My Surprising Struggle with Pushups

I was in a routine for years where I would do 3 sets of 10 pushups every day. Seriously, every day.

Until my routine collapsed. Inertia had taken a sledgehammer to my activity. Apathy had thrown my best intentions into the ditch. I quit doing my pushups. I mean, totally quit. Zero pushups.

But this is a hopeful story.

I recently awakened thoroughly disgusted with my lapse in routine. I swear I could feel the weakness in my arms. I was determined to face down inertia yet once again. My old enemy, inertia.

So, I got down on the floor and attempted to go through my 3 sets of 10 pushups. Here’s how I ended up … 3 pushups, 2 pushups, 2 pushups. A far cry from 10, 10, 10.

I was stunned at how quickly my strength had departed.

But … the next day, I got down on the floor and did 4,3,3 pushups. The next day was the same, 4,3,3.

Then a new day rolled around, and I did 5,4,4. My strength had increased a little. I was surprised to see how quickly it was coming back.

My arms stung from the lactic acid that poured onto my muscles as I struggled to increase the number of repetitions daily. But it felt oddly good.

Within two weeks I was back at 10, 10, 10. The positive inertia has kept me going and I have now exceeded that.

But it flipped me out to see how quickly my muscle strength came back. After that, as I was lifting some heavy items, I remember thinking ‘hey, this isn’t so heavy after all’. It was the pushups that did it!

Strength exercises like pushups are excellent for diabetes as it helps manage insulin resistance. Add aerobic exercise to your routine and you will have done your blood sugar control a huge favor.

Have you fallen out of your exercise routine? Inertia and apathy CAN be put back into their box if we start small and slowly ramp back up. Here’s to 10,10,10!

———

[Author’s note: I hope you enjoy this blog! It was started because I am so sedentary that it is unbelievable. If you want to support this work, consider buying my book ’42 Ways to Motivate the Sedentary Diabetic to Actually Exercise’ on Amazon by clicking HERE ]

Yes, your camera can help blast you out of lethargy

I saw a photo of myself taken years ago and was aghast at how out of shape I looked. I mean, it stopped me in my tracks.

Honestly, I looked swollen and hideous.

If you’re not where you want to be physically and you’re a diabetic, take a picture of yourself. I don’t even have to explain how motivational this is to simply gaze upon a picture of yourself.

Chances are you’re not where you want to be.

Exercise is a way to change that picture. Oh by the way, you will be improving your diabetic condition immensely while you do this.

I know I know, you don’t want to do this. It’s just too painful. There is not enough time. It’s WAY too inconvenient.

All of the above is why you have to do it. But I thought this was a blog about managing diabetes through exercise and not about weight loss, you might say. You’re right it is. However the magic is that they both often move together.

So, either look back at an old photo for motivation or snap a new pic – either way, now your camera is part of your health team. Who would have thought??!!

(Author’s note: Share my book with friends! https://www.amazon.com/Motivate-Sedentary-Diabetic-Actually-Exercise/dp/1692830473/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 )

When you absolutely, positively, totally do not want to move

Recently, I had a day where I simply did not want to go to the gym, walk on my street, or do anything at all. I was frozen, like an iceberg.

All of this despite my being an exercise blogger who has written a book on the criticality of getting off our collective rumps and moving (ahem, exercising).

On this day, this un-moving day, my brain just simply could not process doing anything other than sitting in my recliner. It was simply a bridge too far for me to conceptualize. It was a thought that could find no place in my menu of activities for that day.

Trying to combat this dreadful turn of events, I reminded myself of the enormous benefits that diabetics enjoy when they exercise. And then I reminded myself again. And again. Nothing worked. I was still in the clutches of inertia … let me capitalize that, I was still in the clutches of INERTIA.

I’m confident that I’m not the only one who has ever found themselves in this sorry situation, right?

So what did I do?

I got out my self-winch and winched myself out the front door. There, I got that far. Let’s see if I have enough motivation to make it to the street. OK, I found a couple of cracks in inertia’s wall, giving me a few ounces of motivation to actually walk to the street (the self-winch is straining, straining, straining against the force of inactivity). OK, now I’m standing on the street, motionless. So I will myself to walk 100 steps on the street. By step 10, inertia conceded that it is defeated today and I end up walking a mile, which isn’t that much but is much better than the day started out, which found me lacking the will to get out of the recliner. Yep, my battle with inertia is that deep, folks.

Inertia flees in the face of action.

