Today is Ash Wednesday which marks the first day of Lent. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the religious observance, let me break it down for you.
Lent is the period of time between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Some (or maybe all of you) are familiar with the 40 days of Lent. The math doesn't work out to exactly 40 days. It's actually 46 days. The reason for the "40 days of Lent" is that in most of the Christian churches, Sundays are not included as they are used to commemorate Christ's resurrection. Yeah, I know-that's what Easter is all about. But it's a pretty big deal for us, so we celebrate it often.
Lenten calendar
What is Lent really all about? The traditional purpose is to prepare our minds, bodies and spirits through fasting, service and prayer. Of course, traditions do change with the ever-updating world we live in. Many of us will choose to give up a vice or bad habit. I think it's very rare to find anyone fasting for 40 days, but many people will give up meat or sweets or soda. My church (First Christian Church-Disciples of Christ at 811 Veneta Ave. in Bremerton. Worship on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. www.bremertondisciples.org/ ) encourages our congregation to add something to our lives to make it more positive like helping others and spending time outdoors or give up something that hurts us spiritually, like being judgmental of others or reality TV.
Now, I'm not trying to push my beliefs on anyone. Religion is a deeply personal thing and I respect everyone's ideals. Truly. Whatever you believe in works for you and maybe we can share thoughts and ideas about it someday. This is what works for me. And for the record, I am not anti-gay, pro-life or a believer in all the hell-fire and brimstone anger directed at anyone who isn't "one of us". I believe in a loving God and loving my neighbors.
But what does all of this have to do with us losing weight and getting healthy? A few things have come up. First off, Jeff's boss has offered up a challenge to everyone in the office to take 10,000 steps every day for the 40 days of Lent. Jeff is not a religious man. He doesn't go to church with me, he doesn't observe Lent. But he is a very manly man and never, I mean NEVER, backs down from a challenge. He is determined to get those 10,000 steps every day, rain or shine, we're walking. I'm a little bit competitive in my own right and will be joining him on walks every day (and trying to beat his overall steps, of course).
I'm sure they used me and Jeff as models for this sign!
Before this challenge came about, I had resigned myself to quit smoking for Lent. Yes, I know. It's disgusting, dirty, smelly, costly, unhealthy and a whole lot of other words that end in "y". It's gross. I get it. I started smoking when I was 14. I have quit so many times over the years-when I was pregnant with each of my daughters and other various times lasting anywhere from a week to 6 years. I'm a social smoker and an emotional smoker. I reach for the cigs when I am depressed or frustrated or hanging with friends who smoke. It's hard to quit. Last year, I quit for Lent and made it all the way to June. Then stuff happened and, well........
This image is for me. To help me quit. Thanks for suffering through.
And no, Jeff doesn't smoke. He never gives me a hard time about it. Which may or may not be a good thing. At any rate, I'm committed to quitting for these 40 days (ok, 46. I won't smoke on Sundays either) and maybe beyond. Maybe I'll quit for good. Baby steps for now. And the money I'll save can go to new shoes when I walk the soles off the ones I have now!
No more of this!
Also, I am committed to doing lots of service to the community. Katie and I are involved with a youth group affiliated with the Masonic Temple called the International Order of Rainbow for Girls (have I mentioned it before?). It's a service organization and we are pretty actively involved in helping out with lots of different projects and fundraisers. During Lent, Jeff and I are also doing what we are able to help our friends Tom and Ester with moving their business into a new location (I know I mentioned Tommy C's in an earlier post. It's where Jeff and I had our first official date.) And helping with a little manual labor helps us reach that 10,000 step goal, so it's win-win! Check out this link to help these folks out. The cost of moving the business is sizeable and they can use every bit of help you can spare. www.gofundme.com/kh598c
The couple we had our first date with-Allen and Karen at Tommy C's
Update on Week 3 end-Katie lost 1.4 pounds in week 3! With my 1.4 pound gain and Jeff's .2 pound gain, as a team we gained .2 pounds. So, things could've been a lot worse. Thank goodness Katie offset my failure. Also, we got her report card for first semester-all A's and B's! WooHoo! For Lent, Katie is continuing with healthy eating, keeping her grades up, service with the Rainbow girls and quitting biting her nails.
We're not going to fast or give up meat (that's a large portion of our diet!!!!!!!!!) But we are going to continue to eat healthy. I hope this 40 days of walking turbo-charges my metabolism and gets me closer to my goal weight. Watch and see!
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