Lenten Ambitions

Despite a very meek, mild Fat Tuesday I am launching into Lent as if I'd spent the last week in New Orleans, racking up sins and gluttonous acts for which to atone.  I come from a Catholic family but can hardly be called a practicing Catholic these days, and Lent was never much of a big deal growing up.  We'd go to fish fries on Fridays sometimes, but mostly because Dad likes them.  Now as an adult I embrace Lent as an opportunity to practice self discipline, challenge temptation, and support things I should be doing anyway.

The chosen sacrifice for 2010's 40 days is no more buying lunch out.  I had recently re-discovered my love for a particularly delicious salad at a local chain that rings up to $9 without a drink.  Even at just one a week, that's over $35 a month for salad.  And there's still a lot of days to account for.  So yes, this "bring my lunch to work" vow is strongly motivated by my desire to save money.  I also think it will help me keep tabs on nutrition.  To make the mission easier, I've already started stocking the office fridge with some useful items:  mini whole wheat bagels, cream cheese, hummus, tomato soup, shredded cheese, pita, and yogurt.  This is good for snacks and backups in case I forget on any given day.  I will use leftovers and take sandwiches most of the rest of the time.  A good excuse to eat more of my favorite roasted red pepper and mozzarella sandwiches.

The other Lent commitment is a loosely defined exercise initiative.  I know, I know, I should put some structure around this one, perhaps use baby steps to help me make sure it works.  Instead of sitting down and designing a plan myself or measuring out achievable personal goals, I am just going to borrow someone else's planning and structure.  I'm giving Couch to 5k a chance.  I'm out of excuses not to!  Simply "I don't like to run" isn't good enough right now.  If I give it a shot, and I still don't like it then at least I will have tried.  For those not familiar with the program, the gist is that it takes even a couch potato from zero running fitness to running a 5k (3 miles) in two months.  They say the key is in easing into it.  I first heard about Couch to 5k a few years ago from a friend who gave it a shot and has since then run the Nike Women's Marathon here in San Francisco, a handful of half marathons, and numerous 5ks and 10ks.  Maybe if my attempt works, I can start hitting her up for donations to my charity runs!