Since ancient times the value of fasting has been known, but not always understood. We commonly hear of spiritual and religious references to fasting, not uncommonly including water fasts of up to 40 days and beyond! Why has the idea of fasting stayed in our minds for so long? What are the real benefits? Whether you've fasted before or you're just reading in curiosity, this article will help put the pieces together.

Have you ever had a cold? I'm sure most people have, and I'm also sure that if you think back clearly you'll find that your instinct during the cold was not to eat at all. Can you remember the last time you were sick? Did you make yourself eat something because you thought you should, but it was more against the grain and leaving your instincts? When the body has a healing crisis, or "toxin dump", we intuitively go to fasting. We drink water and stay hydrated, allowing the toxins to come out and the body to cleanse. The body may do this through a runny rose, watery eyes, constant eliminations and often a fever. The purpose of all these events is to move toxins and wastes out of the body in order to cleanse- in other words, they are the body's self-healing mechanisms!

But what happens when you're not "sick"? What if you just went on a water fast when you felt perfectly healthy? That's where the magic comes in.

If you've accumulated a lot of toxins over time, this is your way of proactively eliminating these wastes from your body! Extreme cleansing occurs when the body no longer has to deal with incoming food, and can go to work on partially-digested foods and all the wastes and toxins we just talked about. Your internal environment becomes pure and clean, which means you've got a lot less baggage; this also means better digestion, circulation, respiration and a stronger immune system.

Cleansing is only half of the picture, however. The other? The extreme healing that takes place! Fasting has been known for thousands of years (if not much longer) to be one of the most powerful forces of healing on the planet. A fast allows you to heal your physical body impressively well, but perhaps even more important is the effect on the psyche. Your brain is physical as well! When the tissues, pathways and other components of the human brain get healed, you heal your mind. Many people undertaking fasts report feeling the most energy of their lives, exhilarated, healed and excited about life! Some don't even want to go back to food for some time afterwards...but when they do, oh how joyful that first meal is on the tongue.

Fasting is a phenomenal way to get back in touch with your authentic self, cleanse your body, heal your mind and cultivate appreciation of the small things in life. The healing powers of fasting are yours for the taking; it's not only free, but it'll save you money when you do it! I'd recommend looking into more resources on fasting, whether the full-blown water fast or a gentler juice fast to start. Get out there and start enjoying things even more!

Emotional eating is very common in today's society. Emotional eaters overeat to compensate for the day-to-day pressures of modern living. Food has become a way of helping us to balance our feelings and whilst in moderation this is not a bad thing, it has an adverse effect on our health if taken to extreme.

Identifying if you are an emotional eater is essential, as ignoring this leads to obesity and other health related illnesses.

To find out whether you are an emotional eater, answer the following questions.

• Do you reach for food at the first sign of stress
• Do you overeat when you are sad
• Do you eat from the fridge between meals whilst thinking of something else
• Do you reach for a snack when angry
• Do you devour a bar of chocolate in seconds to calm yourself downDo you
• When something good happens do you celebrate by eating
• When socialising at your home, do you more often than not offer food
• Is food the first thing that comes to mind when you are emotional
• Is food on your mind most of the time
• Do you see food as a form of energy to survive or as comforter

If you have answered yes to one of these questions you are probably an emotional eater. If you have answered yes to 3 or more you are definitely an emotional eater.

It is possible to break the habit of emotional eating. Awareness is the key to taking the first step into gaining control.

Which one is better, morning exercise or evening exercise? There are so many arguments and questions being asked around this topic. I'm not going to argue with you on this topic. Instead I want to tell you that morning exercise really can help you in losing weight and changing your life.

I'm not an expert and I just say something base on my own experience. For me, exercise in the morning and evening is no different in calories burning. But there are huge different between them in other factors, here are them:

1. Morning Exercise can let you exercise first. Everyone of us is busy with our works and daily routine. Sometime it is really hard for us to work out and exercise. So the solution is exercise first in the morning! You can wake up early and exercise before you start your daily routine. You can wake up early or even allocate 20-30 minutes before office hour to exercise.Keep doing this and you can definitely lose weight.
2. Morning exercise is easier. My personal experience tell me that morning exercise is better and easier. At least after 1 night of sleeping, our body is full of energy. In evening, our body is usually exhausted and therefore it is really "tired" to exercise. But morning is different. Our body is full of power and it is easy for us to run 1 mile in the morning than in the evening.So you will not feel lazy and hard to exercise as it is getting easier.
3. Morning exercise can help in thinking. I usually feel that after exercise in the morning, my brain can think better and faster throughout the day. I can finish a lot of works in a day and my motivation is high too. This is why I always choose to exercise in the morning especially during the weekdays (working days).

I walk on my folding treadmill every morning. You can get one for yourself. You can walk on the treadmill every morning without leaving your house. Besides that, a treadmill doesn't take too much space.

I recently had my Ilizarov Fixator removed from my leg and I wanted to share my experiences with
my readers and hopefully provide some cheer and advice to those who have worn one on how to survive it. I can't guarantee that this advice will help you but it worked for me and that's why I'm sharing my experience with you.

Following a bad car accident my Ilizarov Fixator was fitted to my lower right leg through surgery. It was basically rings around the affected area and pins connected to it. For me it looked a lot worse than it actually felt. I know everyone is different. I was on my feet the very next day (the truth!) using a walking aid. I moved onto crutches eventually shedding them also.

First of I'm sorry to hear of your troubles. I hope you're keeping your head up. I had a car accident and had one on for seven months. I understand it's a difficult time for you but there is good news for you.

• Please remember that this is an amazing piece of kit. Yes I know it's quite heavy, awkward and cumbersome, but it serves a great purpose. This cage may seem like an inconvenience now, but believe me it can help get your life back in order. Where would you be without it? A plaster Paris can't deal with the break, but I know this can.

• I know it's a difficult time for you but patience is the name of the game here. Take each day as it comes. Remember that each day you'll be getting stronger and it'll be off in no time. Think long term.

• I didn't go to many different places when I had the Fixator on and maybe it helped me keep infections to a minimum. If there's any sign of an infection act now. Don't wait about.

• Do what your doctor tells you and work with your physiotherapist to get the movement going properly again. The physiotherapy worked great for me and it's important to follow their advice and do the exercises at home that they give you. It can dramatically help you improve your movement and your self confidence.

• If you can keep yourself occupied. I'm trying to finish off a book I have written. Make use of your time if you can. Read some books or listen to a music collection. It may also cheer you up. There is a lot of great books and music out there waiting to be discovered. I know I was able to catch up on my Beatles and Rolling Stones music collections and that certainly helped to cheer me up!

• Make best use of your friends and family to help you. That's what they're here for!