Tag Archives: fast

Fasting, not Cleansing

You see, I’m a faster. I do fasts once or twice a year as I see fit.

I don’t cleanse, or that is to say I haven’t put myself onto a cleanse yet. They fascinate me, and I value the.. flushing they do, but my reasoning for not doing a cleanse rather than a fast is because I eat healthy and try to keep myself fairly free of toxicity in the first place, all year long, for life…

But fasting is a different bird, in a way.

Fasting for me isn’t about physically cleaning my system, though it does more or less force my system to tap into any resource my body has available to it.

Fasting is about mental strength for me. Fasting makes me release the desire of hunger from my mind. Fasting forces me to walk down the path or street (because it’s important to stay a bit active) and repeatedly tell myself that the strength I require to continue walking comes from my mind first and foremost. Fasting encourages me to be aware of every ounce of energy that my body uses, which also encourages me to be very aware of how I am spending the energy that my body does have. It’s kind of the same feeling one gets when they start a long hike; the feeling of pacing yourself.

Another thing that makes me appreciate fasting, is it encourages me to fully recognize every ounce of anything I’m consuming as a human in my day to day: from paper to garbage to heating the house. I like being aware of this. These are important things to me.

I feel, in the end, being aware of all of these things makes me a stronger human. This inner dialog that would otherwise sit dormant is entirely necessary for exercising the mind.

Have you ever fasted, or taken on a cleanse? Do you feel the same as I do? What is important for you to focus on while fasting? And also, are there any tricks, rituals or special practices you do for yourself while on the fast, like find meditation multiple times a day?

I’m very interested to hear.

Oh, and today is day two of a five day fast. 🙂

Fasting

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Fasting is done for a variety of reasons, each of which is held only by the faster, who is the most important person were concerned with. When undertaking the challenge of a fast, do not be afraid: its not as horrible as some might lead you to believe.

In accordance with blogs and articles, the best way to enter and exit a fast is with a gradual reducing of food going in, and a gradual increase of food going out, which should last about 2 days on either side.

Going in to the fast will be the harder one to achieve, for your stomach is still calling for its next feeding, but when coming out, usually you will not even be able to eat a giant steak and potato dinner.

At both times, eat healthy, avoid any junk food or fast food and stick to meals consisting of raw vegetables and fruits, or small portions of grains or rice, but the key is to eat as healthy as possible.

This is especially important for the detox faster, for the healthier you eat the better you will feel as well. Eating healthier foods will, as happens even when you’re not fasting, make you feel healthier, and your stomach will not speak to you in loud groans trying to digest the junk just fed it.

Many experts talk about fasting to lose weight as well. One even claimed to have done the 40 day fast, with nothing but water, tea, and diluted juice. He lost 150lbs, which brought his weight down to 80lbs. If it’s a diet you’re looking for however, I would suggest a more practical way such as exercise and eating healthy as first steps towards loosing the weight.

In most corners, however, one thing is common: is it as much a mental challenge as it is a physical challenge. Stay focused! This is a mind exercise!

Most bodies are capable of doing the fast (check with your doctor if you are on any medication or are experiencing health problems), it’s the challenge of not letting your mind get carried away with longing for hunger.

Key factors to this success are keeping yourself busy, and knowing your goals. Some fasts, especially the longer ones, recommend lots of bed rest. This could be a good thing for people that can handle inactivity without going crazy, but that’s not something I particularly fancy. I am a firm believer that activity stimulates the mind, and keeps the body aware. It doesn’t necessarily have to be lifting weights, which is very dangerous when fasting, but reading, cleaning, organizing: going about regular daily activities. Yes, it is true that in the longer fasts one will lose not be capable of much strenuous activities, but each person should test the limits their body is capable of achieving.

Please, consult a physician if you have any medical history, or continual health problems. I am not to be held responsible. If you start feeling heart palpitations, black outs, or other various very unhealthy conditions as a result of the fast, don’t be stubborn, break the fast and keep yourself alive.

On this note, some circles claim that long extended fasts can cure diseases of all sorts: Mental illnesses, cancers, old football injuries (i.e. broken bones), etc. This I cannot attest to, but if a person were in the position of either living with cancer or trying a 40 day fast, I think it’s easy to see which way would be more enviable.

Most of all stay strong in your quest, for whatever reason you seek to undertake the fast, know why you are doing it, and stay positive. You’re doing it for yourself and yourself only. Good luck!

Walking

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The power of the walk is unbounded. Clean, or at least fresh air, is undoubtedly and unquestioningly one of the greatest natural healing process’ one can undergo. To put one’s body through some physical strain, aka. exercise, every day is important for many factors of one’s health, both mental and physically.

I cannot count with the fingers on my hand how many times people have told me how much stronger, healthier, happier, or energized they feel after a bout of activity, and more-so, after sticking to a regular bout of physical activity.

Walking is one of the easiest and least stressful forms of exercise available to one. It is cheap and can be performed rain or shine, night or dark, cold or warm.

Some people feel they need to get their proper sweat repellant tights on, weights on their ankles, water bottle pouches strapped to their waist, etc. etc., but I feel a strong opposition to the mentality that you should be held back from doing activities without the proper gear.

Don’t get me wrong, some activities like scuba diving, hockey, or snowboarding cannot be performed without proper sports equipment, but even with these activities, there is a difference between essentials and luxury.

My favorite time to go for a walk is around sunset. The colors that come out at this time, the lack of direct sunlight, the lack of excessive traffic all make for a happy walker in me, but I do not single out this hour of the day.

Often times, one is given the opportunity to walk to the bus, or to walk around in town during their day. Even in the evening, most people live in towns these days, and with town comes corner stores and grocery stores that are usually within walking distance.

I undertake it as my own mission to walk every day. Even if it’s just a little bit, it is all good. Just 15 minutes is great! It is essential to get outside for some exercise.

If you are on a tight timeline, bring a stop watch along, and do 7.5 minutes out, and 7.5 minutes back to the starting point if it must be so directed, but make it happen! It just takes a little bit of effort and you’ll begin to reap the rewards of your attention.

Feeling healthy, feeling active, getting fresh air, getting exercise, listening to the birds; these are all things that are a direct result of going for a walk.

Downsides you ask? NONE! Get walking!