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Exercise Can Increase Your Quality of Life

May 25th, 2010

If an A1c of less than 7.0 is the goal for people living with diabetes, it is understandable that a higher A1c may be necessary from time to time.  One of those times is adolescence, when self-management is new and when hormones and major physical changes occur, throwing everything out of whack.  I discuss a study of teens below that I think would have identical results in adults.

A worldwide study of more than 2,200 type one teens looked at the relationships between hours spent on schoolwork, hours spent watching television, hours spent doing physical activity, and hours spent on a computer not related to schoolwork in relation to the teens’ A1c levels.  The purpose of the study was to determine differences between diabetes centers, but the relationships they found between A1c and activity are interesting and informative. 

The study concluded that, not surprisingly, a better quality of life coincided with a better metabolic control (here, measured by the A1c) for teens.  (I’d say for adults as well!)  This mirrors the DCCT results from a number of years ago that conclusively set our management path ahead in order to minimize complications from diabetes.

So how do we help teens to obtain a better quality of life when we all must always keep our diabetes in the forefront of our brains?

The study showed that the more hours the teens spent on schoolwork, the lower their A1c.  They concluded that was a direct result from the studying teen being more conscientious than other teens living with diabetes.  So, it’s a good thing for our diabetes if we are conscientious in other aspects of our lives in addition to our diabetes care.

They didn’t find any associations between the hours a teen spent watching television and A1c, but they did show that the more hours a teen spent in front of the computer for entertainment, the higher the teen’s A1c.  So, it’s a bad thing for our diabetes if we sit around all day and veg out.

But of particular note in my life and one that mirrors the goals I have for Diabetes Outside, the study observed a positive relationship between physical activity and psychological health.  While no relationship was determined between exercise and the teens’ A1c levels, the fact that the teens felt less worry, had a greater perception of their own health, a greater sense of well-being, and an overall better quality of life when they exercised is impressive.

 In the end, we are all looking for a balance in our lives between living a good and happy life and living it as long as possible with diabetes.  It would be relatively easy to succumb to the numbers game and weigh and measure our food each meal, use a calculator whenever we checked our blood glucose levels, ate healthy 100% of the time, and on and on.  But would that increase our quality of life? 

Maybe, but not for me.  I like to spend my time living, not counting.

Yet the simple truth is, exercise can and will increase the quality and likely the duration of all of our lives.  We were not born to sit; we were born to walk, run, crawl, and move.  If you’ve been fortunate enough to consider yourself an athlete, you know that the quality of your life with exercise is much higher than the quality of your life without it.

So let’s get going!!

If you or your family needs some help, let me know.  That’s what I’m here for.

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

Planning, Doing, and 500 miles

May 17th, 2010

I looked at a tag when I was doing laundry this weekend and saw “Just Do It.”  What a slogan.  I guess I’ve been looking at slogans lately because I saw a new variation on another old one the other day: “got milk?” and remembered the Bearskin Meadow Camp shirt “got insulin?” I love it.

Anyway, back to my point: Just do it.

I think hundreds of thousands of athletes identified with that slogan when it first began, and continue to identify with that slogan.

Planning is important.  But planning is safe.  Nothing happens when you’re in planning stage.  Planning is paper and pen.  Doing is movement and progress. 

So plan a little, and get going.

EACH IS CRITICAL.  Don’t get me wrong; without a plan you can end up running around like a chicken with your head cut off and only exhaust yourself with no result.  Just don’t keep thinking about doing something, and then think about it again and again and again.

Instead, get up and go do it.  Start putting your plan into action.

Don’t let anything stop you once you’ve begun.  Tie your laces before you go.  Double knot them.  Go to the bathroom.  Check your blood glucose.  Take food.

When you show up, be ready to start.  Don’t take time to outline in detail all of your aches and pains, or things you’re worried about.  Monitor yourself, be smart and be conscious of your body.  Just don’t spend all of your time in that mental space.

Free your mind from all unnecessary noise. 

Just do it.

Go!

Now, About Those 500 Miles…

I have been invited to run with Team Iron Andy and Run the Coast this fall!  Check them out on FaceBook at Run The Coast and become a fan! 

