Today, I have already fasted for over 24 hours. Currently, I am in the 26th hour of fasting. I have seen that usually when I cross the 24 hours of fast, I can fast for almost 30+ hours. Now, I just need to sleep and then wake up in the morning.
Usually, the day I wake up a bit late, it is easy for me to do a longer fast on those days. This week, my workout sessions were strenuous. My trainer increased the reps & weights. I was just glad that I could keep up.
Yesterday, after my workout, I was very hungry. So I ate a bit more than I normally do but I closed my eating window a bit early. I also felt a bit sore after my workouts, so I slept early and also woke up a bit late.
But the best part was that I felt refreshed in the morning. So, I just had a glass of water and went out for my short walk, which involved buying some fresh groceries such as chicken, meat, veggies & coconuts. Sometimes, I get stuff delivered, but on some days I like to buy it myself as it’s all just down the road. To be honest, I like to observe the bazaar culture of small shops/ businesses that sell these things.
Usually, I wake up early and I am done with my walk before the markets are opened. But today, all the shops were open for business by the time I headed out.
When I reached home, I got busy in cleaning & prepping all the items. Sometimes, I feel that I should keep a cook, but then I remind myself that I enjoy cooking for myself. It is at times therapeutic because cooking allows me to be creative. It also brings my attention to the present moment.
With a low-carb lifestyle, it is easy to cook for myself, as it doesn’t require a lot of work.
So, my breakfast time was spent in running errands and doing chores around the house.
It is only around 2 pm that I felt the need for coffee. I, not only, didn’t feel hungry, but I also didn’t feel like drinking coffee in the morning. I like breaking my routines. Sometimes when we break routines, it helps us realize if they are still important for us.
So, for lunch, I really had a cup of butter coffee. This was followed by another cup of black coffee.
Then, I had a zoom meeting with one of my friends, who is taking my metabolic health coaching. It was good to get an update from him and answer his queries. As of now, he seems very happy as he has made real gains in his health journey.
Not only his food has changed, but he has started working out with a trainer.
After my conversation with him, I decided to complete some more work around the house and then go for a walk. If I had stayed home, I would have needed another coffee. I was also itching for a walk, as it’s been a long time, since I was able to go for a long walk.
So, around dinner time, which is early evening for me, I went for a long walk in the park. It was not as hot and humid as other days, but I was still sweating by the time I completed my walk.
The walk was pleasant. I was surprised to see a lot of flowers blooming in this hot weather. So, I had to click a lot of pictures so that I could paint some of them. Towards the end of my walk, I noticed a lot of children playing on the slides, teenagers hanging around in groups, and elders keeping an eye on the children or walking or sitting in pairs enjoying the evening.
As I exited the park, I noticed the evening sun peeking out from behind the trees. it looked beautiful. I like watching the setting sun. The way its golden yellow-orange color filters through the greens, imparting them its brightness always transports me to the banks of the Ganges in my childhood.
I was lucky to grow up in a residential school, where watching the setting sun was a ritual. All of us would occasionally gather at the banks of the Ganges to watch the sunset. As a child, I always wondered about the nature of light and how transforming it can be. It still delights me.
So, that’s been my day today. I think I am going to end the day by meditating before sleeping.
It is not easy to fast for 24 hours and more. But it is easier with a low-carb diet than on a high-carb diet. I also find it easier to fast, when I replace my meal times with other work.
The more I fast, the better I feel. Yet, I know that I can’t overdo it.
Reflections 