Touching Your Heart

 Downy Touch of Comfort-Quilts for Kids

Hey everyone…this is a little late for our usual monthly challenge, but Robin found this and it is perfect for a May Challenge!!  This is an amazing cause and perfect for all of you amazing quilters out there!! I wish I had the talents that you do, but I don’t…but I am cheering you all on!!  Should you choose to participate, when your quilt is completed, please feel free to send us a picture of it and we will post it for you, or feel free to post it yourself on our TouchingYourHeart.net Facebook page.  Please spread the word on this and share this link with anyone you can think of who might be interested!!

Downy Touch of Comfort Quilts for Kids

Enough is Enough…a journey to a healthier me…

Hey everyone! Happy Sunday!! Looks like a gorgeous day here in Bowman!! Unfortunately, I haven’t been out except to go get groceries. Got hit with a head cold and feeling kind of wimpy, so I am taking it easy indoors today!

Well….last post I told you that Robin, Amanda and I were going to get up on Saturday at 5am for another workout…however, that didn’t happen! Robin’s baby girl needed her mommy at that time, so we all agreed that was much more important and cancelled our workout. Even though Amanda and I were dressed and ready to head out the door, we very happily went back to bed…and it FELT SO GOOD!!! Ah!!!!!

Amanda and I did enjoy a wonderful mother-daughter getaway day though!! Our first stop was The Runner’s Shop in Rapid City to get our feet evaluated for the proper running shoes. The evaluation is extremely quick…all you have to do is take off your shoes and socks…and walk a few feet forward and then back again. Doesn’t sound like much…but very informational!! And it was free! {It does cost $10 if you choose not to buy the shoes there, but of course we did.} I asked lots of questions of course and the guy was very helpful! We both found out we were wearing the wrong types of shoes…and the guy who helped me nailed it right on with the problems I have been having with my feet. I am so excited to try out my new shoes on my next trot. He also told me the ones I have been wearing were probably the worst ones for my feet, thus the problems I was having. Go figure! This place has also been a family owned business for 30 plus years!! Pretty cool in this day and age!

We enjoyed a great day of relaxing, great food and some fun shopping. I treated myself to a few new pieces of workout clothes too We got home pretty late so I didn’t even attempt to get in my 20 chair dips for the challenge. I had planned on doing 2 sets today to make up for it…and Amanda and I were going to go for a trot today, but with me feeling kind of crappy, we have decided to wait until tomorrow. So, I am reserving the right for a do-over on the challenge!! LIFE HAPPENS…and sometimes we need to adjust our schedules/plans a bit…and most importantly we need to realize that doing so IS NOT A FAILURE, it just means we are willing to adapt to life and that we will just jump right back in when we can.

In the not so recent past, my ‘stinkin’ thinkin’ attitude’ would have been: “I am a failure already with this challenge since I missed a day. No use even finishing it. I have failed myself and my followers.” But, my new ‘enough is enough thinkin’ is: “Life seriously does happen and it is okay to have do-overs, re-starts. We are human after all…and maybe I can help my followers realize this too instead of beating themselves up about it!” Again, direction…not perfection!

So, my Day 1 of the DO AS MANY AS YOU CAN CHAIR DIPS WITH LEGS EXTENDED X 7 DAYS CHALLENGE will re-start tomorrow, Monday, May 21!! And to refresh your memory on what the challenge is about-here you go:

DO AS MANY AS YOU CAN CHAIR DIPS WITH LEGS EXTENDED X 7 DAYS CHALLENGE: Tribesports.com Challenge originally called for 20 consecutive dips, no breaks; don’t sit on the floor at the bottom of the dip! {JODI REVISING TO: DO AS MANY AS YOU CAN X 7 DAYS} Be smart, don’t hurt yourself! And even if you do 1 dip…it counts!!

Once again, if you need accountability for this challenge, feel free to email me at mjativey@ndsupernet.com, leave a comment here or on our TouchingYourHeart.net Facebook page and let me know you are joining the challenge with me and tell me what day you will be starting. I will do my best to check in on you!! {You will remain anonymous if you email me to join the challenge.} Good luck to those of you who decide to join!! Hope to hear from some of you!!

~just me and that’s enough~literally!~jodi

Enough is Enough…a journey to a healthier me…

Hello everyone and Happy Friday!!! TGIF!!!

