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Accountability Group
Posted by mneshati in Health and Fitness, Succeeding After The Parkinsons Diagnosis, Uncategorized on January 11, 2011
A good friend, Lou Sardo, saw the positive changes P90X had made in me and bought a copy, he has graciously agreed to wait until January 31st, which allows me to finish my first go around of P90X, take a two week break, and start round two. While we live too far away to work out together by starting the program together on the same day we will check with each other daily, share stories of progress, gains, and sometimes console each other through soreness and bad days.
It helps provide moral support and motivation while also being accountable to the other person who is counting on you to do your part.
I am humbled by Lou’s willingness to be my accountability buddy, and my exercise buddy. THANKS Lou, I won’t let you down.
Excellence through Commitment
Posted by mneshati in Health and Fitness, Succeeding After The Parkinsons Diagnosis, Uncategorized on November 5, 2010
Don’t really remember if I made that up or saw it written somewhere, it doesn’t instantly resonate with everyone, but the more it runs around in my head the more I like it, the more it really speaks to me. Want to be an excellent musician? You have to be totally committed to that goal. Want to be an excellent sales proffessional? Commitment, commitment to the product, commitment to studying the craft the art, to learning the skills, and maybe most importantly, commitment to your customer.
Want an Excellent marriage? Commitment! Can any of you actually think of a an excellent marriage that doesn’t involve total commitment? No Way.
SO that is were I have arrived in my life in regards to my health, nutrition and fittness and what a difference that has made in my life and my fight against Parkinson’s. And how sad and silly of me to take this long to reach that realization. Once I committed to achieving excellent health and fitness my progress came in leaps and bounds. In July I committed to my nutrition and health which involved losing 36 pounds and getting in shape. In the 14 weeks since then I have lost 26 of those pounds using a product called Shakeology, which has also added energy, lowered my already decent heart pressure, and has killed my cravings for bad food. I am on a path of excellent nutrition, so now I wanted to get fit. So I started P90X, an extreme fitness program that promises to get you ripped in 90 days. at the end of week 4 I already feel transformed, and the better I feel fitness and health wise the more I want it. I want to be in excellent health and fitness, and once I committed to it it is amazing how quickly it happened. My tremers are lessening, I am regaining some dexterity in my right hand and can write and type better, and I can only credit good nutrition and good fitness for stemming the tide of Parkinson’s advancement.
I feel better than I did in my 20′s and 30′s health wise and I didn’t have Parkinson’s.
Moral? Commit to being Excellent in Everything You Do
Getting Fit and Keeping Parkinson’s at bay
Posted by mneshati in Succeeding After The Parkinsons Diagnosis, Uncategorized on October 26, 2010
Hard to believe five years have passed since my Parkinsons diagnosis. I spent the first five years really focused at staying mentally strong. But I made a mistake and didn’t pay attention to my body, fitness or nutrition. That neglect earned me 36 pounds of extra weight and virtually no physical conditioning.
Thanks to an amazing group of products from a Company called Beach Body I have had remarkable success.
I am so astounded by my P90X results that I have to write this quick blog. I will be 56 in a week and have been battling My friend Jason Scheff got me going on Shakeology and urged me to get healthy and fit again. I started Shakeology in the middle of July 2010 and lost 7 pounds the first 3 days on the kick start. I started getting back into cardio shape using treadmills and light weights and in early October, again encouraged and inspired by Jason, began P 90X. Monday will be day 22 of the 90 day program and I am already stronger, more flexible and of course lighter. I am down 24 pounds since mid July and 12 pounds from my goal of 200 pounds.
A thanks to Tony Horton also for developing such an awesome program and providing such great inspiration every day.
