School was called off on account of lice! Oh boy! That meant I could get some more cleaning done with kids under feet x two! Yay!
In other news, we slept til 930, which was a huge relief and much needed. We took it easy getting going this morning with the exception of impending laundry.
My littlest brother showed up to 'help' but I really didn't need any extra help as I had already mowed the grass and gotten most of the big stuff out of the way. So, I sprayed my home for fleas and other bugs and we left for running errands. Dog food and harness: check! Paid tags: Check! Free Krispy Kreme doughnut for pirate's day: Check! Milkshake to share: Check! New Vacuum cleaner: Check!
We had cereal for breakfast, beef stew for lunch and chili for dinner. 2 or 3 glasses of wine later, this girl is full. The new vacuum really sucked (did you see what I did there?) The steam mop that I justified for buying the less expensive vacuum (the pro shark) I'll have to return on account of the missing owner's manual and screw that doesn't tighten down. But otherwise, I'm very impressed with my new addition to the family. That's all for today! Gonna go enjoy some good ole fashioned tv.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
What a day!
When I woke up tired this morning from having stayed up too late last night, never in a million years did I think I'd deal with half of the stuff I did today. I was already contented with the idea of a post-school nap for all three of us. But, as fate would have it, God had different plans for me. So, I struggled to get up and get going with the normal routine of things and just barely got M up and ready and loaded before the bell rang. Luckily, my neighbor was so generous to come over to the house and sit while T remained asleep. But, on the trip home my van's check engine light illuminated. Yesterday, the ESC OFF lit up and so did the TPMS. But, once the Check Engine light came on I started really honing in on making that appointment at the service dept. Friday 8am. Ugh!
I got home, relieved the neighbor and waited for my sweet T to wake. A cup of coffee and a larabar/banana later and Once she was acclimated, she was ready to get to the Y to play with Alexander. I was ready to get my exercise in. So, we arrived approximately 945 and I jumped on the treadmill for the next hour while watching some tv on hulu. New Girl was hilarious as usual. Then, I began my strength training and was definitely feeling the effects of Monday's workout. But, midway through, I received the dreaded phone call. It was M's teacher. M has lice! Ack! Here I was gonna mow the yard, maybe drop in for bible study tonight. Maybe sneak a house chore in but nothing exhilarating. Remember, I was banking on a nap. I was to report immediately to pick her up. Only, I had to take the detour from the Y all the way back home to get another car seat. But, soon enough we were making tracks in the right direction and obtaining my infested child. :(
After the walk of shame hrough Walgreen's and a visit to the school's main campus, we were in route for home. Now the real fun was to begin. Strip all beds, remove all fabric items that may have come in contact with child's head in last 48 hrs - uh all of it? I'm neurotic enough that just doing the minimum wasn't gonna cut it. So, I began laundry. Then I bathed and poisoned the children and myself. Then I combed. And combed. ANd combed. Thank heavens T didn't have any but boy did M. The whole time I'm fascinated by just how many had accumulated in my child's scalp all the while I am unaware. But then I'm disgusted. How could this happen. We are clean. Did she get them on vacation? Did she get them at Disney? Or that birthday party at the ETNDiscCtr? Who knows. But I do know my house will be spotless come hell or high water. Ugh. I'm so tired.
The laundry has been going all day non-stop. I've remade three of four beds in the house. I've folded countless items. I've mopped, swept and vacuumed all surfaces in my home. Now, to just keep the laundry going. How many more loads? I dunno. Too many to count and I can hardly keep my eyes open.
But you know how they say things always happen in three? Well my third was when my Dyson decided to break in half. She's an oldie but still to this day a goodie. And, she still sucked this go round. But turning corners definitely a challenge. So, just when I think I'm gonna start putting money away (or better yet, paying the savings account back), I get hit with unknown amount on van and unknown cost of new vacuum.
Let the cleaning continue...
Did I mention I itch like crazy. everywhere. not funny. OH, I almost forgot. I ate a pb&j, blue corn tortillas with medium salsa and some dehydrated apples today for lunch. THen beef stew for dinner followed by some delicious blueberry salad (something with greek yogurt on top). I admit to drinking two glasses of wine. A glass of milk and some vanilla stick things were enjoyed just before 12a (midnight snack). And, the scale said 208 this morning. That's a plus.