Well….we did it!!! Robin and her so-very-lovable dog Zada, Amanda and I hit the pavement by 5 am this morning for our second 5 am workout this week. {Okay, for Robin it’s her fourth I believe.  That girl is on an amazing journey of her own and I am so PROUD OF HER for FINALLY taking time to TAKE CARE OF HERSELF!!! GO ROBIN!}  And, Robin just informed us a bit ago that she is getting up and going again in the morning, so……yup…that means Amanda and I are too.  What the heck are we thinking??!!!  SHOOT ME NOW! LOL  I was SO looking forward to sleeping in before we headed for our mother-daughter getaway…BUT…I will join those other two die-hards instead…and sleep in Sunday!!  {And I do reserve the right to whine a little bit…because I AM the oldest!}

Anyway, this morning’s trot went great!!!  I was a tad slower than my awesome trot the other day, but I felt really good and was shocked when I got home to discover this:

April 23:  I trotted 2.25 miles in 30:18, with a 13:28 pace per mile.  {old trotting program}

TODAY:  I trotted 2.25 miles in 24:12, with a 10:44 pace per mile.  {new trotting/trotting faster program}

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?????? I knocked off 6 minutes and 6 seconds total off my previous time….and that breaks down to 2 minutes and 44 seconds off my pace per mile! HOLY CRAPOLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Babysteps…and DIRECTION….NOT PERFECTION….now that’s what I’m talking about folks!!!  I have been so super excited to share that with you guys all day!!!!

Okay….coming down off that high…I did also get my 50 crunches in and started my Day 1 of the 20 chairdips x 7 days challenge.  And let me tell you…I FELT THEM. OUCH!  I did fine up until about the first 10 and then the last 10 REALLY burned.  But, they were still doable and I did them.  So, just a warning, if you are wimpy like me and haven’t been doing pushups or upper body workouts at all, maybe try breaking them up first into either 2 sets of 10 or 4 sets of 5 throughout the day.  Try them first and see what you think.  And, I am revising this challenge to “do as many as you can” for seven days.  Don’t give up before you start, because that might be your strong point and you might be able to crank those babies out pretty easily!

For those of you who missed last night’s post about our new challenge…here is a recap:

20 Chair Dips with legs extended x 7 days Challenge: 20 consecutive dips, no breaks; don’t sit on the floor at the bottom of the dip! {JODI REVISING TO:  DO AS MANY AS YOU CAN X 7 DAYS}  Be smart, don’t hurt yourself!  And even if you do 1 dip…it counts!! 

Once again, if you need accountability for this challenge, feel free to email me at mjativey@ndsupernet.com, leave a comment here or on our TouchingYourHeart.net Facebook page and let me know you are joining the challenge with me and tell me what day you will be starting.  I will do my best to check in on you!!  {You will remain anonymous if you email me to join the challenge.}  Good luck to those of you who decide to join!! Hope to hear from some of you!!

So, tonight I leave you with this:  Seeing today’s trot comparison to just a few weeks ago on April 23, just confirmed to me even more that my journey is so much more than the numbers on the scale.  Yes, of course I am watching those numbers and hoping for them to go down, BUT…the pride and joy in realizing my accomplishments in the trotting/fitness aspects FEELS SO GOOD and I know that I am truly taking the babysteps necessary on this journey to a healthier me.  And for you my friends…please remember this on your own journey:  TRY not to get wrapped up in the numbers on the scale….{I know it’s not easy…trust me, I do….you have read about my frustrations!}…BUT…find a few other aspects of YOUR journey to focus on.  Join me in making it also a journey for your mental health and your physical health…and start taking care of YOU!!  Trust me, the feelings you get from accomplishing those babysteps along the way will fill you with pride and joy!!  And…they just might bring a smile to your face like they do mine

I am off to bed here as soon as possible as that lovely alarm will be going off at 4:45 am for the THIRD TIME THIS WEEK!!!  And then it’s off for a great mother-daughter taking-care-of-us day!!