Post 16
Posted by mneshati in Succeeding After The Parkinsons Diagnosis, Uncategorized on November 9, 2009
Currently Listening to: 05 The Love Of My Life I haven’t felt move to post here since my friend Jim Ditch passed away, it has been a time of reflection and self evaluation. And it has been a busy time at work too. The point of this site was and continues to be a place to pass on positive messages about confronting Parkinson’s, and the issues associated with the condition, conquering them and passing that information on for others who are dealing with Parkinson’s or any other challenges. The truth is, I have been very blessed. After writing my first 13 Posts, (Posts 14 and 15 were on Jim DItch’s life and passing), I have realized that I am relatively stable with my condition, I have passed on the challenges and the solutions I have confronted, and that on a weekly or monthly basis, not a lot to report. Again, as I stated, I have been blessed.
Couple thoughts I will share: While I don’t have the dexterity I once I had, particularly with my right hand, I still pound away on my drum set and get immense pleasure, (and stress relief) from playing them. One of the conclusions I have come to in reflecting on Jim Ditch’s life and really thinking about mine, is that we should engage and indulge those activities that give us joy, pleasure or peace, no mater what.
Again I close with my personal mantra: “Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal” es
Post 15-Reflecting On Jim Ditch
Posted by mneshati in Notable comments/Responses, Succeeding After The Parkinsons Diagnosis, Uncategorized on October 5, 2009
Currently listening to 14 Europa (Earth’s Cry, Heaven’s Smile) Carolyn Ditch has passed on her gratitude and heartfelt thanks for the beautiful posts honoring Jim. We gave you a blank canvas and his community of friends and loved ones turned out to paint a beautiful portrait of a great man and a life lived with purpose, dignity, grace and humility.
For those who were not able to attend his services, it will come as no surprise that there was standing room only at the Church. Larry Jackson, Jim’s friend and the CEO of Long Beach Transit gave a touching, thoughtful, and fittingly humorous eulogy at times bringing all of us to tears, and other times laughing.
As I sat through the services and listened to Larry share stories of Jim helping the careers of virtually everyone he encountered throughout his time at Long Beach Transit, and as I replayed in my mind the comments that had been left on Jim’s tribute page I thought of a column I had recently read that challenged me to think of about our impact on others as we live our lives. The author suggested that after we are gone from this earth no one will remember us based on the status of our achievements, we wont be remembered for our title, how much money we made, how big of a house we lived in, or what kind of car we drove. No one will remember the size of diamonds we wore, or where we bought our cloths, where we vacationed, if we traveled first class or coach. The measure of our lives, the imprint we leave on this earth, will be whether we made a difference in one child’s life.
You would only need to see the adoration in the eyes of Jim’s grandchildren to know that he certainly had made a difference in their lives, but Jim went so far beyond that, he made a difference in the life of everyone he touched, he mentored, he inspired, he provided words of encouragement and imparted self confidence, he challenged you to excel, to reach for higher, and he opened the doors of opportunity and led you through. He did all of this with no thoughts of self gain or benefit, no desire to be thanked or acknowledged, he did it all with amazing grace and humility. One of the things that I was always in awe of with Jim was that he was always more interested in you then himself. You need only to read the comments left for him to understand the depth of his commitment to others.
So I am challenging myself, and everyone who reads this blog, to commit to making that difference. Start by making sure you make a difference in one child’s life. Then lets go beyond that, lets strive to make a difference in many lives, to add hope or laughter, provide inspiration, open a door, or lend a helping hand, lets genuinely care more about others than ourselves and do it all with no expectation of self gain, or even to be thanked, but because our imprint on this earth should be one that matters, that makes a difference.
This weeks song I am sharing with you reflects the sense of pain and joy that results from saying good bye to Jim last week. Pain for our loss, but joy in the thought of Jim in Heaven, without pain, rejoicing with the Good Lord and setting out on his newest journey and making a difference in his new Home. The song by Carlos Santana is called Europa (Earth’s cry, Heaven’s Smile) click on the link at the top of this post and check it out…
Post 14 Jim Ditch Tribute Page
Posted by mneshati in Notable comments/Responses, Succeeding After The Parkinsons Diagnosis, Uncategorized on September 22, 2009
A Gift of Remembrance for the Ditch Family
Please add your thoughts about what Jim Ditch has meant to you and the Transit Industry, we will build an album to present to Carolyn as a memoir. Scroll down and click on the comment box and add yours. Thanks for helping us give Carolyn and the Ditch family a unique remembrance of Jim .
