stress and diabetes

Posted on March 19, 2012 by janekdickinson

Are you sick of stress because people talk about it too much? Are you sick of stress because you are dealing with too much of it? Both? Neither?

I tend to mention stress a lot, because in this busy, high-tech, fast-paced world, people deal with a lot of stress. Stress definitely messes up blood glucose management, so I’m constantly stressing the importance of managing stress. And managing stress, just like everything else we do for diabetes, needs to become a way of life.

Luckily, many of the things we do to manage diabetes also manage stress. To that end, I ran across a great list of stress-busters that I want to share. Here are some steps you can take to reduce your stress and improve your health/diabetes:

  • Get adequate sleep
  • Exercise regularly
  • Avoid excessive use of alcohol or drugs
  • Develop a good balance between work and play
  • Learn to put things in perspective
  • Make a list of things you’re grateful for
  • Regularly practice a calming technique such as guided imagery, meditation, prayer, or yoga
  • Talk with a counselor or caring friend                                                                 (Adapted (slightly) from TopHealth newsletter, December 2011.)
How do you manage stress?
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Tired of Diabetes?

Posted on March 16, 2012 by janekdickinson

I realized yesterday that blogging is tiring. Do I have to keep blogging for the rest of my life? What if I don’t have anything to say? It seems unlikely, but it could happen. What if I just don’t feel like writing one time (or more)?

Then I realized that this is exactly how people feel about diabetes. It doesn’t end. We just have to keep managing it every day for the rest of our lives. How tiring is that? I will admit that I really don’t think about that very often. When I forced myself to think about it, I had to wonder if I don’t think about it because diabetes is a way of life for me, because I’m a freak of nature, or because I don’t LET myself think about it.

Maybe it’s a combination of the three.

Recently I blogged about what I would do with a diabetes-free day. I was thinking about that again today, and how not having to plan for diabetes while traveling or being active really would be nice. Another thing that happened today is that I cleaned the house. I find it extremely annoying when I’m on a roll, cleaning away and then my blood glucose is 49 and I lose all that energy and motivation. So being able to clean without going low would also be nice. Yes, I realize that, in effect, I just wished to trade diabetes for cleaning, but oh well.

I’m curious – what are you the most tired of, when it comes to diabetes?

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should government regulate sugar?

Posted on March 14, 2012 by janekdickinson

Here’s an article with some ideas about government regulation of sugar. It got me thinking about where I stand on this. David Katz has been known to say that taxing junk food and sugary drinks is not enough. It’s just “one sandbag against the flood”. This may not stop people from eating/drinking these items.

As I ponder this difficult situation, I go back to education. It makes sense that I believe in education – I’m an educator, afterall. I think people deserve to be educated, so they can make their own informed decisions. I also think education sets people up for success, while more controlling measures can set people up for failure. If junk food gets taxed and people still buy it, they will run out money sooner and have even bigger problems on top of health issues.

Then again, education costs money and taxes bring in money. It really is a conundrum (big word). What about smoking? Has the high cost of cigarettes lowered smoking rates, or has education done it?

How do you think we can be successful in changing Americans’ eating habits? Force? Taxes? Education? Something else? I have to admit that I usually drink one diet soda a day and I am seriously considering stopping this habit because soda has gotten so expensive. Would you stop eating junk food if it were taxed?

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Positively Diabetes

Posted on March 12, 2012 by janekdickinson

I was listening to an Anthony Robbins recording (I cleaned the office last night and found a boxed set called “Unleash the Power Within” on cassette, and believe it or not, I have a boom box that still plays cassettes) while walking on the treadmill this morning. At one point he went off about being “positive.” He said he doesn’t like when people say you have to be positive, because that means going into the garden and saying, “there are no weeds in my garden, and there will never be one weed in my garden.”

I would define that as delusional, not positive. When I think about being positive, I don’t mean irrational or delusional – expecting things that aren’t realistic or even possible. By positive I mean engagement, enthusiasm, excitement – creating an environment that leads us to achieve what we are after and having good outcomes. Being positive is changing the things we can and for everything else, changing the way we look at it; think about it; approach it.

By the way, there are lots of great parts of the recording so far (and I have a long way to go), and Tony Robbins has inspired many people.

Being positive is not only a choice, it’s remembering that we have choices to make.

How do you define positive?

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Diabetes Pursuit

Posted on March 9, 2012 by janekdickinson

We’ve all heard the old saying, “you are what you eat.” I just read something that I’d like to use as a replacement for that: “…your actions will ultimately reveal what you truly value.”

This article is not focused on diabetes or food, but I think the principles can be applied to living successfully with a chronic disease. There are so many great quotes I have to share:

“Knowing what not to pursue is just as important as knowing what to pursue.” How many times have we focused on the wrong things in life or in diabetes management?

“…you cannot attain what you do not pursue.” Do we ever just go about our lives and think diabetes will manage itself? Or just ignore it?

“What you pursue will determine the paths you travel, the people you associate with, the character you develop, and ultimately, what you do or don’t achieve. ” Making diabetes management a priority (but not an obsession) is key to accomplishing all the other things in life.

“…pursuit must be intentional, focused, consistent, aggressive, and unyielding.” So true of all things we pursue, including managing diabetes.

Ultimately I’m pursuing balance in my life. That still takes intention, focus, consistency, and so on. As soon as I lose my focus, I get dragged in one direction or another and I’m off balance. There’s a fine line between pursuit and obsession and I think that line is balance.

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Diabetes and junk food

Posted on March 7, 2012 by janekdickinson

I can definitely relate to this article about eating habits around other people (read it all the way through – the second page really hit home for me). It makes me think of how much I struggle (especially at certain times of the month) when there’s a lot of junk food available.

