Loving Life with Diabetes

Ways to keep exercising

I have just not been able to keep myself motivated to do my exercise routine. Part of this is because I have gotten busy again. Now that the rest of the family is back in school I get to babysit. The problem is I have to move my exercise time to earlier. I don’t want to move it to a later time as I was told since I’m on insulin I should do it at the same time everyday. The problem is they drop off the baby at the time I am usually in the middle of walking! It makes me not even want to do it because it screws up my whole schedule that I’m trying to stick to until I have better control.

So anyway I thought I’m having this problem I need help and I’m sure others are to. So I found an article with some great tips and I’m going to share some with you.

The first one is write on a calender when you exercise and for how long. This reminds you that you have done it or you haven’t. Oh the kicker is you need to keep it out in the open where other people can see it.

The next one is get a friend to help you. Plan a walk together or go to the gym.

The first two won’t work well for me as no one really cares if I do it or not, and I have no neighbors I live in the middle of no where. I find this one more helpful work toward a goal. My goal is to be able to walk in the diabetes walk next year. I won’t be up for it this year I know. Next year I will be there!

DANCE! dancing burns so many calories and it’s fun, take up ballroom dancing or belly dancing. Many dances have at home videos that teach you at home so even if you don’t look like a super model you can learn these without worrying.

If you have children, have them come with you, even if it’s just a walk. Get them out and moving to. Remember if you have diabetes there is a good chance they could get it.

Anyway theres a few tips. Enjoy!

Avandia, good or bad

I was reading through yahoo news today and ran across and article for Avandia, I was diagnosed after the problems with this drug were expressed so I have never been put on it.

According to this article the FDA advisory panel has stated that there is no reason to keep Avandia off the shelve. They say that there is very little evidence that the drug does cause hart problems, but they do feel an update to the drugs warning label is needed.

During the classes I took in June the nurse there told us that Avandia was a great drug for treating diabetes. It really did help alot of people, but she thinks that doctors need to screen patents before giving them this drug. There should be no history of heart problems personally or in the family, that might help cut down on the cases of heart problems while using the drug. Personally I agree with her completely. I think for any drug once an effect is known people should be screened and warned of the side effect of taking a medication, not just this drug but all drugs.

Losing the weight

I have had so many programs thrown at me the last few months and none of them work. So I went on this great hunt for some really good workouts that I could do at home and I found this great site from Fitness Magazine that has video workouts on it. I love them and have just started using them, so I am hoping that I can get my weight down now that I’m at a stand still.

They have a ton of free videos that show you how to tone and fix the problem areas you have. It really is a great and helpful site. They have everything from yoga to weight lifting to cardio.

Counting your carbs?

I know that diabetics are not the only people counting there carbs and trying to eat right, so this post will help more then just diabetics.

I have found a really nice gadget a Low carb diet calculator that makes counting carbohydrates a snap! This counter has over 200 types of foods stored in it’s memory and you can add up to 20 of your favorite foods, if there not already in there. The best part is it’s a small hand held device that you can take anywhere, which is perfect for diabetics and of course great for anyone who is trying to lose weight.

4 Tips to Simplify Exercise

Exercise is proven to reduce blood-sugar levels. For people who have type 2 diabetes, it can even reverse the need for medication. So why is it so hard to stick to a workout regimen? Try these tips to make it easier to stay active:

Choose an activity you enjoy and you’ll automatically increase your chances of sticking with it. Walking is most popular and most frequently recommended if you’re overweight. Start slowly, walking 10 minutes five days a week. Gradually increase to walking 30 minutes five days a week. You can also take the stairs, mow the lawn, and vacuum your carpets. Most weight-loss programs encourage you to do several types of activity to burn the most calories. While you walk, you can also listen to tapes that encourage you and help you vary the pace for a better workout. Or you can get a book on tape from the library and enjoy it while you get your exercise.

You don’t need to join a gym, but having a trainer when you first begin to exercise helps you succeed. A personal trainer can help identify activities you enjoy and develop a routine that meets your goals. He will teach you the proper way to perform each move, reducing your risk of injury (which could sideline your routine). Keeping track of how many minutes you work out or how many calories you’ve burned helps identify patterns and provides good insight into your progress. You’ll be able to see the connection between calories and weight loss.

Measure your hips, waist, biceps, and thighs. Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you don’t see a change in the scale, you’ll be able to encourage yourself with the changes in your measurements — and how your clothes fit, too!

Help find a cure!

I have always had an interest in diabetes research as I knew that it ran in my family, honestly though I haven’t done much to help. Now of course I am thinking about it more and know many more people who have diabetes. Many are type 2 and just learning about it, a few are type one, those are the people I wish to help the most as they have had this most of there lives and could easily die from the complications or lack of control.

So I have started a campaign through the ADA website to raise funds for research. I hope you will take a look at the program and contribute, even $5 is something! I would prefer that you use the link on the right to donate as it goes directly to the ADA site. I wanted to use something graphic to keep track of what has been made on my blog, but I guess I’ll just update the link with the amount. Unless someone knows what I can use without having people donate through my papal.

Also You can start your own campaign or promote this one with my link, comment on this post if you want to use my link. If you do promote my link I will link to your website or blog on my other blog, A little of everything.

Thank you for reading this and take a look at the ADA website and help find a cure!

Revolutionary Glucose Monitors Coming Soon

Revolutionary glucose monitoring devices that are (almost) a way to regulate glucose levels through interaction between monitor readings and an insulin pump are due on the market in the next few years. These first wave of continuous monitors still have some problems: their readings are not as accurate as conventional finger-stick blood tests, and they don’t respond quickly enough to changes in glucose levels from, say, exercise. People who use them need to draw blood every so often for comparison. But all that may change in the next couple of years, as manufacturers continue to develop better software.

The basic devices are set up so that a person wears a patch on the abdomen that covers a tiny wire that pokes through the skin to measure glucose in cellular fluid. The patch, which is replaced every few days, wirelessly transmits glucose readings to a receiver the size of a mobile phone. This can then interface with an insulin pump to adjust insulin dosages. Medtronic, Inc. won FDA approval on April 13, 2006 for glucose monitor and a pump combination. The monitor is not fully functional until this summer and the device isn’t yet fully automatic–you still have to look at a glucose readout and make decisions about insulin use.

But the manufacturer, Medtronic Inc., is working on software to automate much of the decision-making. The resulting device could amount to an external, artificial pancreas that basically controls blood sugar on its own for days, with the exception that a patient would have to inform it of upcoming meals and exercise. “We’re fairly close,” said Alan O. Marcus, director of medical affairs for Medtronic’s diabetes unit. A device from DexCom Inc. of San Diego won FDA approval late last month, and one from Abbott Laboratories of North Chicago, Ill., is on the FDA’s desk for approval. Overall, three or four continuous monitors are expected to be available nationwide by late summer 2006.