Tomorrow, I begin a 5 day fast to super-cleanse my body, invigorate my mind, and center my spirit. Fasting diverts the energy the body usually uses for digestion to clean and restore bodily functions, and I’m excited to see how this is going to effect me, and hopefully contribute to me making it to the big 2100. As always, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and this fast is the kind of body tune-up that oughtta keep me running strong.
Fast Food
I’ve been getting some nay-saying when I share this idea, and I wanted to respond to a few common comments as I begin to keep track of how this fast will play out for the next week.
“Fasting is an unhealthy shock to your system!”
The shock of sudden food deprivation can be unhealthy. To avoid the negative effects, I have been pre-fasting by following a raw fruit and vegetable regimen for the past 2 days. The lower calories intake and simplified digestive process slowly ease the body into a fast. I will post-fast for two days with a fruit and vegetable diet to reintroduce a well-rounded menu without making myself sick.
“Doesn’t fasting kill your kidneys?”
Kidneys are put under more stress than usual because they are filtering all of the toxins that are being released by the body. In the long run, I’m going to say that if the toxins in my body are so bad they’d funk up my kidneys, I’d rather have them out than in. In fact, there even exist some kidney fasts that target healing the kidneys. I’m fasting for holistic well-being, but if it goes well, who knows! Maybe the kidneys are next…
“There are better ways to lose weight.”
I wholeheartedly agree. If weight loss was what I was after, I’d eat a well-balanced vegetarian low-fat and calorie diet and exercise regularly. However, since weight loss is not a goal, but perhaps a symptom of fasting, my conscious is clear of subjecting myself to short-term anorexia to look like an abercrombie model.
My Goals for this Fast:
1) Exercise self-control
2) Connect with my body by keeping track of how it responds to fasting
3) Detoxify and cleanse my body
4) Reset my system so it will be more sensitive to toxic & processed food and drink (and avoid these after fasting!)
Super-Duper Detox
To really cleanse the crap out of me, I’ll be doing the following to cleanse in every which-way I can.
–Lymphatic brushing before daily shower to improve circulation and get that lymph moving!
-Nature’s Secret Ultimate Fasting Cleanse Kit: This guy is giving me confidence that I’m doing this in a healthy way, with a bevy of nutrients and cleansing herbs to help super-scrub the inside of me out, and plenty of fiber to make sure all of the nasty stuff gets washed away.
A few resources:
http://falconblanco.com/health/fasting.htm
http://www.gaianstudies.org/articles4.htm
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/is_fasting_healthy
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/fast.htm
Live to 2100 