Fasting

I have just finished a fascinating book by Dr. Jason Fung, and he is a proponent of intermittent fasting as a health lifestyle.  I have tried this on quite a few occasions, and I admit, it seems to make me feel better to go extended periods without food intake.  I haven't tried long fasts, although I don't think they are a problem. I have done some 24 hour and near 24 hour fasts, and to me, they seem like a great way of weight control.  My favorite length, of those I have tried, is about 16 hours.  If you eat dinner and skip breakfast, you are there.  To me, it is effortless, and the resulting reduction of food intake, along with the extended period of time for your body to use up glucose, is a great combination.  I exercise during this period, and have never noticed a drop in energy levels.  Your body is an amazing machine.  Once the glucose is used, it just switches over to fat burning for fuel.  That, of course, is a simplistic view, but it is essentially what happens.  Check with your health care professional, of course, as fasting does not seem to be recommended for some people, such as women who are pregnant, children, and those with other conditions for which it could be detrimental.  I am just trying to continually share what I encounter on this journey......

Ok, Off your duff

Well, the holidays are here, and it's REALLY easy to get complacent, overeat, put off training, etc.  You need to resist it, though.  Resting for an extended period of time is a trap.  Never put off training until "tomorrow".  The negative effects are cumulative.  You need to make a choice.  You owe it to yourself and your family, as well as the rest of society to be as fit and capable as possible.  If, heaven forbid, a disaster happens, you need to be fit to react as effectively as possible.  Whether it is getting your family out of a car that is trapped in high water, running up or down stairs in a building during an emergency, or any number of things, you need to have the ability.  If you sit and eat junk all day, you are deferring your responsibility to someone else to help you out.  If we are capable, we can not only help ourselves and our family, but someone else who is less capable, to get out of a dire situation.  Be the person who can do it.