I got home, relieved the neighbor and waited for my sweet T to wake. A cup of coffee and a larabar/banana later and Once she was acclimated, she was ready to get to the Y to play with Alexander. I was ready to get my exercise in. So, we arrived approximately 945 and I jumped on the treadmill for the next hour while watching some tv on hulu. New Girl was hilarious as usual. Then, I began my strength training and was definitely feeling the effects of Monday's workout. But, midway through, I received the dreaded phone call. It was M's teacher. M has lice! Ack! Here I was gonna mow the yard, maybe drop in for bible study tonight. Maybe sneak a house chore in but nothing exhilarating. Remember, I was banking on a nap. I was to report immediately to pick her up. Only, I had to take the detour from the Y all the way back home to get another car seat. But, soon enough we were making tracks in the right direction and obtaining my infested child. :(
After the walk of shame hrough Walgreen's and a visit to the school's main campus, we were in route for home. Now the real fun was to begin. Strip all beds, remove all fabric items that may have come in contact with child's head in last 48 hrs - uh all of it? I'm neurotic enough that just doing the minimum wasn't gonna cut it. So, I began laundry. Then I bathed and poisoned the children and myself. Then I combed. And combed. ANd combed. Thank heavens T didn't have any but boy did M. The whole time I'm fascinated by just how many had accumulated in my child's scalp all the while I am unaware. But then I'm disgusted. How could this happen. We are clean. Did she get them on vacation? Did she get them at Disney? Or that birthday party at the ETNDiscCtr? Who knows. But I do know my house will be spotless come hell or high water. Ugh. I'm so tired.
The laundry has been going all day non-stop. I've remade three of four beds in the house. I've folded countless items. I've mopped, swept and vacuumed all surfaces in my home. Now, to just keep the laundry going. How many more loads? I dunno. Too many to count and I can hardly keep my eyes open.
But you know how they say things always happen in three? Well my third was when my Dyson decided to break in half. She's an oldie but still to this day a goodie. And, she still sucked this go round. But turning corners definitely a challenge. So, just when I think I'm gonna start putting money away (or better yet, paying the savings account back), I get hit with unknown amount on van and unknown cost of new vacuum.
Let the cleaning continue...
Did I mention I itch like crazy. everywhere. not funny. OH, I almost forgot. I ate a pb&j, blue corn tortillas with medium salsa and some dehydrated apples today for lunch. THen beef stew for dinner followed by some delicious blueberry salad (something with greek yogurt on top). I admit to drinking two glasses of wine. A glass of milk and some vanilla stick things were enjoyed just before 12a (midnight snack). And, the scale said 208 this morning. That's a plus.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Vday (aka library and fun more with April and Veronica)
So Tuesday we always run full speed and with our Best buds! But this morning started with trading our Nana to the airport. So the girls enjoyed their leftover piece of pizza for breakfast while I made oatmeal (half cup rolled oats, 1T hemp seed, 1 ripe banana, 2T walnuts, a dash of cinnamon, a squirt of honey and water to cook it. Yum!). Of course I had coffee to enjoy on the way to get mom and transport.
Next stop the house to get picnic supplies and books to head to the library. Once a&v adduced we made haste to the library only to arrive a Lil late. We missed shaking our sillies out. Then after making the 8-legged octopus, picking our books, building puzzles and playing on the computer we were of to ijams nature center for a picnic and fun.
We ate first since it was already nearly 1p and I was starving. Pb&j on fresh made bread is just what the doctor ordered. That with a side of exotic chips and strawberry applesauce. Then off we went for letterboxing and nature walk.
After having some pretty tired girls and it being 5p we headed for the house to get freezer meals to swap at the church. Then after swapping, we headed for our Tuesday ritual:chickfila. Chargrilled chicken sandwich with honey mustard bbq sauce and French fries & honey mustard and three sweet tea and finishing off the girls ice cream cone for me. We played hard and long and got some good walking in today. Tomorrow morning I'll be in the gym bright and early.
Once we got home 930p, we still had homework to do and getting ready for bed is never a short process. The girls are gonna be tired tomorrow. Ugh!
