Well hello there friends, hope everyone had a happy mardi gras! I personally spent mine at home cleaning and then reading in bed. I lived in New Orleans for three years and fully immersed myself in mardi gras every year. Wow, what an experience! If you have never gone you absolutely SHOULD GO. Do it. But, last night I was perfectly happy to be in bed with Baron. Baron Baptiste, if you must know.
On this Ash Wednesday I think I am actually going to give something up for the next 40 days. I have had a really hard time with self-discipline lately (I totally decided to skip the meditation class last night to get in bed) and I think, in honor of my upbringing, I'll follow the tradition of lent this year. Now, I don't plan on fasting during the daytime or going crazy. Just two small things (which I fear are going to be huge in the end.) Cheese and red meat. I decided to not go with all dairy because I eat a lot of greek yogurt for protein and as a snack but I shall try to keep milk to a minimum also. Of course, as I'm sitting here typing I have cream in my coffee. I'm giving up red meat because I realize that I have been eating WAY too much of it lately. In 2006 I gave up all meat entirely for over a year until my naturopath told me that the reason I was so sick and tired was b/c of my anemia. (I still ate fish over that time but now realize there would be a much healthier way to incorporate some vegetarianism into my life.) Now, I know there are ways to avoid getting sick/anemic but at the time I didn't realize that you can't just give up one food group without replacing it with other healthy alternatives (I don't think mac and cheese or pizza count as an acceptable replacement.)
It is no surprise that I have been struggling a bit with my weight over the past couple of years. I recently started working out regularly again and I'm still not making much progress. Last night I was immersed in "40 days to Personal Revolution" and decided that, on the eve of lent, this is my 40 days. So, not only am I going to be giving up those two foods, I'm also going to be attempting a mini personal revolution of my own. I'm always striving to be better, but what if I'm perfect, just the way I am. Like Bridget Jones? Seriously, why do I never think that I am "good enough?" Well, this is what I hope to find out over the next 40 days. I'll be regularly updating you on my progress! I'm SO excited to start this journey.
Also, a few goals:
1. Career inspiration dream board
2. Fitness/yoga inspiration dream board
(And PLEASE, just because I am partaking in a religious tradition that I was raised with does NOT mean I in any way support or condone many of the views of the Catholic church. This blog is not for an in depth discussion on politics, so please keep negative comments at bay. *love you all*)
There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent areprayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbour). Today, some people give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations
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