Inactivity retreats whenever we engage even in modest activity.

Even one step on these very difficult days is a victory.

Our daily iceberg can be melted, one day at a time. (But it can be hard, as evidenced by my account above).

Let me encourage us, when we are in the throes of a ‘cannot do anything’ day, take one step. It will lead to two, which will lead to three.

And our diabetes will thank us.

How the local zoo helped my diabetes, seriously!

Recently, I had the occasion to go with some family members to the #NashvilleZoo one morning.

It was great and I ended up walking at least 3 miles … at least!

Get this, I did not notice! I was too caught up in the wonder of this well laid-out zoo and all the amazing animals.

I got my exercise in for the day while I did not notice at all! I felt this was too good for me not to share.

The exercise helped my #diabetes by decreasing #InsulinResistance which in turn, lowered my #BloodGlucose readings for the day.

Isn’t that what this is all about?

Go to your local #zoo and walk through it! You’ll be glad you did!

When your calendar becomes your workout buddy … huh???

download (30)

Let’s face it, there is something compelling when we schedule something on our calendar. We are more apt to follow through and keep a commitment that is on our calendar than one that is not.

It always helps me personally to proactively plan my exercise in the future by committing it to my calendar. If you use a paper calendar, pencil it in. If you use an electronic/phone calendar, then schedule it and you will have an automatic reminder.

I hate to work out, you might also but we know our #diabetes will thank us for getting out the door and into some activity, right?

There is something about human nature that simply makes this work. Let’s make it work on our behalf to help us manage our #diabetes better.

Thank you Mr Calendar!

(Author’s note: I have published a book for diabetics who hate to exercise, ’42 Ways to Motivate the Sedentary Diabetic to Actually Exercise’ … written primarily for my always inactive self … click HERE to purchase on Amazon, purchase and give away to friends and family who need it … purchase and send to your local diabetes society for distribution and if you cannot afford it, let me know)

What you FEEL will make you ill, but what you KNOW will make you go!

download (29)

Early in my career, I was a church worker. As such, I had the benefit of exceptional motivational teachings that I would listen to as various teachers came through my territory.

One teacher stressed the importance of not allowing our feelings to dictate our actions inordinately. He focused on the fact that if we allow our feelings to rule our lives, we would never amount to much of anything or accomplish anything significant.

He stressed that we should operate a great deal out of what we knew as fact that we needed to do as opposed to what we felt. He had a great motto for this… “What you FEEL will make you ill, but what you KNOW will make you go.”

Throughout my years, I have always marveled at the wisdom in this saying.

In many ways it applies to motivating us to get out the front door and get exercising.

With that in mind, I think it is vital to reflect on why we are exercising at all. In short, exercising benefits our #diabetic condition in so many ways it is impossible to list.

For starters, if you have insulin resistance which most #type2 diabetics do, exercise will lessen that resistance. Exercise will open the receptivity of your cells for blood glucose to enter them. That way it’s not in your bloodstream and your blood glucose levels of your blood will fall. That’s a good thing.

#Diabetes can contribute to a person being depressed.

Studies show that walking 20 minutes a day is as therapeutic as most medications or talk therapy. Can you believe that? Well you should because it’s true.

Exercise can increase a person’s overall fitness level which lessens the co-morbidities that can spring up when you deal with #diabetes in a person’s life.

This alone makes exercise a fabulous, fabulous option for a #diabetic.

So think about those mornings when you absolutely do not want to exercise. Your feelings are screaming “do not exercise at all because I do not feel like it”. It is mornings like this that what you feel is making you ILL but what you know has got to make you GO. Because you know you need to exercise, you put your feelings up on a shelf and get out the door and get to the business of exercising. Because your intellect is making the smart choice and the smart decision here.

We can do this!

Write your way out of lethargy and fatigue … A1C numbers just might drop!!

download (28)

We are here to help you explode your inertia and get you off the couch to actually exercise! (and your #diabetes numbers will thank you)

Believe it or not, studies have shown that if you keep an exercise journal daily, this by itself will give you motivation to get out the front door.

Studies have also shown that as you record your obstacles, challenges, dead zones as well as your successes, you will exercise at a more consistent pace than the person who does not do this.

As I have alluded to before, the toughest step to take in any exercise program is the first step. Any advantage that we can get on our side to get us exercising and keep us exercising, we should take and embrace it enthusiastically.

This really, REALLY helps me. Seriously. It REALLY helps me!

