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Walking for Fitness, Walking for Fun, Walking for Transportation

December 15th, 2010

Prevention magazine has published a list of the best walking cities for several years in conjunction with the American Podiatric Medical Association.  Because tonight is the D.O. it! Holiday Lights Walk  I thought I’d go through the list for the cities regularly ranking highest on the list.

The criteria for the list are generally that the metropolitan area has safe streets, beautiful places to walk, mild weather and good air quality.  They also factor in the number of athletic shoes sold in the city, the percentage of adult population who walk for exercise, the use of mass transit, and the amount of parks per square mile.

Has your city ever made the list?  Do you think it should have made it?  I see that Buffalo, NY is always toward the bottom… not ever having been to Buffalo, NY I figure that’s because the weather puts it down at the bottom.  What about other places you’ve been? 

2010:1 San Francisco, CA

2 Boston, MA

3 New York, NY

4 Philadelphia, PA

5 Chicago, IL

6 Washington, DC

7 Seattle, WA

8 Honolulu, HI

9 Portland, OR

10 Oakland, CA

 2009:1 San Francisco, CA

2 Boston, MA

3 New York, NY

4 Philadelphia, PA

5 Chicago, IL

6 Washington, DC

7 Seattle, WA

8 Honolulu, HI

9 Portland, OR

10 Pittsburgh, PA

 2008:1 Cambridge, MA

2 New York, NY

3 Ann Arbor, MI

4 Chicago, IL

5 Washington, DC

6 San Francisco, CA

7 Honolulu, HI

8 Trenton, NJ

9 Boston, MA

10 Cincinnati, OH

 2007:1 Madison, WI

2 Austin, TX

3 San Francisco, CA

4 Charlotte, NC

5 Seattle, WA

6 Henderson, NV

7 San Diego, CA

8 San Jose, CA

9 Chandler, AZ

10 Virginia Beach, VA

One thing I love the best when I take a vacation is walking through the city I’m in.  I like to see what life is like in a new place.  I’m excited to know that I have walked in each of the cities on the 2010 list! 

It’s interesting to see how the lists have changed in recent years.  But it’s also useful to know these cities are good places to walk… it might save you some money on a rental car for your next vacation!

I hope you enjoy a walk tonight… and see some lights!!

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Posted in My Workouts, Random Musings, Uncategorized

Running Through

December 9th, 2010

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I use running as a form of meditation.  But not everyone loves every run.

So what happens when you HATE it but you’re out there anyway?  Runner’s World has some ideas.  I think they apply in any situation, not just when you’re running.  Shoot, I’ve used them while I wash the dishes or clean up my house.

  1. Think Small.  Run to the end of the block, or to the next tree, or just one more mile.  Whatever you choose, forget the big picture and set small goals.  Once you’ve reached that one, set another one.
  2. Repeat a Mantra.  I have a couple of them, and I’m not kidding “I hate this” has worked for me on a few occasions.  “Keep going” is a good one that I have used so much I put it on my Road I.D.  I ran a half marathon behind a woman who had penned on her shirt “Just keep swimming.”  No matter what, repeating something to yourself will help get you through.
  3. Visualize Success.  When running, you can think about something or someone painful in your life that you’ve conquered; visualizing yourself passing through that period can help you get some perspective on this measly little jaunt.
  4. Shift your Focus.  If you have a goal in mind, focus on the goal and the discomfort of running (when it is discomfort and not something more important like acute pain) will fall away.  I have used this when in the higher miles of a marathon: what do I want?  To finish.  Thinking of myself already past the finish line and knowing I have to earn that helped me keep going.

I can’t say any one of these made me a runner.  I can say that drawing on each of them at different times and knowing that they are there for me whenever I need them has made me a more relaxed person and more confident in myself and my abilities.

Seems like a pretty good tradeoff.

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

Thank you, International Journal of Pediatrics…

December 2nd, 2010

There was a “first-ever” field study performed on the performance of young athletes with type one diabetes.  The study tried to establish whether sports performance was affected by a low blood glucose or by a high blood glucose.  They monitored the lows the day before a game, hours before it, and during.  The study found no evidence that a prior bout of nocturnal hypoglycemia influences sport skill performance the following day, but they did reach a conclusion about hypoglycemia during an event.

