30 Day Fitness Challenge - Day 20

(Note: This is part 20 in a 30 day series. If you like these posts, subscribe to the Mumbo Jumbo RSS feed at the top of the page!)

Day 20

My Thoughts:

Well we’ve had a nice little break, no? No! I’ve been keeping active over the weekend, have you?

10 Days Left

T-minus 10 and counting…

I realize I haven’t been detailing every little thing out, but I have been significantly active over the past weekend even though the Challenge posts have briefly stopped. I’ve been working, running around, playing dodgeball with a bunch of college-aged kids, and swimming! The swimming has been the best in this summer heat wave that’s passing over the east coast.

Pre-Workout Stats:

More weight is coming off, with still more to go. I was 172.4, still on track and moving forward. If I don’t break ten pounds by the end of this, I will be a bit disappointed but I also know that I’ve put on a non-insignificant amount of muscle in the process that offsets the weight-loss.

Dietary Stuff: I’ve been fasting since last night and will be until tomorrow morning for a total time of 36 hours. I’ve allowed myself water, plain green tea, and vitamins/supplements. It’s actually not that bad, although I am a little lightheaded. The inspiration for this comes from my most recent issue of Men’s Health magazine, where the author of the article has been fasting for 36 hour periods for the past 60 weeks. It’s a great little article, and everything he said made a lot of sense to me. Unfortunately, it’s not yet available online, otherwise I’d link it here. Besides citing a bunch of research about the benefits of fast, it just plain made sense. Our hunter/gatherer ancestors might have had to go stretches of time without food, and yet they survived just fine.

When you fast, you deplete the liver of Glycogen, so your body then turns to deconstruct fat, and then muscle and organs (also known as starvation), which only happens after about 8 to 10 weeks in, followed promptly by death. Most research says that many people are fine with fasting for up to 5 - 10 days. In fact, most cultures already do this for periods of time, but the abundance of cheap food in America, combined with that natural urge to eat spells out a recipe for obesity.

But the article in the current issue of Men’s Health really goes in depth into everything, so I suggest picking up this month’s issue and taking some time to read it.

And yes, that means I am performing this workout without eating all day. And I probably swam for a good half hour to forty-five minutes today on top of that. If you can swim for that time, feel free, or consider substituting it with a run.

The Workout

All I can say is that I’m not looking forward to this one…

Just a side note: In this video he performs weighted pull ups. Honestly, I am not strong enough to do 30 regular pull ups, so I did 8 regular, then switched over to the pull down bar on my machine to finish out the rest of the set and the next. Feel free to do the same.

And if you feel like it, wrap things up by cooling down with some yoga.

Closing Thoughts

Well, this was especially interesting today, seeing as I haven’t eaten anything since 10 PM the day before… I’ve now officially made it 24 hours without food, and plan on going for 12 more. Let me say, I can not wait until tomorrow’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Fasting is good, and I’m going to try to integrate it into my normal routine, just to see how things work out. Remember, our bodies are actually made to go without from time to time. It’s a good way to detox and get healthier. I’m only doing it for 36 hours, but you can go longer if you wish. Just remember, stay safe.

It should also be said that this is not the same as anorexia or other eating disorders. It is, however, an exercise in discipline. Oh man, you should have seen how disciplined I was tonight at the dinner table, when my family was eating fantastic amounts of margarita pizza (which is the best flavor on the face of the planet. completely unrelated to the drink of the same name), garlic knots, and a gorgeous looking salad. Mind you, this was about 20 hours into the fast and I was monstrously hungry, but it can be done! Let’s just say, I can’t wait to taste food again, and that it’s going to taste extra amazing when I eat again.

Again, for more information about Medical Fasting, please see here. And always contact a doctor before you do anything crazy like this… I should probably take some of my own advice!