It's no secret that I'm a type 2 diabetic. I've actually had a couple of doctors that were surprised by this diagnosis because "I'm too young". I was officially diagnosed at about 25 yrs old - I already knew that I was diabetic, I had been testing my blood sugars for over a year and was "borderline" before I turned 20.
I am overweight. I don't always eat well, I certainly don't exercise like I should. I have a strong family history of diabetes. All of these things together make for messy blood sugars.
My current doctor wants me to "take a brisk walk for 20 minutes after every meal". What she doesn't realize, I guess, is that it's REALLY hot outside, I'm 6 months pregnant, and I have a toddler and a preschooler (who both happen to nap immediately after lunch every day). Am I making excuses for not walking after meals? Maybe. The real truth is that it hurts right now. My body is in a state of stretching and changing in ways that make it very uncomfortable to walk "briskly" for 5 minutes - I cannot physically walk "briskly" for 20 minutes - even if my boys are in the double jogging stroller.
I can control my food intake. However, I lack greatly in self-control when it comes to food. Especially on the 3 days a week that I am home-bound because I'm babysitting. We are working on this - our grocery trip last week included "healthy snacks" - nuts, granola, cheese, carb-master yogurt, etc. We also loaded up on veggies for salads. We got a bit of fruit too, but it is not a big temptation for me - I'm not a big fan of fruit in general.
Why am I sharing this? It's a step toward renewing my commitment to live healthy by eating well. I don't know yet what I am going to do about getting more exercise right now. We ARE working on it. Last night we exercised by walking at the zoo for 2 hours (not a fast pace at all, and with several short breaks).
I want to have a healthy body so I can enjoy my family more. I want to slow this disease. I want my boys to grow up knowing how to live well so they can begin to defeat this disease before they have to think about it. Yes, it's genetic - but that doesn't mean they will get it, and I can help them avoid problems with diabetes by getting them active right now.
How do you exercise when it's too hot or your body hurts too much? How do you eat well when tempted by foods?
I'll address the eating first. My "mantra" lately has been "don't give up what you want for what you want right now." I know that you aren't trying to lose weight right now, but I think that can go for getting your blood sugar under control, too. When I catch myself going to the kitchen for, say, ice cream, I say those words to myself. I almost always end up with a handful of mixed nuts or frozen blueberries instead.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the exercise goes, you know my story and you know that sometimes it "hurts too much" to exercise. So, when it hurts too much, I take some ibuprofen (my OBGYN told me during the last pregnancy that it's considered safe now, btw) and push myself through anyway. Is it uncomfortable? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely! I almost always feel better, both physically and mentally/emotionally, after I do my exercising. Oh, and I've been using WiiFit since it's too hot to get my exercise in outside. Plus, we take an early morning (8ish) walk. Today it was about a mile. It's slow-go with the kids (that mile took 45 minutes) but it's still a bit of exercise to start the day!
Good luck!
Thanks
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