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A Different Set of Numbers to Know

November 18th, 2010

I read an article this morning about wellness versus well-being and what each might mean to everyone.  I thought it was pretty interesting and will take a few days thinking about how to re-orient my mind with the new ideas.

One person said that an important part of wellness (whatever that means to her) is knowing your “core numbers.”  I thought probably we diabetics would have a different list. 

Her list includes knowing your:

  • Blood pressure
  • Pulse
  • Height/weight
  • Cholesterol (HDL and LDL)
  • Body Mass Index (BMI)
  • Number of hours of sleep
  • Daily caloric intake
  • Target Heart Rate
  • Bone Density

So what would you include on a list of your “core numbers”?  I’m sure most of us would include Hg A1c and maybe average total daily insulin and most recent blood sugar. 

I’d also want to know minutes spent per week exercising at moderate to vigorous intensity. 

In the military, you’d want to know your PT score! 

For the Army, the timed push up test, the timed sit-up test and the 2 mile run are three separate scores that are added together for a final score.  Basic training soldiers are required to score 180 or more to fulfill the physical requirements.

Check it out!  They have charts with minimum and maximum requirements for each age and gender!

I’m a 33 year old female, so I’d need to perform: 45 pushups, 76 sit ups, and run 2 miles in 15:54 in order to score the highest possible 300 points.  Yowza; I’ve got some work to do!

Then again, I could do 15 pushups, 42 sit ups, and run the 2 miles in 21:42 and pass.  I *know* I can do that right now; I wouldn’t even need to adjust my basals.  Sweet!

Now I’m thinking now about giving myself a military PT test later just to see how I score.  Anyone care to join me?

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Posted in Living with Type 1 Diabetes, My Workouts, Random Musings, Uncategorized

You Never Know What You’ll Find in Your Inbox

November 15th, 2010

I sat down at my computer to blog this morning and opened my email.  In my inbox sat a message from a former employer, marked as !!high priority!!.  (I am not sure why they still send me email, as I haven’t worked for them in a few months, but okay.)

The subject line: SAFETY TOPIC: Diabetic Incident (DRILL)

Oooh. 

I’m reading the message about the “diabetic incident” and realize that even the two basic concepts they discuss must be incredibly confusing for the layperson.

Diabetics are subject to two very different types of emergencies:

 

1. Insulin Shock (or Insulin Reaction) aka hypoglycemia

 

This condition occurs when there is TOO MUCH INSULIN in the body. This condition rapidly reduces the level of sugar in the blood and brain cells suffer.

 

Insulin reaction can be caused by taking too much medication, by failing to eat, by heavy exercise and by emotional factors.

 

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS: Fast breathing, fast pulse, dizziness, weakness, change in the level of consciousness, vision difficulties, sweating, headache, numb hands or feet, hand tremors, hunger, and disorientation/confusion

 

 

2. Diabetic Coma aka Hyperglycemia

 

This condition occurs when there is TOO MUCH SUGAR and too little INSULIN in the blood and body cells do not get enough nourishment.

 

Diabetic coma can be caused by eating too much sugar, by not taking prescribed medications, by stress and by infection.

 

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS: Diabetic coma develops more slowly than Insulin shock, sometimes over a period of days. Signs and symptoms include drowsiness, confusion, deep and fast breathing, thirst, dehydration, fever, nausea, vomiting, a change in the level of consciousness and a peculiar sweet or fruity-smelling breath.

 

Sugar is required in the body for nourishment. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body cells use the sugar. When the body does not produce enough Insulin, body cells do not get the needed nourishment and diabetes results.  People with this condition take Insulin to keep their diabetes under control. 

 

See what I mean??  Confusing!!  No sentence in here is necessarily wrong, but I’m confused anyway… and I know the differences!!

And then the drill part is kind of confusing, too, I think.  Again, not wrong, but really confusing.

Follow the procedures outlined below for Insulin Shock

First Aid for Insulin Shock

Distinguishing between the two types of diabetic emergencies can be difficult.  Of the two conditions, insulin shock is a true emergency which requires prompt action.  Looking for the signs and symptoms listed above will help to distinguish the two diabetic emergencies. (Always look for an identifying bracelet which may reveal a person’s condition).  In addition, if the patient is conscious, you can ask two very important questions which will help determine the nature of the problem:

1.       ASK “HAVE YOU EATEN TODAY?”

Someone who has eaten, but has not taken prescribed medication may be in a diabetic coma.

