The Master Cleanse: Day Ten
Fasting Demands Mental Toughness (apparently)
Someone I was speaking to today compared the act of fasting or going without food for a prolonged period to time to doing the Kokoda Challenge – 96 kms of rough and rocky terrain by foot in one hit. You can walk, run or crawl and it usually takes between 11 hours and 59 minutes (the record) and 39 hours depending on the fitness, consistency and efficacy and calluses of your two feet (Band aids anyone?). Hmmm… Interesting concept. We were talking about the kind of focus and determination it takes to complete the Kokoda Challenge – the courage to even attempt something that’s so out of ordinary, everyday experience.
To do the Kokoda Challenge Australian style you team up with some buds and start training months before the event. You get prepared. You have a taste of what it’s like to keep going and the specifics of the challenges you may experience. You get encouragement from your team and the people in your life who know how much hard work you’re putting in. There’s an aura of respect for the person who’s challenging their body in this way. There’s also lot of support – detailed instructions, your team of fellow walkers/runners/joggers, ambulance folk standing by, water and hydration specialists and even a crowd cheering you on at times! The Kokoda Challenge is about pushing the body and mind beyond normal limits (with a bit of history thrown in).
Fasting is also completely out of our ordinary, everyday experience. It’s a pretty solitary venture though. We don’t form “fasting” teams to support each other. Most people you speak to about it don’t really get it and you may be faced with a bit of judgement about your sanity before you even begin. There are many excellent books and resources freely available as well as detailed instructions on what to expect but none of it really prepares you. Not really. There’s a TON of history with fasting too! People have been doing it for thousands of years to cure themselves of all sorts of things but it’s never had the world-wide acclaim of war. Yes, absolutely fasting demands mental toughness, focus and determination. It is not easy. Fasting is like a Kokoda Challenge for the mind I reckon! I was speaking to my man about this comparison and his comment was he’d have no problems contemplating doing the Challenge but couldn’t even begin to comprehend what it would take to go without food for 2 days, let alone 10 or 40!
There’s something in this I’m sure – we seem to have a better understanding of pushing through physical limits and physical pain and physical exertion but not pushing through the limits and blockages of the mind… (This isn’t complete yet, it’s a kind of simplistic view and I know both fasting and the Kokoda Challenge require huge amounts of mental toughness and focus – I’m just interesting in how they are different – why one might be “easier” than another…) At the end of the day though both the Kokoda Challenge and a fast of any length are completed one step at a time, one moment at a time.
I’m really frigging hungry right now. I think my brain is using up too much glucose writing this. I’ve been thinking about food a lot today. I’m not interested in anything sweet, just give me ladles of avocado with shaved parmesan cheese please. Please? Pretty please? With cherries on top?
I came across a great question today – a way to differentiate physical hunger from emotional hunger, cravings and food addictions. The next time you have a craving for something, anything, ask yourself:
“Would a big, green leafy salad satisfy me right now?”
If the answer’s YES you are genuinely hungry. Congratulations! You should eat. If the answer’s NO, you are wanting something other than food and are trying to fill an emotional need.
YES! YES! YES! I am genuinely hungry. Saliva is dripping out of the corners of my mouth… (nearly there Susan! Last day on lemonade!!!)
I will use this question in the future though. Very easy way to see what’s really going on underneath the surface.
