Tag Archives: walking

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Back to the Doc

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Day 179 in my limping toward seeing Mickey at the Magic Kingdom in October

Today’s plan is is to see my podiatrist.  I have a very sore toe.  I think it may be an ingrown nail, but I am not a doctor, so in I go.  It’s the sort of thing that’s been bothering me for a few weeks and then by the time I was able to get an appointment, another week had gone by.  I’m sure I will leave the doctor’s office with an even more sore toe, but then hopefully it will finally start to heal.  This toe has made walking very uncomfortable for awhile now.  I want to get this taken care of so I can up my walking game.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: My cell phone died today.  If you need to call me, please use my work or home phone number.  I’ll answer; I promise. 🙂

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Be Still

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Day 174 in my healthier lifestyle as I wend my way toward meeting up with Mickey  (8 months and 14 days to go!)

Today’s plan was to take the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment online.  Done!  It’s part of my health insurance plan.  Each year I can earn $150 in Wellness Dollars by taking the assessment.  The money is loaded onto a dedicated credit card and can be used to pay for any medical expenses.  Mike is also on my plan so he can do the same.  That’s $300 in out of pocket health costs paid just by taking the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment.

Once I have completed the assessment, I can begin to qualify for another $350 (and so can Mike) by doing some activities and recording the results online.  This is what put me on the sugar-free road last year.  And it actually got Mike to eat a healthy breakfast for six weeks in a row.  So all totaled we can earn $1000 toward those out of pocket health costs.  We’d be crazy to NOT do this, right?

It’s a bit tougher this year.  Our choices are:

  1. Be Still: Tend to my emotional well-being through daily prayer practice for 6+ weeks
  2. Keep a Fitness Journal: Tend to my physical well-being by tracking physical activity for 10+ weeks
  3. Keep a Food Journal: Tend to my physical well-being by tracking all food and drinks for 10+ weeks.

The Fitness Journal seems like a no-brainer, since I am already trying to increase my activity level, but honestly, I think I need the Be Still path.  I believe that my emotional well-being had a lot to do with the weight I’ve put on in my life.  I think some more concentrated God-time can only benefit me.  So that’s the plan.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: I think Mike will choose the Fitness Journal, since he’s swimming four to five mornings a week.  🙂

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Like a Bull in a China Shop

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Day 173 in my  vigorous forward motion until I meet up with Mickey in Lake Buena Vista  (8 months and 15 days to go!)

Today’s plan is to choose the grunt work, the heavy lifting, the physical stuff at work.  I will seek out and complete some more physically active types of jobs.  Not a very fancy plan for today, but it will keep me moving more.

Have you ever watched Mythbusters?  It’s a show on The Discovery Channel.  Adam and Jamie attempt to prove/disprove common sayings like, “She’s like a bull in a china shop.”  They did test that saying, and it was hilarious.  They set up row upon row of glass shelves with sets of china on all the shelves.  Then they turned a bull loose into this maze of glass.  Results?  Not one piece of china was knocked down or broken.  I would never have believed it, if I hadn’t seen it.  So I guess “She’s like a bull in a china shop” means she’s graceful and careful.   🙂

Well, I’m off to get vigorously energetic.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Life Gets in the Way

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Day 167 in my planning to be healthier when I meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom (8 months and 21 days to go)

Confession time: I have not been very active lately.  I have been sitting through most of my day at work; then I have been going home and sitting to watch TV.  I blame it on the January blahs.  The skies have been gray for days, the weather cold and damp, and worst of all Christmas is over.  I know.  I can just hear you saying, “Get over it!”  Believe me, I’ve said it to myself over and over again.

Now here’s the conundrum: if I was exercising, I would feel better about all if this (exercise is an instant mood exhancer) AND I would be using the best tool possible to fight the stress at work.  Doh!  Can you say, “sabotage?’

My plan for the day was to be more active.  Every hour I wanted to get up and move around for five minutes, just to keep the blood pumping.  And if any opportunities came up to pitch in and get physical to help anyone out, I wanted to be on board.

I did OK with getting up and moving for a bit every hour.  But there came a huge opportunity to help out three people who were setting up the Fellowship Hall at church for a funeral luncheon on Saturday.  I wanted to be there.  I wanted to grab that job and run with it.  However, my plate was very full at work today.  I had to:

  1. finish and run Sunday’s bulletins and announcements, and then stuff the announcements into the bulletins
  2. finish and print 250 funeral bulletins
  3. finish and print the February newsletter, stuff the newsletter with two inserts, fold the newsletters and seal them with tape
  4. label the newsletter and prepare for mailing.

So today, life got in the way of my plan.  I’ve heard it said, “God laughs when we make plans.”  I think he may have had a chuckle today at my expense.  As tough as that is to take, I kind of like the idea of making God smile.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

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It’s a Matter of Portions

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Day 166 in my run toward meeting my favorite mouse, Mickey (8 months and 22 days to go!)

Today’s plan is to be more aware of portion control.  Too much of a good thing…well, is not such a good thing.  🙂  I think my portions have been inching up again.  So today I am going to pay particular attention to the portion sizes in all my meals and snacks.

