Should I continue to fast if I'm feeling unwell?

What do you if you feel unwell or become sick while you're fasting? Do you still stick with whatever fasting plans you had or do you give yourself a short break until you're well enough to carry on? I think I've got the flu and I feel like crap. I thought that I should take it easy but maybe that would be me just making an excuse and the best thing to do is probably to carry on. On the other hand I heard that when you're unwell you might need nutrients more often to fight off viruses and stuff. I would rather continue my fast but apparently the medications I can take to help me fight it off either have sugar or calories on it so I'm assuming they're technically breaking my fast. I'm not really sure what to do. What's your experience like when you're sick? What do you do when you need medication but they're technically loaded in calories.

Answer

I think taking a break to recover is fair game. I wouldn’t want to prolong the illness if I were in your shoes, and would rather heal up and go at it again.

But you could still try to be mindful of what you eat and if you aren’t feeling too crappy a few simple indoor exercises so you feel less restless physically and mentally.

Answer

Take your medicine, eat, rest, recover, get healthy. Then you can start fasting again.I am pretty dedicated to fasting and daily exercise. The second I get sick, I drop it all and focus on getting better. Start back up when you are recovered. A week or two won’t derail you.

Answer

I recently took six weeks off after a surgery and don’t regret it. The key is remembering to get back at it when you’re feeling better.

It may help to frame it to yourself as temporarily shifting to 12:12. Then you still have some structure, just a more generous window.