Lenten Resolutions

I will admit, I'm not the best Catholic in the world.  I am Catholic.  Attended Catholic grammar and high school.  I have had all the sacraments and was married in a Catholic church (the same church I grew up in).  But, I have never been a go to church on Sunday person.  I go in spurts, but never stick with it.  I do go to church at Christmas (usually Christmas Eve), Ash Wednesday, and Easter. 

As today is Ash Wednesday, I'll be going to church this evening for ashes.  It's also the beginning of Lent and the time of year where Catholics give up something or vow to improve something.  It's similar to New Year's Resolutions, but with an end date.  What's great about Lent is that it is 40 days, which is long enough to form a habit.  So, every year, I make my resolutions and hope for the best.  This year I'm sharing with you what my Lenten Resolutions are.

1. No meat. I will go with being a pescetarian for 40 days.  This means no meat except for fish.  I've done this before and I believe this is a good one for me.

2. No commercial sweets/desserts.  For the past several years, hubby and I have given up sweets altogether.  Then, at the end of Lent, we go back to eating sweets/desserts like nothing happened.  This resolution is to get us to concentrate on making a change on how we view sweets/desserts.  Rather than buying donuts/cake/cookies/ice cream, we will make healthier options, whether it's a healthy recipe or a recipe where we switch in healthier ingredients for not so healthy ones.  I want to get us off our dependence on commercial desserts and start making our own, healthier ones.  Hoping that the 40 days sets this as a habit for when Lent ends, so we continue doing this rather than always counting on the grocery store.

3. 30 minutes of exercise daily.  I've had such a hard time with this the last several months that I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for me to focus on moving.  I have so many options that it's really stupid that I don't do something everyday, so Lent will make me push myself to get in 30 minutes of moving a day.  I'm hoping it will do what Resolution #2 does for me, gets me in the habit of exercising and make it like second nature after Easter. 

4. This resolution is one I'm having difficulty with (hence why I should probably make it!).  I eat way too many French Fries.  They are one of my favorite foods.  It's right up there with pizza.  I chose meals when we go out on whether they come with fries or not.  So, I'm keep thinking I should give them up for Lent.  So, while I'm not sure if I can do it, I think I am going to try.  There are lots of options to eat that are healthier that I should be focusing on and yet French Fries always call to me.  My thought was no french fries, but sweet potato fries would be ok.  I say this because there are only like two places locally that make them, whereas everyone makes french fries.  We shall see how this goes.  This may be more of an awareness resolution than a hard and fast resolution.  See how it goes.  I think it will make me think twice about what I order when we go out and try to come out with other side dish ideas when I make dinner as we do make frozen fries at times with dinner.

So, those are my resolutions.  Are you making any resolutions?  What are they?