I will spend a couple days with the team and run a portion of the 500 mile course from the Golden Gate Bridge down to San Diego over fourteen days.    I’ll need some help, though: the Dean Karnazes Silicon Valley Marathon is October 31st and I want as many folks as possible to join me on either the full marathon or the half marathon!  We can work together to design a plan for you to make the distance you desire, be it running or run/walking.  Everyone can do this, as there are kids events as well on the same day.  More details to follow, but for now, think about it, make a commitment to yourself, and clear your calendar!!

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

FUEL your workouts!

May 14th, 2010

I have been there; the I’m-trying-to-lose-weight-so-I-need-to-eat-less-and-that-includes-when-I-exercise place.

But here’s the thing. Kind of like “fake it til you make it” you MUST eat if you want to really burn your calories when you exercise. 

You need to BURN while you exercise—that means sweaty effort—if you want to see changes in your body.    Study after study has shown that if you are hungry or do not have food in your system when you exercise, your perceived exertion is much higher and your effort output is diminished compared to when you exercise when properly fueled. 

Calories in, calories out is true.  You need to get those calories OUT, though, and the only way to do that is to exercise at an intense level.  The only way to reach that level is through proper fuel IN.

Because you want to get the most out of your exercise time as you can, if you aren’t properly fueled you are in a sense wasting your time because you just can’t bring a good level of energy to the session when you haven’t eaten.

Nature being what it is, you need to eat properly as much of the time as possible.  Know that I am not preaching here, and I understand.  (My greatest weaknesses are nachos and Cheez-its.)  But no one champions over adversity on a breakfast of Cheez-its.

So do your best to eat right (fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains) as often as possible.  Try to stop eating things that come out of boxes. 

And when you eat, think about the calories you consume as fuel rather than as food.  Do you want to run that 3 miles today on a breakfast of Hershey’s kisses or on a bowl of oatmeal with banana slices?  (I assure you, the run will go much MUCH better on the oatmeal.)

Experiment with what works for you and your exercise.  If you roll out of bed and head to the gym, munch on half a banana in the car on the way.  If you exercise after work, snack on a couple crackers with peanut butter in the middle of the afternoon.  You’re shooting for 100-250 calories, 15-30 grams of carbohydrate.

These are the calories that you will put to work when you exercise.  Make sure they are good ones and make sure you reach that sweaty effort in your workouts.

You are worth it.

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Posted in My Workouts, Random Musings, Uncategorized

Running Up and Down (Weekend Run Report)

May 10th, 2010

I ran a 10k this weekend.  I need to remember that when I sign up for a run and the word “Hill” is in the title, there will be some uphill running!!  I can get rather excited about an upcoming event that I forget the actual work involved.

It was a neighborhood run relatively near my house with a relatively inexpensive registration fee.  When I say “relatively near” my house, it was in the hills and in a neighborhood the houses are so big they don’t  see their neighbors’ houses and where they can ride their horses in the streets without fear of cars passing by.

A little hoidy toidy.

But, great for a run! 

I have done enough of these runs to never expect them to start on time.  As you know, timing my insulin is critical for me, so I always try to relax about my insulin timing needs when I am at an unfamiliar start line.  On Saturday, I checked at the planned start and was 172; they were about 10 minutes late with the start time.  All in all, a good place to start.

I also need to factor in the first quarter to half mile of the runs; sometimes my insulin needs would be better served if I could run straight out of the gate but the kids, strollers, dogs, and walkers on the course rarely let that happen.  I again need to plan for this and coach myself to relax.

I looked at the elevation map a few days before the run (obviously not before I signed up for the 10k, or I may have instead signed up for the 5k!).  Yes, the 10k map is the one on the bottom, looks like two capital Ms side by side.

I know that running uphill on a trail like this one will always encourage my insulin to work amazingly well, so I really didn’t want to start at any number below 150.  So 172 was perfect.  I had lowered my basal rate an hour before the planned start and had it set to keep on the lower rate for an hour and a half.  If they had started on time, it would have meant I ran the first half on the lower basal rate, and the second half at my normal basal rate.  Usually this works out fairly well for me.

Looking at the elevation map, I knew I needed to get up that hill at mile four, but I would have been running for three miles already when I got there.  Running up or walking up the hill, I knew that was going to take extra energy, so I made sure and ate a few jelly beans after I passed the mile 3 marker, and then I checked again at the top of the mile 4 hill.  162.  Phew.

After that, all I needed to do was finish. 

