fasting.

My digestive system is sluggish. Inefficient. My tummy does not feel good the majority of the time. It goes in phases. I'll feel awful for awhile and then fine for a bit. Since I'm not eager to completely change my diet(what a complete bummer if I had to give up cheese completely!)and since I haven't figured out one definitive culprit that wreaks havoc on my belly, I've been trying to do a fast every couple of months or so. Time kind of got away from me, though and it's been at least 6 months since last I fasted. I'm not an expert by any means and I definitely could do with a bit more research on the topic but my idea is this. If I give my system a break and some time to cleanse and rejuvenate, then it will work better, more efficiently the rest of the time. I need to give my body a chance to rid itself of some of the toxins that I put into it. And so I fast. Not a complete, all out, eat nothing kind of fast. More of a removal of all the foods that I think are hard on my system, my body, my belly. During a fast I'll refrain from caffeine, sugars(except honey and pure maple syrup in small amounts), gluten, dairy, alcohol and anything overly processed. Generally I'll eat fruits and vegetables, oats, rice, occasionally some beans, herbal teas and lots of water(often with a generous glug or two of pure lemon juice). If I'm feeling extremely motivated, I'll go a day consuming only water and juices. This usually lasts 3-5 days and normally ends unexpectedly(before my scheduled end, of course)because I'm not really very disciplined. This fast will, in fact end with dinner at mom's on Saturday. If I have an opportunity to have a wine night with some friends or someone offers to feed me dinner, I'm likely to bail. I'm not very organized or methodical about it, either. But I figure, it's better than nothing, right? And I really do think it makes a difference.

I began a fast this morning. If you've never done one, it kind of sucks. Not just the not eating part, either. It's like I can feel the toxins being released in my body. I get a headache(the no coffee doesn't help!) and my whole body gets achy and sore. I'm crabby and irritable. This sets in anywhere from a few hours to a day into my fast. Today, I felt it kick in shortly after noon. I am in the midst of awfulness. But good, too. Because I know that it's doing something. I know that I need to do this. My body needs a good cleanse. A detox. And after a day or two, I feel really a whole lot better. Day 1 down. Tomorrow...just juice.

But for now, some yoga to stretch and sweat some of the ache out, a hot shower and a warm cup of tea.