I’ve fasted before (various ways, namely via juicing and the Master Cleanse), but, this time, I’ve decided to blog about it. I’m in a strange place in my life, not as stable as I usually feel, and my gut (bigger than usual, I confess) tells me it’s time for a cleansing, renewing fast and a blog to document it and keep my ass in line. I’ve enjoyed reading about other bloggers’ experiences with fasting, so it’s my hope that this will prove mutually beneficial.
To begin, my life is in total upheaval. Not a bad thing, but not comfortable, either. After a major trauma early this year, I’m now licking my wounds, hanging in limbo before I forge ahead in a new place. At least, that’s how it feels. I’m staying with family temporarily, for about another month. I’m the black sheep of the family, and they all think I’m a giant freak. It was bad when I was a kid (vegetarian, bookish, nerdy but rebellious), but now, in my mid-20’s, it’s worse (mostly raw diet, practice yoga, love living out West, semi-nomadic, don’t wear J. Crew or shop at the Gap, nor do I make mani/pedis–ha, ha–a priority). My diet is a major part of my life (as it is most people’s, whether they know it or not), and my family eats the same way the did when I was growing up: hot dogs, orange cheese, Heinz ketchup, scotch rocks, Pepsi, Cheez-Its, macaroni and cheese….all things I find totally disgusting (except the scotch, which is another issue, altogether). There’s other stuff, though, that I can’t resist: fresh doughy bagels and ice cream, for example. The problem is, it’s making me feel like shit–tired, fat, lethargic, insomniac. I’m a big believer in the “garbage in, garbage out” theory, and I know I’m still carrying around a lot of post-trauma garbage, from indulgences I used to cope after I was attacked. I slid back into drinking and smoking–two old, bad, buried habits–and let slip my healthy diet. Bad times. I’d like them to be over. I’m READY for them to be over, and to feel good again. I think a fast is in order, then, to build up my self-control (ah, I once had a will of steel), confidence, clarity (lots of decisions to make, planning to do at this point) and inner cleanliness. If my body is my temple, right now it feels like a desecrated sty. Someone–ME–needs to clean this shit up. It’s time. I’m overdue.
I left my juicer in storage, far, far away, but this is a freaking emergency: I’m buying another one tomorrow (today, really, now that it’s after midnight).
My absolute, unwavering promise is to juice for ten days. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again. My GOAL, however, is to juice for 20 days, until the new moon on August 1. I know, traditionally, this is a suggested/optimal time for fasting, cleansing, and renewal. I’ll continue to practice Bikram’s yoga 4-5x/wk, per usual, and probably keep up with running, too. I’ve done this before and have usually felt highly energetic throughout b/c the juice provides plenty of calories and nutrients (all of them yummy and clean, unlike the crap that’s currently lining my sick, twisted colon). I’ll also research salt water flushes and probably do some other types of colon cleansing, also. Now, d