The end.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Start anew!
So I think the only way I'm going to lose the weight is to have some accountability - with myself! So, I'll use this blog (aka - paper saving journal) to not only capture what I've done with my day but also how I've fed myself (with food, exercise and spirituality). Here we go!
So, I begin everyday the same way - checking my phone. Usually because it is wanting me to silence an alarm but always because it has become how I adjust to waking up - slowly. Between deleting emails I never wanted in the first place and checking facebook status updates, I acclimate my eyes to the darkness of my bedroom and the oh-so-brightness of my phone by scrolling on my phone. The one thing I do like is my daily scripture reading. I downloaded the Daily Bible app not too long ago as a way to have some sort of devotional. It's amazing what one piece of scripture will do for your soul. Not to mention, it just sets my feet in motion to do good.
Moving on...
It's Monday! The day the gym is the most busy. I had already decided mid-last week that I would be in the gym come hell or high water. Not only that, I decided I would be in there a lot. My brain is still trying to decide if that means every day or most days. I can already tell by my calendar that going at the same time every day is going to be a problem. But, I can also see that there is time each day to schedule that in. And so I will...this is me being accountable. Write it and it must be so. Right!
So I woke up and got myself ready for what was going to be a very busy day. Put on the coffee, fed the dogs, made a sandwich for M and began the waking of the dead (children). It's no easy task when all I want to do is get back into bed with them. Eventually, I shove them oh-so-gently towards the car with Larabars in hand.
We all enjoy the peanut butter chocolate chip Larabar and I partake in a delicious cup of joe enroute to dropping M off at K4. But, I know the day is just beginning and it'll take a lot more pick me up. Luckily, I think exercise is the best medicine for that. T and I head for the Y. She loves child watch and I love Zumba. I'm late, of course, but there for a good 55 mins. I've already made up my mind that I want to get in more than just cardio. So, I head upstairs for a water bottle refill and a strength training workout. I stagger through my ab work out and then push myself a bit too hard through the weights. By the end, my muscles are fatigued but I'm energized. Off we go!
We had to hit the grocery store, the bank and the recycling/dump before picking up M from school. Again, this was still very early in my day. Not to mention, we had to camp out at the school for half an hour to distribute needed coupon books. Lucky for me, I've got a pretty good setup in my van - chair: check! Dry erase board for advertising "coupon books here": check! Water Bottle: Check. Sunglasses: Check!
Okay, so now that we are on our way home - I am starving! I have had a larabar, a banana and a cup of coffee. Granted I've drank 2 camelbaks full of water, I'm hungry! So, I eat the last leftover blueberry pancake with syrup followed by the last piece of bread with peanut butter and syrup.
Now it was time to get down to business. I had to turn out 6 pizza kits for my monthly swapper group for tomorrow night. Pizza kits are fun and delicious but man are they labor intensive. Especially when I picked up the wrong size Ziploc forcing me to use saran wrap for all the toppings. Exciting! But, my children were perfect as they vegged out to some Daniel Tiger and Mulan 2. I am a multi-tasker, so I was also able to knock out some household chores while dough was rising: dishwasher, dishes, etc...Finally, two and a half hours later, I could move on to bread rising. We were completely out of sandwich bread after my lunch so I knew I had to get it done if we were gonna be able to picnic with V&A tomorrow. Again, an opportunity for multi-tasking. I slipped out my pizza kit and made it up and had it baking because T was STARVING (or so she called from the living room). I think just before this point they were playing hopscotch on the back porch and I scrounged the last cheddar bunnies left over from their lunches in the living room. Timer beeps. It's time for fresh hot supreme pizza (and a glass of wine or two for me). The girls, surprisingly, only had one slice - which explains why they were complaining they were hungry at bedtime.
After dinner, I pulled the bread to cool, swept all the floors, vacuumed the carpet, cleaned the bathroom, gave kids a bath, put a load of laundry through the washer (and consequently the drier after the kids went to bed) and finished up the remaining dishes including the dogs' bowls. Seems like a woman's work is really never done - it's not just a cutesy little saying.
