This morning started off with a wonderful, relaxing three mile run. It was one of the nicest runs that I have done in a long time. Not because it was only three miles or because I was at the bay. It was because I had company. Yep, after months of trying to get people to come out, my friend Ashley decided to take me up on the offer. Boy am I glad. Normally the first mile is the toughest for me. My body isn’t warmed up and my legs are trying to tell me no, they don’t want to play today. But as I get to mile two or three I’m feeling better, and by six I’m on cruise control. This morning was different though. I had someone to talk to, a distraction. It’s really amazing what good company can do for you. I couldn’t believe it when we were done! It felt like we had just started.
It did get me to thinking about the difference in people and their workouts, however. For me, six miles is a great way to start things up. For most, that’s a journey that's not about to happen. So I would like to extend an invitation to anyone who would like to join me - whether it's for a shorter run/walk, maybe just for the first part of my run, or for the whole thing. If you bicycle, I’ll join you for a ride. If you swim, let’s do laps. Whatever it takes. If you are thinking about starting to exercise regularly, but can’t get motivated, I recommend finding a partner in crime. That way you both have someone to answer to.
Yesterday I was reading an amazing article about Diabetes and how to reverse it. Anyone who thinks Diabetes is a long way from them or something they don’t have to worry about, I plead with you to rethink and look around. I can almost guarantee that you know someone who has Diabetes. You just might not know it yet. Or they may not yet know it! What is truly scary is how many people do have it, but have yet to discover it. An estimated 23.6 million people in the United States have Diabetes. That is roughly 7.8% of the population. Amazing. Perhaps even scarier is that an estimated 57 million Americans over the age of 20 have what is called prediabetes. That is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not quite high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes... yet. Some long term damaging effects to the body, particularly the heart and circulatory system, may start during the prediabetes phase of the disease.
With that unnerving knowledge now in your head, here is how you can win. A decent diet is a great start. Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying go on a diet. Whether you want to or actually need to, that’s up to you. I’m saying choose what you eat wisely. Counting calories is for the birds if you ask me, but one suggestion to help with portion control is use a smaller plate. It’s mental. You see food, you want to eat it. That’s my problem. Fill the plate! And even if I’m getting full, I’m so excited it’s there and I keep eating. Sometimes I even go for seconds. Instead, start using smaller plates and don't have those unneeded seconds. Serve at the stove instead of putting everything on the table, if that's what you need to do. At the end of this post, I will post a link to some amazing recipes that you wouldn’t believe were healthy.
The next great plan. . . Walk a little. I keep pushing it, and I’m sure people are saying "enough with it already," but I’m serious. A study done by the University of Michigan showed that prediabetic adults that walked for an hour each day improved their sensitivity to insulin by 59% and their ability to produce insulin by 31% in only seven days. That's not a typo... ONLY SEVEN DAYS! Over time, you could reduce your risk of getting diabetes by 58%! Tell me an hour a day isn’t worth it and I’ll be quiet. But I don’t think anyone can say that.
So please... Let’s make some small changes together. My wife, Tracy, and I are going to do a meal testing next week of all Diabetic friendly meals. She doesn’t know it yet, but it's happening. And if I can convince her, she will be doing recipe reviews too. So if you would like a guest speaker next week, be sure to let her know.
Tomorrow I do ten miles on the waterfront. Until then. . .
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As someone who has gestational diabetes and just lost my father to diabetes this is more real than I care to have in my face right now. Putting in my two cents about the food...Nicholas is right about counting calories...instead of focusing completely on the calories, start looking and counting the carbs and sugars listed on foods – limit yourself to under 30 carbs – you will be amazed how hard that is. Let me give you a brief example...if you can at dinner, cut the rice, pasta, noodles out of your meal your body will reward you. My sugar levels should be at 130. Last night we had chicken breast, asparagus, and bulgur wheat...my levels were 110. If we had mashed potatoes or rice or pasta, they easily would have been 165 (I know this because I've had to experiment and learn). I can decrease this number of 110 to under 100 if I walk for a short 20 minutes after the meal. It’s amazing how your life can change with some very simple dietary changes. Be sure to allow yourself to splurge though, don’t deprive your body completely of carbs, just be smart about them!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. You are so right about the angle to take. And let me say, it is amazing to hear that you are noticing these things aand making a change. I truly hope people follow your example.
ReplyDeleteI understand your feelings of it being more real than you care to have in your face, but the reality is, diabetes is thought to be hereditary. So to have gestational diabetes and to have lost a parent to it, you at a higher risk. It would be great if the disease would take a vacation when things got tough for us, but it doesn't. I recently went in for a blood test myself to find out myself if something that I need to address right now.
So we have a choice. Fight it or take it. I'm proud of you for thinking about your family and fighting it. Knowledge is power.