You may have trouble seeing the crazy treacherous downhill at mile 5, but that one was scary.  They had railroad ties fashioned as steps, but the ground was a little slippery and some people were still trying to run it; that took a lot of concentration to keep myself upright. 

And then again there was ANOTHER hill.  I swear, I must have forgotten as I ran the leisurely downhill three miles at the beginning that I was going to have to pay for that later…

But then I saw the finish line.  Yay!  My parents had done the 5k and I knew I was good when I heard them cheer for me.  :) After I crossed the finish line, I stopped my stopwatch and checked my blood glucose.  95.

Awesome.  Now, onto the important things in life. 

Where’s breakfast?

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

Sunny Exercise Days Can Help Keep You Active All Year Long!

May 6th, 2010

(I started a new category on the blog today.  I have seen so many studies that have made me wonder how on earth someone is getting paid to study whether or not someone perceives the sky blue on a sunny day that it makes me think I got into the wrong field when I went to law school.  I should have gotten into research!)

Have you noticed you seem a bit happier lately?  Are you excited by the thought of a lazy weekend that includes a picnic at a park?   Do you feel more active when the sun shines?

For myself, I feel better about exercise when the day is longer and drier; I don’t enjoy the thought of running in the dark and cold hours before bootcamp starts at 6am when I know I’ll still be out in the dark and cold hours after the second bootcamp class of my day ends at 8am.  It isn’t that I don’t do the run or the workout, but I assure you I’m not as happy about it!

Researchers conducted a study of how postmenopausal women exercised for 18 months.  They found that the participants worked up more of a sweat during the summer!  (Yeah.  Big surprise.)  They made sure to confirm the increased sweat was not only due to higher temperatures. 

They then put some of the study participants on an exercise regimen of 150 minutes of exercise each week and a healthy diet.  I admit I want you to work out for longer than 30 minutes a day.  You deserve an hour a day, most days.  Work up to what you can do, but don’t think you’re automatically done after half an hour. 

The ones who exercised 150 minutes a week ended up with the elevated activity levels throughout the year, even in the bleak and dreary winter months.  That’s a pretty good result! 

Your goal of physical fitness really should be more than fitness during your exercise routine.  It should be an increase in your overall activity level throughout all areas of your life.

So if you have noticed you are more likely to be more active in the lighter longer days of spring and summer, get into an exercise habit that includes at least 150 minutes of exercise each week.  You may just be able to have some of those summertime feelings all year long!

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Posted in I Can't Believe Someone Got Paid to Conduct This Study, My Workouts, Random Musings

Exercise for a Reason

May 3rd, 2010

When I run on the treadmill, I run intervals.  That means I run at a certain pace for a length of time and then increase the pace for a while and repeat the fast/slow or flat/incline in an effort to increase my cardio capacity and running ability.

I was on the treadmill this weekend and a guy asked me if I exercise to exercise or if I exercise to sweat.  (I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but I sweat a lot and my face gets pink when I run, and red when I sprint.  I was known as “Tomato Face” in my junior high math class that I had right after P.E.)  The guy was keeping his distance when he asked; I am sure I was drenched and beads of sweat were flying off myself and the treadmill.

So here I was, running slightly faster than a conversation permits, and he’s asking me whether I’m exercising to exercise or I am exercising to sweat.  I am proud of myself for holding back.  What I really wanted to say was: what does that even mean, and why are you talking to me while you can see I’m working kind of hard?!

Instead, I gave him the truth.  I exercise for a reason every time.

This weekend, my reason was to work on my running.  Some days, it’s to increase my strength.  Other days, it’s because I had a rough day and want to work out some aggression.  Or because I enjoy a certain workout I haven’t done in a while.  Or I’m feeling stiff and want to work out some kinks.  Or I want to get my blood glucose levels down.  Or I’m curious if I can beat my time from a previous run.

As you can see, some of these reasons and goals have quick results.  Some of them take months to achieve!  I don’t worry about the long term goals—I know those results will come in time.  And I don’t always achieve the short term goals every time, but at that point my workout is already done and I have achieved something else—even if that something else is simply being able to check “exercise” off my list for the day.

Ultimately, I work out because I feel better once I am done and oftentimes I feel better during the workout itself.  If some day I’m not into it, and I make it through ten minutes and still don’t have it, I forgive myself and take a rest day instead.  They can’t all be winners, but if you continue to try you will always win.

