Great A1C

In the morning I will check my numbers to find out what my starting point is for the day, and then take my morning medication that will kick in about an hour (every body’s medication reacts differently). I like to get on that wave when my medication and complex carbs are working together, by eating small amounts every couple of hours will help keep numbers stable. Slower complex carbs work best, because they take away the ups and downs not like simple carbs, and complex carbs are healthier for you. When making changes to your diet, make sure to talk it over with your Doctor.

Have a plan for the day.

• Take Medication.
• Have your food planned out for the day.
• Figure out if you are exercising.
• Have some simple carbs on hand, if you go low.
• Make sure you have your monitor on hand.
• Checking Glucose levels.

Doctors will have type 1 check themselves more often than type 2 Diabetics, but if you really want to find out what’s going on, and you would like great A1C, check it multi times thru out the day, even if it’s for a few weeks (yep it’s a big hassle), but what you find out can be life changing. It’s like looking thru a looking glass. It may just be something simple that is causing you to go high, changing a few things in your diet can make your A1C great.

Colds and Flu with Diabetes, Diabetes becomes more complicated with cold and flu

My niece and nephew always give me a hard time and say I am a germaphobe, but if your Diabetic you know how scary it is being sick, fall is that time of year when we need to be aware of colds and flu’s.

Here’s a few ideas that will help keep you healthy through the winter.

• Plenty of sleep.
• Plenty of exercise.
• Eat fruits and vegetables.
• Stay away from people that are sick.
• Stay hydrated.
• Wash hands more often during cold and flu season.
• Flu shot.

Diabetes already makes life complicated, but if you are sick on top of it, Diabetes can get really complicated. I been there a few times when unexpectedly get hit with the flu, your stomach empties out and you can’t hold nothing down, that’s when I will start sucking on some candy and try and sip on some juice if glucose numbers start dropping to low.

What Diabetics should know when coming down with cold or flu.

• Keep Doctors number near if you start to have complications.
• When hormones fight infections in our body, it can cause Diabetics glucose numbers to rise.
• Some over the counter cold and flu medication can cause changes to glucose levels.
• Routine Changes, lack of exercise and eating habits change when sick.
• Diabetics should monitor glucose more often while being sick.

Why Diabetics should exercise, it takes sugar out of their bodies and feeds the muscles for energy,

Cardio lowers glucose levels

Diabetics can have too much sugar in their bodies, if they do not take care of themselves, because they do not produce any insulin or do not produce insulin properly depending if they’re type 1 or type 2. Either way insulin helps feed glucose to the muscles for energy. Muscles will absorb more glucose from the blood while exercising. No matter what type you are if you are healthy enough to exercise, it will help control your Diabetes.

Never give up

When I came down with Diabetes I stopped competing in 10ks, biathlons, and triathlons. Do not use Diabetes for an excuse not to stay active, being Diabetic is more of a reason. Just recently I added running back into my work outs for cardio, because aerobic type exercises is so beneficial to my Diabetes, it’s remarkable how much less insulin I use on days I run compared to days I don’t, I can lower my morning injection by 6 units when I run 3 to 5 miles in the morning, and I am starting to feel the joy that I had years ago, but It’s a whole new ball game from when I competed 25 years younger, and now I am bringing Diabetes along. Staying active is a big key for keeping the quality of life for Diabetics, but we need to make sure we are keeping a close eye on are numbers. Always monitor before and after exercise.

Some Diabetics may not like sports, but now days you can find so many types of exercises and activities on the internet at various levels for a person. I am always looking for different type of exercises that I can add to my routine.

Eating Healthy, Diabetes keeps your diet honest or you pay the piper.

Start eating right today

Healthy eating is the first step in taking care of your Diabetes. One thing about Diabetes, it keeps your diet honest or you pay the piper by dealing with high glucose levels that will damage the body. There is a balance between keeping glucose levels in range and eating enough health foods. When I eat I look for the benefit of the food, because I can only eat a certain amount of carbs that my insulin injection allows, and I want to get the most nutrition out of my carbohydrates. Eating small amounts of complex carbohydrates every few hours keeps my numbers stable. We put so many different foods through are bodies per day and every single one reacts differently, some react slow, fast and some store in the body for extended periods. Diabetics will go high and not have a clue that a certain food from two or three hours ago is still reacting in their bodies and they automatically think it was the foods they ate last; therefore, it is so benefiticial to memorize the count in carbohydrates. There are a lot of websites with carbohydrate charts for Diabetics to learn.

Watch out for simple carbohydrates

I try and stay away from simple carbohydrates as much as possible, but they play a key role if my numbers are dropping low and I need a quick response. Most Diabetics panic and abuse sweats to keep numbers up, but the trouble with trying to control levels this way is you will get dramatic swings that are very unhealthy. The simple carbohydrate for me to take when glucose levels drop below normal is orange juice with high in carbohydrates. It gets to the blood stream fast, and in most cases I only need a few swallows so I do not get the dramatic highs. I do not want to get in a habit of eating my favorite sweats every time I go low. If I continue to use sweats every time, not only will it cause swings, it will cause unwanted weight, too much weight cause insulin resistance.

Simple carbohydrates react rapidly compared to complex carbohydrates.

In the last few years I have ate healthier than I ever have so I can control my Diabetes better, and I have noticed a lot of changes.

• Loss of weight
• Gain in strength
• Steadier glucose levels
• Lower doses of insulin
• Reduced dramatic lows
• Less emotional ups and downs
• More endurance
• Clearer thinking