Ask Men’s Health

How do I prepare my body if I want to start going on a water fast once a week?

Whatever your reasons may be for doing water fasting, it’s best you possess the right amount of caution. It may have worked tor someone you know, but that doesn’t guarantee the same for you. Licensed physical therapist and weight loss expert Annand Mcndoza, Jr., PTRP, stresses that the body wasn’t designed to handle total food deprivation. If you’re ready to handle the physical consequences of lower metabolism, decreased muscle mass, and diminished glycogen stores that all make you less energetic, then water fasting can do you good. Keep these in mind when you want to run purely on H2O:
1. Learn bow to conserve your energy. “Reduce overall physical activity because your overall energy will decline during your fast,” Mcndoza says.
2. Condition your body that hunger is all in the mind. “Gradually reduce your solid food portions throughout the week to allow your body to adjust,” advises Mcndoza. This would prepare you to steer clear from complications such as dizziness or nausea.

WHAT’S THE BEST HOME EXERCISE TO STRENGTHEN MY BACK? I AM PRONE TO PROLAPSED DISK DUE TO MY JOB.

While performing multiple sets of squats and deadlifts in your routine adds more brawn to your back, prep your body first via core engagement exercises, says strength and conditioning expert Hercules Callanta, CSCS. Its a lot easier done than said. Through diaphragmatic breathing, you’ll have a fully engaged core throughout the movement so minimize inhaling through your chest. “This will force you to make your abdomen protrude during inhalation. When you’ve learned this, learn to draw your abdominal area in when exhaling,” says Callanta. “Exaggerate this, exhaling as much air as you can while drawing the abdomen in as deeply as you can,” he adds. Remember to use this with your other exercises, as well, because it keeps your core ready for anything. When you’re just about to exert effort, don’t forget to breathe only through your nose and exhale through your pursed lips as you go for that pump.

WHAT EXACTLY CAUSES YOU TO HAVE SINGAW WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE? AND, HOW CAN I AVOID THEM?

Among all your body parts, your mouth doesn’t really have the cleanest of reputations — especially in the literal sense. “The mouth is replete with microorganisms, so any break or cut in the integrity of the soft tissues causes these kind of sores “ explains Armin G. Segarra, DMD. The healing process can be tricky, given the mix of the wet environment and microorganism ever-present in your mouth. And if you have vulnerable tissue or infectious microorganisms in your mouth—or even hormonal imbalances in your body—then multiple sores can mess up how you enjoy every bite of your meals. Suck it up for a few days. It will resolve by itself.

I WAKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WORRYING ABOUT WORK, WHICH MAKES ME TIRED THE NEXT DAY. HELP!

Warning, this is going to sound like psychotherapy. You need to establish a “worry window” during the day, says Todd Farchione, PhD, director of intensive treat program at Boston University’s center for anxiety and related disorders. “To stay calm throughout the day, which can make you less likely to wake up in a panic at night, schedule 15 minutes in the afternoon or early evening (just not right before bed) to be your worry window. Whenever worry pops up throughout the day , promise yourself that’ll you’ll deal with it, but only during this pre-assigned time. This can keep you focused through the day.” When it’s time to look at your worries? Farchione recommends running through each worry with questions that suggest objective realities like “How likely it is that this fill-in-the-blank-catastropher would happen?” Only use facts and not feeling, as evidence. Doing this would restore calm and perspective for a good night’s sleep. If you do wake up during the night, jot down worries on a piece of paper so you wont forget what you need to address next day.