I keep my insulin levels lower because I exercise, I get to eat a bit more without gaining weight, and I feel a whole lot better about myself every single day because I exercise.

So next time you start your workout, think about why you are exercising that day.  Think about what you can achieve as a result of your activity.  Set some goals and reach for them!

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When was the last time you skipped like a kid?

April 29th, 2010

I watch a lot of people move their bodies.  It’s an occupational hazard, I guess, and I often do it even when I’m not being paid to correct form and avoid injury. 

I love to watch runners run.  I love to watch baseball pitchers pitch.  I love to watch ice skaters skate.  I love to watch gymnasts… um… gymnast.

One of my most favorite things to watch, though, of all time?  Watching my bootcampers skip.  Skip like little kids skip up to a neighbor’s door or across the parking lot to the family car. 

It’s impossible to skip without at least looking like you’re having fun. It’s impossible to skip without looking like you are about five years old.  I think it’s impossible to worry and skip simultaneously. 

When I make my bootcampers skip, they turn into a pack of grade schoolers.  It is so fun to see. 

No matter what age you are, skipping is great for your body and mind.

Better yet, it’s good exercise too!  When you really swing your arms (hands above shoulder height, the straighter you keep your arms and really swing the better) and go for height and/or distance, you can get your heart rate soaring. 

By landing differently than you do when walking or jogging, you strengthen different stabilizing muscles in your ankles and feet.  By strengthening your feet and ankles, you increase your ability to avoid falls and sprained ankles due to weak stabilizer muscles.

By swinging your arms as far as you can as you keep your torso tall, you increase your aerobic output and recruit your core muscles to keep your body working as a cohesive unit.

By skipping high and long, you use fast twitch muscle fibers to get and keep you airborne.  Think about POWER.  Training your fast twitch fibers improves your speed overall as well as your power output in any quick intense movement.

And yet when I watch my bootcampers skipping down the street, I often forget all of the cardiovascular and strength benefits there are in a simple skip because they simply look like they are having a great time.  We need more opportunities to suspend our worries and have some good, old-fashioned fun.

So next time you’re heading down the hallway or into the grocery store from your car, start a little skip.  Have fun with it.

I do!

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Posted in My Workouts, Random Musings

The Man I Ran Behind

April 24th, 2010

Today’s post is dedicated to a certain WILD woman who embarks on her first marathon this weekend.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed mine, Mari!

I received a true gift when I ran my first marathon in January 2010 at Walt Disney World.  I don’t know my gift’s name but a part of me loves him.

I think I first saw him about 5 miles into my 26.2 that day.  He was outrageously tall; he easily beat me by 14 inches (making him 6’4” at least).  His gait was rather lopsided, which made for a blessed break in the rhythmic monotony that is distance running.

His gait was lopsided because he had only one foot.

One knee.

One leg.

And one prosthetic “Cheetah” leg.

And I was running behind him.

The entire rest of the way.

He stopped every few miles to unscrew his Cheetah and wipe off.  I stopped every few miles to check my blood glucose.

Yet we stayed in tandem, occasionally leapfrogging in front of one another for the next three and a half hours.

I’m fairly certain that my gift doesn’t know I ran that day. I’m fairly certain he didn’t see me or notice me.  I’m fairly certain he would not have cared if he had seen me, even if he had seen me stop and check my blood glucose.

But because of him, I felt certain the marathon was no longer a challenge for me.  I knew that he was doing something that others could see required a mental and physical journey, one he (I hope) considered himself fortunate to experience.

Just like me.

I never once felt sorry for him.  I never once felt sorry for myself.  I knew that other runners might have looked at him and said “what an inspiration” and “how amazing” but I didn’t really get that from him.  I got that he was working on a goal that he wanted to accomplish; one that would take him inside himself and one that would only re-affirm what he already knew about himself and his own strength.

Kinda like me.

So when I think about my marathon, I think about the gift I received that day when I found myself next to a man with one leg.  I know everyone was watching him as he ran.  I am fairly sure no one saw my insulin pump on my hip as I ran, or what it means.  I know people who saw him probably thanked their stars they had both legs they were born with.

I wonder if anyone thought about their beta cells.

But that’s what was so amazing about the marathon—everyone out there that day had to work to be there.  Everyone had to take a lot of time inside themselves if they wanted to get through.  Everyone had challenges that they probably wished they could trade away, and challenges they would never wish to face.