College was probably the food low-point in my life. I’m not proud of how I ate in college. I know that I ate more in social situations, because I remember feeling like I was more fun when I had a “food buzz.” I still have a tendency to overeat in social settings, which is why I always make sure to bring raw veggies and a healthy dip or a salad. If nothing else, I know I can munch on those all night long!

My husband brings junk food home, and he is fortunate to be able to eat just a little bit at a time. I, on the other hand, have trouble stopping once I start. I have often asked him to keep his junk food in his car or at his office, but it always seems to creep back into the house. Other times I find myself thinking, “I should have the self-discipline to just not eat it.” But then PMS comes around again and it’s just a vicious cycle (pun intended).

Lately, we’ve been making more of an effort to buy healthier snacks and keep them handy. Things like Clif Kids Z Fruit Rope and dark chocolate-covered blueberries have become quite a hit around here. There are even little individual-size packages of pistachios (these are all available in bulk at Costco).

How do you handle food around other people? What sets you off and what helps you avoid eating it?

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Diabetes Do Over

Posted on March 5, 2012 by janekdickinson

This morning I drove my kids to school because my son had a bulky project to take in (we are ordinarily school bus people). As we were heading out, the radio was playing. My daughter said, “I love this song,” and turned up the volume. When the song was almost over she said, “Can we start this song over?” That made me chuckle because kids are so used to iPods these days, that they don’t realize songs on the radio can’t be “started over.”

I once attended a talk about adolescents, where the speaker called them the “control-alt-delete generation.” Kids expect to be able to start over any time they want. I can think of many situations in life where a control-alt-delete feature would be nice.

What about with diabetes? Don’t we often wish we could control-alt-delete our blood glucose and start over? While we can’t necessarily undo the diagnosis, we can “check and correct.” The wonderful thing about checking blood glucose levels at home is that it keeps us informed. This information (blood glucose readings) helps us make decisions. Yes, it would be great to just be in our target range all the time, but that’s not reality. Rather than beat myself up for a reading I don’t like, my version of a control-alt-delete is to correct the blood glucose and learn from the experience. Eventually that scenario – whatever it was – won’t cause me the frustration as often.

I really wish there were a control-alt-delete for saying the wrong thing – in the meantime I just apologize and hope for the best. Where could you use a control-alt-delete?

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Vegetables for Diabetes Health

Posted on March 2, 2012 by janekdickinson

Vegetables are so good for us, yet do we eat enough of them? I like vegetables, but I’m sure I could eat more of them. I’ve complained about the high cost of fresh produce, however, a recent article reported that the reason people don’t eat enough vegetables is not the cost. And another writer says it’s the work involved that keeps people from eating vegetables.

I’ve given this some thought, and I agree. I openly admit that I don’t enjoy cooking and it’s because of the work (and time) involved. I don’t mind working hard, and I love to be productive. I just don’t like to spend my time preparing food and cooking.

I decided a while ago to make buying fresh produce a priority. I keep lots of fruits and a pretty good variety of veggies in the house. I try very hard to prepare carrots ahead so they are always easy to grab (I’m not so good about celery). The downside is the expense and the fact that produce goes bad quickly, so I have to make more trips to the store/stand.

In an effort to have readily available fresh vegetables, I put a box garden in the backyard last summer, but discovered I’m not really a gardener. I thought about a hydroponic tower garden, but again, I’m not good at the maintenance. Now I’m seriously considering joining a co-op where fresh veggies are delivered all summer long. CSA (community supported agriculture) is a way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer.

What’s your excuse? Do you hate the taste of veggies? Do you loathe preparing them? Do you think they’re too expensive? How can you increase your vegetable intake this year?

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Take a Leap

Posted on February 29, 2012 by janekdickinson

We talked about a day without diabetes, and now it’s time for a blog post without diabetes.

Today is February 29th – Leap Day? Leap Year Day? At any rate, it’s sometimes called Sadie Hawkins Day, and that’s when crazy things like girls-asking-boys-out happen. Ok, it’s an old-fashioned tradition, but let’s stretch it to a new tradition of just doing something out of the ordinary.

Have you ever done something completely out of your ordinary? One year on February 29th I asked a guy to marry me. No joke. Well, I was joking at the time, but it really did happen. It was a third date and I don’t think he was amused. Although there was a fourth date, it pretty much fizzled after that.

So here’s your challenge for today: go out and do something you wouldn’t typically do (preferably something legal). And a great, big Happy Birthday to all those who were born on February 29th – I hope you are enjoying your very special day.

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Diabetic (sic) Socks

Posted on February 27, 2012 by janekdickinson

I was given an awesome pair of socks recently, which led me to write about socks and diabetes. All of my diabetes life I have heard claims about “diabetic (sic) socks.” First of all, how could socks possibly have diabetes?

I’ve never given a lot of thought to these “special” socks. I’ve never recommended them and I’ve never bought any.

I started wearing wool socks a few years ago mainly because I live in Steamboat Springs and this is the home of SmartWool and Point6 socks. Maybe instead of Ski Town USA Steamboat Springs should be called Sock Town USA.

These socks really are wonderful. They keep feet warm and dry in the winter and they wick, so they keep feet cool and comfortable in the summer too. I have ski socks, athletic socks, every day socks, thicker ones I use like slippers, etc.

I imagine that people at risk for sores on their feet would want to avoid scratchy seams. I have never noticed the seams on my wool socks, so that’s a good sign. The only drawback I can think of with wool socks is they might actually keep someone’s feet too dry, since dry skin can be an issue for people with diabetes. I use cream on my feet every day, and I don’t have a problem with dry skin. Some people might need to apply cream twice a day, for instance, in the morning and before bed.

Do you buy special socks? What kind of socks work well for you?

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