In my experience both of these approaches to activity during the fast are extremes.  The correct activity level should be arrived at on an individual basis.  I have had clients who walked six miles a day during an extended water fast, but they were not feeling very sick when they started the fast, and they were also physically fit.  In contrast I have had people on extended fasts who were unable to walk for exercise, or so weak they were unable to even walk to the bathroom, but these people were critically ill when they started fasting, and desperately needed to conserve what little vital force they had for healing.

Most people who are not critically ill need to walk at least 200 yards twice a day, with assistance if necessary, if only to move the lymph through the system.  The lymphatic system is a network of ducts and nodes which are distributed throughout the body, with high concentrations of nodes in the neck, chest, arm pits, and groin.  Its job is to carry waste products from the extremities to the center of the body where they can be eliminated.  The blood is circulated through the arteries and veins in the body by the contractions of the heart, but the lymphatic system does not have a pump.  Lymphatic fluid is moved by the contractions of the muscles, primarily those of the arms and legs.  If the faster is too weak to move, massage and assisted movements are essential.

Lymph nodes are also a part of our immune system and produce white blood cells to help control invading organisms.  When the lymph is overloaded with waste products the ducts and nodes swell, and until the source of the local irritation is removed, are incapable of handling further debris.  If left in this condition for years they become so hard they feel like rocks under the skin.  Lumps in the armpits or the groin are prime sites for the future development of a cancer.  Fasting, massage, and poultices will often soften overloaded lymph nodes and coax them back into operation.

The Stages Of Fasting

The best way to understand what happens when we fast is to break up the process into six stages:  preparation for the fast, loss of hunger, acidosis, normalization, healing, and breaking the fast.

A person that has consumed the typical American diet most of their life and whose life is not in immediate danger would be very wise to gently prepare their body for the fast.  Two weeks would be a minimum amount of time, and if the prospective faster wants an easier time of it, they should allow a month or even two for preliminary housecleaning.  During this time, eliminate all meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, coffee, black tea, salt, sugar, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, and greasy foods.  This de-addiction will make the process of fasting much more pleasant, and is strongly recommended.  However, eliminating all these harmful substances is withdrawal from addictive substances and will not be easy for most.  I have more to say about this later when I talk about allergies and addictions.