy with the community, sharing something in which we all can participate.

We now have tens of thousands of members in our online community. This makes the group a real dynamic entity, rather than a phony corporate initiative. We've had real conversations with these members, creating connections that help us evolve and improve our products and services. You can join the WeFast Facebook Group here.

How has intermittent fasting helped you personally? Let us know in the comments, and happy fasting.