Lent.

Last year, for Lent, I gave up bread products. I am doing it again this year with an addition - pasta.

But, I am nothing if not an over analyzer and after issues with defining bread last year, I decided to be very specific this year.

So. For the next 40 days and 40 nights I will not be eating:
Sandwich or sub bread
Rolls
Biscuits
Garlic bread or bread sticks
Crackers
Spaghetti or any form of regular pasta
Ravioli

Things that are borderline but allowed:
Wheat wraps or corn quesadillas
Corn based bread like products (I need something other than meat for breakfast! Corn cakes, go!)

I guess what I'm trying to give up is white flour based items. I'm sad about not being able to nom the rest of the perogies that are in my freezer.

But alas.

I'm also adding in a plank a day to my day to day activities and got a friend in on the action.

I'm feeling good about this. Scared, but good.

Lent reflections.

Happy Easter. Happy Belated Passover.  Happy Sunday. 

Today is the end of my experiment to see if I could give up bread for Lent and I was, shockingly, successful. What did I learn about myself in the process?

That I have far more self control than I give myself credit for.
That food is not the answer to any of my problems. 
That some people really don't take well to making major diet changes 'made around a religious holiday.
That I really can do anything I want if I put my mind to it.

I turned down rolls and bread sticks and biscuits and stuffing and croutons and pizza and sandwiches.  I agonized over watching my best friends devour a loaf of home made garlic cheese bread. I gritted my teeth and turned away free bread with my meals almost every time we went out to eat. 

It was harder than I expected it to be... at first... about halfway through I stopped craving those go to foods.  The warm, tasty allure of bread just wasn't gnawing at me the way it once did.

Until my car accident.  When I finally got home the night of the accident I wanted nothing more than to devour a pizza and cry myself to sleep.  I wanted to be lost in the tasty warm bread smothered in sauce and cheese and dipped in garlic sauce.  I wanted to smell the fresh Italian seasonings and the warm delicious dough. 

It was remarkable just how much I craved those things in those moments of fear and doubt.  It was even more amazing that I was able to stay inside my mind enough and not give in.  I cried, a screamed, I panicked, I clung to Marshall and Chip and Matt and totally ate Girl Scout Cookies for dinner but I didn't give in and ruin my lenten promise so close to Easter.

Today I woke up to delicious waffles and fruit for breakfast.  We were going to do biscuits and eggs but we got lazy and forgot to go to the store. 

For lunch I had a delicious plate of ham, broccoli, lima beans, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes and 3 bean salad and I went back for seconds on all the veggies. I ate 3 delicious rolls too.  With butter.  They were heavenly. 

Shortly I will be indulging in pizza and I cannot tell you how much I'm looking forward to it.  Tomorrow I'll go back to eating bread normally, sparingly, and infrequently. 

I honestly felt better without all the processed white stuff in my diet.  I still got some of it from potatoes but taking the other major source away I definitely feel my nutrition was better over all so I think the bread stays away for the most part.

Changing things up...

So there's a song we do in Zumba - BEP's Imma Be - that is either a students FAVORITE or MOST HATED song.  We did it in my Zumba license class and I was reminded of it by the rockin' Rocky Mount crew a few months ago. 

It's legs and abs for almost 4 minutes and it's great. 

Well... I had an idea.  Since my back and side are still hurting from the strained muscle the ab part of the song hurts me and I wanted to see what I could do to change it up.  It's ALLLLLLLL legs now.  Plie squats. Squat into side leg lifts.  Squats into high knees. WOOHOO!

It's intense and gets the heart rate up even more than the ab/leg hybrid routine did (to me anyway.)  I've now done it 3 times in 2 days and my quads and inner highs and glutes are in pain in such a good way.

I'm going to have a bathing suit ready rear if it kills me.. and everyone in my classes. BWAHAHHAHAHAH

I'm starting to work my toning routines in to my classes so I can get my tone on.  I'm also starting to do TurboJam next Monday morning.  I'm going to follow their schedule for a full 90 days.  Woof!

I'm still surviving my no bread Lenten promise but it's HARD.  This evening I nearly slipped up because I ran to McDonald's for a MLP kids meal and I got the cheeseburger.  I was SO TIRED I nearly forgot to take the bun off.  Marsh caught it though.  yayay Marsh!  I'm 26 days or so away from gorging on biscuits and bread sticks.

