sacrifice…

For a number of people the early Spring brings with a time of “fasting” for religious reasons. For others the “fast” is more for physical reasons, warmer weather is coming and those short sleeves and pants are making cranky noises from within your closet, aren’t they?

Personally, I follow a religious tradition which offers up a time of fasting, 40 days give or take, during which I will basically eat like a vegan. It’s a sacrifice because although I can live for months without meat products for the most part I love cheese and eggs. A lot. A whole lot.  Add to that the fact that my cooking repertoire is already limited, this season can add a layer of cranky to my otherwise sunny disposition.

Whether you are fasting this spring for faith reasons or to clean out the winter body blues you are going to run up against some sacrifice.

The word, ‘sacrifice’ shows up with this definition first:

The act of offering something to a deity in propitiation or homage, especially the ritual slaughter of an animal or a person.

Lucky for you, we’re not talking about that kind of sacrifice today. The next definition is more fitting I’d say:

Forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.

As you start down the path to a detox or a prayerful fast I want you to take notice of some things to start connecting the dots between what you eat (or don’t eat) and how you feel, what you think, what you crave, how it affects the whole of you!

1)At the start of your fast, what do you imagine your sacrifice to be? Physically? Emotionally? Spiritually?

2)When you think about that “sacrifice” can you put a picture in your head of what it looks like?  Give it shape and form. Does it look like a Twinkie (I like Twinkies, obviously) or an anvil in your gut? Does it look threatening or comforting, the thing you are sacrificing?

3)If you could name in JUST ONE WORD the goal of your fast, what would it be?

4)Going through your fast, keep a journal. Write down how your answers to the above questions change as you progress. No one needs to see this but you so be honest with yourself.  If you want to quit then write about that. If you want to cheat then write about that. If you feel great then write about that! It doesnt’ have to be long, just a sentence or two.

Are you embarking on a fast this month?? Speak out! Would love to walk alongside…

 

loving the belly…

I love my belly. I have to remind myself to love my belly but I do love my belly. I have to remind myself not to make that heavy sigh when I sit down and see it peeking out at me over my low rise jeans.  When will high rise jeans come back into fashion? That’s what I want to know.

I have to remind myself to love my belly whenever I get those side ads on my Facebook page giving me ideas on how to get rid of my “muffin top.”

I have to remind myself to love my belly whenever I get emails telling me the best way to reduce my waistline or increase my bustline or Lord knows…

There is no legitimate get rich program for the body. All the changes in my body took place over time, over meals, over snacks, over couch sitting, over baby sitting, over baby making. All the changes that take place in my body took time to build and if I want to make a change in my body I have to do it over time and with a lot of patience.

And patience? Patience comes with the reminder that I love my belly.  Maybe it’s not like this for you, maybe you have to choose “action” first and belly love second. You know yourself a lot better than I do, better than anyone does, really.  I have to remind myself to love my belly not because I never want to “get rid of my muffin top”  but because this is the belly I have now and forever, no matter how much of it falls over the top of my low-rise jeans. I have to start with loving the body I have because when I love the belly, I take better care of it. Reminding myself to love my belly or my thighs or my flabby arms reminds me that it is worth my attention, worth my consideration, worth my care. I am my belly and my thighs and my flabby arms.  I am worthy of care.

Healthy stuff for normal people….

I’ve always been a person who pursues the healthy path unless I’m in the fast food drive thru, then all bets are off because as I see it if I’m getting fast food then I want the food that chain makes famous. I know it’s completely wrong but if I’m at McD’s I want french fries, not salad.

I’ve always been a person who pursues the healthy path unless I’m in the fast food drive thru, then all bets are off because as I see it if I’m getting fast food then I want the food that chain makes famous. I know it’s completely wrong but if I’m at McD’s I want french fries, not salad.

For years I’ve been trying to reconcile this and force myself to choose healthy options when I’m faced with unhealthy situations. At the same time I remember sitting with uber health nut friends at restaurants and feeling the pressure that came at ordering time. What I REALLY wanted was the Cream of Broccoli soup but what I ended up getting was the low fat/low salt/low taste option because I was having lunch with the uber health nut guru type, not that the uber health nut guru expected that of me.

I realized that this pressure to be “healthy” and to “choose well” hits me everywhere. At the same time the opposite message- “eat fast, eat greasy, take the easy way” is what is most available to me. I don’t mind working a little harder to live longer, feel better and be the best version of myself, I just don’t want to be obnoxious about it.

There has to be some middle ground here.

And so, I’m working on pointing out the middle ground as I encounter it. I’m a normal person, a middle of the road person. I’m not super fit but I’m healthy. I’m not a gym rat but I am a certified personal trainer. I’m not a vegan/vegetarian, I’m a delishatarian. I’ll choose the delicious as often as I’m able.

If that’s something that interests you then come along for the ride. Toss in your 2 cents as we go. We’ll all get rich.

It’s stone soup for the soul around here.