So I’ve kept my New Year’s Resolution a secret up until now. But I’ve made myself a promise to be able to run a 5K race in July for mental health awareness. Ben Woods, who used to punt for the UB football team, has been working me out 3 to 4 times a week. So in gratitude, which is a big part of any good prayer life, I made Ben the recipient of day #2’s giveaway.

And in case you don’t believe that I’m actually working out:

Now I originally said I lost 9 pounds, but 7.5 is about right. It fluctuates two pounds or so. But it’s early. And I haven’t done much with diet yet. So I’m confident that Ben and I will get there together. Keep Ben and his fiancee Chelsea in your prayers as they move towards marriage too.

Lent is all about fasting, prayer and almsgiving. So Ben has started me off on a good track by fasting from things that have made me a bit too husky. I’ve cut all soda out of my diet in less than a month and am eating high protein and lower fat meals. My prayer often starts out in the gym (usually it’s something like, “Oh God, let me just get to 15 reps!”), where the only one that helps me, besides Ben is God. And our 50 day giveaway is the start of almsgiving for the season.

This is a lot of fun. Let’s see how far we get before it gets tough.