So go buy a small notebook that you can write in and start today. If you have an iPhone, droid etc that you can keep a journal on, by all means do that!

The manner of journaling does not matter… that you do it is the only thing that does matter.

#covid #diabetes #diabetics #exercisejournal

Spin your way to lower blood glucose numbers, seriously!

spinning

Spinning is basically riding a stationary bicycle. A spin class however, takes a rather boring activity and throws fun and sparkle all over it.

Most YMCAs and other fitness centers, have spin classes, even during covid. You will be socially distanced and maintain all the proper health precautions but spinning is still occurring, trust me!

Typically these are 20 or more stationary bicycles in a large room, that are utilized for a group activity lasting from 45 minutes to an hour with an instructor leading it to the melodies of great music.

To say that this is fun is a huge understatement. It is incredibly fun!

And it is low impact and high aerobic. Almost a perfect exercise. And since you are spinning with other people, the added benefit of socialization is baked right into this.

So many people in spin classes make friends with each other and this serves to motivate each other to higher fitness goals.

It is not uncommon to see people of all ages in spin classes. I’m talking about from teenagers to young adults to middle-age to senior citizens. The spin class I go to has a fellow by the name of Ollie who sits in the corner and participates enthusiastically. He has been doing this for at least 10 to 15years. Ollie is 80 years old. He is in great shape. I do not know if he has diabetes or not but that is beside the point, isn’t it? He may not have diabetes because his fitness level may have been forestalled. Or if he does, he is helping manage it well.

I challenge you to go to your local YMCA or fitness center and see if there is a spin class. The instructors are extremely sympathetic to beginners and you can get in a spin class and going slowly for the entire period of time and no one will say a word because they understand you’re starting out.

Who could ask for more than that?

#covid19 #covid #spinclass #diabetes #diabetics

How a trip to Italy and France reversed my diabetes … wait, what?!?

venice

 

It was a normal day for me, much like many others. Except that I was to have my long-procrastinated physical from my physician.

No problem … I jumped in the car and quickly navigated the Nashville landscape in the beautiful October sunshine, arriving at her office in about 20 minutes.

Greeting me, we went through the all of the regular tests, exams, etc. She is a very personable doctor and I always enjoyed my visits.

Wrapping up, I thanked her and went on my way.

All was well with the world.

Until she called me a few days later and asked me to come back in for a glucose tolerance test.

“Sure, let’s set up an appointment. By the way, why?” I asked.

“Your fasting glucose level came back a bit higher than I would like to see it. This other test can tell us a lot more.” she explained.

“Fine, see you then”

Long story short, my glucose tolerance test took about 4 hours with my blood being drawn over and over. I felt like I had given a gallon of blood and was ever so glad to show back up at work that day.

A few days later, the physician called again. Read more

How to throw inertia into the ditch and start exercising again!!

download (26)

Today, I’m going to focus on inertia.

Check out the dictionary definition of inertia: ‘a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged.’

Inertia keeps us from exercising. It is a force in itself.

Inertia is an invisible hand that keeps us on the couch or in our office chair, when we know better.

It is the hobgoblin that whispers in our ear ‘Put it off until tomorrow’. It is the belief that says, ‘It’s too much effort to find my walking shoes (or workout clothes, etc)’.

Inertia is an internal mountain that we attempt to climb daily.  Did I say climb? More often than not, we just sit and stare at it. Then night comes, we sleep and we get up the next day only to repeat the cycle all over.

Inertia is a paralyzing poison that renders us incapable of forward movement. It throws its thick straps onto us and holds us tightly in place.

This happens to me all the time.

What do I do when this tsunami of inactivity has me jailed?

I find my walking shoes.

I put them on.

I take one step. Then another. Then another.

By this time, inertia recedes a tiny bit. But that’s all I need, an opening. A chink in its armor.

And usually I find myself walking a bit, and a bit turns into a mile and a mile turns into two, you get the picture.

And I will have put inertia in its place until I face it all over again tomorrow.

You too? Sound familiar?

Let me encourage you to punch inertia in the nose today.

Your diabetes will forever be grateful!

(Author’s note: I have published a book for diabetics who hate to exercise, ’42 Ways to Motivate the Sedentary Diabetic to Actually Exercise’ … written primarily for my always inactive self … click HERE to purchase on Amazon, purchase and give away to friends and family who need it … purchase and send to your local diabetes society for distribution and if you cannot afford it, let me know)

#covid #covid19 #coronavirus