First things first!

Hi! My name is Ceri and I'm new to this end of blogging. While I enjoy reading other people's blogs as a way to escape, I've recently read that I too should blog as a means for self expression and decompression. So, here I am.
Perhaps you'd like to learn a little about me? No? Then go ahead and navigate away from this page. Yes/Maybe...read on!
I'm a working mother of two (as if that isn't redundant) and a wife to the best husband in the world. My girls are 3 and 4 years old and I turned 30 this year. Truth is, that's what this blog is all about. Not specifically about my age or my children, but about taking back my body and sparing their health (hopefully).
Every where you turn these days, there is a neon sign flashing "CANCER" above too many people's heads. Coincedence? I don't think so! Let me rewind...
At the beginning of 2012, I challenged myself to a 60lb weight loss by my 30th birthday (June 16th). Basically, that boiled down to 10lbs per month. Within the first month, I slashed through 12 lbs with ambition on the brain. But, in February, I found it right back. Needless to say, my self-challenge had ended though I was still coasting through my daily workouts at the YWCA. Four days per week even. My diet hadn't changed (though I don't consider myself an over-eater) and my workout was less than challenging. I used MyFitnessPal exclusively as I kept up with calories and tried logging everything. This just wasn't working.
After my birthday came and went, I continued on this monotonous journey but with growing frustration. I started making posts within the MFP community trying to see what worked for other people. I even found a couple ladies that have lost the weight I want to and tried to start analyzing what they did. One of the biggest things I wasn't doing was pushing myself through harder exercise regimens. It's easy to hop on an elliptical at a moderate pace and rotate your way through a lunch hour (nevermind the time it took to eat and dress out/in), but it's quite another when you're sweating to the point your hair feels newly washed (i.e. DRENCHED). So, I took my first Zumba class. Loved it!
I decided to make Zumba a priority once per week. After a counseling session with my husband, I needed him to understand that my weight (currently sitting at 221) needed to become a priority for me (and consequently, our family). Not only that, I needed his approval and encouragement.
Then, something even more spectacular happened. My co-worker mentioned running a 5k in December. Now, I've done two different legs in two VERY DIFFERENT marathons and have completed the C25k training before. But, both times I trained alone and didn't have anyone to really keep me moving forward. So, I was thrilled when she accepted my invitation to run with her. Kinda backwards, I know. So, we started training.
Today, we completed our week 5 (of 9) third run (20 mins straight). It felt amazing. And, empowering! It may be premature to say, but I think a 10K is in my future.
But, that's not really what I mean when I say, I'm taking back my body NOW!
Let me elaborate.
Through some of the blogs I follow, I have begun the very scary, eye-opening learning about what is allowed in foods in the United States. Before, in my calorie-counting days, I was concerned with calories per serving, fat grams, sodium, etc... Never once did it occur to me to check out the ingredient panel. WOW! There's definitely something to be said about nutrition.
Here's what I've learned so far:
1) If it has more than five ingredients or you don't know what a particular ingredient is - you really shouldn't eat it.
2) If it's on the Dirty Dozen list, you should definitely consider buying organic.
3) If you can't take a product and replicate it from scratch in your kitchen using the ingredients list, you shouldn't eat it.
4) Have you ever wondered why artificial colorings are needed for chocolate when cocoa is already brown? or why we need a boxed dinner to be shelf stable for YEARS? Or why Chickfila (sob) needs to add TBHQ (a very controversial preservative) to both the chicken and the sandwich (bun)?
5) I've learned that Chinese restaurants are proud to not serve MSGs because MSGs are in everything and they are so bad for you.
6) And GMO's...don't even get me started. I mean, to genetically modify a crop in order to produce more is wrong. We, as humans, aren't meant to play God. Not at the risk of jeapordizing our health to do so. Where do you think all these diseases, cancers, mutations, etc... come from.
Last night I watched a bit of a program about America's Secret something-or-others and it was telling us about how we are trying to perfect controlling "mother nature". So that in warfare we can cause a tornado to tear down a nation, and we (as Americans) can come clean up. In other words, we'll be the "good guys"/"heroes" who answered in the time of need.
As a Christian, our mission in life is not to "play God", it is to love one another and to provide for each other. I understand the desire to want to produce more - but at what cost?! Fifty countries outside of the U.S. ban certain preservatives and other additives because of their unknown 'side-effects'. Why does the FDA allow poison in our diet: arsenic in apple juice/rice; hormone-blockers in receipts/dryer sheets; etc..
I'm just fed up. And, if it costs me a little more - I'm willing to pay for better quality nutrition.
To be continued...