Guess what they found.

Yes indeed they did find that hypoglycemia during a game significantly decreased participants’ sports performance and cognitive abilities.

Not to diminish the work of any of these researchers, but my response to this study and conclusion is (yet again on a type one study of athletic performance): NO DUH. 

I really wonder: do these researchers even know anyone who has lived with type one?  (Not to toot my own horn too loudly, but I could tell them some of this stuff without the need for them to go through a whole study.  Really.  I could even give them data from my meter and my running performance logs.)

It doesn’t surprise me to see that the sports skills they tested were best performed when the athletes were in an acceptable blood glucose range.  The skills did not markedly diminish when the athletes were high, but they tanked when blood glucose was low.

If you’ve ever been high or low or anyplace in between, this should make sense to you, too, no matter what activity is at issue.  Even sitting and working at my desk I can tell you that (most of the time) I work best when my blood glucose is in range, I’m less comfortable when high, and I can’t do a productive thing when I’m low. 

Some of the evidence I’d give the researchers is that of one of my best half marathon finishing times and I know for at least seven of those miles I was pushing 300.  Yet the other day I knew I was low because my mile time was slower than the previous mile’s time. 

I don’t know why they are doing these studies.  I don’t know why they don’t just ASK.  It makes me feel almost like a lab rat or “subject” instead of a regular person.

I mean, I know my diabetes makes me different than the average athlete.  I get that, and I’m in no way wishing to minimize the work involved in exercising with any type of diabetes.  I just wonder why the researchers felt it was important to perform a study when they could have simply asked a type one diabetic.

Nevertheless, their conclusions here are sound:

In summary, we found that hypoglycemia, but not hyperglycemia, impairs sports skill performance and cognitive function in youth with type 1 diabetes. In contrast, prior exposure to hypoglycemia the night before competition does not appear to influence performance the following day. As such, vigilance in glucose control that limits hypoglycemia during sport should maximize competitive capacity in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. In addition, any obvious decrement in sport performance, such as poor passing, failed free throws, serves, and so forth; should be a warning sign to young athletes with diabetes to check for hypoglycemia by monitoring their blood glucose levels and treat hypoglycemia with additional carbohydrate intake.

(And, since I’m railing against the study already, why did they limit this study to “youth” with type one?  Hopefully they limited it so they could publish it in the Journal of Pediatrics and weren’t trying to make any other kind of statement.  Or is there some kind of assumption that us type ones stop being athletes once we turn 18?)

Maybe I should come up with a new slogan: Live. Check. Move.

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

Happy (Hectic) December!

December 1st, 2010

December is a crazy month.  So how do you work in a workout when you’re slammed for time??

1.     Make time. 

You need to prioritize your fitness if you are ever going to keep it up through the zany holiday season.  Schedule your workout time.  Then do it.

If you have a family calendar, write in the time you need on the days you select to work out.  Then do it.  Don’t let the “oh, I need to do x, y, or z” come before your workouts.  There will always be a reason to procrastinate.  Don’t let yourself get away with it: stay organized, stay focused, and keep yourself in the fitness game.

2.     Find time. 

There are so many ways to eek out a little more time in the day.  It’s crazy, yes, but it’s good to know that if you determine you don’t have time to get fit, you are likely truly saying you haven’t made fitness a priority. 

You can get up earlier.  You can walk instead of drive.  You can exercise instead of sit on the couch.  You can do some strengthening or stretching exercises while you zone out at the end of your day.  There is always time!

For me, this has meant I have set my alarm for 3:30 to work out before leading bootcamp at 6 in the morning.  It has meant I ate dinner late at night after I worked out.  It has meant changing clothes at the office and going for a jog before heading home.  It has meant that I know when I say “I don’t have time” I really mean “I don’t want to make the time today.”  Big difference, isn’t there?