HELP My email list was not exhaustive, please help spread the word, tell anyone in your organization (or anyone period) about this tribute page and lets get all the responses possible to support Carolyn and the family.
THANKS
Post 13
Posted by mneshati in Succeeding After The Parkinsons Diagnosis, Uncategorized on September 22, 2009
Currently Listening to: Don’t Give Up Peter Gabriel 2-04 Don’t Give Up
Just completed three days showing the finished Chevelle at the annual Route 66 Rendezvous, a four day event showcasing older cars, and celebrating the heritage of Route 66. Exhausted but Exhilarated. My car got lots of great comments and I think about 5000 pictures got taken.
I am grateful to a lot of people without whose friendship, hard work and contributions this car would not have been possible. First and foremost to my Amazing wife Kim for her patience and support over many a long weekend over the last two years. My neighbor Chris who has come over weekend after weekend and devoted hundreds of hours helping me on this car. Welding in particular was a skill I had not yet taught myself to do left handed and the right hand….. well lets just say the results wouldn’t have been trust worthy. Karl Eakin and his company Panel Tech for his help on the body, frame and paint, and Little Jay’s Upholstery, there are many many others and I have and will continue to thank them personally.
I want to also thank my friends who came down and supported me through the grueling 100 plus degree days standing in the sun. Our IT Manager at work, and a friend the rest of the time, Keith Butler, our Controller at work and my friend the rest of the time Charles Smith and his lovely wife Tracy, my colleague at work and friend the rest of the time,Chuck Barnes and his son Brian who spent the better part of Saturday keeping me company as did my wife Kim and an old friend Don Prather. On Sunday the president of our company, a man I am proud to call a friend the rest of the time Dale Carson came down and kept me company for several hours. All of these wonderful people took time out of their busy lives and came buy and spent time keeping me company during the show and I am forever grateful to them for their support this weekend and their friendship, support and presence in my life the rest of the time.
The restoration of this 1966 car over the last 2 1/2 years has been a remarkable journey and a life lesson for me helping reinforce in my mind that all things are possible and doable with the right outlook and desire, and the will to work around, through and over obstacles rather than be defeated by them. A huge lesson and a reminder was that like almost everything in life I didn’t do it alone, I had lots and lots of help and support, like we have through out our lives, from parents and from our siblings, from school teachers, from friends and neighbors, collegues at work, bosses and the people who have been mentors to us, even when we didn’t know it, and of course from Up Above. I hope that I have always remembered to thank all those who have been there for me. I urge all of you to think about all of those special people in you life too, and take the time to thank them. Life is GREAT!
Post 12
Posted by mneshati in Succeeding After The Parkinsons Diagnosis, Uncategorized on September 17, 2009
Currently Listening To :01 Beginnings I am a great believer in luck… and I find the harder I work the luckier I get! I was in Chicago at a Bus conference called BusCon, I was honored by being asked to moderate one panel and later in the morning be the host that introduced another session’s speakers. I noticed that my right hand was tremoring a little more than normal, not wanting the audience to think I was nervous, (OK so I was) I simply kept my right hand in subtle motion. Fortunately the way Parkinson’s effects me, and I am told this is normal, is that it is an “at rest” tremor so if you put the muscles in motion the tremor essentially stops. Little gestures with my right hand looked perfectly normal during a speech, and to the audience I didn’t look nervous or ill at ease. Solutions are what you see when you take your mind off of the obstacles!
More importantly in this post I wanted to share how touched and honored I felt for all of my many industry friends and colleagues that I ran into who expressed such great concern and caring about my well being. It is truly humbling to be reminded of the people who care about me and who expressed their concern. I reminded them as I remind anyone who reads this post that I am fine and couldn’t be more grateful for your concern and caring.