2.       ASK “HAVE YOU TAKEN YOUR MEDICATION TODAY?”

Someone who has not eaten, but did take their medication, may be having an Insulin reaction.

·         If victim is conscious, administer 10-30 g carbohydrate (orange juice, sports drink, regular soda) follow with protein (energy bar or protein bar, etc). Activate EMS and monitor victim.

·         If unconscious, activate EMS and monitor victim.

First Aid for Diabetic Coma

·         If victim is conscious, administer fluids (water, non caffeine drinks, sugar free but not diet drinks) follow with protein (energy bar or protein bar, etc). Activate EMS and monitor victim.  Turn head to side if vomiting

·         If unconscious, turn head to side in case of vomiting.

A PERSON IN INSULIN SHOCK NEEDS SUGAR QUICKLY! IF THE PERSON IS CONSCIOUS, GIVE SUGAR IN ANY FORM: CANDY, FRUIT JUICE OR A SOFT DRINK! DO NOT GIVE THE PERSON CHOCOLATE OR DIET DRINKS.

SUGAR GIVEN TO A PERSON IN INSULIN SHOCK CAN BE LIFE-SAVING! IF THE PERSON IS SUFFERING FROM DIABETIC COMA, THE SUGAR IS NOT REQUIRED BUT WILL NOT CAUSE THEM FURTHER HARM.

I admit, I’m totally not clear what the protein bar is going to do in this situation.  And “do not give the person chocolate” seems pretty harsh.  (But that’s probably just me: I never want someone to not give me chocolate!  Not that chocolate is the quickest or best low food, but I just mean as a general rule.)

Anyway, I think that since we are in the middle of Nation Diabetes Month it may be a good chance for all of us to take the 2 minutes to explain in person to a coworker or two (or three or five or twenty) what YOU need when YOU start acting funny. 

Well, funnier than usual.

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Posted in Living with Type 1 Diabetes, Random Musings, Uncategorized

November is National Diabetes Month– Wahoo? Hmm.

November 12th, 2010

I’m not sure who made November National Diabetes Month.  I went to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since I figured they’d know. 

I found the page that started with a let’s be nice and say “off-putting” sentence:

You have the power to prevent and control diabetes.

It didn’t necessarily get better as I continued to read:

If you already have diabetes, managing the disease can lower your risk of complications such as kidney failure, heart disease and stroke, blindness, and amputations of legs and feet.

So maybe I shouldn’t be looking to the government health agency for much help.

I went to the American Diabetes Association’s website since I figured maybe they could be more of a help. 

Ah.  They want a donation from me. 

Moving on, I did a search on the site for what to say about November.  More information: 

American Diabetes Month®

November is American Diabetes Month, a time to communicate the seriousness of diabetes and the importance of diabetes prevention and control. For years, the American Diabetes Association has used this month as an opportunity to raise awareness of the disease and its serious complications.

Still not quite happy with this.  I try to communicate something about my disease every day… so a full month dedicated to doing precisely that seems… simultaneously superfluous and unnecessary.  (And I’m rather confused why the ADA felt a need to trademark the term “American Diabetes Month”.)

So off I went next to the JDRF website.  (Maybe they won’t tell me to prevent and control my diabetes.)  Oh wait: still a plug for money and self-serving laudations for what JDRF is doing when it comes to research.  Well, I guess it’s closer. 

Renewal of U.S. Government Special Diabetes Program Will Ensure Progress toward Better Treatments and a Cure for Type 1 Diabetes

NEW YORK, Nov. 5, 2010 – Thanks to significant research advances in recent years, people living with type 1 diabetes have received better treatments and therapies. Scientists have made headway in uncovering the possible cause of type 1 diabetes, and in their efforts to find ways to prevent, treat, or reverse the autoimmune disease and its complications. Despite this progress, we still have a long road ahead of us to identify a cure that will eliminate type 1 diabetes once and for all.

Alright.  I’m done with my search.  I am still not finding what I want on three of the biggest national resources I expect should be supporting ME and MY DISEASE. 

I don’t need a month each year to wear blue, or gray, or whatever.  I don’t need to send money to organizations so that they can design holiday cards and mail me a catalog about the holiday cards. 

Nope.  That isn’t what the month is to me.  To me, November being Diabetes Month is about what every other month, day, hour, and minute is about: keeping myself healthy, emotionally and physically, and living my life. 