3.     Squeeze the workout in. 

Maybe December isn’t the month for 90 minute workouts.  Maybe December isn’t the month for two hour trips to the gym.  Maybe finding the amount of time you’re used to spending working out isn’t working… so you need other ways to squeeze quality workouts into limited time.

So, instead of spending 60 minutes at an easy cardio pace, spend 30 or 40 minutes at a more intense pace.  Add intervals or hills into your regular routine and shorten the length of the workout.

Instead of lifting a medium weight for 15 reps, lift a heavier weight for 10 reps.  Instead of doing a full body weight workout and 30 minutes on the treadmill, do 10 minutes at a quick pace, an upper body workout for 15 or 20 minutes and finish with 10 minutes on the treadmill at that same or even quicker pace.

There are all kinds of ways to mix it up and fit in a workout no matter how limited your time is.  You just have to want it, plan and be creative.

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

It is going to be SO FUN

November 30th, 2010

I really do try and not preach at you in my blog.  It’s one of my rules: I don’t want to be someone I wouldn’t want to hang out with… and I don’t ever feel like being preached at so I try to avoid preaching… I really do.

But.

Maybe today will sound like I’m preaching.  I just really like this idea, and have had nothing but positive responses to the idea in practice.  I think it would be a great thing for you to try, too.

It’s a holiday lights walk.  (Or a holiday lights run, whichever floats your boat.)

I set an arbitrary day (December 15) and an arbitrary time (5:30pm…it’s dark out but it is early enough to get home in time for dinner but not so late as to interfere with dinner by too much) and an arbitrary place to meet (for me, at a neighborhood park).  I am inviting everyone I know and everyone I meet.

I asked them to show up at the park wearing light and reflective clothing, a Santa hat if they want, and bring a flashlight.  I’m going to hand out jingle bells on safety pins so they can attach the bells to their shoelaces.

IT IS GOING TO BE SO FUN.  I am so looking forward to it!!  ITISGOINGTOBESOFUNSOFUNSOFUN.

I know some streets that have awesome light displays and I mapped out a route using gmaps pedometer that would take us through some of the best streets.  For the walk, I mapped out a little less than 3 miles.  For the run, I mapped out a little less than 6 miles.  Most groups can do this mileage in an hour.

Last night, I pre-ran the route to double check that it was as safe as a nighttime run can be: I looked at the condition of the sidewalk, the traffic, where the stop signs are, all that jazz.  I was really surprised at how fun the route felt, even by myself.  I don’t know how it happened, but it felt like the entire way was a little bit downhill.  (And there are two hills I know I travelled, so I’m even more confused!)

I’ve been safety pinning the jingle bells while I watch TV. 

Did I mention I’m excited about this?

Here is where I may start to preach: this was really REALLY easy to plan.  You can absolutely plan the same exact thing in your neighborhood, and I think you should. 

I know a lot of people won’t be able to make it.  I figure even if one other person can come, we’ll have fun.  So grab your friend.  Grab your coworkers.  Grab people you know from church or book club.  Set the time, be clear about where to meet and what to wear and bring, and then get out there and enjoy the holiday sights!

And if you’re in my neck of the woods, come join us!!

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Posted in My Soapbox, My Workouts, Random Musings, Uncategorized

Sharing Wisdom

November 29th, 2010

Can’t believe it has been four whole days without a blog from me, can you. 

I have an online diary/ tracker that tells me what I’ve done each day for exercise.  I think I started it in late 2008 or maybe it was late 2007.  Anyway, it tells me what is going on.  I like it.

Looking at my tracker helps me know what I’m missing, and keeps me on track to keep me fit and healthy, and if I’m lucky it helps me stay injury free.  (Injuries suck and I want to avoid them.)

Since I try here to share wisdom I’ve either gathered for myself or I’ve tried to learn from others, I’m happy to have seen a Runner’s World article from March (yes I know that was 8 months ago; I save all of my RWs!) 2010 about how to stay active and healthy.  Many of the items are running-specific, but some of them apply to any and all activities.  I’ve edited the list and added my own take:

  1. Know your limits.

I can’t work out every day at the same intensity.  No one can.