I have never once wished to trade away my diabetes.  I know that with any challenge that I will inevitably come across, I will deal with it and, with work, continue to thrive.  Legs, pancreases, blisters, ripped shorts, they are all just things.  The true test of success in a marathon is what happens inside yourself as you keep going and watch yourself succeed.

What a gift that man gave me that day.

What a gift I gave myself.

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

What is Physical Fitness, Anyway?

April 23rd, 2010

Yes, I want to be physically fit.  But what does that mean? 

Does it mean I can do a certain number of straight leg pushups, or run a mile in a certain amount of time?  Does it mean I can lift a certain amount of weight?

Sure, that’s how you can measure fitness in a controlled environment, but who lives there?!  Not me. 

So what is physical fitness?

To me, physical fitness is a couple of things.  It is having a knowledge of and confidence in my body that it will most often respond to a physical stress in a way I expect it to respond.  Fitness is making choices every day to keep myself moving without pain and with as much energy as possible.

My goal of being physically fit continues to motivate me even when I’m not wearing my running shoes.  My aspirations of physical fitness manifest themselves whenever I park far away from the door and when I take the stairs instead of the elevator.  It’s when I shake someone’s hand with a hearty grip and when I maintain good posture as I sit, stand, and move.  It is when I spend a long time in the produce section and when I drink plain water all day long.

Physical fitness also means listening to what my body tells me.  It means some days, I take it easy and some days I push it.  It means some days I skip the run and opt for a lower impact workout.  It even means some days I don’t do a thing.

It has taken me a long time to figure out how to make these changes a part of my life.  I have figured out ways to make exercise a daily part of my routine and how to get some dedicated exercise in when I don’t think I have the time.  I have figured out how to forgive myself for those days I really don’t have the time—there will be a new chance to work on it tomorrow. 

As long as I keep my goal of physical fitness in my sights, I can relax more about my exercise routine.  I know I won’t abandon it for long.

The more often I make these choices and opt for physical fitness with little, routine things the easier the choices become.  The more often I challenge myself when I can and push my own limits, amazingly enough, the limits evaporate as though they never really existed.

When you put it that way, who wouldn’t want to be fit?

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Posted in My Workouts, Random Musings

A Pretty Powerful Word

April 16th, 2010

As a trainer, I ask/tell/demand/beg people to do things all the time.  What a great job.  (I’m not saying it’s a power trip, but really, sometimes it is.)

The thing about pushing people as a trainer is that I need to know which person needs a push, a kick in the pants, a kind word, and which person needs me to not get in their face that day.  It’s part of the gig, and I work on it because my ability to do it effectively and intelligently makes me a better trainer.

A client comes to me because they want help working out, getting fit, losing weight, for a myriad of reasons.  I have education, experience, creativity, and compassion that I bring to the trainer/client relationship.  But in order for me to help them, my clients need to bring something to the table as well.  They need to be willing to put in some work on their goal in order to achieve success.

So when I hear someone say “I can’t do a pushup” or “I can’t run a mile” or “I can’t run down the block” I admittedly have an incredibly short tolerance.  I generally know that when someone comes to me they will not be able to do everything I set in front of them.  (If they can, what kind of challenge am I providing?)  But “can’t” is not permitted.

 “Can’t” is such a mental door-closer I would not be an effective trainer and my client would lose out if I let them say “I can’t” and leave it alone.  (Let me again say: I do not expect my clients to be able to do everything I ask.  I do expect, however, that they are willing to try.)

So when you are next faced with a challenge ahead of you, try using what I consider to be a pretty powerful word.  Follow up that “I can’t” with a “yet” and everything changes.

“I can’t do a pushup yet” keeps you mentally precisely where I need you to be: realistic and willing to work to achieve success.  “I can’t run down the block yet” shows that you know physical fitness is a process, not an end destination.  Keep at it and keep putting one foot in front of the other, and pretty soon you will be at the end of the block, still running, looking for your next challenge. 

Celebrate your accomplishments when you achieve them and set a new one ahead.  This success will give you one of the greatest confidence boosts of all time—you couldn’t do something before but you put your mind right and you worked at it and achieved it.

Keep up the awesome work.

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Posted in My Workouts, Random Musings, Uncategorized