I do not consider myself a religious person. I do not attend church regularly. I do not pray or worship a god or deity in a traditional way. However, I do love celebrating Easter.
I was raised in a traditional Italian home, where Easter was the holiest of days. According to the Good Book, the miracle of Easter was that Jesus rose from the dead after his body was enclosed in a tomb for three days. Whether or not this actually happened, the overall theme for the day is the concept of rebirth.
The idea of rebirth is evident in the world in several ways. It is a significant part of many faiths in their belief system. It is evident in nature through the life cycles of plants and crops. Even more universally is the idea that it is never too late to "start over."
Having dealt with weight and body image issues throughout life, I understand the struggle that many people have when it comes to creating a truly healthy lifestyle. In 2008 I underwent a major change that reformed my body. With the help of WeightWatchers Online program I lost 52 pounds in 52 weeks. I was able to keep everything off until recently.
In March of 2013 I got a new job with more responsibility than I had been used to managing. In October that year I went through a major fiasco with an exchange student agency. Between the months of January and April I directed an extremely stressful high school musical. Struggling to balance everything and stay sane, I resorted back to some old "comfortable" habits which caused a roughly 15 pound weight gain.
Having seen family members and relatives experience health problems that could have been prevented by paying closer attention to health and nutrition, I am trying again to shed my old habits and develop healthy new ones. The beginning is the hardest part. Being more of a creative person, I never enjoyed pushing my body in athletics or strenuous fitness routines. My Italian roots give me a deep appreciation for food and cooking. Trying to compromise these two parts of my personality has been a challenge.
I started a new fitness regimen this past week which I have been successful at keeping consistent. It is my hope that I can keep up the positive momentum and not lose the ball this time. I feel that Easter is the perfect opportunity to share my goal to revive my sedentariness and become more active. I've also been thinking a lot about starting to blog again.
As I said before, I am not a traditionally religious person. My excitement for most holidays comes from the idea of gathering people together and cooking for them, and Easter is one of those days. I get a thrill from preparing more elaborate meals. I've been looking forward to making my first Crown Roast of Lamb for months. It is small things like this that make the holidays special for me.
I'd like to make this more than a "food blog," as it was originally intended, since recipes are not the only thoughts that are for sharing. Here's hoping for a healthy fresh start for my kitchen, for my healthy, and for my blog.
If you've made it this far, thanks for listening. Take care.
