Oh, Lent, how I love you so

I've been dreading this post. Ok, I'll admit it: I stopped thinking about Lent and didn't keep up with the penalties...but I still view Lent as a success. Every year it is my excuse-catalyst for change.

While many people consider vanity a negative trait, I am thankful for it. I love food a lot more than the average person. My vanity prevents me from getting fat. It is such a driving force that I will work out for 3 hours a day if I need to--and I have. I refuse to be fat.

From my difficulties this Lent, I am much more aware of my sugar intake. I successfully quit tres leches for good and enrolled in a clean eating course to get back on track with everyday eating.




Science says that how our bodies looks is 80% diet, 10% exercise, and 10% genetics. My genetics are horrible; fat runs in my family. One binge session and it is visible on my body. On the same token, one good workout and my body shows immediate improvement. Now, imagine if I could just break the sugar addiction! I've done it before and withdrawals from sugar parallel detoxing off drugs (what an idiot I was for letting sugar back into my life). It is my goal--no, wrong word--it is my expectation that I will break my sugar addiction again this year. No penalties, no deadlines, this is the lifestyle I want to live and am headed towards again.

I have free weights at my house and work out using Body Pump videos at home. But, I only average 10 minutes before I stop. Why is this when I am able to do a full hour at the gym? Laziness. Body Pump is intensive and works each muscle to the point of exhaustion. At the gym, I'd be embarrassed to leave early. The combination of out of shape people not quitting and the gorgeous women who have my dream body keep me motivated to stay. At home I don't have such obvious motivators.

My time right now is limited. I study a lot. At the same time, I've known that working out at home hasn't been cutting it. Recently, I joined the closest gym to my house. They have classes, but not Body Pump.  :(  Using weights machines again is working my muscles differently and--combined with my 10 minutes per day of Body Pump at home--and has quickly increased my strength. Now I have a dedicated place where I can't justify anything other than exercise.. Those who know me, know that I am a weight lifting girl...but I expect to coax/trick/bribe myself into going to a few cardio classes in April, too.

Cursing.. Hasn't this been on my Lent list of sacrifices every year? Maybe.. A few years back, the F-word flew out of my mouth far too often. Now, the majority of my cursing occurs as silent/soft murmurs to myself when something isn't proceeding as expected. Rarely do I curse in the course of conversation. Huge improvement!

Ok, this blog post covered food, exercise, and cursing. I thought I had more than that on my Lent list for this year, but I don't remember and am tired of writing. Happy Semana Santa!

Privacy, and how little we actually have

Think George Orwell's book 1984 is impossible? It's already here. Have you read the Terms and Conditions for Smart TVs? The Permissions you grant Google? Facebook?

It is surprising how many people have the "I have nothing to hide" philosophy. Would you tell complete strangers where you live and when you're not home? Do you want your every move recorded by audio and video? Even when you're having sex?

I care about my privacy. Much more so than the average person. I do not use Facebook. For many years, I refused to have a smart phone (and now that I have one, I use a throw away email address). I read Permissions and Terms of Conditions.

Think I'm paranoid? First, read this Wired article by Marc Goodman: http://www.wired.com/2015/03/geeks-guide-marc-goodman/. After you finish, either listen to the much more detailed embedded audio file or download it. Seriously, listen to it. It will scare you, but you need to understand the world we live in so you can make educated choices.