I'm sure you've seen all those click-bait titles like "666 Reasons Why You Should fast on 6th Day of the 6th Month of the Year". And surely you clicked on one of those. I even glimpsed titles like that here on Steemit. I won't do the same thing. Though I will give you a quick briefing on why you should do it, all based on facts [and inspiration], mostly from Dom D'Agostino and people like him.
Quick Rundown On Why To Fast
Let's start with the biggest health benefit. And that's cancer prevention.
Assuming that you don't have cancer already, by doing a so called purge fast you can eliminate (or purge) any precancerous cells that are in your body. On top of that, a 3-day fast can effectively "reboot" your immune system and basically cleanse yourself. The great thing is that you are also likely to go into Ketosis.
What's Ketosis you ask? That's the state of your body when your brain starts to consume "ketones" (derived from fat - stored or ingested) for energy instead of glucose. So basically you become a fat-fueled machine [which by the way is also the best thing you can do to increase your endurance]. Long are gone the days of having to eat something all the time just to raise your levels of glucose in order to avoid brain fog.
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Some other benefits of Ketosis include - better use of oxygen, increase (or at least maintain) strength, fat loss and body re-composition.
So how often should you fast? Dom suggests that you fast at least twice per year to have best benefits for purging. Tim Ferriss, after going through Lime Disease, fasts every month for 3 days and every quarter for 5 days.
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Some Other reasons
And here are some not-so-scientific reasons and why I think you should really give fasting a go.
- You can do it. Yes, you can. You might think it's crazy and you could not go more than 8 hours without eating ... But you can. If you can't you are a slave to food. Don't be a slave. Increase your willpower and prove yourself that you can do anything.
- Your stomach will shrink so (at least for few days) you'll be less likely to over-eat. Overeating is a big problem of mine as I was thought to "always finish what's on your plate".
- Food will taste amazing afterwards.
- You'll do something on a biblical scale.
- You'll get more aware of your body, eating patterns and how much you need.
- You might stop craving foods that are not good for you once you get them out of your system. Though for this the length of time fasting is important and depends on what's the 'substance' you no longer want to crave.
The Challenge
So now that you have some background on why the hell you'd even do something like this, let me challenge you.
Yes, you.
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I want you to perform a fast with me. It doesn't have to be at the same time as I do.
But you have to fast for at least 24 hours straight. The day, setting, etc. is your choice. But do it by the end of this month. And if you write about this in the comments below, or you write your own post telling others about your experience and about this challenge [post] you'll get my FULL POWER Upvote. HOW EXCITING. :D
But on a more serious note, and more importantly, you'll do something good for yourself.
There are many ways to fast, some good, some not so good. But as I'm challenging you only for a 24 hour fast then there's no need to sweat it. Though I'll most likely go for a 3-day one if circumstances allow. If so, I'll write about a good way to do that so others can follow suit.
A suggestion that'll make fasting easier - have your last meal during the lunch and don't eat until the next one. Or have your last dinner (your last supper ;) - told you fasting is biblical :D ) at 6 PM or so. Sleep helps a lot with this. And make your last meal count. As in, make it something good and healthy. But don't overeat.
Also, make your meal something healthy with few carbs. Make a ritual out of it.
My Own Experience
When I first did a planned 24-hour fast I found it quite easy. I actually did it for 28 hours and would do a few hours more if I wasn't going climbing. But I have an advantage. I did intermittent fasting before [having a period of 16 hours without eating] and on top of that my food tends to be rich on fats. That means I usually eat just twice a day. So even if I am not consciously intermittent fasting I tend to actually do it. And also I am pretty sure when travelling there were times when I didn't eat for some time, or ate very little.
But, I really enjoyed this conscious fast. Especially as I made a ritual out of the last and first [out-of-fast] meal. I cooked something really nice for myself on both occasions and I sat down in peace to eat it.
God it was good.
And now I just want to do longer fasts to get more health benefits out of it.
So let me know if you're joining up.
About the Author;
Hi, I am Joe and I love freedom.
Freedom of all sorts, social, financial, emotional, physical, freedom from your stuff or place.
My biggest passion is to show that it is possible to live life being free, work towards my freedom, and help others obtain their own versions of freedom.
I also love exploration and experimentation (of all senses).
My articles are about all of this (Freedom, exploration, experimentation)
as well as my own transparent and authentic experiences.