Once the kids were clean, we were able to enjoy story time and talk to daddy and be in bed before 9pm - It's a miracle! We've got to get in a better habit of going to bed before 9p so waking up before 8a isn't such a big transition. Either way, tomorrow we have to take my mom to the airport and I'm considering a workout at the gym prior to picking her up, so another reason they needed to bed down early. If I don't get my workout in tomorrow morning, it'll mean that between April and I, we'll have to go before I have to leave for the swap. Plus, tomorrow is the farmer's market at the church and I'd like to go to that as well.
After the kids went to bed, it gave me time to shower, flip laundry to the dryer and reclean the dog's area - seeing as how Ada likes to dig which in turn makes a mess of the backing to her dog bed. Gesh! These dogs drive me crazy.
Anywho, now that I've got time to myself and I've got this blog up to speed - I'm gonna go read some of "Known and Loved" - the devotional book that MOPS is reading this year as part of the theme: A Beautiful Mess.
Sum:
Food Intake
1 Larabar (PB Choc Chip)
1 Ripe Banana
16 oz Coffee (with 3T almondmilk and 2 t agave)
1 Blueberry Log Cabin Pancake with Real Maple Syrup
1 Honey Wheat Bread with Maple Syrup and Peanut Butter
7-10 Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
4 Slices Supreme Pizza (Pepperoni, Cheese, Red Bell, Green Bell, Onion, Mushroom, Olive, Sauce
2 Barefoot Riesling
Water!
Exercise:
55 Mins Zumba
Strength Training via Activetrax with Ab work
This morning the scale read 210lb. This evening the scale said 212. Time to get this number back in the 190's
Goal Weight: 160lb
Current: 212
Heaviest: 261 (pregnant - full term) < it counts.
All this above tells me I can enjoy one square of dark chocolate with cherries and almonds.
That's all folks!
So, I begin everyday the same way - checking my phone. Usually because it is wanting me to silence an alarm but always because it has become how I adjust to waking up - slowly. Between deleting emails I never wanted in the first place and checking facebook status updates, I acclimate my eyes to the darkness of my bedroom and the oh-so-brightness of my phone by scrolling on my phone. The one thing I do like is my daily scripture reading. I downloaded the Daily Bible app not too long ago as a way to have some sort of devotional. It's amazing what one piece of scripture will do for your soul. Not to mention, it just sets my feet in motion to do good.
Moving on...
It's Monday! The day the gym is the most busy. I had already decided mid-last week that I would be in the gym come hell or high water. Not only that, I decided I would be in there a lot. My brain is still trying to decide if that means every day or most days. I can already tell by my calendar that going at the same time every day is going to be a problem. But, I can also see that there is time each day to schedule that in. And so I will...this is me being accountable. Write it and it must be so. Right!
So I woke up and got myself ready for what was going to be a very busy day. Put on the coffee, fed the dogs, made a sandwich for M and began the waking of the dead (children). It's no easy task when all I want to do is get back into bed with them. Eventually, I shove them oh-so-gently towards the car with Larabars in hand.
We all enjoy the peanut butter chocolate chip Larabar and I partake in a delicious cup of joe enroute to dropping M off at K4. But, I know the day is just beginning and it'll take a lot more pick me up. Luckily, I think exercise is the best medicine for that. T and I head for the Y. She loves child watch and I love Zumba. I'm late, of course, but there for a good 55 mins. I've already made up my mind that I want to get in more than just cardio. So, I head upstairs for a water bottle refill and a strength training workout. I stagger through my ab work out and then push myself a bit too hard through the weights. By the end, my muscles are fatigued but I'm energized. Off we go!
We had to hit the grocery store, the bank and the recycling/dump before picking up M from school. Again, this was still very early in my day. Not to mention, we had to camp out at the school for half an hour to distribute needed coupon books. Lucky for me, I've got a pretty good setup in my van - chair: check! Dry erase board for advertising "coupon books here": check! Water Bottle: Check. Sunglasses: Check!
Okay, so now that we are on our way home - I am starving! I have had a larabar, a banana and a cup of coffee. Granted I've drank 2 camelbaks full of water, I'm hungry! So, I eat the last leftover blueberry pancake with syrup followed by the last piece of bread with peanut butter and syrup.