  1. Listen to your body.

Your body, as you know, has something to say 100% of the time.  Sometimes it’s just a steady hum, sometimes it’s a gentle prod, sometimes it is an ice pick in the shin with each step.  Whatever your body is telling you, you need to listen.

  1. Nix negative thoughts.

If you can figure out how to stop the “can’t” and the “wah” and the “won’t” and the “bad” and the “gross” or the “weak” or whatever it is and substitute in a “now” and a “try” and a “go” and a “work” and a “yay” and a “phew” and a “yes” and a “push” and a “good” you will be so much better off in every area of your life.  Try it.  Please.

  1. Find an outlet. 

Seek out what boosts your spirits and perform those activities rather than something that drags you down.  Nobody who knows anything wants you to do something that drains you emotionally without finding something that will regenerate your emotional wellbeing.  (Ha!  Not that we know what “well-being” means…) Exercise spurs endorphins for you… if you find the right thing for YOU.  It’s worth finding what that is.

  1. Seek out support.

Find friends who exercise and use them.  Use them for cheers and for venting.  If you want support, you need to seek some out.  Have you ever tried complaining to a non-exerciser about not being able to make it to the gym yesterday?  That blank look is just as bad as the “you’re crazy” response.  Find others who can relate to your goals and support you reaching them.  You are worth it.

Reviewing the list, I think it could apply to nearly every area of our lives and not just exercise.  Cool.

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

Do You Have a Plan for Thanksgiving?

November 22nd, 2010

I know I’ve said before that I come from a family of Planners.  Big time Planners.  When I was growing up, we planned what was for dinner.  We planned what was for breakfast two weeks from that day.  We planned what roads we were going to take to get to the next week’s doctor visit.  We planned nearly everything.

Which should tell you, I’m used to making plans.

But it occurred to me that maybe not everyone plans like I was taught to plan.  In some ways that is a good thing, and in some ways my planning reflex has served me well.

Which is to say, I’m already planning how to make it through the eating this week. 

I know I’m going to feel a need to overeat on Thursday.  I think I’ve already been overeating for the past few weeks!  And I know there is a month of more eating ahead of me.

So how am I going to manage all of those calories?

How am I going to manage the insulin that cookies, pies, cakes, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, coffee cakes, cranberry sauce, gravy, appetizers, salad with dried cranberries, and nearly every other food imaginable will require?

Overwhelming to list them all.

I learned a number of years ago that I’m just not great at scaling back on the actual food I put on my plate or, most importantly, in my mouth. 

That’d be an easy way to do it, sure, but for me it simply isn’t realistic.

When I get overwhelmed, I make a plan.  A plan!  Da plan, Boss, da plan!!

I’ve increased my cardio this week, and plan for at least an hour of moderate to high intensity every day this week.  I’m going to lighten up on my breakfast carbs, because I need much more insulin at breakfast than I do later in the day and I want to keep my daily insulin needs roughly the same.  I’ve increased the weight of the weights I’m lifting.  I’m doing an extra leg workout this week because the bigger muscles (like my legs) use more energy and continue to burn when I challenge them with heavy weights.

I am very fortunate to be enjoying Thanksgiving dinner at my friend’s house; she lives 2 miles away from me.  I’m planning to walk to her house and more importantly to walk home.   I think that walk home will help me with my post-feast blood sugars.

I’m going to try to keep my week to an unusual Thursday only; I want to treat the other days like normal food days and only give Thursday the special eating treatment. 

We shall see what happens with my plan.  I feel much better going into the week knowing that I have retained some control and have a plan to fall back on.

Think about what your plan is right now, and see if you can tweak it to make it even better for you, your health, your sanity, and your enjoyment of the holiday.  If you have ideas others could use, post them here or on the Diabetes Outside Facebook page!

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

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

The Wee Hours

November 17th, 2010

A couple years ago I had an eye doctor tell me that each fall he gets a load of patients complaining of worsening vision; it happens each year right around Daylight Savings Time.

