Well, my motivation to stay
in shape has truly been put to the test. I have been under the weather and work
could not be more stressful right now. And with everything going on, running
has fallen on the list of priorities. Isn't this how it always ends up? After
the initial motivation is gone, sticking to a life style change is so
difficult!
After accepting my failure to
get out and run, I realized what a great Lenten promise. I will RUN (no other workout
can replace running) at minimum of 3 days a week, but I am going to shoot
for 4. It will probably be one of the
more demanding Lent sacrifices I have had in a while.
I always give up unnecessary
shopping or going to restaurants/fast foods (unless it is a work function, I am
out of town without access to a kitchen, or a family/friend birthday party), to
help me better evaluate my needs verse wants, and then increase my daily
prayer. The “no purchasing unnecessary things”
is extremely hard to do. Just to name a
few implications this sacrifice has, it includes no starbucks (AH!), shopping
for clothes/other dumb things I want, restaurant dinners, or running out and
grabbing lunch, etc. But I have had this
same Lenten promise every year since college.
So, I typically try to add something unique each year so I present
myself with a new, additional challenge. Last year, it was to knock off the swearing (I
can be a potty mouth at times). After I realized
I wasn’t going to motivate myself to run, I knew a promise with God will. So, it
is decided, running is new Lenten promise, which I hope will morph into a
lifestyle change. Hey, my body is a
Temple, and it could use a renovation!
The more I think about it though;
it is a perfect Lenten promise. I will
be sacrificing time I usually use watching mindless TV at night or hitting the
snooze button in the morning. Instead, I will be using my time to better
myself, physically but also mentally and emotionally. When I am running, I have time to think,
clear my head and say a few Hail Mary’s.
And when I am finished running, I feel calmer and de-stressed. So what a better way to prepare for Easter!
But you better believe I am
going to celebrate Fat Tuesday with a run (not a literal run) to my favorite
clothing store, eating dinner at a restaurant, and not going on a run. J
It will literally be a “Fat Tuesday” day for me!
Thanks so much for this post!! It looks like we have all fallen to the wayside over the last week! But hopefully with all of us making our lent promises we can pull through together! I gave up shopping last year for the first time it is was way more difficult than I could have imagined! This year, believe it or not, I am giving up ALCOHOL! Not that I am a huge boozer. Long gone are the wild nights of my younger years, however, a I enjoy a glass of wine here and there while a I cook and on the weekends one of the things I love most is going to a local watering hole and trying a new craft brew. Now that I look at this as such a treat, it is what I am going to sacrafice. Wish me luck!
ReplyDeletehaha! Love it! The saying that your body is a temple and it could use a renovation is pretty funny! But its so true!!! :) Man, it makes me want to rethink what I'm going to give up! (although I'm still sort of working it all out) I was thinking I would give up sleeping in (eekk! I know I know, most people would be like- ugh you bitty, you need to be up anyway! ha! and I would agree...but when you dont really have an actual job to get up for....and you stay up wayyyy too late- its so easy to sleep in!) Although, I really like the idea of forcing myself to stick to running/working out...hmmm. Maybe getting up early will leave me with so much time I start working out more! :)
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