Today’s the final day of a 3-day quick fast (started on Monday 8p). It’s also Thursday, so gym time!
For those following along, you may recall my goal last year was to fast 5 days every month for a year.
I made it until June, then discovered I had severe anemia, so put the fasting on hold while I sorted that out.
After months of experimenting, I finally boosted my ferritin by 25%, putting me on the low line of the normal range.
So back to fasting! Why? So many benefits, including autophagy, which has cancer-preventing benefits.
Today at the gym, I again upped my weights by 5 lbs and just lifted until I couldn’t anymore. Just 1 set each.
While waiting for Louis, I tried one of the water massage tables. Not bad.
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What is autophagy?
Autophagy is a natural, self-preservation mechanism whereby the body removes damaged or dysfunctional parts of a cell and recycles other parts toward cellular repair.
Autophagy is the body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells, in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells, according to Priya Khorana, PhD, in nutrition education from Columbia University.
“Auto” means self and “phagy” means eat. So the literal meaning of autophagy is “self-eating.”
It’s also referred to as “self-devouring.” While that may sound like something you never want to happen to your body, it’s actually beneficial to your overall health.
See more: https://www.healthline.com/health/autophagy