Carnival Ends, Lent Begins

Lent starts today. Living in a Catholic country it's impossible to avoid knowing this fact and being reminded by every devout individual, usually above the age of 60 that I am not permitted to eat pretty much anything, especially meat. While for me that's not a problem because I prefer vegetables. Chocolate on the other hand is my weakness. I can easily consume a full block of milk or dark chocolate every day. Yes, it's hideously unhealthy but we all gotta have our weaknesses.

Completely abstaining from different food groups like meat products, grains or fruit and vegetables is a bad idea. Our bodies require nutrients every day. Abstaining from cigarettes for smokers, alcohol for alcoholics, chocolate for chocoholics however is a good idea. Plus it's also an opportunity to purge bad habits and create good ones.

So for the next 40 days, yes, 40. I will avoid chocolate, sweets, cookies and cakes at all costs. I did it last year, so I don't think this will be a huge difficulty. Of course, it's also very likely that at the end of it all I am going to go on a huge Lindt chocolate binge. No one's perfect.

I'm going to make this Lent time even extra difficult for myself. I'm going to have to work out every single day for a minimum of 30 minutes. Ideally I would be running every day, however due to the weather conditions I could end up in hospital. So exercise can include anything from walking, swimming (indoor pool), rowing, weights, Pilates, aerobics, Nordic skiing, etc. Bugger, that means I have to start today!

My writing isn't going to suffer either during this period. It's going to improve. At least my output will. The aim is to send out 100 queries over the next forty days. This is a huge challenge for because at the moment my motivation has disappeared and every idea has melted away or seems ridiculous. Tough. Even ridiculous ideas find homes. Right?

Meditation is also important. I don't see myself as a devout Catholic, that's just something my parents decided when they had me. However, this time even for non practising Catholics is a good time to reflect on our lives, on what is important to us, where we are and where we want to go. Meditation is a good way to unwind, and take a step back.

Are you abstaining from anything over the next 40 days? Or maybe setting some new goals for this period?