Martial Arts instructor John Morrow Fasting: Good for the body, good for the soul
By Amy Thon, athon@qconline.com

Laura Hopkins-Hiles, of Rock Island, uses fasting and yoga to help keep herself healthy. Ms. Hopkins-Hiles also teaches yoga five days a week at the Davenport School of Yoga. When the midnight munchies hit or the hours between lunch and dinner seem to drag on, most of us find it difficult to forgo food even for just a few hours. But for many, fasting is a part of life. Fasting is part of some religious practices, but it also is used by some for athletic training or simply as a cleansing process. "It's become something that's pretty much a part of my life," said Laura Hopkins-Hiles, of Rock Island, a yoga instructor for the Davenport School of Yoga. "I've learned to eat when I need to eat and not when I want to eat." Ms. Hopkins-Hiles has been fasting periodically for seven years. "It has a lot to do with efficiency of the body and mind," she said. "My body has found it's much more comfortable living lean." Although she used to be more extreme with her fasting, Ms. Hopkins-Hiles said now she'll simply skip meals or go a day or two consuming only liquids. "I feel much more streamlined, much more efficient. My energy level is much better," she said. "I do what my body tells me to do." John Morrow, owner of Morrow's Academy of Martial Arts in Moline, has been fasting each spring for 30 years. "In the early 1970s, we were kind of transforming from drug use and hippies to a new kind of consciousness and enlightenment," he said. "I was looking to experience something beyond the ordinary." At first, he would fast for three days. Then each year he added a day or two. This year his fast was for 33 days. Last year he did 41 days. "It's not easy to stop," he said. "Once you start, it keeps going. You don't really want to start eating again because you feel so good." During his fast this year, Mr. Morrow was training to break the world record for the number of push-ups in a minute. On days of heavy training -- Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays -- he would have a protein shake to help him with the 300 to 500 push-ups he was doing on those days. "It's too bad (fasting) seems odd because it feels so right," he said. "You've got to break through some barriers, some mental barriers, physical barriers." The first few years, Mr. Morrow said, he felt weak and light-headed during his fast, but those symptoms lessened every year until they were gone the fourth year. "Since then, I've just been feeling better and better," he said. "You feel stronger. You can see the thought process, have the desires and you can rise above them." Dr. Paul McLoone, a family practice physician, said during prolonged fasts the body starts breaking down energy sources besides glucose and sugar and begins to break down fat and some muscle. Some people may begin to feel ill during a fast. He encourages drinking plenty of fluids. "If you don't keep up on your fluids, you'll feel a little bit spacey or not quite right," he said. Anyone with a medical condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, should stay away from fasting, Dr. McLoone said. But, for others, fasting for a short amount of time while drinking fluids has relatively few risks. Traditionally, fasting is seen as having spiritual value as well. "Fasting is treated as part of the preparation of the celebration of the great feasts in the life of the church," said the Rev. Steven McClaskey, of Trinity Episcopal Church in Rock Island. By fasting, people can take control of their own desires and passions to make room for Christ, Rev. McClaskey said. "Self denial is not an end in itself," he said. "Rather, it is preparation to receive the gift of God's life into our life. It is making room for the truth to fill you." Rev. McClaskey describes fasting as a positive experience, not negative. "Its goal is union and love with God," he said. Mr. Morrow said he would recommend fasting to anyone between the ages of 21 and 59. "It would save the economy billions of dollars," he said. "People would be healthy, they would live longer. It's so rewarding. It's so beneficial." Staff writer Amy Thon can be reached at (309) 786-6441, Ext. 208.