My diabetes comes first some days, and my life comes first some days.  It’s hard to explain to a lot of people how constant the diabetes thinking really is.  It’s hard to explain being at a restaurant or at someone’s house and wondering if I should bolus before I’ve seen the food (preferable to time the insulin to meet the carbohydrates entering my system to keep my blood sugar levels more even), or after (safer in that I can visually guess the carbohydrate counts and don’t risk my insulin hitting my system before the food has left the kitchen on its way to me).  It’s hard to explain how I don’t even realize I’m checking my blood sugar at work until I see a coworker get nervous and stop talking to me because he’s busy watching me check.  Or, for that matter, how that coworker’s response FEELS to me.

I wonder if November being Diabetes Month really does increase awareness of my type one diabetes.  I suspect it doesn’t.  Given the fact that the American Diabetes Association still seems concerned about me losing a foot, I am not sure they understand my type one.

Good thing November holds other special events for me in my life: if it were a special month just because it is Diabetes Month I might be disappointed!

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Posted in Living with Type 1 Diabetes, My Soapbox, Random Musings, Uncategorized

Body Image With A Broken Pancreas

November 11th, 2010

I’m stealing from another blog today because I think it’s a critical message: we need to get to a place for ourselves where we have a good body image.

I have known so many people who just have a sad body image.  I want to shake them and tell them they are SO MUCH MORE than their bodies!!

I have been watching old TV shows on Netflix for the past few years: Magnum PI, Charlie’s Angels, Rockford Files… all great fun.  But one thing strikes me again and again: the people are REAL in those shows.  No plastic surgery, no digital enhancements, no soft focus.  What I see on those TV shows are what I would see if the actors were standing in front of me… and what I see when I see real people, now.

So why do we feel the need to “improve” on nature?

As the blogger explains:

There’s nothing wrong with desiring a shapely or fit body, but the reality of how we are made can often prevent us from being real with who we really are and accepting that genetics, medical conditions and other physiological factors play a role in how our bodies literally take shape.

The key to feeling good about your body is to learn and respect our natural shape. We must get rid negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. We can do this by learning more about the physiological factors that may influence the result of your training efforts and desired outcome.

Body Image is…

  • How you see or picture yourself.
  • How you feel others perceive you.
  • What you believe about your physical appearance.
  • How you feel about your body.
  • How you feel in your body.

It’s been studied, that people with negative body images have a greater likelihood of developing an eating disorder and are more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem and obsessions with weight loss.

I think having diabetes gives us yet another excuse to hate our bodies (or at least our pancreas).  But what good does that do?  It just leads us down a miserable and uncomfortable path. 

The blogger here gives suggestions on ways to work towards having a better body image for ourselves.  I think her suggestions are well worth a try:

One list cannot automatically tell you how to turn negative body thoughts into positive body images, but a few tips can help you think about new ways of looking more healthily and happily at yourself and your body.

  1. APPRECIATE all that your body can do. Everyday your body carries you closer to your dreams. Celebrate all of the things your body does for you: running, surfing, stand up paddling, dancing, breathing, climbing, laughing, dreaming, etc.
  2. KEEP A TOP-TEN LIST of things you like about yourself that aren’t related to how much you weigh or what you look like. Read your list often. Add to it as you become aware of more things to like about yourself.
  3. REMIND yourself that true beauty is not simply skin-deep. When you feel good about yourself and who you are, you carry yourself with a sense of confidence, self-acceptance and openness that makes you beautiful regardless of whether or not you physically look like a supermodel. Beauty is a state of mind, not a state of your body.

No one is a perfect “10” but you can see yourself as a whole person. When you look in the mirror next time, see yourself as you want others to see you; as a whole person.

Living with diabetes or without it, we all deserve to feel good in the body we have.

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Posted in Living with Type 1 Diabetes, My Soapbox, Random Musings, Uncategorized

The Costs of Obesity and Smoking on Our Bodies

November 9th, 2010

Wow.

I don’t know what to say to this.  Part of me can absolutely believe it, and part of me is just amazed at how important this is.  I feel like we are so far behind I can’t believe it.

Do you know how much energy we have put into educating people about the harmful effects of smoking?  If you haven’t thought about it in a while, take a moment now to remember what life was like only a few decades ago: when “smoking or non?” was the question rather than “paper or plastic?” (In California, even the paper/plastic choice is changing to “donate or take off” for your cloth bag.)

Did you realize that if we continue as we have been going, smoking won’t seem so bad when we compare it to the mass casualty effects of obesity?

Recent U.S. trends in smoking and obesity have moved in opposite directions: over the past 15 years, smoking rates have declined by 20%, whereas obesity rates have increased by 48%.15

This means, of course, that all the work that went into changing public perception of smoking as completely unhealthy won’t matter if we keep eating ourselves to death.