My mom was an English war bride from WWII.  Her sister Phyllis visited us often and was a delight to spend time with.  Every time she was in the U.S., she would mention the massive portion sizes.  “No wonder everyone is so full blown here.  You people eat too much.”  I love her!  And she is basically right.  According to FRAC (Food Research and Action Center) 68.5% of American adults are overweight or obese.  34.9% of American adults are obese.  Something is just not right here, folks.  Between portions sizes and caloric make up of the foods we eat and lack of physical exercise , many of us have the balance wrong.

So today I will think on these things and determine to become more aware of them everyday in my life.  No one is going to do this for me.  I have to take control on my body.  I have to move it through space.  I have to feed it the right fuel in the right amount.  I know, I know, it sounds like me…me…me.  But really I need to love myself enough to stay on this.  I need to love myself, so that I can love others in the same manner, a healthier manner.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Embracing the Journey

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Day 156 in my delightful quest to meet Mickey in healthier shape in nine months and two days…at the Magic Kingdom!!

Today’s plan is to live in each moment and embrace every part of this day.

  1. We had the opportunity to wake up early and travel to the church for a 7:30 am Damascus Road rehearsal.  Then we played the 8:30 am worship service.  Mike and I and our son Jake plus five other bandmates.  It was such a blessing!  The service was about The Baptism of Our Lord.  It was a renewal of our own baptisms, always a wonderful experience.
  2. Then we got to have breakfast at The Full Moon with Jake.  It is so nice to get to sit and visit with our son over a warm meal.  We couldn’t be prouder of him.
  3. Next we picked up a few more groceries for tonight.  I even enjoyed the sights, smells and sounds of Heinen’s grocery store.  And the list was short, so…winning!
  4. As soon as I finish this blog, it’s nap time.  Thank you, Jesus!  A snooze in front of the TV in a cozy house on a lazy afternoon, there’s nothing like it.
  5. Then tonight we dine with Jake, his lovely wife Eliza, and her grandparents George and Rita.  I will embrace each moment with them, as we don’t see them nearly enough.
  6. Then to cap off this beautiful day…Downton Abbey!  Yahoo!  I can’t wait to see what the Crawleys are up to tonight.  Bring it on, Thomas!

So that’s it. I want to enjoy every minute of this day which God has given me.  God is so good…all the time!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

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Energized at Last

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Day 153 in my efforts to get healthier to meet Mickey

My plan for today was to do the big grocery shopping on my own, after work, in subzero temps.  And I did it.  It took me over an hour to get all the things on the list.  And the good news is I had energy to spare.  I felt great.  My knees didn’t ache.  My hip wasn’t screaming.  By back was fine.  I have to tell you 37 pounds ago, that would not have been the case.  Thanks to this journey I’m getting my life back, and I like it!

Once I got the groceries put away, I prepared lemon-pepper shrimp with brown rice and steamed broccoli for dinner.  People, it was delicious!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Winter Wonderland Woes

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Day 152 in my trek to meeting Mickey

Today’s plan was to batten down the hatches and make it through this impossibly wintry day.  The temperatures this morning were subzero with wind-chills in the ridiculous range.  Then it warmed up to above zero at about noonish so the snow could begin.  At 2:30, my boss said to go home before the weather got any worse.  So I drove through whiteout conditions on ice covered roads.  I literally inched my way home  To quote a cartoon that I saw on Facebook this morning, “My face hurts.  Why do I live in a place that makes my face hurt?”  I know there has to be something wrong with being so crazed about driving in this weather.  It points to a lack of faith…or…is it common sense?

Anyway I made it through, and I am home.  I can heat up some roasted red pepper and beef soup for dinner with a nice crunchy bread.  And then just because we have them, I will boil us each (Mike and I) a Vollwerth’s natural casing hot dog or two.  Oh, yeah, we are comforting eating tonight.  Plus we’ll have plenty of fresh veggies to compliment the meal.

Jarvi, out.   Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Things Are Looking Up

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Day 151 in my trek toward Mickey

1) Fever…gone!  Hallelujah!  I still feel exhausted, but the fever has not returned.

2) Stomach-still some issues.  But it is definitely getting better.

So my plan for today was to go back to work, stay sugar-free, eat healthy and put some extra steps in my day.  Mission accomplished.  Mischief managed.

It is several degrees below sanity outside here today.  It’s the type of day that just getting up and out the door, making your way to work, putting in your day, hitting the grocery store for a bit, and traveling back home feels like a MAJOR accomplishment.  So I feel good about this day.

I had to hit the grocery store, because we literally had nothing in the house for dinner but three bread crusts and a half stick of oleo.  🙂  It’s lousy to be sick for so long.  You eventually run out of food.

Anyway…things are looking up here at the Jarvi household.  Slowly, but surely, we are feeling better.  PTL!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Encountering Mickey

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Day 148 in my quest to encounter Mickey

Today my plan was to research and figure out where I will meet up with Mickey in October, so this is it.  On October 14, 2015 (Lord willing and the creek don’t rise) I will meet up with Mickey in the Magic Kingdom at the Town Square Theater.  I am so-o-o-o excited when I envision it.  Me: “Thank you, Mickey, for inspiring me to get healthier this past year!”  Mickey: Silently nods head and shakes my hand.  Me: “Mickey, you have been a true friend.”  Mickey: Silently nods and rocks back and forth from foot to foot.  Me: “OK, g’bye, Mickey.”  Mickey: Silently gives me a hug and waves goodbye.

I guess it’s a good thing they aren’t allowed to talk.  How would they ever do the voice, right?

Meet you at the Kingdom!