walking and diabetes
You will read and you will hear – that walking will make diabetes better.I’ve even hear the word cure. When I was first diagnosed – I could go for a walk and see my numbers drop. Sadly, it doesn’t work that way anymore. In fact it is difficult for me to get my numbers to budge. Even when I trained for walking 60 miles. I know I’m not alone ( I read about a guy who ran his first half marathon – and also hit his highest blood sugar ever, while running it) . So nothing is quite simple.
So What’s the point? Well I actually think everybody that can walk,should walk. There was an article in last week’s chronicle that had some fascinating information. Just 15 minutes of walking, six days a week, can add 3 years to your life. More is better, but a small amount of time can give you three more years to hang with your friends and family. That sounds like a deal to me
There is a group called EveryBodyWalk that is trying to encourage everyone to walk . Check them out.
anticipation
That is where I am now. Last weekend of big walks until THE WALK. I feel like I can do it now ( but no I’m not packed yet ), and I am mentally prepared. It is sort of constantly hovering in my mind. I’m making list in my brain and checking things off. making decisions. Planning all my next steps, so on the day of the walk ( which starts at an hour when I can’t even see yet ) I just have to walk . ( or as al the promo and safety videos say ‘walk and pee’ ) .
So if I was going to do it over….
The walk is not until September 9th , so I am not finished with my training . But I have a few thoughts on how I would do things differently. Mostly , I would train for a longer period of time.
Things felt reasonable up until 12 miles. , But now the training feels a little pushed to me. I think I would have liked to spent a little longer walking 12 miles. Mostly because yesterday was the first time 13 seemed pretty good – even though I did not want to walk at all (I did 17). I think if I had more time at 12 /13 miles I would be faster. ( Seriously, it took me all day to walk 17 miles ) and I might be able to train my body to use stored food better. Right now I need to eat all the time in order not to crash. This makes sense – diabetes is a metabolic disorder – the body is not efficient in using food. I will probably always eat more than the non-diabetic when doing extreme activities, but I believe it could be more efficient.
So I have been having thoughts about the future. I really don’t want to lose what I’ve gained. I want 8 miles of walking to stay easy. I wouldn’t mind being faster ( no I do not want to run ) . I need to get back some flexibility . ( I never had much – and I’ve lost some of what little I had walking ) I’m trying to come up with a combination of walking and yoga – flexible enough that I can get back some time for reading, hanging with my DH and other social stuff – but rigid enough that I can’t skip by saying – oh I’ll do something tomorrow . Because, while I have discovered that it is a myth that missing a work out sets you back a step – and that missing a week can actually be good for you – I want missing a work out to be because I am missing it , not just putting it off.
I started off talking about if I could redo – and ended up with a plan for the future … I guess that is one of the points of looking back.
Trainning nerves
here is where life is starting to get interesting
Monday Rest
Tuesday 3 miles Easy walking
Wednesday 15 minutes Moderate cross-training
Thursday 5 miles Moderate walking
Friday 30 minutes Easy cross-training
Saturday 6 miles Easy walking
Sunday 5 miles Easy walking
last week I walked about 19 miles. I haven’t really checked the schedual to see where I am vs the trainning schedual for a few weeks. And i am not so sure this was a good week to check it. – mostly because a longer walk Sat and Sunday just doesn’t work for me – I work on Saturday.
the current plan for this week has me at 18 -20 miles. One day with a 6 mile walk one day with two three mile walks. Plus some gardening hours. there is room to get the 22 miles in – just not sure I can fit another longer walk in ( over 4 Miles). I guess this means next week i start on a tighter schedule. ( with more stuff on the calander) .
why – or at least the who
My grandmother
my friends G , and L who just fought it off, and J who survived two bouts of breast cancer before 50 – one without insurance.
My friend C’s mother.
For P , who is male.
For M and B , board members at my library in Ct. They found out about the same time. M survived , B did not.
and for a lot of other people that have had various cancers – because I hope reseach for one cancer with help us with all cancers.
exercise anxiety
When I set a goal – anxiety sets in. Not for everything, but for exercise. Maybe because it is the best thing I can do for my health is exercise. Maybe because no matter how I do it – a major part of it is less than fun. And part of it – is there are ‘rules’.
“make small goals like working out 15 minuets 5 days a week ” : “The first thing you should do is find a time during the day when You can consistently commit to exercising”: “don’t let anything interfere with you exercise schedule”
The little bit every day goal – gives you nothing to do if it doesn’t work. and there isn’t really a result to see. Adding a small amount of exercise is good, but can yo see or feel a difference? in how much time ?
Set time everyday. That might work for some people. But my life is not that routine. My work schedule varies from day to day, and week to week. I ‘set ” my schedule once a week– but there is usually at least once when I say I will do this one day or another day. If I didn’t build in that flexibility – I’d go nuts. Life is not neat and tidy. Things do interfere.
The best thing about doing the 3 day walk – there is time. Before I committed I figured out how I was going to handle things. I pushed a little past the set goals of the training program, because Allergies often lead to complications – meaning I get sick. So I built in time to get sick once or twice ( once was enough thank you ) .
But I also just joined the counties Active for Life program again. My goal is 70 minutes 5 days a week. which I would have hit easily,but I got sick. Now, I’m concerned. Which is silly, because this isn’t the point. And really , if I miss this small goal, it means very little about the big goal.
I am back on track. I walked a good walk to day. BTW – another myth. I didn’t lose anything by being sick and unable to really work out. I feel just as strong as I did before I got sick.
