Post-Holiday
Fasting?
by Barbara D. Allan
Author of Conquering Arthritis
Fasting
may seem like a funny topic when the holiday season is
in high gear. But for many of us, there is a natural lull
in our work loads between Christmas and New Years which
allows us a relatively rare opportunity to step into a
higher level of self-care. Many people who are too busy
to fast the rest of the year can do so gracefully at this
time.
Before other people even start with their new year's
resolutions, you could have completed a 3-5 day fast
that may very well contribute substantially to you healing
from your arthritis.
A few things you might want to consider:
Why Fast?
Sluggish elimination in the digestive system and excess
acidity in the body are two significant factors underlying
inflammation in the body. Therapeutic fasting (using
vegetable juice and vegetable broth) works to correct
both.
To understand this, think about how in our ordinary
busy lives we often only have time for minimal house
cleaning. Perhaps we keep up with the laundry and the
dishes, but not much else. Sometimes we might not even
get that far.
Same thing is true for our bodies. When we are eating
full meals and putting most of our energy into other
tasks, our body often only has enough energy to do the
bare minimum of housecleaning. Sometimes it even gets
behind on that.
On a normal day, digestion takes an amazing 30 percent
of our energy. That is a huge amount! Think about this:
in a close political election, only 1 percent of the
vote can mean the difference between victory and defeat.
The same is true of health. An extra 1 percent can sometimes
make all the difference. And an extra 30 percent can
often to carry the day even when we are quite ill.
So, fasting provides the energy for our body to catch
up on normal maintenance and to do the deep cleaning
and releasing needed to flush out toxins and excess
acidity.
The body heals. We end up cleaner, lighter and healthier.
We become much less likely to go into inflammation.
Fasting While Working?
I don't recommend working while fasting. You can do
it, but if you are not careful, the energy that is freed
up by fasting can easily be diverted into work, especially
if you are the type of person who gives 100%.
I know it is not easy or practical for many people
to take off long enough to fast, but if you can, it
will greatly increase the healing that can come from
it.
It is feasible to fast while working a desk job, but
again, you need to make it as non-stressful as possible
to still get all the healing benefits that can come
from a therapeutic fast. Napping and walks or other
gentle exercise are important. Is it possible to build
those into your work day? Can you still get freshly
made vegetable juice?
When to Start a Fast
I find the hardest day of a fast is the first day. If
you work Monday through Friday and have the weekend
off, I recommend eating breakfast and lunch on Friday
and starting the fast at dinner time with fresh made
vegetable juice. By Monday on the fast, your blood sugar
and energy in general should be much more regular. If
you have a few days off after the holidays, you could
start the fast at the beginning of those days off.
Another thing to keep in mind is that once you have
successfully fasted, your body may remember what that
is like. I have fasted so much in my life it seems like
all I have to do now is seriously consider another fast
and my body starts switching over almost immediately
to that mode.
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