~just me…and that’s enough~literally!`jodi

Enough is Enough…a journey to a healthier me…

Hey everyone!!  Are you ready for another FUN challenge??? I am!!  This time we are going to work on our upper body!!  I don’t know about you, but I haven’t even been doing pushups or anything of the sort like I used to do and trust me, I am in dire need of improving my arm strength.  Those windshields, windows and glass are HEAVY!!!  I am pretty useless to my hubby right now the way I am so it’s time to do something about it!!  So, please feel free to join me in a new challenge I found on www.tribesports.com.  {Take a visit to this website sometime…lots of great challenge ideas for various things, for various levels of fitness.}  I am starting my Day 1 tomorrow, Friday, May 18!!

The challenge is:

20 Chair Dips with legs extended x 7 days Challenge: 20 consecutive dips, no breaks; don’t sit on the floor at the bottom of the dip!

Once again, if you need accountability for this challenge, feel free to email me at mjativey@ndsupernet.com, leave a comment here or on our TouchingYourHeart.net Facebook page and let me know you are joining the challenge with me and tell me what day you will be starting.  I will do my best to check in on you!!  {You will remain anonymous if you email me to join the challenge.}  Good luck to those of you who decide to join!! Hope to hear from some of you!!

I am looking forward to a day of “taking care of me” on Saturday.   Amanda and I are taking the day off work and we are heading to Rapid City for the day!!  As part of taking care of us, not only are we just taking a refreshing/relaxing day away, we have decided to go check out The Runner’s Shop. They do gait/feet evaluations to fit you with the proper shoes.  I have wanted to do this for a long time and Robin told us about this place, so we are going to check it out.  My feet have been hurting terribly after running and although I know I need a new good pair of running shoes, I really am curious to see what they have to say.  Has anyone been there?  Any comments/suggestions??  I will let you know what we think!!

And for now…I am off to bed early….Amanda, Robin and I are hitting the pavement at 5am tomorrow morning for our walk/trot/run.  What are we thinking????  I cannot believe we are doing this again!!! I am SO NOT a morning person!!  But…I am so looking forward to my trot that I really don’t care about the time…other than I know I need to get my hiney to bed soon or my hiney will be dragging during the trot and for the rest of the day!!

And on that note… I leave you with a little “hiney humor” I found:

Goodnight everyone!!

~just me and that’s enough~literally!~jodi

Enough is Enough…a journey to a healthier me…

Hey everyone!!!  {This is a very long post…but there is SO much to share with you once again…so grab something to sip on…sit back, relax and read away!!! or just skim over the pictures and that should tell you a much quicker version minus the rambling and babbling!!} Today is May 16…and it marks ONE MONTH of deciding Enough is Enough and deciding to take a journey to a healthier me!!!  And what a great day it was!!!

I woke up to this:

152.6!!  Not too shabby….it is a loss from last week at 153.8!  However, I must admit again, I was frustrated because there were a few days this last week where I saw that 151 number pop up…so I did get my hopes up of seeing that today.  Oh well….once again I gave myself some time to pout a bit…and then hit the pavement for my 5am date with Amanda and Robin!

And let me tell you…some of you must have read last night’s post and followed through with sending the positive thoughts and prayers for a workout that I knew was going to be tougher, because I had an AWESOME TROT!!!!  It was 35 minutes straight trotting/trotting faster with intervals….and I ended up trotting 3.47 miles!!!! And…it averaged to a 10.05 minute mile or so!!!  Holy crapola!!!!  I was NOT expecting that at all…and for me that is truly a huge accomplishment.  {I know to most of you that will really show how slow I trot…but this is HUGE for me…and shows that trying to improve my pace and endurance with this new workout is working!!!}  I swear I was smiling all day and the frustration from not having a better loss was quickly replaced by pride of what I had just accomplished trotting…and THAT is what it’s all about my friends!! I was so proud!  And here is my proof from MapMyRun:

The next few workouts go back down on minutes, so I won’t be getting that mileage in for a while again, but I tell you what…it sure has me excited to see what I can do!!

