I’ve always been interesting in fasting. Tried a few water fasts, once for three days, apparently that’s kinda dumb. Juice fasts as well (those are in reality sugar consumption sessions unless you stick to celery juice or the like).
Recent studies appear to be confirming that extending your normal nighttime fast might be the type of food abstinence that works. Reports say perhaps the ideal is no calories over a 16 hour period out of each 24 hour daily cycle. A high output athlete probably could not sustain that. But at a minimum this type of fast might be worth trying during recovery or healing periods. I’ve been doing 12 hours and getting clear benefits such as easily controlled weight and reduced morning sluggishness. They say the nightly fast reduces inflammation, as well as yielding the usual laundry list of benefits claimed by the alt-medicine crowd. Before this was a “thing” I used to skip dinner on occasion and not snack, and always felt super the next day. Now I know why. More here.
Arcanum hemp products — I got good results.
CBD (the none “recreational” medicinal component of marijuana and hemp) is also getting frequent play in the health-performance arena. I’ve been experimenting with various CBD products, mostly topical salves and such for stiff joints. I’ve also tried the oral versions. Results are mixed but overall positive.
Recently, a long session of keyboarding and mechanical work resulted in sore finger hinges. The pain was intense and localized enough to make for a good experiment. I knew from past experience that a few ibuprofen would take care of it. Instead, I applied Arcanum Scarco Freeze, a topical product containing “activated hemp extract” from Mary’s Nutritionals. Not expecting much from a topical, I sat back with a good book and forgot about the finger. When I remembered to flex ten minutes later, I was amazed. Somehow, even though this product does not (as far as I know) sink the active drugs through your skin (e.g., transdermal), it restored full function to my finger.
Arcanum also offers a transdermal product, “The Quill” that dispenses a trans-dermal preparation containing activated hemp extract. I got good results with this as well, but nothing as dramatic as the Sarco Freeze. Arcanum products use pure hemp extracts that are not psychoactive. This is not marijuana, it’s legal anywhere. About the only downside of CBD/hemp medicinal products is they’re pricey. Ibuprofen is cheaper — but not exactly friendly to your body. As always, dilemmas.
This past week’s posts:
Coast FL70 Headlamp review, easy controls
Ski touring words, Mount Sneffels, Colorado
Another excellent Salomon helmet, QST
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
4 comments
Two full meals a day? Euros have always been doing this, haven’t they? First time I worked with some engineers in Germany, I was amazed at what they ate for dinner (lunch), until they told me they only had a piece of fruit at night.
I’ve always preferred a good breakfast and good lunch (after skiing, etc.), and then just a tiny snack in the evening – great for digestion and good sleeping.
Just can’t do late dinners any more.
Europe is a pretty big place (smile), but yeah, you travel around you find various meal patterns. In quite a few instances, I’ve experienced a full three meals a day, including a large and late dinner. Hard to take when you’re not used to it. Sometimes I prefer hotel living when I can control my own meal patterns, though I soon miss staying with friends. Lou
I finished a century ride on Saturday, where my left knee started hurting around mile 20. I’m sure I went too hard out of the gate, and the lack of any significant yoga over the summer surely didn’t help either. Anyway, long story short, a friend provided a sample from Mary’s Nutritionals of an otherwise unknown (to me) topical cream. a few applications, and an easy few hours on Sunday made my knee feel much, much better. In fact, my left knee hurts less than any other part of both legs now.
I’m not sure if CBD will become a regular part of my joint/muscular health, but it’s earned a few more opportunities to impress me. In the past I’ve been put off by some of the information from brands like Floyd’s of Leadville. Nothing against that company or the founder, but when they claim their product will “help me relax after working out”, that’s not what I’m looking for.
Wine helps me relax, CBD costs about fifteen times as much for the same relaxation dose. That is all.
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