back to blue skies

Experiment #2: The Gratitude Challenge

According to Action for Happiness, gratitude is beneficial for us in so many ways. It’s good for us and those around us. It increases life satisfaction and decreases negative emotion. It also has many health benefits.

According to MindBodyGreen. these are just some of the many benefits of living a life of gratitude:

Daniel Fast: Day #10

It’s day 10 of my fast today. Also first day back at the gym proper, using weights and cross trainer for cardio. Feeling good.

My body is used to switching to fruit and veg now. It’s just a matter of making sure I get a good balanced diet to keep functioning properly. It’s actually quite enjoyable coming up with creative new meals that work within the parameters of the fast.

The Daniel Fast: Days 1-2

As a means to gain greater spiritual clarity and answers, I decided to start the Daniel Fast a few days ago.

What is the Daniel Fast? It’s a Biblical method of fasting, by which you adhere strictly to a diet of water, fruit and vegetables. This can be found in the Bible in Daniel 10. Usually people undergo this kind of fast when they desire to hear God’s perspective on a particular situation, or if they require healing, or just to grow more in their relationship with God by showing a serious commitment to him. You can learn more about this kind of fasting from Jentezen Franklin’s site on fasting, The Daniel Fast website, and the livestrong website.

So, fruit and veg for 21 days doesn’t sound too difficult right?

WRONG. It’s tough. No sugar, no dairy products, no meat or fish, and limited carbohydrates make it difficult to do plan a meal, let alone eat out.

On top of that, your body starts going into detox mode, where you’re likely to have withdrawl symptoms from caffeine and sugar. This feels miserable.

Here’s how my first two days went:

Daniel Fast: Day 1

This more or less felt like a normal day. I still had “Easter foods” in my system from the day before, so my body hadn’t felt the full effects of deprival yet. However, I was painfully aware that I now had a limited range of foodstuffs that I could choose from. 

I managed to remain spiritually resolute, knowing that the fast will bring the answers that I need. If nothing else, I know that I’ll gain a greater awareness of how my body functions without certain foods, and will likely lose a bit of weight in the process.

Managed to walk 2-3 kms today with ease.

Daniel Fast: Day 2

Started experiencing symptoms of detox today. Woke up with a splitting headache before sunrise and drank a glass of water. This headache continued throughout the duration of the day. No amount of Panadol could soothe it. Also experienced malaise and fatigue.

In my stubbornness, I went for a long walk with a friend along the beach, where I was “out of sorts”. Then in the evening caught the train to a conference — the kind with lots of physical exertion. I struggled to stay alert and my head felt like it was about to explode. Sometimes I just want to kick myself for overcommitting. It happens far too often.

Walked a total of 5-6 kms. By the end of the day, I literally fell into a heap on the end of our bed and slept.

Spiritually, I just kept on telling myself to hang on. This will all be worth it. At one point I remember thinking, “Why won’t the pain go away?”. The answer I heard is, “Because without pain, there wouldn’t really be any sacrifice.”