Many people use the traditional fasting period to temporarily give up everyday vices or simply things that are unhealthy and harmful to the environment. In this way, Lent can not only serve to do something good for the body or the environment, but also to raise awareness in terms of mindfulness. In this article, we want to give a few effective examples of what you can do without during Lent without having to go all out, like with therapeutic fasting, for example.
1. Alcohol
79 percent of Germans have drunk alcohol within the last 30 days. Many of us appreciate the stimulating and mood-enhancing effects of beer, wine, sparkling wine and spirits. People often forget how dangerous the cell poison ethanol can be if consumed in excess and in the long term. Therefore, alcohol is definitely the most common and most significant "everyday poison" that people abstain from during Lent. Of course, this temporary abstinence should not be used as an excuse to drink even more alcohol afterwards.
2. Cigarettes
We don't need to explain again at this point how bad smoking is for your health, do we? Tobacco smoke contains over 4,800 different substances , many of which are proven to be toxic and carcinogenic. When you inhale the smoke, these toxins are absorbed through the lungs and distributed throughout the body. The result: almost every human organ is damaged by smoking. Perhaps Lent is just the right time to finally give up this vice.
3. Sugar
On average, every German consumes 2.2 kilos of sugar per month, mostly hidden sugar in ready meals and other processed foods. Can that be healthy? Anyone who delves deeper into the topic of sugar, or rather, giving up sugar, will quickly notice how difficult it is to escape it. Especially if you continue to eat processed foods. We therefore recommend that you start by consistently avoiding refined sugar.
4. Coffee
In the morning it awakens the spirits, at lunchtime it banishes the food coma, in the afternoon it contributes to a successful visit to a café: coffee. On average, every German drank 162 liters in 2014. With an average cup size of 150 milliliters, that's over 1000 cups of coffee per person. The roasted bean contains more than 800 aromatic substances, but only about two kilocalories per 100 milliliters. And it wakes you up. It's no wonder that so many people love coffee.
5. Television
Every hour spent in front of the television increases our risk of death by eleven percent. At least that's what Australian scientist David Dunstan from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne claimed in 2010. For a study, he and his team examined the lifestyle of 8800 Australians over several years. Another study suggests - who would have thought it - that people who don't watch TV burn more calories every day. Let's be honest: there's almost nothing on the telly anyway. Maybe YouTube, Pornhub & Co. also count as a no-no ;).
6. Meat
This is not an appeal to everyone to eat a meat-free diet in the future, as there are also people who benefit from moderate consumption of animal products. But why not just try out what it's like to be a vegetarian or vegan for a while? Maybe the schnitzel will taste even better afterwards, or maybe you'll want to switch to tofu, tempeh, etc. in the future. Trying is better than studying. In any case, here are 7 good reasons to avoid meat.
7. Lies
Whether it's a life lie or a little fib in everyday life to (supposedly) make things easier for yourself, the saying goes: everyone lies at least twice a day. Unfortunately, we can't scientifically substantiate this at this point, but we are sure that anyone who pays close attention for a while to whether, when and why they lie will definitely improve their mindfulness .
8. Plastic waste
Of course, you can't get around the issue of plastic waste when it comes to doing without. For many people, convenience wins out over demands far too quickly . If you pay close attention, you'll quickly notice how difficult it is to avoid plastics made from fossil raw materials. They are contained in packaging, cosmetics, and even chewing gum. For example, we're now able to do without PET in bottles, but we're aware that this solution isn't perfect yet.
9. Social Media
There are now enough figures to show the suffering caused by social media. On average, smartphone users activate their device 53 times a day. A British study found that 58 percent of all respondents feel unhappy or stressed when they look at their mobile phone. 71 percent of social network users regret their posts from the night of partying the next day. Many are fed up, are more bored, and enjoy themselves less. Only slowly are we realizing that these apps make us addicted like slot machines, with entire departments called "Addictive Design" scanning us, using us and manipulating us. If you don't want to miss any of our fasting tips despite giving up social media, you can also sign up for our newsletter the old-school way.
10. Riding the escalator and elevator
Everyone should be able to do without this for a while - for the sake of their health. Climb stairs instead of riding is the motto! This abstinence will quickly become a habit. Your heart and circulation will thank you.
