Running With Perseverance

Can I Give Up Meat For Lent?

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Coco

Two weeks from today is Mardi Gras, which means that it’s almost time for Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent.

Ash Wednesday

I don’t usually give up anything for Lent. Instead, I try to focus on doing things that draw me closer to God and put my faith into practice–daily Bible study, mid-week church services, community service, etc. But this year may be different.

I have been contemplating if I can give up meat for Lent, and it has been on my mind so much that I wonder if God put it there. I haven’t seen any of the movies or read any of the books that reveal the gross, gory and cruel practices that take place before I buy my chicken breast cutlets and hamburger patties at the grocery store, but I know that if I stop and think about what I am eating, I can lose my appetite.

While I don’t think that eating meat is morally wrong, I would be undertaking this Lenten sacrifice for moral reasons–and that’s why I think it is appropriate for Lent.

My husband is willing to go along at home (he can still get chicken shiskebabs for lunch at work), my son is back at college so he won’t be affected, and I still will feed Tiger Lilly her grain-free, lamb-based kibble.

While I won’t be doing this for health reasons, I need to figure out how to do it without relying too much on pasta and pizza.

I know there are lots of great vegetarian cookbooks, but I need to keep things simple, and my husband doesn’t eat tofu, is wary of “interesting” grains, and doesn’t like many vegetables. So far my recipe list includes pasta e fagioli, vegetable quiche, and grilled cheese and soup. If I don’t give up fish/shrimp I would have more options, but I’m not sure that would be true to my moral compass. (I know there also are issues with dairy and eggs, but I am not ready to give up dairy or eggs, even for 40 days.)

Have you ever given up a food or food group for Lent?

Do you have any simple vegetarian recipes for a picky eater?

Posted in Food, My Faith | Tagged Family, Lent, Nutrition, Vegetarian | 21 Comments

DVD Review: Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Coco

When I was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping at Best Buy, this DVD jumped into my cart.

(Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred on Amazon)

I was looking for a way to amp-up my fitness routine, and I have several fit friends who like this DVD. According to the Product Description on Amazon:

Jillian Michaels is TV’s toughest trainer, but she is committed to getting big results. As your own personal trainer, Jillian will guide you through her exclusive 3-2-1 Interval System that combines strength, cardio and abs to blast through calories for a dramatic 30 DAY SHRED. The program includes three complete 20-minute workouts which progress by level of intensity. Start with Level 1 and advance through Level 3 – in no time you’ll achieve a lean, shredded body.

The promise of 20-minute programs appealed to me, because now that I walk our dog (almost) every morning, I really don’t have time for my Bob Harper Pure Burn Super Strength DVD (you can read my review of that DVD here).

The basic idea of the 30 Day Shred program is to do Level 1 every day for 10 days, then do Level 2 every day for 10 days, and then do Level 3 every day for 10 days. That routine wouldn’t fit into my normal schedule–no time for running!–but it worked for me over the weeks following Christmas because a minor procedure at my podiatrist’s office had me sidelined from running.

When my business trip to Switzerland was booked, I realized that I had just enough time to do each level for one week. I didn’t want to give up my Saturday long runs, and I heeded my body’s need for a rest day on Sundays, so I ended up doing each level for 5 consecutive days, taking two days off, and then moving on to the next level.

Despite the “20 minute” claim on the DVD, each level takes about 28 minutes, including the warm-up and cool-down (27:45 according to my DVD player). The workouts are quick but intense. Jillian reminds you that if you want to workout for only 20 minutes, you can’t slack off, and she’s right.

Each level has three segments, each including 3 minutes of strength moves, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minutes of ab work. (That’s the “3-2-1 Interval System”.) The strength segments are challenging, but since I know the will end soon, I am able to push through, although I often have to draw on my “Hard Is Where It Happens” mantra.

The cardio segments are high intensity, and include high impact and plyometric moves. The ab segments are the easiest for me–all my planking is paying off!

For the strength moves, I use 5 or 10 lb weights, depending on the target muscle group. For the cardio, I do some of the segments on my JumpSport Fitness Trampoline so I won’t totally trash my legs for running. (The squat thrusts, mountain climbers, and jump squats are plenty, thank you very much!)

Now that I’ve worked my way through all three levels, it’s really hard to pick a favorite. While the cardio segments of Level 3 are the hardest, I find some of the strength moves in Level 1 to be more challenging. I’ve decided to use the DVD on a regular basis, doing each level once a week.

Do you have any new fitness DVDs?

Have you tried Jillian’s 30 Day Shred?

Posted in Fitness, Product Reviews | Tagged Product Review, Weight Training | 8 Comments

Sunday Sunrise

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Coco

This is the day that the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Posted in Life, My Faith | Tagged Beauty, Christian, Gratitude, Prayer | 3 Comments

Thirsty Thursday (The Swiss Beer Edition)

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Coco

On our first night in Switzerland, our hosts took us out to dinner at a neighborhood restaurant in their small village (pop. 2000). My colleagues were drinking beer, so out of habit I asked my host to order a dark beer for me. As soon as I had spoken the words I wondered what I was getting myself into by ordering “dunkel bier” in Switzerland.

When the waitress poured the beer into my glass, I was relieved to see that it had a deep caramel color instead of the black-Guinness color I was afraid of.

It had a smooth, rich flavor that went nicely with our dinner of “traditional” Swiss fondue–a big basket of bread cubes and a big pot of melted cheese. 😀 The alcohol content probably was pretty high–or it just hit me hard because of my jet lag.

When I was on my own a few nights later, I asked the waiter about this beer on the menu. He confirmed that it was a dark beer, and seemed surprised when I ordered it knowing that–maybe he expected an American woman to prefer a lighter beer!

(Not the best pour!)

The label proclaims that this is an “authentic Belgian Abbey beer” with a “sweet caramel yet bitter taste.” It does have a bit of a bite, but it went well with the pumpkin soup (topped with foamed milk) with truffle ravioli (on the side) that I ordered for dinner.