Wow.

Either one is a time bomb: smoking is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, and several cancers.  Obesity leads to cardiovascular disease, [type 2] diabetes, and joint problems. 

Yuck.

As someone living with type one diabetes I don’t understand stacking the deck against myself with something I can do something about.  I try to eat right to keep my weight in check, and I exercise to combat a possible future of cardiovascular disease.  I don’t smoke and never have.  Having experienced a body attacking itself, I want to do everything in my power to prevent another malfunction.

I do what I can with what I’ve got: I’m all about maximizing my abilities every day.  I think we all should remember our survival instinct and really spend some time every day moving toward HEALTH.

The study also published another amazing prediction: if all U.S. adults became normal-weight nonsmokers, life expectancy could increase by 3.76 years.

What would YOU do with those extra 3.76 years?  Let’s find out.

If you need some help with getting fit but don’t know where to turn, let me know.  We can work together to get you a plan and keep you working at it!

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Posted in I Can't Believe Someone Got Paid to Conduct This Study, Living with Type 1 Diabetes, My Soapbox, Random Musings, Uncategorized

Complications: the “C” word

November 5th, 2010

I think we are all aware of complications that accompany our diabetes.  Some of us deal with that specter in our future by denying its existence and some of us swing the other way and become obsessed with controlling our blood sugars.

Both extremes cause us to put our disease far ahead of our personalities, our lives, and our loved ones.

So what to do?  The Mayo Clinic’s experts blogged this week about ways to stop worrying about complications of diabetes.  Their suggestions included recognizing the tools we have now are far superior to anything in the past when it comes to management of our disease, and they reminded readers that the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial demonstrated the complications are not inevitable.

Well, that’s good.

However, I’m not sure that is very helpful on a day in, day out basis when we read our meters and see numbers we know aren’t in range. 

I need a plan instead of what seem like blithe assurances from someone who doesn’t share my same fears.

So how do we deal with knowing our future may well hold complications we don’t want to deal with, but we have to deal with them in order to avoid them?  (Yes, it’s confusing to think about.  Reminds me of Back to the Future when the kids start becoming transparent because it looks like their parents won’t get together in the past… or is it the future…)

I think a way to approach the topic is to, as always, look it right in the eye.  (This is the kind of thing I do when I run; I’m quiet, I’m alone; I’m almost in a meditative trance, and feel relaxed and safe enough to approach an incredibly difficult subject.)

So what am I most afraid of?  Is there a particular complication I want to specifically avoid? 

How likely is it that that specific complication is realistically in my future?

How likely is it that by changing something right now I can avoid the complication?

How likely is it that I can actually make that change and stay myself (and not become obsessed)?

I am always asking myself: Is it worth it?

I ask myself if the specific complication is worth the worry, fear, and anxiety I have already spent on it and am likely to spend on it in the future.

They rarely have been, when I’ve thought about them.

I know this isn’t something we can think about very often or for very long.  Complications are scary to think about.  None of us want to face getting older or having our disease impact our bodies any more than it already has.  For me, though, I think it’s worth it to take whatever time we can to really think about it for ourselves and our lives. 

I know that a lot of the energy we spend trying to avoid thinking about complications can be put to a much better use.

Take care of not just your body, but your mind as well.  Know that you aren’t alone. 

We’re all doing the best we can!

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Posted in Living with Type 1 Diabetes, Random Musings, Uncategorized

What would you do for a T-shirt?

November 4th, 2010

For some people, myself included, running is all about the shirt.  When I run an event and the shirt I get with my entry doesn’t fit, or is of poor quality, or I don’t like the design, I’m disappointed.  I have run crazy events in the past for the sole reason “it’s a technical tee!” (Technical = sweat wicking, not cotton)

My recent marathon shirt is a great one.  I’m very excited to wear it, and try to do so as often as possible. 

BUT NOW WE ALL HAVE THE CHANCE to earn a shirt for ourselves!! 

Sunday is World Run Day.  I like World Run Day because it’s a worldwide event that anyone can participate in.  Anyone willing to run a block, I mean.

Check it out:

What is World Run Day?

For the past decade, World Run Day is a running event held annually in November to celebrate running and charitable giving. It is recognized as both the International Day of Running and the International Day of Charity. Your support will help it grow into the largest running event on earth.

Why did World Run Day decide to organize this event?