Now it was time to get down to business. I had to turn out 6 pizza kits for my monthly swapper group for tomorrow night. Pizza kits are fun and delicious but man are they labor intensive. Especially when I picked up the wrong size Ziploc forcing me to use saran wrap for all the toppings. Exciting! But, my children were perfect as they vegged out to some Daniel Tiger and Mulan 2. I am a multi-tasker, so I was also able to knock out some household chores while dough was rising: dishwasher, dishes, etc...Finally, two and a half hours later, I could move on to bread rising. We were completely out of sandwich bread after my lunch so I knew I had to get it done if we were gonna be able to picnic with V&A tomorrow. Again, an opportunity for multi-tasking. I slipped out my pizza kit and made it up and had it baking because T was STARVING (or so she called from the living room). I think just before this point they were playing hopscotch on the back porch and I scrounged the last cheddar bunnies left over from their lunches in the living room. Timer beeps. It's time for fresh hot supreme pizza (and a glass of wine or two for me). The girls, surprisingly, only had one slice - which explains why they were complaining they were hungry at bedtime.
After dinner, I pulled the bread to cool, swept all the floors, vacuumed the carpet, cleaned the bathroom, gave kids a bath, put a load of laundry through the washer (and consequently the drier after the kids went to bed) and finished up the remaining dishes including the dogs' bowls. Seems like a woman's work is really never done - it's not just a cutesy little saying.
Once the kids were clean, we were able to enjoy story time and talk to daddy and be in bed before 9pm - It's a miracle! We've got to get in a better habit of going to bed before 9p so waking up before 8a isn't such a big transition. Either way, tomorrow we have to take my mom to the airport and I'm considering a workout at the gym prior to picking her up, so another reason they needed to bed down early. If I don't get my workout in tomorrow morning, it'll mean that between April and I, we'll have to go before I have to leave for the swap. Plus, tomorrow is the farmer's market at the church and I'd like to go to that as well.
After the kids went to bed, it gave me time to shower, flip laundry to the dryer and reclean the dog's area - seeing as how Ada likes to dig which in turn makes a mess of the backing to her dog bed. Gesh! These dogs drive me crazy.
Anywho, now that I've got time to myself and I've got this blog up to speed - I'm gonna go read some of "Known and Loved" - the devotional book that MOPS is reading this year as part of the theme: A Beautiful Mess.
Sum:
Food Intake
1 Larabar (PB Choc Chip)
1 Ripe Banana
16 oz Coffee (with 3T almondmilk and 2 t agave)
1 Blueberry Log Cabin Pancake with Real Maple Syrup
1 Honey Wheat Bread with Maple Syrup and Peanut Butter
7-10 Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
4 Slices Supreme Pizza (Pepperoni, Cheese, Red Bell, Green Bell, Onion, Mushroom, Olive, Sauce
2 Barefoot Riesling
Water!
Exercise:
55 Mins Zumba
Strength Training via Activetrax with Ab work
This morning the scale read 210lb. This evening the scale said 212. Time to get this number back in the 190's
Goal Weight: 160lb
Current: 212
Heaviest: 261 (pregnant - full term) < it counts.
All this above tells me I can enjoy one square of dark chocolate with cherries and almonds.
That's all folks!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Candied Carrots
Looking for a way to make those afternoon carrots tasty instead of reaching for the candy dish?
Ingredients:
Baby Carrots
Pure Maple Syrup/Agave Nectar
Ground Cinnamon
Directions:
Start by adding a handful of baby carrots to a bowl. Drizzle on the pure maple syrup or agave nectar. Sprinkle with cinnamon (to taste) and give the carrots a good stir. Tada! Nothing to it but the pure crispy sweet goodness needed at the 2 o'clock crave.
Ingredients:
Baby Carrots
Pure Maple Syrup/Agave Nectar
Ground Cinnamon
Directions:
Start by adding a handful of baby carrots to a bowl. Drizzle on the pure maple syrup or agave nectar. Sprinkle with cinnamon (to taste) and give the carrots a good stir. Tada! Nothing to it but the pure crispy sweet goodness needed at the 2 o'clock crave.
Monday, October 22, 2012
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...
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...
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