How to pet a rabbit, if you’re lucky enough to have a friendly rabbit nearby! Check out the video in the comments below by Dr. Mindy Pelz and learn all about how oxytocin is the MASTER hormone, that keeps all your other hormones aligned.

I’m about 69 hours into the 3-day water fast led by Dr. Pelz, and I’m physically moving very slowly. Using that as a reminder to give myself plenty of time and let go of anything to-dos that are not absolutely essential. Having this permission feels really freeing actually! Dr. Pelz’ talk on Day 2 yesterday reminded me that we actually start creating stem cells in our bodies when we fast for 72 hours. That’s why many people choose to do another day or two once they hit the 72 hour mark. People pay 5-10,000 dollars to get stem cell injections. And your body creates them for free when you fast for 72 hours! That’s part of the reason why people report healing various injuries with multi-day fasts, even injuries that have been around for years! I haven’t decided if I’ll go beyond 72 hours, but I’m proud for hanging in there through various ups and downs. You can still join the fast, even if just to learn about fasting…you just have to find the post that includes the link to join free. I’d normally link it here, but I ain’t got the energy for that right now! Ironically, sometimes I feel superhuman energy and amazing brain clarity when I fast…drinking green tea seems to help with that and I didn’t do that today. What is your experience with fasting, fellow Thriver? Would you consider doing a 72 hour fast at some point to give your body time to heal and create stem cells, or no fricking way?

A few folks in this group struggle with sleep issues, so I wanted to share this article about creating a supportive and effective evening routine for good sleep. I first encountered Dr. Jockers at an online Fasting and Longevity summit and was blown away by his ability to share well researched health information in a straightforward and easy to understand and implement way. He supports men with developing solid and effective health strategies and intermittent fasting routines. He also shares a lot of scientifically researched content that helps both men and women upgrade their health and live their best lives. Do you have a sleep routine you like to follow? If so, what are the key aspects of it?

What are you grateful for today, fellow Thriver? Drop it in the comments or make a new post. We all know that gratitude is super good for our health…it increases our happiness, decreases our inflammation, vacuums our living room. Darn it, how did that slip in there?! I guess it doesn’t quite do that..I wish it did :) Anyway, gratitude is good for us, let’s practice it.

Or The Story of How Tooth Surgery Boosted my Weight Loss If you have 20 or less pounds to lose, take this as a word of caution that it’s possible to go too far. If you have 40 or more pounds to lose, consider this as one possible strategy to consider. Here’s what happened… I was already practicing intermittent fasting for a few months when I had my tooth surgery last December. Thus, my body was already used to tapping into my fat reserves for energy. I developed a root canal infection around Thanksgiving and found a wonderful holistic dentist in Boulder (Dr. Carmen Burke) to take out the tooth and put in a ceramic implant. This was how I met @Megan Rippey. Megan and the rest of the staff took such good care of me! Dr. Burke informed me that I would have a retainer after the surgery to protect the implant, and I couldn’t wash the retainer for three days. I didn’t like the idea of eating and not being able to wash my retainer. No problem, I thought, I can fast. She also informed me that I would have to eat very soft foods for at least the first month. No problem, I thought, I can eat soup. The time came for the surgery. I fasted the day of the surgery and two days afterwards. I did drink broths to get nutrients that my body needed for healing. I felt really good, fasting probably helped me heal faster. Then, I went home and followed nutritionist Christa Orecchio’s Soup Reset. She has recipes for delicious soups like Celery Arugula Lemony Garlic, Beet Cardamom, Creamy Cauliflower, etc. Her soups don’t have very many carbohydrates. No grains. No fruits. I wasn’t trying to avoid carbohydrates, just focusing on soft foods and eating soups I love. The combination of a 3-day fast and a month of following the Soup Reset made me feel like fat was just flying off my body. I lost fat in places I didn’t even know I had fat. Armpits? Back of the knees? Fat was just disappearing. It was kind of cool, actually. I got to know muscles and tendons I hadn’t seen for years, since they were covered by layers of fat.