When we got back home we did our 50 crunches and a few leg stretches and then I decided to weigh again…just to see if I would lose weight after a run or gain weight…I really had no clue because I have never checked it before…{honestly, I haven’t!!}…and this is what the scale showed then:

Yup!! There is that darn 151 number I wanted….151.4!!  Go figure!!  And so, being the Anal Annie that I am, I just had to jump on a third time to make sure…and that time it showed 150.8!! {I did not try to take a picture of that one.}  Obviously my scale was having issues this morning!!!!  So, in all fairness and because I am on this journey for more than the weight loss, I am going with the 152.6, so that gives me a total weight loss of 2.4 pounds since April 16.  I WILL PROUDLY TAKE IT!  Not a huge loss, but my trotting has come along so much this last month, that THAT is what I am going to be mostly proud of this month and consider my greatest achievement.  How fitting that I would do my best trot on the ONE MONTH mark   {and thanks to all of you for the prayers and positive thoughts that guided me along!}

And since I am all about “putting it all out there”, I am taking another step, and had Amanda take another set of pictures for me to follow my progress.  And quite honestly, I really suck at taking proper and consistent measurements, so I feel these pix will be a much better guide!! Now I warn you, they are not flattering at all, obviously not touched up, they are REAL…the REAL ME…and with clothes on that would help me gauge my progress a little better…and my face is still red as we had just finished that WARM Mother’s Day workout and my hair is a disaster…REALITY!! {I yam what I yam…remember??}:

And, now for the one month measurements; not much change and like I said, I really suck at taking measurements….so these could literally change daily! LOL

Weight April 16: 155 pounds; May 16: 152.6 pounds {loss of 2.4 pounds}

Bust: April 25 ~ 36.5; May 16 ~ 36

Arms:  April 25 ~ 10.5; May 16 ~ 10.5

Belly button/waist: April 25 ~ 37; May 16 ~ 37

Hips:  April 25 ~ 41.25: May 16 ~ 41.5 {yes, a 0.25 increase!! LOL}

Thighs: April 25 ~ Left-23.25; right 23.75; May 16 ~ L 23; R 23.75{my right leg is always about 1/2 inch or so bigger than my left-go figure!}

Not so sure I will continue posting the measurements since I just can’t seem to do them right…so we shall see!

Well, that’s it folks…that’s a wrap up to Month One….scale wise and trotting wise!! The mental and taking care of me aspects are still a daily babystep process…and this post is already way too long for more babbling and rambling.

So, on that note…Nighty Night to all of you…thanks for following me on my journey!!

~just me and that’s enough~literally!~jodi

Enough is Enough…a journey to a healthier me…

Hey everyone!!  Today is day 30 of Enough is Enough!!! Wow!! I started this Enough is Enough series and journey to a healthier me on April 16th, so today/tomorrow mark a month! GO ME!!!  I do believe I am making progress…even though it may not show officially weightwise on the scale tomorrow morning, I know I am taking the babysteps needed and headed in the right direction….not perfection….and am still continuing this journey working on the mental and taking care of ME aspects also!

I hope each of you continue to find some inspiration from this journey also…and as always, thank YOU for the positive comments and emails! Please keep them coming.  You all keep me motivated more than you could ever imagine!!  Using this blog and all of you as accountability helps more than you can imagine.  If any of you have considered blogging your journeys…I highly recommend it and support you 110%!!  Yes, it is scary “putting it all out there”, especially when we live in such small communities where we all pretty much know each other but it has been so worth it so far.  And, I do feel it is probably a lot easier when you live in a large city, but maybe not!

And I just have to share my excitement here….I am so super proud of a certain someone out there who let me know that they have started TROTTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOOOO!!  This person has not been a runner, ever….but does a lot of different exercising, walking, taking care of herself.  She sent me an email and stated the following:

“YEAH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I GOT MY 50 CRUNCHES IN FOR THE 7 DAYS IN A ROW AND I GOT MY 3 MILES IN WITH GET THIS…………………………..I *RAN/TROTTED* A QUARTER MILE!!!!!!!!! This is a big deal for me cause I’m not a runner or even trotter but wanted to kick it up a bit.”

I am trying to find a new challenge to do and am considering one that includes drinking water because I still AM NOT drinking water!!  Any suggestions/tips on how I can get myself to drink more?? Or any ideas of fun/short challenges you would like me to bring your way?  If so, please email them to me at mjativey@ndsupernet.com {all emails remain anonymous unless I have your permission to post your name}, or leave a comment here or on our TouchingYourHeart.net Facebook page.