As the day progressed and I was able to connect with so many friends I started thinking back to the life I have lead, I thought about my beautiful, amazing, loving, caring wife Kim without whose love and support, none of the rest of my life would be possible, and that got me thinking about my beautiful and loving children, now adults, and my amazing grand kids, and the friends and family that love and care about me despite the flaws and pimples and warts, I thought about the loved ones that aren’t with us anymore, some of them taken from us so young, and I was reminded, as I am everyday, what a rich and charmed life I have led, and how I truly am one of the luckiest people in the world.
As a new feature, Humor me, I am going to add a “Currently Listening To” song with each post. Music is important in any society and as I have advocated for earlier, has healing and therapeutic qualities, it is a huge part of my life. Click on the link if you feel like, who knows you might discover a song you really like, or reconnect with a song, artist or band you once loved.
So I want to end this blog appropriately with a huge THANK YOU and I LOVE YOU to all my friends, family, and colleagues for being in my life and caring about me, I am inspired every day to lead my life to it fullest because of all of you!
Post 10
Posted by mneshati in Succeeding After The Parkinsons Diagnosis, Uncategorized on September 10, 2009
I had a lot of documents to sign today at work which had me reflecting on the last five years with Parkinsons. The biggest impact the battle has had on me is a gradual loss of dexterity and motor control on my right, (also my dominant) hand. I have sought out mostly quick and easy solutions to this issue. I switched to a left handed mouse, awkward for the first week or two but now I can use it as easy as I used to use a right handed mouse. My writing was going down hill and getting a little difficult so I switched to a very small light note book computer that I take to meetings that might require a lot of note taking, simple solution and actually very powerful as it eliminates the step of transferring written notes to a word doc to share with others. When the meeting is over presto my notes are ready for distribution. I am also slowly teaching my self to write with my left hand.
I guess the point of this post is that working through Parkinsons is like anything else in life, you can get stuck staring at the obstacle or you can focus on the goal, the solutions. If you think positive and look for the solution, they will be there for you. Not always obvious, but they will be there.
A wise man (not me) once said, “Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal” Focus on the goal.
Accountability, day 2 of the first 90 days
Posted by mneshati in Health and Fitness, Notable comments/Responses, Succeeding After The Parkinsons Diagnosis, Uncategorized on January 5, 2011
Here is a question for all of you wonderful people to ponder. If you know that something is good for you, do you have a moral obligation to take that course? If you know there are things you can do to improve your diet, lower your cholesterol and therefore your chances of heart disease and stroke, don’t you almost have to do it. If you know that you must exercise in order to have a rich and enjoyable quality of life in your senior years don’t you have a moral obligation to then do it for the benefit of yourself, your spouse, your children and grand children and your friends???
For me the answer became clear over the last year and it is a glaring YES! I didn’t ask for Parkinson’s, but it chose me, so I am determined to use it to make me better. It is motivating me to get and stay fit, and to do that you have to combine exercise with good nutrition. I am determined to eliminate all artificial drugs and chemicals I can from my life…I don’t have much choice over my Parkinson’s medication BUT I can work to slow the progression of the disease and therefore keep my medication to a minimum MORE IMPORTANTLY though, is I know that I can seek out natures own nutrients to fight off heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure I don’t want to take pills which are man made chemicals to fight off these issues. I now know I can do it with natural ingredients and I am determined to take that path. SO I can enjoy every minute I can with my beautiful wife Kim, my daughter Nikki, son Justin, grand kids Savanna and Dylan, and Caden, and all of you wonderful friends, and to lead a life that doesn’t end up a burden on them.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post I have joined my friend Jason Scheff and a group of super motivated people who have banded together to form an accountability group. We are going to pick a health program, regardless of the brand or where it comes from, this isn’t about buying or selling products, it is about holding each other accountable, picking a health and wellness program, committing to it, checking in every day with your partner and holding each other accountable as we get healthy together.
So I ask all of you again…write me, pick a program, is it going to a gym, walking around the block? My commitment is to keep drinking Shakeology everyday and after finishing P90X ten days from now I am taking a few days of recommended recovery time, and on January 31 starting P90X all over again. We can do this! Lets do it together!!!
Macy
beachbody, Health, nutrition, Shakeology, teamscheffyfittnes.com
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