Well my quick experiment with a 3 day fast is officially over and sometimes I just think my life is a TV sitcom that just hasn’t been picked up yet. I learned some important things about myself and other lessons to use from this point on.

• Fasting feels like it does speed up healing - Of course this is all just speculation as I would have to go back in time, clone myself and put us each on different protocols to see which had a better recovery rate. Although I do feel that while my wrist injury is probably serious enough not to be gone in a couple of days, I have gotten back to more mobility and will go play hockey on Sunday (taped up of course). I want to believe that by taking a fast my body was able to send more of it’s life energy/enzymes (or whatever you want to call it) to repair the damage done (as that is what the body does, it repairs itself. A doctor doesn’t heal a broken leg, he just sets it in a cast and lets the body do the rest of the work)

• Water Fasting is pretty harsh for anything over 24hours - With my lack of real planning and running around, I ended up water fasting for like 40 hours which really was not something I enjoyed. If I do any longer fasting tries in the future it will be more juice based to keep the energy levels up, not just water.

• My stomach shrunk – Whether it was water bloating or inflammation in the gut that died down, the biggest thing I noticed was my stomach flattening/coming in more. Even if I tried to stick it out on purpose (which we have all done), it just wouldn’t go out that far. This is a good thing considering all the vital digestive organs in the area, so less pressure on them the better they will be. I don’t believe there was really any significant fat loss in that day or two involved, but just look around and see how many people have a more “bloated” look to their stomach. That’s not a good thing.

• Never shake up Kombucha – Ok, here’s the sitcom part. I was still water fasting at 40hours when I just knew I needed to get back into juice or something for energy. So I went to the local Whole Foods. Most of the “juices” were high in sugar and not something I really wanted. But I found this product called Kombucha which was a fermented tea low in sugar and loaded with enzymes and probiotics. I never heard of it and thought it was perfect. Well like most natural juices, I saw the sediment on the bottom and shook it up. As I was driving away in my car, I put the bottle between my legs and opened it up. (Insert your laugh now here) Needless to say the 20min ride home in soaking wet boxers was much enjoyable….considering the fact that I needed to stop to fill the car up with gas too. Yes folks, don’t shake Kombucha.

• Food just tastes so much better – After water fasting for so long, the first thing I did have was a grape (1 grape from the sample tray at Whole Foods). I can honestly say that it was the best grape I have ever tasted in my life and I had to sit down as I almost had a “When Harry Met Sally” moment (for those not familiar….I am sure there is a YouTube clip out there that will explain it).

• If you do a longer fast, start with juices and stock up – As I noticed the last thing you want to do while fasting is to walk through a supermarket where everything seems to just come to life and call your name. Not a good thing if you think you might cave in.

• While a longer fast 1-2x a year may do good, most should start with IF - Why do I say this? Because long fasts are not easy. That and it can be very harsh for those that have never done it before. I found this interesting quote yesterday that pretty much sums it up: ““Although there seems to be a recent resurgent trend of fasting in Japan, fasting is something that has existed throughout history in almost every culture. However, the people of this day and age seem to be more susceptible to the risks presented by fasting. The reason for this may be due to a gradual change of body constitution caused by modernization. In general, modern man seems to be physically weaker than their ancestral counterparts. So in many cases, a fasting method that completely abstains from all foods may at times be hazardous. With this in mind, the “Half Fasting” serves as a safer method for a wider variety of people, since it involves the use of food, although minimal.”

• Remember, IF is not about starving yourself - So yes you can eat, but get your food from quality sources and enjoy it. Nothing tastes as sweet as natural fruits or a nice juicy steak. Enjoy natural flavors again and you will not crave processed foods loaded with unnatural sugar.

Well there you have it, some lessons learned and you don’t even have to get your pants soaked to learn them (glad I could help out).

To end and start off the weekend….it’s not IF, but you have to like at least somewhere a town is taking charge and trying to keep people alive longer….it’s a step in the right direction! Enjoy!

Cemetery full, mayor tells locals not to die (from Reuters)

“BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) – The mayor of a village in southwest France has threatened residents with severe punishment if they die, because there is no room left in the overcrowded cemetery to bury them. In an ordinance posted in the council offices, Mayor Gerard Lalanne told the 260 residents of the village of Sarpourenx that “all persons not having a plot in the cemetery and wishing to be buried in Sarpourenx are forbidden from dying in the parish.” It added: “Offenders will be severely punished.” The mayor said he was forced to take drastic action after an administrative court in the nearby town of Pau ruled in January that the acquisition of adjoining private land to extend the cemetery would not be justified.Lalanne, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Wednesday and is standing for election to a seventh term in this month’s local elections, said he was sorry that there had not been a positive outcome to the dilemma. “It may be a laughing matter for some, but not for me,” he said.”

photo by phae