So how does fasting and abstinence aid in spiritual development? Isn’t it all about making yourself feel guilty about eating too much, or eating the wrong thing, or sex? Aren’t these all natural human needs? I’ve already written about how abstinence isn’t about self-deprecation but is about self-discipline and why that’s important here, but allow me to add some additional thoughts on the matter, and specifically the benefits of curbing the most basic human passions.

Fasting. St Augustine's Commentary on Matthew Chap 5 defines fasting as “to abstain from wickedness and forbidden pleasures”, which is more akin to how I spoke about abstinence in the link above. In its literal sense though, fasting is refraining from eating. How and why would someone stop something so critical to their health? Well, not eating for 43 days during St Martin’s Lent isn’t possible or advisable, but reducing how much one eats is. Instead of three meals a day, try having one and a half. Live with hunger for a while. To me, this has two important benefits: A. It provides a visceral reminder of how so much of the rest of the world lives with hunger; and B. I don’t waste nearly as much food. I think it’s fair to say that as an upper-middle-class Westerner, I never have to worry about not having enough to eat. Most of the rest of the world, and even lots of people in this city, can’t say the same. What’s more, we typically prepare too much food. And while we do have a “leftover night”, and send leftovers in the kids’ lunches, I’m ashamed to admit we throw out food… Too much food. If I’m really hungry though, that freezer burnt macaroni or that sandwich that’s been sat on during recess still looks really good.
Chastity. Abstaining from sex, masturbation, sexual thoughts, or however you choose to define chastity, has benefits even within a marriage. This explanation of chastity as it relates to the objectification of people really made sense to me:

Part of chastity entails the proper ordering of sexual pleasure… But more than that, it is really a way to look at all of one's relationships so that they no longer become mere exchanges of commodities. It means experiencing others' presence -- not just what they do, but their existence itself -- as a gift." - Catholic news agency

That’s a Roman Catholic source, but self-discipline with respect to sex is a feature of just about every mainstream religion. Why? Again, because attachment to the corporeal, the opposite of non-attachment, makes us less than “ideal men” (to use Aldous Huxley’s slightly dated term from the link above). It motivates us inwards towards what we need versus outward to what the other needs.

So exercising self-discipline in all things, is a little like physical exercising. By “flexing” the restraint muscle, it gets stronger. And just as people keep notes at the gym as to how much they lifted or how fast they ran so that they can track progress, I like to track the progress of my ascetic and contemplative goals. I’ve created a tracker to use at Lent and Advent that graphs my success at fasting, abstinence from the vices I grapple with, and prayer. Feel free to use it and adapt it to whatever you’re “attached” to. Because after all, if you want to get stronger… you need to exercise.