Good morning!
Nothing super cool happened last week at the gym so Im going to talk about myself hahaaha, J/K!
Something really cool happened, Daniella made Semi-Finals at the after Quarterfinals CrossFit Games qualifying workouts!! This girl has put so much time, effort and heart into her training and diet over the last year and its paid OFF! If you see her in the gym make sure you congratulate her. She absolutely CRUSHED the HSPU, Rope Climb, and Muscle Up Workout! We’ll be in the gym doing SEMI FINAL workouts next week, make sure you cheer her on.
Last week I did a 3 day, 72 Hour Fast. I’ve read a bit about the 72 hour fast before, Ive done 24 hour fasts on a weekly basis for months in my 20’s so Im not a total newbie to doing it or the concept.
But WHY?
Lately I’ve had a rough go physically, which also effects how you feel mentally. Talking to my naturopath she recommended me to do a 72 hour fast. 3 weeks ago I had the flu and my stomach hadn’t really recovered, feeling like a rock after I ate anything. On top of that I found out I have a tear in my lower back muscle and my body hasn’t been recovering well at all.
Since Im not supposed to be training hard anyways it was a perfect time for a reset.
On a 72 hour fast I drank water with salt and had black coffee in the morning so I wouldn’t get any headaches + Half a cup of homemade bone broth 1x a day.
The BENEFITS?
1. IT PROMOTES CELLULAR AUTOPHAGY.
Every day, our bodies face multiple stressors, including the natural process of aging, lifestyle habits, and environmental factors. These can weaken and damage the cells. When left unchecked, cellular impairment can age us faster, bring about diseases, and, ultimately death.
Fortunately, the human body is equipped with this self-renewal process called cellular autophagy, our fundamental survival mechanism. A healthy autophagic system will regularly get into action to get rid of busted cells. At the same time, it recycles and repairs some of the usable parts.
2. IT FIGHTS INFLAMMATION.
When bacteria, toxins, or trauma injure our tissues, our immune system sends out first-responders called cytokines and inflammatory cells. These fight off the bacteria and repair the damaged tissues. As a result, you experience swelling, pain, or redness.
Studies show that water fasting unleashes your body’s healing power, killing disease-causing microbes and strengthening protective good bacteria. This helps in reducing inflammation and hastening recovery. It also deactivates pro-inflammatory cells called monocytes, which go to sleep during a fast.
3. IT BOOSTS YOUR ENERGY.
It sounds counterintuitive, but water fasting can ramp up your energy levels. When you fast, insulin decreases, and muscle-mass-preserving HGH (human growth hormones) levels increase. Fasting also increases norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter hormone that helps regulate your fight-or-flight response. All these make the fat-burning process more efficient for your body’s energy requirements.I got a lot of people asking me WHY? I hope this helps you understand my thoughts.
Coach Dan