On Tuesday, the day before my colonoscopy, I’m instructed to fast.
As I write this, I’m starving.
But now I have a new lens, which is for every challenge, there is an opportunity to learn and grow.
I’ve heard intermittent fasting offers important benefits.
Fasting not only reduces fat but also lowers the risk of cancer.
Being forced to do something I haven’t done before is tough.
I love to eat. I love my lattes. It’s painful not to eat. Coffee without cream is terrible.
But I need to make this into a learning experience.
In this fasted state, it is easy for the body to use fat as fuel.
But what is a very cool part of intermittent fasting is autophagy.
Autopahgy means "self-eating"
Autophagy is a natural process that breaks down unneeded or damaged components within a cell. It then reuses parts of the cell as building blocks for cellular repair or the formation of new cells.
Autophagy helps keep cells healthy.
So fasting helps our body repair itself and clean up the junk in our systems.
After I put science in my mind, I go on a run, but I had very low energy.
Needing something to take my mind off my low energy, so I listened to the book by Tony Robbin called Life Force: How New Breakthroughs in Precision Medicine Can Transform the Quality of Your Life & Those You Love.
The day was beautiful.
I just happened to take a photo with Yoda.
Normally I wouldn’t have this book in my audible, but a dear friend recommended it - thank you Natalie Bolch Morhous!
Then I learned a valuable story - Tony’s girlfriend’s mom was given 9 months to live given her cancer diagnosis. The mom was in her 40s. Tony discovered a nutritional program by an orthodontist who had pancreatic cancer. The Doctor recovered and he credited a diet program to his defeating cancer. The mom, with no other options, applied the program and as the body cleansed itself, it reduced the size of the tumor.
She is still alive at age 80.
Tony quotes Joseph Campbell, “We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.”
If we can destroy unneeded components in our lives with"self-eating," agents, which fasting does, then why can’t we apply this to our own lives?
We can't give energy to negative things in our lives. If you do, they will continue to act like cancer. If we continue to focus on the things we don't want, they will become self-fulfilling.
Just like sometimes you have to sell loser stock positions b/c they suck up a lot of time and energy - it’s better to cleanse your portfolio of these problems.
I’m thinking about my cells eating each other and my fat turning into fuel. I’m thinking about how much I love exploring and writing about my journey and how it helps me and others engage with their health and wealth.
My colonoscopy was fine, don’t need to get another one for 10 years.
I will fast once a month.
If anyone has any great tips to share on fasting, please share!!!
Happy Holidays!
Your Friendly Wealth Engagement Guide,
Tiffany Kent
Tiffany@wealthengagement.com
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