Dear Reader,

Missed last weeks post. Sorry about that.

It has been a stormy six months.

It’s got to the point that I have stopped watching TV all together. Yes, maybe that sticking my head in the sand but the world has lost its mind completely. Never has it been more important to look after your mental health.

Today I would like to share another one of my habits that has helped me to be happy and care free 99% of my life.

In my last post I talked about road work, its importance and benefits. But it came to my attention, I can often write without thinking. So, if you have never done any road work, running walking jogging, then I would recommend starting small.

Maybe 20 minutes, 10 minutes away from starting point, then turn and come back. Building up to 1-hour total over time.

If you start your day this way, it will get you off to a great start and vastly improve the rest of your day since it will drain off a lot of tension and anxiety. In general, it will clear out your mind so you can think better all day long!

Plus, after you get into it, it will make you feel great!

So anyway, here are some other good health habits that I think you should get into right away.

FASTING – after road work fasting is the single most powerful thing that you can do for your mental and physical health.

Now there are many different types of fasting. All are beneficial. Some people will say to do 24h fasts, others will say intermittent fasting is best. What I have learnt is, do what feels comfortable.

Like road work start small and build up.

All spiritual walks of life have fasting as a part of their practise. Why is this? Fasting brings you into the presence of God. Rather than worrying about problems or bills. Or what your friend or neighbour said or didn’t say, you become focused on the present moment.

The reason for this, in my opinion is, your body will send out strong signals that it wants food, soon it becomes the only thought you can think about. Of course your mind may drift but it will come back to the feelings of hunger.

Benefits of Fasting

When you fast, you begin to normalize the body’s functions and also, you develop a certain self-discipline that will help you in most other areas of your life.

The first few days you try fasting it will be difficult but if you stick with it that body adjusts. For me it is excellent for mental clarity, and refocuses my attention to the gift that food is.

I intend to write a lot more about fasting in later posts but, for right now, I want to encourage you to begin immediately too fast one day every week.

Here are some tips.

Firstly, start on a day off. It’s easy to think that a day you have a lot on will make it easier but this is not the case. As the body uses a lot of energy, and energy comes from food.

(Personally, I started with a 16h fast. So after 8pm on Friday I didn’t eat again until 12pm the next day. Water and black coffee are allowed.)

Secondly, I suggest you do not tell other people what you are doing. Most people don’t understand fasting, and all you will get from them on this subject is a lot of ignorant nonsense. People have been fasting for centuries with great benefits.

Thirdly, I feel that you should do very little (or no) athletic exercise on the days that you fast. You see, your “Fast Day” is the day you set aside to give your mind and body a rest. You don’t have to stay in bed all day or anything like that, but you really should take it easy both physically and mentally.

Extra Time And Increased Productivity

What I do on my fast days is read and take time to pray. Also, I have found it an excellent time to take care of those nagging little chores and errands that seem to accumulate during the rest of the week.

In other words, I think you should do road work every morning to more or less “order your day” and fast every week to “order your week”.

I’m into my fifth decade on earth and the two things I have written about so far in this series are by far the most important things I have ever learned.

Mental Health & Well Being

Most people know the power that the mind has over the body. When your stressed or anxious for example you can hardly eat or have very little energy or enthusiasm.

Then on the flip of that, when you are happy or excited you have unlimited energy and could go over 24 hrs without sleep.

What few people know however is the body has just as much control over the mind. So when you are anxious or worried about a problem, going for a long walk can clear your thoughts and help you think more logically.

Road work and fasting have so much more to offer than getting in shape and losing weight. Both are helpful with mental health issues.

So if you have problems with depression or anxiety I recommend that for the next 7 days you add both road work and some fasting to your weekly routine and notice the difference that it makes.

Many people want to be happier and more successful but fail to realize their health is the foundation. Focus on improving your energy and mental clarity and you will not believe how fast your life will change.

Until next week take care and remember even small steps in the right direction will get you to your destination.

Enjoy your week.

Disclaimer – I’m not a health professional, always get advice from your doctor before going on a fast or making a significant change to your diet.