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🍽️Fasting guide from a brain coach - make your brain help you. 42 hours.

I'm fasting today, from Friday night to Sunday late morning or afternoon. I try to keep this routine going consistently as it makes me feel so good after! And it trains our mind, we learn how to control uncomfortable physical sensations, anxiety that comes from physical discomfort, AND it's one of the best dopamine-restoring practices to prevent burnout and recover from it. Here's what I do to set myself up for success. I failed many times, and through learning more and experimenting more I figured out a way that makes fasting almost enjoyable!

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    1. Try to schedule your fast on a non-challenging day.

    It's very important because during the fast you will go through moments when you'll feel weak and not wanting to do much and your brain will have hard times thinking. If you have some crucial to-dos - it's gonna sky-rocket your anxiety and you'll probably end up eating a lot more. Avoid intense situations and important activities.

    2. Workouts and movement help - but only when you keep intensity low.

    If you do HIIT on the fasting day - get ready for a HUGE energy dip. It's gonna be big. And you gonna get SUPER cranky. Also, it's not the time to set any personal lifting records - your body won't have resources to recover properly and it can backfire when it comes to future performance. Some movement helps with physical stress, releasing additional toxins, maintaining blood sugar and muscle mass, starting ketosis (burning more of your fat for fuel) - but it has to be managed.

    3. Sleep well, take your time.

    If you go into fast with a lack of sleep - you are in for a ride! Hunger levels, anxiety, stress - gonna be quite hard to control.

    4. Put yourself in the environment where you can rest.

    Ideally at home, or somewhere where you can sit down, lay down, just rest. There will be moments of feeling weak, if you allow yourself to have them - fasting will be a smooth ride and the body will do what it needs to do.

    5. Don't interact with too many people, don't get into arguments, don't make important decisions.

    Your emotions gonna be on the surface, your stress and anxiety levels will rise, especially if you are a beginner. Don't set yourself up for broken relationships. After you finish your fast - you'll think it was so stupid of you to be so fired up about an issue. Also avoid any important decisions - fasting changes a lot of your motivations, emotions and brain chemistry.

    6. Don't think about food, don't walk around food, don't do grocery shopping.

    For most people any food exposure will set them up for failure. The urge to eat will become irresistible. I'm ok with it now but I still learned to never go grocery shopping on my fasting day. All of a sudden even a banana becomes irresistible.

    7. Take electrolytes to prevent dizziness and low energy.

    Salt, lemon juice for potassium, magnesium and calcium in powder or pill form make all the difference! Stay away from caffeinated coffee though because your stress hormones will already be upregulated and you won't be able to sleep, and your hydration and blood sugar levels might get very unbalanced.

    8. Keep yourself busy with low-key activities.

    Simply to prevent thoughts of food and potentially negative emotions. Just keep yourself busy and out of anyone's business.

    9. Allow yourself moments of hunger, negative emotions and feeling weak. They'll pass.

    They will come. They will pass. You'll learn you don't have to ride your emotional waves. You can let them pass through you. Great practice to keep in life!

    10. When fear and anxiety come up - take a couple of 4-7-8 breaths, and say to yourself, "I can stop at any moment, the food is right there, I'd like to explore how far I can go".

    This breathing switches on rest-and-digest mode - your anxiety and stress go down. The self-talk gives you perspective. You aren't dying. Food is right there. It'll be there tomorrow or at any moment you need it. Self-talk is a powerful tool to use for your goals!

    Almost done with my fast. Spent most of the day walking, spending time with friends, spa cold/hot therapy, ready to sleep and eat my breakfast :) Let me know if you can relate to my experience!

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