Great article in the paper today - (not so great in my one little individual line, but I survived!) Congratulations to everyone for making it through the first month - this contest and the public sharing of the ups and downs definitely makes a person think more about eating and exercising, doesn't it?    We were dog-sitting this weekend so I ended up going for a couple of extra walks even though the weather wasn't the driest (and I wouldn't have gone out on my own!).  Doing much better with healthy eating and smarter choices for snacks (and the seal on the peanut butter jar is unbroken.)   Last year for Lent, our church participated in a Walk to Jerusalem program which was really neat.  This year we're going to do the 2011 Lenten Fitness Challenge from the Painesville YMCA (with a few changes to fit our congregation).  You get a certain number of points each day for drinking water, eating fruits & vegetables, exercising, praying, reading the Bible, reading other material, and making/keeping a personal goal (like giving up something).  All ages can participate and we're hoping for a good response.  Anyway, as I'm getting the materials ready to go, there was one paragraph that hit home:   "For some of us, the word discipline is known as a "D" word.  It invokes a sense that we will be forced into a box of routines that someone else has invented.  Others of us depend on discipline to order our lives.  Wherever you fall on the scale, we all struggle in some area of discipline in our lives, whether it is spiritual, physical, or mental.  Lent is a time for soul-searching to deepen our faith and find new ways of being.  New habits only take six weeks to develop.  As these new habits begin to take place and we care for our mind, body, and spirit - our faith grows and we find balance."   Discipline, (being mindful), is a good thing when it comes to healthy living and that's hard to remember sometimes.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to this Challenge (and anyone who's a member of the Painesville YMCA can pick up their own paperwork if they want too - it's open to everyone, as individuals, teams, groups....)   Have a good week!  Here's to a successful disciplined second month-- Barb   P.S.  to fellow contestant Stephen Lambert in response to his Dragon's Blood blog:  just think how many extra calories you could burn using a mercury surfboard!!  With all the sparring you do, your fire-breathing fists will be causing people's faces to melt too.  And, of course, we're all WINNING!!