Zumbathon - Success

Yesterday was the big day - Sarah and I hosted a Zumbathon here in Wilson and it was successful beyond our wildest dreams.

Here's the story.  At the start of the school year one of our Zumba students, Maryanna, approached Sarah about helping her with her senior project.  She wanted to do something with Zumba in the community.  Initially they were going to do something with the local children's after school center.  That didn't work out. Then a plan was born!

Sarah and I had been talking about doing a Zumbathon for a family with a son who suffers from hemophilia and it just seemed everything

Yesterday we had 12 amazing instructors and just over 120 residents of Wilson and the surrounding areas get together to raise money for the Davis family. 

Let's review the day, shall we?

We started off with temptation - breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  This biscuit stared at me, tempting me to eat it.  I was good though.  I only dreamed of getting it's tastiness in my tummy.

Then it was off to Fike High School to get everything set up for the Zumbathon.  Everything started to fall right in to place and before we knew it the stage was set up, the music was pumping and Sarah and I were up on the stage.

We were all higher than high on the energy of the crowd. It was fantastic fun and for such a good cause.

Action shots below.

120 people!!

Shake it!

Mrs. Fatass and I!

Maryanna teaches her first solo routine ever!

Heather rocks out to "Shackles (Praise You!)"

Jesus gets us shakin!

Keith salsas to a remix of "Yellow Submarine."

Mrs. Fatass gets the crowd pumped.

Me shakin' it with Heather.

After everything was broken down and money counted, we went out to dinner and watched Carolina whoop Duke.  Fantastic day was fantastic!

I am so blessed to have Zumba in my life.  It's given me friends, a new "family", a connection to the community and a creative outlet.  Yesterday just proved to me that things come to you when you need them most.  Thank you to my Zumba family for giving me new purpose in life.

No Bread? Only SLIGHTLY problematic ...

So I'm a little over a week in to Lent and my sacrifice of bread.

I've been swamped, thankfully, and haven't had as much time to dwell on the cravings for warm Italian bread and tasty biscuits. But it's difficult... I just want to not think and get a sandwich or reach for the bread basket.

Physically it's been easier than I expected. The physical cravings are minimal. The emotional? A completely different story.

A rough day at work? I can't go home and as I look at dinner I feel incomplete without crackers in my soup or bread with my pasta or croutons on my salad. I don't need those things but it's part of how I think of a complete meal. It's how I think of bonding with those I love.

All of my comfort food meals are generally accompanied by a bread product.

So, where is a bread addict to find her comfort?

In her friends, in Zumba, in my workouts. It's not as yummy in my tummy but I'm coping.

36 days to go.

I gave up bread for Lent...

... and it 's one of the hardest things I've ever done.

It's been years since I observed Lent and I wanted to choose to give up something that I felt would be difficult and something that would really make me consider all the gifts I have on a daily basis.

Bread, biscuits, rolls, buns, garlic bread, breadsticks, bagels, muffins - warm and fresh out of the oven, they all evoke memories of family gatherings, of meals with friends.  I have a very emotional connection to bread and I guess it's even more evident now that I'm avoiding it all together.

It's hard to think about going places I have fond memories of without having the option to nom on their signature bread, or sandwich bread, or even just breadsticks! The perfect compliment to a good shared meal.

I guess I really adhere to the idea of "breaking bread" with someone.  Last night, Sarah and I went out to dinner and I had to say no to warm bread at the Italian place.  The agony! Warm, crusty, cheesy garlic bread? Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie! 

I know it's only for 40 days but I really feel that I am going to struggle extremely hard with this task.  I would do just about anything for a biscuit at this point! I guess that's the point, right? 

I think the only thing harder to give up would have been if I said no potatoes. I think it's probably the only things I have stronger ties to than bread.  All of my comfort foods have potatoes or bread as a primary component.   

I know, like anything else, the first few days are going to be the hardest.  I've been told that on a low carb diet you actually don't even think about the carbs after about 10 days... we'll see if I feel that way next Wednesday. 

We'll see how this goes.  It's an interesting experiment in self control, self discipline.