Over the last two days, I’ve finally gotten back to talking daily walks in my neighborhood. Because of the winter we’ve had, it’s literally been months since I’ve been able to get out. I realized the first morning how much I’ve missed it.
Even though, throughout the winder, I continued to exercise either at the gym or in front of my t.v. watching an exercise video, nothing beats getting out in nature.
Today’s guest post comes from one of my good friends. She’s a pharmacist, and also a very healthy eater. She saw the lasagna recipe I posted last week and wanted us all to consider a healthier version. Thanks to her, we now have a terrific and tasty option. 🙂 Her sharing continues now…
When I was first diagnosed with Type II diabetes, I came to quickly understand the importance of daily exercise.
For me, my exercise of choice was and is walking. Not only is it cheap, but it also gets me outside when the weather is nice. Right now, its freezing outside, so a trip to the mall is how I get my daily walk in, making a big loop inside, where it’s nice and warm.
I was in Chicago last week for a conference, and the wonderful weather just enhanced the visit.
On the way downtown, my taxi driver told me that there should be quite a bit of snow on the ground by now, chalking it up to global warming. No matter what the cause, I enjoyed the walk each night from my hotel to the lake.
After Hurricane Sandy, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived in Ocean City, Maryland this past Sunday.
Our local news said there was quite a bit of damage, but I didn’t see much, other than beach erosion and some problems at the other end of the boardwalk.
This past Saturday, I had lunch in Washington DC with one of my professors. He was getting ready to leave for vacation, and I needed to return a bunch of books to the library, so we got together to talk about my doctoral project. It will be focused on helping people prayerfully transform their health, the target audience being folks who are overweight and have type II diabetes.
If you or someone you know has diabetes, you can sometimes feel a bit like this mountain climber.
It takes tremendous discipline and control to reach the summit, and the risks involved might be enough to keep you off the mountain all together. Fear of failure (falling, dying) probably has something to do with it.
When dealing with diabetes, most people start out great after receiving their diagnosis. They eat right, exercise, keep close tabs on their blood sugar numbers, and check in with their doctor on a regular basis. In the end, its a lot of work, and if the person doesn’t get the results they want, they quickly give up. They end up coming down the mountain of diabetic life, tired and exhausted, just burned out. I’m told that’s how it goes with the vast majority of people who deal with this disease on a daily basis. Maybe it’s gone that way for you. If that’s the case, there’s hope!
I don’t know how it is where you live, but around my area, the beautiful weather is calling. Get outside, and get moving.
I like to get my exercise outside, rather than in the gym. Walking/Jogging are my two favorite, and taking advantage of the long country roads like this one in my area, I have my pick of routes.
For me, being outside gives me a chance to clear my head of all the stuff that take up the bulk of my days.
Two experiences I had this past week are prompting this post.
On Tuesday, one of my fifth graders told me that she had a blood test done earlier that day. That prompted me to ask her why she had to have the test done. “To check my blood sugar. I have to change what I eat, because my doctor said I’m on the road to diabetes.” Wow. This girl is not obese, and to me, she appears to be just a little overweight. But diabetes runs in her family, and her doctor was concerned about the extra pounds she is carrying. Fifth grade. Ten years old.
I had the chance to have lunch with a young friend today. He’s been working on finding a job for several months now, and he’s finally gotten an offer. I was really happy for him, and to celebrate, I took him to a local Italian restaurant.
It will take some time for him to actually start, but right now, the offer letter is something to get excited about.