It occurred to me after I posted my last blog that I didn’t fulfill my promise of keeping everyone up to date on my exercise/eating right promise to myself and all you readers.

Yeah, there was a reason for that. Nothing’s been happening yet.

It isn’t like I haven’t been doing the work. I cut down on my alcohol drinking and eating of fast food, I take walks outside as many times as I’m able (usually about once a day), and drink plenty of water and drink no soda. What’s the hold up?

Who knows the real truth behind weight loss and exercise. All I know is that I just finished a garden salad with Italian dressing (was it low fat? I forgot to look…) and I’m on my third bottle of water (I just buy one bottle and then refill it). How do I feel? Pretty empty, to tell you the truth. I miss that extremely full, slightly sick feeling I get after eating a Big Mac. Or a supreme beef burrito. Or a pile of hot wings from Buffalo Wild Wings.

Oh no. Cravings!

Anyway, soon after I started this I began to think about other ways in which I could improve my life. Not only is diet and exercise good for your body, but what about diet and exercise for your soul? Holy Communion, reconciliation, eucharistic Adoration and Catholic youth group meetings are all ways that lives can be improved, mine especially.

Isn’t it funny how taking care of your body is usually the first thing we think of when it comes to improving our lives? I think that when it comes to discipline, body and soul are pretty much neck in neck in terms of needing extra motivation. Either way, you still have to make time for it, you still have to maintain a schedule and be disciplined in order to see results.  

 I’ve found that often I can combine these two subjects at the same time. Instead of rocking out to Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” on my Zen player while taking a walk around the block, I’ve recently discovered it’s just as relaxing (if not more) to use that time to talk to God. It’s something very little, I know, but it’s something nonetheless.

 I’m hoping that as my tolerance for walking increases, so will my motivation to grow in my Catholic faith. I’ve been pretty lax in that area; I think it’s time for a good kick in the pants.

 -Amy

 Music playing while writing this: “Smile" by Lily Allen