Saturday, March 19, 2011

Lenten Fitness

Some people give up stuff for Lent.  As a child attending Catholic school, it was always a big deal to choose the perfect Lenten sacrifice.  One year, I gave up candy. Another, it was ice cream.  When I got older, the "sacrifices" became more sophisticated and specific: no Snapple iced tea, no Jelly Belly jelly beans, etc. 

And then I discovered that the Sundays in Lent aren't counted in the 40 day total, so you could "cheat" on Sundays. Pretty soon, with the tug on that one tiny thread, my commitment to Lenten sacrifices unraveled.  What was the point? So I don't eat candy for a month or so, and what does that do to save starving people or benefit society as a whole? What good comes from me saving a few bucks on a treat here and there?

Not much.  Sure, the sacrifice is more about being a metaphor of your willingness to sacrifice as Jesus did.  But man, he really did something.  Maybe instead, I should make a commitment to do something instead of not doing it.  I can't heal the whole world, but I could do something positive, right?

In my first year of this new positive commitment to the Lenten season, I'm choosing to stay small.  You all know about my constant struggle to bring my weight down and get in shape.  It's hard not to know if you read this blog.  My getting healthy is for more than just myself.  It's to ensure I'm around to see my kids grow up, to grow old with Mike, to avoid diseases that have plagued previous generations of my family, and to set a good example to my children and others who look up to me. 

I can't afford to feed a hungry family or go away to build a house with Habitat for Humanity.  The bigger things will come when the time is right.  For now, I can change things in my tiny bubble of a world.

So the treadmill keeps rolling. If the weather stays nice, these daily walks will keep up too. And Jillian Michaels's 30-Day-Shred is in the DVD player.  If you're interested, there will be a mini Just Dance party on my Wii here every night.  I'm going to get moving and hope it creates a ripple effect throughout my life and others'.  I hope that doesn't sound shallow or egotistical in any way, because it isn't meant to be. 

I guess you could say I'm sacrificing time on the couch for a healthier lifestyle.  That sounds a lot more productive and exciting, don't you think?

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