Well it was pretty simple actually. My cousin & his whanau came over to stay for the weekend (approx 7-8yrs ago) & he mentioned to me that he had begun fasting. My cuz has always been a seeker - So when he mentions something like that to me - well my ears prick up & I'm interested. He chatted about it & I thought; Well the sounds simple I will give it a go!

Honestly in the beginning it was weight focused for me. I wanted to manage my weight better. I have always been someone who exercises but also an emotional eater. So really this created a cycle of over eating & then fanatical exercise to counteract the effect of my attachment to food. (I'll probably do a blog on that at some stage!)

ANYWAY...I went straight into intermittent fasting.

DEFINITION:  Essentially a 12-16hr period of not eating. This is the most popular fasting style. For example, finishing eating for the day at 7 p.m. and delaying BREAK-fast until 10 a.m. the next day - creates a 15-hour fasting period. During this time, the body switches to burning fat for energy, releasing ketones that reduce hunger and boost energy. Repeated fasting states lead to metabolic improvements and positive changes in gut bacteria.

Our METABOLIC HEALTH is essentially - The ability of our bodily systems to properly regulate our blood sugar, blood pressure & cholesterol. The basics really.

GUT BACTERIA: Many of us have heard about this now. Perhaps in the form of probiotics, the microbiome & the relationship between our body and gut bacteria. It is a mutually beneficial one. A balanced and diverse gut microbiota contributes to our overall health by supporting digestion, nutrient absorption, immune function, and various other essential processes within the body. The effects of this are: mental clarity, mental health/well being, energy & much more!

AND SO my journey with fasting began. I liked it. It was interesting too! 

It bought to my attention:

• How much I unconsciously ate - Like leftovers of the kids brekky or snacking as I prepared their lunch!

• Late night eating - how much of an attachment I had to that.

• Boredom eating

• Emotional eating

• I felt it helped with sugar cravings

• Also made me - when I did break my fast, put something good into my body. Essentially more food awareness perhaps?

I kept this up FOR YEARS I enjoyed it! On the whole I stuck to it. Creating a new way of being for myself. When I used to drink though was the only time I noticed I would want to eat all day lol - That is also another story!!

This way of being continued for me without question until probably last year when I did my first 3day water fast. This too came from the cuz!  Well if he can do it - so can I.

And so it was.

This also is another story. But one aspect of learning around this was - As I am more in tune with my cycle these days - perhaps there may be a better time for me to do these longer fasts? The curiosity got me & so a new journey began.

What would it look like to fast in relation to my cycle. I am pretty much aligning every other way of being to that. What about the fasting???

Life would have it that this book crossed my path. So with gratitude I purchased the book as an investment in myself.

ENTER: More curiosity, more learning. 

My intention is to slowly share insights from the book along side my own insights. As I feel this info is highly valuable! To our body/mind/wairua.

I look forward to learning & continuing to move further into alignment.

Many Blessings & keep an eye out for future blogs xo