Trotting wise….Amanda and I did get in a mother-daughter Mother’s Day Trot in on Sunday…it was WARM…and it really honestly sucked for both of us.  Neither one of us could loosen up and struggled…BUT…we didn’t give up…we completed our workouts and were still darn proud that we did it.  {Robin wasn’t able to join us as she was off having a family day.}  We had all planned on doing our walk/trot/run tonight but I ended up getting home late from work and by that time life was happening…and so we decided once again we will get up at 4:45 am to hit the pavement by 5:00 am tomorrow morning.  Zoiks….please pray for us and send positive thoughts! LOL  I have completed two weeks of my new program and move up a bit tomorrow, so I really need some positive thoughts coming my way!  And…I have told myself yet again, that if I need to WALK during the WALK portions instead of trotting…that that is AOK!! So, we shall see.  I know there will come a point in this program that I won’t be able to use my trot/trot faster method and will have to follow the walk/trot method.  But I honestly do feel like I am getting stronger and better endurance!

So…that’s it for now…almost bed time for me since I will be getting up super early in my world!  Wishing you all a great night and a great tomorrow…and please remember…TAKE CARE OF YOU.  If you are at YOUR Enough is Enough point, please take a few minutes each day to do something for just you.  I know it’s not easy…but YOU ARE WORTH IT and YOU ARE IMPORTANT…and it’s the little babysteps we take that will make us all healthier!

~just me and that’s enough~literally!~jodi

Enough is Enough…a journey to a healthier me…

Hey everyone.  TGIF!!! I’m guessing I am not alone when I say I am SO happy it is the weekend yet again!! Even though we will be working at the shop tomorrow, tonight still has a wonderful relaxed feeling to it!! Ah…there is just something about Friday nights!!

Today was a GREAT day!!  Yep, I said it…it was a GREAT day!! I think I may have even smiled a few times today and guess what…I COULD BREATHE !!  Thank you, Lord!  Amanda and I have been helping hubby replace windshields the last two days.  This has enabled me to get away from behind the desk for a while! Ah….feels good to take a little break from the paperwork.  It is continuing to pile up on my desk, but I don’t even care!! I feel like I will have a clearer mind to tackle it this weekend or Monday!

And…….this morning Robin, Amanda and I were up at 4:45 am and hitting the pavement by 5:00 am to get in our workout!!! YES, YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY!!! 4:45 am!!  I have not gotten up that early to exercise in years!! Hard to believe I used to do that quite often!  Our dear Robin, however, has been doing this a few times a week for a little while now as she works on a little journey of her own! So super proud of her!  And my dear daughter on the other hand, used to be up quite often by 4:30/5am to get to work on time in Bismarck.  YUCK!

Anyway…I am so super proud of us for doing this.  We just couldn’t get our schedules to coordinate last night to get our workout in, so we decided that we would get up this morning and get it in.  That is huge for all of us.  I have to admit I was pretty much dragging by 10am due to being up earlier and having worked out earlier than normal, but it was so worth it!!  I had a great trot this morning…and I even did it technology-free!!  {Oh, except I did have my heart rate monitor watch mainly so I could time my intervals.  My new phone wasn’t set up yet with my Pandora and MapMyRun app but my dear daughter got it all ready for me today!! Thank you dear daughter!}

And…tonight I did something I have never done before….are you ready?? I dropped to the kitchen floor and cranked out my 50 crunches while I was waiting for my popcorn to get done!!!  {5 days completed, 2 more to go in my 50 crunches for 7 days challenge!}  So my friends….you cannot tell me you don’t have the time to do these crunches…they seriously don’t take that long.  If you don’t believe me…stop reading this right now, drop to the floor and do some crunches….you will see how quickly they go!  I am super amazed at how fast you can do them, but don’t do them speedily…do them correctly and with proper form…I’m just saying it doesn’t take that long!  {And I am so proud to report there are at least 5 of you doing the challenge with me…that I am aware of! GREAT JOB TO ALL OF YOU!!}   And remember, it’s never too late to participate…join in whenever you want…be accountable to yourself or to me at mjativey@ndsupernet.com or by leaving a message here on the blog or on our TouchingYourHeart.net Facebook page.  You can choose to remain anonymous and accountable only to me via email.  All you have to do is do 50 crunches per day for 7 days in a row.  That’s it my friends!  Break them up if you need too.  Whatever works for you! 

Wishing you all a great weekend full of smiles and the ability to breathe………..

~just me and that’s enough~literally~jodi