Musings on my first fast….

Following a wonderful but (slightly) overindulgent summer, I am devoting myself to three days of fasting. Find out why I have taken this action and what impact the three days have had on my health and wellbeing.
Day 1.
I decided to do a three day fast on the recommendation of a dear friend, Dearbhla Reynolds of http://theculturedclub.com. The summer was wonderful but slightly hedonistic, especially our trip to Italy where pasta and wine flow like water.

I was told that by day three euphoria, focus and and tons of energy would greet me. My hunger pangs would completely subside and that I might even decide to go longer than the three days. I am just past twenty four hours of no solid food. For now, it’s tons of water and herbal tea.

My prediction is three days will be enough for this round of fasting. It has been interesting to say the least. I have had a blazing headache for most of the day, probably due to my black tea addiction. I came home in the afternoon and collapsed in a heap into bed with my sweet dog for a full hour nap. Upon awakening, my headache was just a dull spectre, lingering somewhere in the background. I am curious what the next two days hold for me….I will keep you posted.

Day 2.
Upon awakening I have that same dull ache in my head but after a giant glass of water it subsides.

I had one of my regular clients for her 7am class at my home and she asked: “Are you ok Aoife?”. That’s a bit of a tell tale sign that I’m shifting and moving stuff around and maybe seeming a little loopy.

I settled in and taught a nice strong class then headed off for a big walk with Whiskey. By the end of the walk I was struggling to get up the hill, but I made it home and I’m now lying on my couch writing this and dreaming about poached eggs. The rumblings are still there, both in my belly and mind, wondering what in the world possessed me to do this???

I have made it through day two but I have to say it’s tough. During my evening walk I could smell people preparing their dinners with wafts of delicious sauteed onions becoming too much to bear. Still, I made it through… off to bed.

Day 3.
The best nights sleep for sure and no headache to report this morning. I did wake up very early so I facetimed with a good friend in LA who thought I was nuts to do such a thing. She’s Irish though, so that explains the resistance.

I had a doctor’s appointment at 10am and even though I was feeling pretty good (although not euphoric) I just knew I had to eat something. Luckily I did because they took bloods. That could have been a mess with me fainting on the doctor’s floor.

As I sat in the office I decided that I was glad I broke the fast six hours early. I had listened to my body and what it needed.

One of the lead themes I always emphasise in my classes is to really listen to the body. Was I going to finish the fast but feel weak and tired and not show up for my students in class tonight properly? Or, was I going to head the craving for braised lentils and steamed spinach?

My final thoughts are that i’m glad I did it. Would I do it again? Absolutely. I foresee doing the fast at the end of winter and again at the end of summer. When I did eat again, I was certainly more present with my food instead of munching away and mindlessly checking Facebook at the same time. I also realized how much I had missed cooking over the past few days.

It’s a meditation for me to cook good food. Here is the link to the braised lentils I craved.

Namaste, Aoife