I looked at the article about the causes of diabetes I found in the October issue of Diabetes Forecast. I didn’t want to sit and read the whole article, because I don’t want to get caught up in the “why” at this point… the help I think I need these days is more of the “how” than “why”. At least for now.
I read one paragraph that was about causes for type 2 and a few paragraphs about type 1. The type 2 paragraph caught my eye:
Finally, modern society should probably shoulder at least some of the blame for the type 2 diabetes epidemic. Access to cheap, calorie-laden foods may even influence type 2 risk beyond simply their effects on body weight; the stuff that is in processed foods, like high-fructose corn syrup, could alter the body’s chemistry or gut microbes in a way that affects health. Add to that the fact that most Americans are sedentary, spending their time sitting in cubicles, driving in cars, playing video games, or watching television. The lack of exercise, plus the abundance of unhealthy foods, cultivates a fertile breeding ground for diabetes.
I think that if I had written this article, I maybe wouldn’t say “finally”… I think modern society has stacked the deck against healthy living in a lot of ways!
It reminded me of a trainer I worked out with at a fitness convention once: she said we are all about BOXES these days. We lie on a box, stand up, shower in a box, sit at a box and read a box while we eat, get into a box, drive in our box to sit at another box and stare at a computer box for hours before we climb back into the box, drive to our big box and sit on a box and stare at a box before we go lie down on our box for the night.
A little sad when one thinks about it.
I’m glad I can eliminate a couple of my boxes, or at least minimize my box time. I’m glad I am outside for 2-3 hours every day, and more when I run outside. I’m thrilled when I have time to walk to the grocery store instead of driving there.
Of course, I’m staring at a box right now and typing on more boxes, but aside from that, I’m about to go for a run. Outside a box.
Maybe I’ll see the sidewalk squares a bit differently today. 
Enjoy the time you spend outside the box!!