I’ve noticed since the time changed that when I’m driving I can’t see people walking their dogs or jogging as well as I could when it was brighter.  (Duh.)

Makes me think of a running rule I know: If you have to ask: does this driver see me? The answer is no.

Since I’m all about getting you outside and getting you exercising (your dog should pay me a commission) I need to also be all about you doing so as safely as possible.  YOU ARE AT THE MERCY OF THE DRIVER’S EYESIGHT anytime you are within 100 yards of them.  Let’s review some bad ideas and move towards a safer way to move out there.

Very Bad Idea #1: going out there in dark pants and a dark shirt.  Drivers won’t see you from afar and may not see you at all until they are dangerously close (30-40 feet or less!!).  BE SMARTER THAN THIS.

Still A Very Bad Idea #2: going out in dark pants and a light shirt.  Better than #1, but the difference is negligible from the driver’s side.  They won’t be able to see you until they are at best 50 feet away.  Not enough.  BE SMARTER STILL.

Not Great But Better Idea #3: going out in clothes and shoes with reflective details.  The reflective details help the driver see you, if the driver has headlights on and is paying attention within 100 yards.  The more reflective details, the better.  BRIGHTEN UP.

Getting Even Better Idea #4: going out with a brightly colored jacket or top can help the sleepy drivers out there see you sooner as you move.  Reflective panels on the sleeves help the drivers detect your motion as far as 150 yards away.  BRIGHTER + LIGHTER = BETTER.

This Is A Good Idea #5: get outside in the dim dark dreary morning or evening wearing a reflective vest or blinking red light.  As long as the reflective material covers at least half of the vest and the light is an LED caution hazard pay attention driver blinking red, you’ll put the drivers in a better position to avoid you from nearly a quarter of a mile away… which is precisely what you want.   BRIGHTER + LIGHTER + BLINKING = FANTASTIC.

Let’s All Do This One Great Idea #6: get out there and wear a headlamp or handheld light with an LED whitish beam that moves as you move.  The motion will signal to all drivers from nearly a half mile away that you are a human being (or a dog: don’t forget lighting your dogs!!) and they should not drive into you.  This one takes the cake for the smartest thing you can do to protect yourself and warn those drivers.  BRIGHTER + LIGHTER + BLINKING + MOVING = SAFEST AND SMARTEST.

I took these ideas from a great article in Runners World (January 2010).  Thanks, RW!!

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Posted in My Soapbox, My Workouts, Random Musings, Uncategorized

Don’t Underestimate Yourself!!

November 16th, 2010

Do you know how much weight you can actually lift?  Have you ever tried to see how much you are actually able to do?

I’d guess it isn’t something you think of while you go throughout your average day.

However, if you’re hoping to really use the body you’ve got, you need to challenge it.

Why?

Because MUSCLE RESPONDS TO RESISTANCE.

If you underestimate the weight you can lift, and perform a squat with, say, 3 pound dumbbells in each hand, then the “challenge” you are giving your thighs is much less of a challenge than you give them when you carry your groceries into your house.  When you are working out, you want the workout to be challenging—more of a challenge than you face in your normal routine.

I can’t say I think that carrying groceries into my house is routinely a “good workout”.

Runner’s World published the “lift less weight with more reps to get toned” myth as its #4 biggest myth last spring.  Take a look:

A study at Georgia Southern University determined lifting 85 per cent of your maximum ability for eight reps burns about twice as many calories in the two hours post-workout, compared with 15 reps at 45 per cent max. And don’t worry: lifting heftier iron won’t transform you into an Arnold Schwarzenegger-alike. Achieving that look requires eating a high-calorie diet and a longterm power-lifting regime – which you won’t be doing. “If you’re creating a calorie deficit, you simply won’t bulk up like a bodybuilder,” says New York-based running coach Monica Vazquez.

So the next time you’re at the gym and looking at the dumbbells in front of you, or the plates on the machines, ramp it up a little.  (The benefits will last much longer than you’re used to, so watch out for lows after the workout!  Check at 2, 4, and 6 hours after you’re done to catch any oncoming lows.)

Try it: you might like it!

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