World Run Day is a celebration of running. Runners can participate anywhere: a road, a treadmill, in a park, on a beach… anywhere they can run! Group events form randomly and are organized by passionate runners in cities both large and small. Our goal is to connect with other runners worldwide and make charitable donations to local causes.

What is the main goal of the event?

The main goal for the event is to celebrate running and also highlight the health benefits of running to the local media. In a time where obesity and other health concerns plague areas throughout the world, running is one of the best remedies towards a healthy lifestyle.

So maybe this weekend you’ll be inspired to set out for a little jaunt with friends or family.  It’s your call when, where, and how much you do.  Celebrate your health and your ability to move your body and celebrate your achievements in your life on a day everyone is celebrating worldwide and running by your side.

Go for it!

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Posted in Living with Type 1 Diabetes, My Workouts, Random Musings, Uncategorized

True/False: INSULIN INJECTIONS DON’T HURT.

November 3rd, 2010

Ut oh.  Gotta climb up on my bitterness high horse again and blog about this silly online survey.

It isn’t that I don’t have better things to do than take online quizzes.  I have plenty of other things to do.  It’s just that these quizzes sound like such a quick way to pat myself on the back I cannot resist them.

So here I am, taking this quiz: “what do you know about diabetes?” 

Gee, seems like a slam-dunk 100% for me!  Let me at it!!

But nope.

Nope.  Five questions and I only answered four of them “correctly”. 

There must be a problem with this quiz because there most certainly isn’t a problem with my diabetes knowledge.  I am sure.

Full disclosure: the quiz was true/false so right there that makes it amazingly difficult for me because I’ve been trained in legal persuasion, where we very seldom have anything entirely true or entirely false.  Strike one against the quiz. (See? I can’t even say we never have something entirely true or false.)

And yes, I am aware I am mixing my metaphors.  Sorry.

So anyway, before I stray too far from my original rant, here is the question:

True/False: INSULIN INJECTIONS DON’T HURT.

I know that when someone says “Oh/eew!  Doesn’t that hurt?!” I make the same face I’ve made for 23 years and say something like “not really” or “it keeps me alive so I don’t mind so much” (I don’t think I’ve been brave enough to say that one in real life) or “sometimes, but not very often.”

But I can’t say that insulin injections DON’T hurt, just like I can’t say that insulin injections DO hurt.  They kind of just “are.” 

So I, being the honest and plain speaking person I try to be, answer “FALSE” because one cannot say that a subjective feeling like “hurt” applies or does not apply in every situation across the board.

BUZZER SOUNDS.  WRONG ANSWER.

The answer shows up, and get this:

                Sorry, that’s incorrect.  The companies have worked hard to make the needles so tiny that they really do not hurt.  “The injections are virtually painless.  I know, because I have used an insulin syringe to inject myself with saline, just to find out,” says Elizabeth Kern, director of the diabetes program at National Jewish Health in Denver.

I had to laugh.  Someone takes a shot of saline one time just for kicks and now knows and can assert that across the board for everyone “insulin injections don’t hurt”?!!?!

Here is one of the things that turns me away from the healthcare industry when it comes to diabetes and why I think many of us want to have doctors and nurses and educators with diabetes themselves.

Since, let’s be honest: sometimes, every now and then, you hit something when you give yourself an injection and it hurts.  It doesn’t happen often, and it is no big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it really does hurt.  You get a bruise, it’s all gross and painful for a few days, and you try and get sympathy from friends and family.  Because, after all, IT HURT.

So don’t baby the situation and tell me that injections don’t hurt.  Ever.  Since you’ve done it once.  Compared to my 2-6 times a day for 10 years before I went on a pump, so that makes it… lemme see… at least fifteen thousand shots?!  Yeah, you’d be the one who knew if they hurt after your one shot.

Dang it, I want my 100% score on that silly quiz.  (Am I a type A or am I a type A person?!)

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Posted in Living with Type 1 Diabetes, Random Musings, Uncategorized

My Marathon Report

November 1st, 2010

Yesterday I ran my second marathon.  I was lucky to have a friend find me and get me through miles 11-26.2 much speedier than I would have if I were by myself.  I didn’t want to let him down, and he wanted me to set a PR (personal record)!!  I finished the 26.2 miles in 4 hours and 26 minutes.  Not bad!  I completed my first marathon in January in 4:36 so I peeled 10 minutes off my time yesterday.  Yay!

I was lucky twice yesterday.  The blood sugar gods definitely smiled on me.  I’m not sure why, but I went with it.  I was fortunate to know in advance they would be passing out my gu of choice– Accel Gel.  Accel Gel has 20 grams of carbohydrate and 5 grams of protein in each packet.  (And there is a chocolate flavored one I can choke down with less difficulty than the other flavors.)

