Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Me & Diabetes

The title of this blog explains a lot about me. If you're wondering about the insulin part...here is some explanation!

1. The chronic condition I live with is Type 1 Diabetes, diagnosed in 1995. 

2. No, I can't just take pills and watch my diet. I need insulin to survive. I can never not think about diabetes...its 24/7.

3. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is thinking about every single thing I put in my mouth and figuring out how much insulin to take to cover it.


4. Most people assume that I can’t eat dessert or drink beer or have a margarita! I enjoy all three in very limited moderation. :)


5. Low blood sugar is the worst thing about having diabetes for me.

6. My glucose meter and insulin pump are with me all the time. My pump is on me 24/7.


7. Each day I take insulin and vitamins. 


8. I am not defined by diabetes...it is just a part of who I am. 


9. People would be surprised to know that I can eat anything they can! Really! I just have to proactively manage my blood sugar, and take insulin cover it. 


10. The hardest thing to accept about living with diabetes has been I can’t be quite as spontaneous as I would like to be when it comes to food and exercise. If my blood sugar is high, I just can't head to the lake and start running. I've got to treat it and wait.


11. Since I wear an insulin pump, travel by plane always guarantees I will get a thorough pat down by zealous TSA agents. I am an optimist, so I look at is as an opportunity to educate them and hopefully make it easier for the next pumper who comes through. 


12. Exercise and pushing my limits makes me feel powerful beyond measure! 


13. When I walk or run I always have glucose tabs, my iPhone, and lip gloss. 


14. I never feel deprived. Moderation is key. 


15. Please don't tell me ~or any other type 1 diabetic~ about your great aunt who lost her toe because of diabetes. I have people tell me stories like this a lot. Not helpful! 


16. My chronic condition has taught me that absolutely anything is possible. Especially running marathons! 


17. I love it when people inquire about my diabetes. I don't mind talking about it and educating them, and hopefully putting to rest some wrong ideas or assumptions they have about it. 


18. A positive attitude is so beneficial to life with diabetes and just life in general. Look on the bright side! Always take time to stop and smell the flowers and watch the sunset. 


19. I am thankful that diabetes is a manageable condition. So very thankful. I can live with it, and I do. 


20. I had two healthy children after becoming diabetic. I tested my blood sugar more than 12x/day when I was pregnant. They were worth every finger poke!

    "The very best thing you can do for the whole world is to make the most of yourself."  




Sunday, September 4, 2011

Because I Can

I run because I can.

Sounds simple enough, and it is.

I exercise and train because I can. In a world when many people cannot run, or walk, I do it because I can.

Yesterday I received horrible news that a friend of mine died of breast cancer at age 36. She leaves behind 6 children...the youngest is 2 weeks old and in the NICU. She lived long enough to have this baby boy...a boy who will never know his wonderful mom.

I know another mom, my same age, who is battling ALS. She is in her 6th year after diagnosis, and went from being active (like me), doing all the ordinary things I take for granted, to living life from a wheelchair, slowly losing mobility...day by day.

So, I run because I can. I have a body that is waiting (and willing!) to be trained to run farther and faster. Other than diabetes, which slows me somedays, I have no excuse. I can get up, put on my workout clothes, tie my Nikes, and hit the pavement. And I do. Because I can. 


We who are able-bodied should rejoice. We should do as much as we can with what we have been given. Pushing ourself to the limit should be our goal. It is certainly my goal. I have gone from supreme wuss to motivated woman full of Adrenaline.

My trainer recently said to me (as I was working out on a new piece of equipment), "Adrenaline, you are becoming more and more athletic everytime I see you!" Athletic is never a word I would've used to describe myself. But, in the last 2 years it has become a word I love. I want to be athletic. I want to push myself and train my body to do amazing things. I want to run marathons. Why?

 Because I can.


"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." ~ Steve Prefontaine



Marvelous Maui

Thought I would share some pics from amazing Maui. We walked/ran a few times along the beautiful beachwalk (pictured below). I felt so wonderfully blessed to be able to be exercising my body in such a gorgeous place. And we weren't alone! Lots of happy people on the island running right along with us.

Of course, our workouts included lots of walks along the beach. I live in San Diego, and it's beautiful here, but Maui is like San Diego on steroids...uber spectacular!

Aloha!