Author: Brandia Deatherage | Published: February 18th, 2010

    Confession: In my entire life of 28 years, I have never kept to a diet or exercise plan for much longer than 24 hours.

    This Lenten season, which begins tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, I am making a public promise to give up the biggest sin a young woman can commit against her body--not taking care of it.

    Good genes are a gift from God, and I fear that I may have all but squandered that gift. I'm a tough cookie, with high standards, but when it comes to two of those seven deadly sins--gluttony and sloth--especially where health is involved, I have shown little resistance.

    For many frustrated years, I have been giving myself the same advice: detoxify, exercise and relax!

    But instead of taking my own good advice, I've been taking the path of least resistance. At first, I thought that not dieting might help me relax, but the problem is that I rarely resist anything, and I eat enough chocolate (both day and night) to make even the best Valentine look inattentive.

    Now, every glance through the mental fog, every emerging vein, every time I willingly acknowledge muscle loss, I come closer to accepting that I may never reach my full potential.

    I've gotten used to 'putting off until tomorrow,' and while that may be ok with some things, one's health is not very forgiving.

    It isn't enough to subscribe to Gwyneth Paltrow's utopian lifestyle advice Web site Goop.com and plan restorative, organic meals and then repent for breaking bad the very next morning when presented with the options to do yoga or sleep in; to drink black coffee or sweet, creamy coffee.

    Unlike the desire to live by God's Word, the desire to be healthy is not transcendental. With health, it is not enough to say: Even though I'm not exactly living for it, my heart and mind are in the right place. In other words, if health could debate over the importance of faith versus works, the debate would weigh heavily on the side of works.

    My struggle with the passage of time and its affect on my very earthly, very neglected body calls for a realistic plan of action and a swift follow-through.

    Rather than mimicking a celebrity diet, or even giving myself over to the Maker's Diet (very popular among Christians), I have decided to embrace my individuality and develop my own nutrition plan, based on how my mind and body react to certain foods, exercises and so on.

    There are 46 days of Lent, and each day I will come one step closer to my own personal victory over the sins in question: gluttony and sloth. I will either give up something or take something up, to show that I appreciate the fact that 'my body is my temple,' and that it is wrong to pollute it with everything from McDonalds food to The Bachelor marathons.

    On this blog, I will share my progress and setbacks to keep me honest and, more importantly, to inspire others who never got fit enough to feel good in that bikini or to get a black belt in karate.

    Each day I also will try out a new recipe, which I will share, complete with photos, on this site.

    Just to show that I am seriously dedicated to this Mardis Gras promise, I am forgoing the pork, shellfish and sugar-sprinkled Mardis Gras cake and, yes, the liquor shots to begin my health plan TODAY, rather than simply waiting until tomorrow.

    This article provided courtesy of our sister site: Beaufort County Now

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My body is my temple