From my heart rate graph, it looks like I stopped running 14 times over the course of the event.  I know I used one of my early stops to call my husband and complain that I was running too fast!  I used that break to re-start my pace to a slower, “marathon pace” for myself.  (I can run much faster in a 5k run than I can in a 10k run, and can run much faster in a half marathon than I can in a full marathon.)

I checked my blood sugar it looks like 5 times during the 4.5 hour run.  I don’t have a plan for most of this; it’s how I’m feeling each run that will determine when I check and what I do.  When I eat a gu, I take 0.1 or 0.2 units just to have a record of when I ate that I can see quickly with a look at my pump’s status screen.  It helps me from overloading on gu and it helps me to remind myself I may be due for the next one.  I’ve learned from experience that on a long run I do best with a gu after 3.5-4 miles for some reason, and that if I skip the gu due to a high blood sugar I will regret it and have a horrible run: I must stay fueled!

So here’s my rundown, in case you’re curious.  Like I said, I’m absolutely amazed I wasn’t higher than this.  I kept my basals between 33% and 67% of my normal rate beginning an hour before the start of the run. 

TIME (am) BG CARBS/FOOD BOLUS MILE  
4:33 140   0.2    
4:35   27 (oatmeal) 1.3    
6:06 242   0.2    
7:00 START MARATHON   Mile 0 0.5 active insulin units
7:37 — accel gel 0.1 Mile 4  
8:06 — accel gel 0.2 Mile 6.5  
8:30 159     Mile 8.3  
8:52 191 accel gel 0.3 Mile 10  
9:15 161     Mile 13.3  
10:15 159 accel gel   Mile 18.3  
10:45 131 accel gel   Mile 21  
11:25 FINISH MARATHON   Mile 26.2  
11:40 116 (finish)      
12:25 92 (finish)      

14 stops overall; stop = walking through water break

Most (all) of this comes from years and years of trying to figure out what works for me.  I’m posting it FYI and not as a recommendation.  My recommendation is to learn what works for you through trial, observation, and error. 

Have fun!

(If you’re interested you can check out my complete marathon data here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/55068794)

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Posted in Living with Type 1 Diabetes, My Workouts, Random Musings, Uncategorized

Walking for Exercise

October 28th, 2010

I sometimes think you would like to read a blog entirely about my diabetic life.  And then I think, I don’t really HAVE a diabetic life… I have MY life!  So just like my life, my posts have a lot to do with diabetes but they have a lot to do with other things, too, like exercise and how I think physical movement and exercise impact my diabetes and the rest of my life.  And how having diabetes affects my thinking.  And on and on and on!

I ran an errand on my way home from bootcamp this morning and passed by the high school after the students had started class.  This meant I drove past the track as the students were in P.E.

Woah.

Now, I know for a fact that not all high schoolers like physical activity.  I know for a fact that not all high schoolers like, um, well, ANYTHING. 

But they DESERVE something more than a saunter in circles for their P.E. class: yikes.

And not one of them looked or acted like their heart rates were elevated.  At all.

Not one.

This is what concerns me about telling people to take a walk.  “Walk” can simply mean almost anything to anyone, so let’s lay some ground rules for walking.

  1. Walking at any speed is preferable for our health to most other modes of transportation.
  2. Walking for transportation is different than walking for exercise.
  3. One cannot walk for exercise AND hold a cup of coffee.  (Sorry.)
  4. One should sweat and be out of breath during and after walking for exercise.
  5. One cannot walk for exercise AND hold a cell phone.  (Still sorry.)
  6. I’ve seen friends walk for exercise and it turns into a stroll-and-chat.  Good, but not the “moderate exercise” so recommended for everyone’s health.  If you are going to walk for exercise with a friend or family member, speak together before you go out and discuss the goals: is it to walk quickly and raise your heart rate and keep it elevated, or is it a stroll-and-chat?  You will slow down if you aren’t both on the same page.
  7. One cannot walk for exercise AND carry a shopping bag.  (Sorry again.)
  8. Walking for exercise is free.
  9. Walking for exercise can be performed in almost any weather.  (Really.)
  10. Walking for exercise gets you outside in the fresh air.
  11. Walking for exercise is easy to do.  Just… walk.

So what are we waiting for??

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Posted in Living with Type 1 Diabetes, My Workouts, Random Musings, Uncategorized